Mansfield Nordic Club
Ski coaching, training and playing in the shadow of Mt Mansfield for all ages and abilities
Well…Tuesday might be all we get this week due to rainy weather. Yuck! We will try to push through to hold a session though, so get in skiing while you can!
Tuesday 3/8 Skating, with a focus on uphills of varying grade and length. Transitions, carrying speed and skiing with quick movements to float up hills!
Thursday 3/10 Stay tuned…not looking great given the forecast…
Welcome to March, with the weather patterns of May and the precipitation of the Sahara! We will be skating on Tuesday and classic skiing on Thursday, hopefully after a bit of potential snowfall.
3/1 Skating: Range Marathon (event #2, with new loops and points system)
3/3 Classic: Specific strength and striding video
A few Masters took on the international racing scene in Canada at the Gatineau Loppet. Our neighbors to the north seem to have a bit more snow than us, and a few trips across the border have yielded good results…this week, the World Cup comes to Canada beginning on Tuesday with the Ski Tour Canada. If you have a free day these races are definitely worth checking out!
Congrats to Tim Janson and Luke Shullenberger on some great finishes in the Birkie yesterday. Tim and Luke were 261st and 198th, respectively. That’s out of 3,837 racers! There may have been other MNC racers out there too…let me know. Way to bring some tough New England endurance to the Midwest guys!
Thanks to the Biathlon Nor-Am races this past weekend, we should have an additional 1k added to our snowmaking loops at the Range…how desperate it has gotten that we’re not almost doubling our skiing by adding a kilometer…
This week we will aim to classic ski on Tuesday while temps remain colder, and shoot to skate on Thursday which is expected to be 51 degrees. Stay tuned on whether or not they close the Range loops during that warm day!
2/23 Classic technique work on the newly-opened loop: gradual striding and getting great glide on the uphills
2/25 Skate working on smooth skating in slush: flat skis, light pressure, crisp motions
To all MNC members, friends, family and visitors
I’d like to pass on some news and updates from our primary training site, the Camp Ethan Allen Firing Range (aka “The Range”)
Vehicle Speeding
I have been approached by Range officials twice in the past two weeks regarding excessive speed from vehicles during out allotted training time. The powers-that-be were quick to point out that the speeding cars were not necessarily MNC skiers (other groups are also using the ski loops during the same time we are) but asked for reminders to be sent out.
The 25mph speed limit (20mph once in the “tactical area” on the dirt road) will now be more heavily enforced, potentially with State Police. This speed zone actually begins when turning into the entrance road from Brown’s Trace road.
New Construction
The wait is over, and after a long stint of construction there are big changes around the Walker Building including better drainage, 3 brand new woodstoves and, most relevant, brand new bathrooms and showers. These upgrades are a big privilege and it is up to us to do our part to keep things clean, organized and functional.
Each season, we may send out a few calls for donations of toilet paper and cleaning supplies…and there may be a practice here or there that ends with us cleaning the bathrooms, bringing in firewood and getting out the brooms. Let’s make our own work easier by keeping things clean in the first place!
Walker Building Sign-out
We have been fortunate with evening Masters Training lately thanks to the construction: the Walker Building was left open and we could essentially arrive and leave as we pleased, often skiing right up to 7:30pm. Now, the building must be signed out in a more official capacity, and the key needs to be returned before 7:30pm. This means training will need to end closer to 7:20pm to ensure the building is clear and clean, with the key returned on time.
Let’s continue treating these facilities and hosts with respect so that we can keep enjoying the benefits provided to us!
After a frigid week, temps should be warming up. That’ll be great for training comfortably, but we will still be on minimal terrain at the Range. Don’t give up hope for winter! We will have some chances to fire up the engines this week and keep the fitness high even without all our trails, snow or terrain.
We had some epic lap battles in the National Team showdown last week. Saudi Arabia amassed the most points for lap counts, while other fierce competitors like Norway, Greece and Jamaica were strong contenders. Here is an outline for this week!
Tuesday 2/16 Classic: Focus on coordination and transitions, especially in tricky situations.
Thursday 2/18 Freestyle: Focus on distance racing: optional timetrial to practice race paces and staying relaxed at speed.
Click through to check snow conditions at Tomasi Meadow (Underhill) and the Range (Jericho). These conditions are submitted by on-the-ground reports and are as current as possible. Read More about “Snow Conditions”…
Join us on Sunday, December 15th at Craftsbury for our Masters Mini Camp. We’ll work on both skate and classic, gather for lunch, and review video and talk technique! Read More about “Masters Mini Camp @ Craftsbury”…
Masters athletes…are you looking to build strength and train with friends and teammates? Join us at the Mansfield Nordic Community Center on Wednesday nights! Read More about “Masters Strength @ The MNCC”…