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MNC Club Racing: Zak and Club Cup

Calling all MNC racers and interested future-racers! As one of the largest clubs in New England, Mansfield Nordic has quite a strong presence with the NENSA framework. We encourage as many of our members as possible to get out there, try a ski race no matter WHAT level you are at, and get in on the fun! We live in the best region in the country for fun, competitive, social adult racing and we’re excited to have Mansfield Nordic Club represented across New England at events large and small.

But there is a side of our club that in some ways has never been tapped to its full potential…our opportunities to score points in the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup standings! We have many talented racers at all levels, but the Zak and Club Cup standings are not determined by fast skiing alone…participation is key, and with a large member base we can really make our mark.

Here’s how it works, in a nutshell:

Zak Cup points are determined by the top 15 finishers within each age group in a sanctioned Zak Cup event (the MNC Duathlon, for example!). Racers also need to have completed a minimum number of races within each season for these points to count: participation is rewarded!

NENSA Membership at the time of the race is required for Zak Cup Scoring.

Club Cup points are given to all NENSA members competing in a sanctioned Club Cup event (the MNC Duathlon, for example! Again!), with 10pts for first, 9 for second, and so on. However, after 10th place every skier for a club still gains 1 point, so the more competitors a club has in a race, the more points they will get!
To read more details on how the Zak and Club Cups work, check out the NENSA pages by clicking HERE

In essence, the Zak Cup and Club Cup present ways for experienced and newer racers alike to get out there and compete for fitness, fun and the thrill of the race! This season, I’d encourage anyone in the club who has not raced to give it a try…chances are you will have a memorable experience, and you may just get hooked!

 

Masters Training 1/12 – 1/14

MNC Masters training has been geared around “themes” for each session. After Sophie Caldwell’s World Cup victory this week (followed up by Jessie Diggins winning two days later…wow!) the confident downhill abilities of Mrs Caldwell could not be ignored. We chose that as our focus for Thursday with some “reverse-intervals”…repeating the same loop but trying to go faster on the downhills each round.

Tactics, confidence and speed are all great to practice in training so that they come easily in the hectic throngs of a race. And for those who do not race, they make skiing in general all the more fun and fluid.

You can see the World Cup classic sprint below. Witness Sophie racing the final at 1:20:00 in the video! (Bib 3 white/blue suit/black headband)

This week, the final stage of the Tour De Ski will provide the basis for Tuesday’s training: efficient uphills! This comes straight on the heels of the grueling climb up the Alpe Cermis to conclude the tour.

On Thursday we will classic ski but have a focus on double poling, though we are hoping for good tracks!

Tuesday 1/12: Skate skiing with uphill focus: video repeats on Badger loop, drills and efficiency intervals.

Thursday 1/14: Classic skiing with double pole focus: sprint loop laps for power and timing, towing for forward hips.

Masters Training 1/5 – 1/7

First up: some video from New Year’s Eve: working on DP technique on the Ergs!

Next up: we can ski at the Range this week!

The snow guns are firing and the groomers are out at the Range today. The conditions are thin, and we’ll be limited to skating this week, but you are reading this right: skiing is ON for this week! For those who do not skate ski, classic skiing is certainly available but please note that tracks will not be set.

Weather is a bit cooler this week. Remember to dress warm and layer-up!

Tuesday, 1/5 [Skating]: Skate World Cup video clips and mobility warmup, followed by balance drills as a large group. In individual groups, no-pole  and one-pole skiing to build balance and timing.

Thursday, 1/7 [Skating]: Mobility warmup followed by balance drills as a large group. In smaller groups, V1 technique work for efficiency, or light intervals depending on ability/on-snow time this season.

See you on the snow!

 

The 2016 MNC Duathlon is coming up!

https://www.skireg.com/mncduathlon

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Registration is open for the 2016 Mansfield Nordic Duathlon! This year’s duathlon will once again be held at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Test both your classic and freestyle racing in a single event that now welcomes all age groups.

Previously a BKL event, the MNC Duathlon has now expanded to become a part of NENSA’s Zak Cup series. Earn points for your club and race head-to-head against competition from all over New England!

To register now, visit https://www.skireg.com/mncduathlon

Online registration closes Wednesday, January 20th 2016 at 11:45pm EST

Race events and distances per age group:

Lollipop: .5km classic only

Grades 1 and 2: 1.5km classic only

Grades 3 and 4: 1km classic + 1km freestyle

Grades 5 and 6: 1.5km classic + 1.5km freestyle

Grades 7 and 8: 2km classic + 2km freestyle

Men and Women U16 and older: 6km classic + 6km freestyle

10:00AM course preview

11:00AM race start

3:30PM awards

Registration and bib pick-up in the Nordic Touring Center, upper level, 9:30-10:30AM and 12:00-1:00PM

See you at the races!

MASTERS TRAINING CANCELLED 12/29

The report from the Range is ice and slush with more freezing rain coming down. Not enough to groom and hazardous to run. Given the road conditions as well, training is cancelled for this evening.

For the intrepid skiers (drive with caution) Sleepy Hollow plans to roll out their 5km loop this morning. We will plan to do dryland training this Thursday evening since the temps will rise once again and likely melt what snow the Range received.

The good conditions at Sleepy Hollow do bode well for the Santa’s Revenge race this Sunday! This is a really fun event and coach Adam plans to participate. Race-minded Masters should definitely check out this option for a fun competition.

Santasrevenge

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