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MNC Public High School Policy Statement

MNC is a non-profit organization devoted to the mission of helping athletes of all ages and abilities improve their Nordic skiing and pursue skiing excellence at the local, national, and international levels. We also believe our success is directly tied to the success of the broader ski community in Vermont. A large portion of that community are Public High School teams which play a vital role in building broad participation and lifelong interest in our sport.

To that end, we have established a set of policies to guide our Junior programs as it pertains to Public High School teams. These policies allow us to passionately pursue our mission while also respecting the needs of Public High School coaches and their teams.

MNC Junior Program Policy:

MNC is not seeking, nor actively driving any changes to the existing VPA regulations and practices.
MNC programs are designed to adhere to current VPA regulations and practices.
MNC athletes participating on High School teams are expected to do so in a manner consistent with their individual coaches and VPA regulations.
Participation in MNC programs is fully voluntary and our enrollment is open to all, regardless of ability or school affiliation.
MNC has and will continue to actively support Public High School skiing efforts as permitted by VPA regulations.

Please refer all questions or concerns regarding these policies to Kort Longenbach at president@mansfieldnordic.org.

Mansfield Nordic Club is proud to be part of the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) and has achieved Bronze Level certification by the US Ski and Snow Board Association.

Busy Busy Juniors

By Adam Terko on 10 September, 2018 in Junior Blog, Uncategorized

Sometimes very simple, real-world examples playing out in front of my own eyes remind me why rollerskiing is important, and why being strong is such an integral part of ski racing in 2018.

The videos below show some double pole test footage. The first clip is Magda and Sammie in the summer of 2017, followed by a clip from this past week (2018). The clips were taken in the same spot about a full year apart:

Equally impressive are some clips of MNC racers who hadn’t rollerskied as much but have really put in the time this summer! Case in point? Meredith, Ava, Brook, Julia, Hanna, and more. It’s fun to see times on the double pole test drop dramatically and continue to get lowered as progress happens.

But before we get too carried away…this week wasn’t ALL about rollerskiing! On Wednesday we had a really fun run at the Mobbs Farm trails. It was maybe the 4th run this year we’ve done in 90+ heat but that didn’t stop the gang. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a really cool swimming hole deep in the woods near Tarbox Rd.

95 degrees, bring it on

Magda taking a refreshing dip

Then on Saturday, we woke to cold temps but faster running…we showed up early to the Burlington Invite to race the Citizen’s event (same course, before the big HS events) and had a pretty fun time getting used to a “real” race again. It was pretty hard to hide how much fun we had but we tried to have at least one “apathetic running picture” in honor of Conor Munns:

Hard to look apathetic on a nice day, with a fun race AND some legit matching singlets

Big shoutout to the speedy Ava Thurston on getting 2nd in the Varsity race (only her 2nd HS race ever!) and clocking in at 19:59 for her first sub-20 ever! Congrats to Greta too, who took the win in the Middle School race! Lots of other MNC skiers out there racing fast…Peter V, Julia Thurston, Carly Trapeni…way to go!

Since it was a volume week and we’d already had our fair share of awesome double sessions, that plan continued with the crew taking a few hours to go out to lunch and shop-it-up on Church Street before we paid a visit to the infamous “127 Bike Path” for an easy double pole recovery ski. Julia and Sammie were pretty tired but decided to take a mid-ski rest stop by some of the more dope (and internet-appropriate) graffiti on the path:

Tired gang, still making sure to honor James Franco

BUT WAIT, you’d think that after all that action it would be time for a break. But not for the Pugs. On Sunday we traveled to Huntington for a nice long ski from the Brewster Pierce School. We began at the school and skated out to Hinesburg and back on a relatively flat stretch down Hollow Rd. Then, we got back to the cars at 1.5 hours and switched into classic gear to ski up the lower portions of App Gap from the West side. Not a bad way to end a week at all, and people were psyched to have another big ski in the books.

Mitch, Timmy, and Aidan leading out the gang

Casual roadside balloon cop

Nope, not an actual MNC van (thanks St Mikes) but maybe someday 😉

Volunteering at US Biathlon Trials this Sat. & Sun. 8/11-12

By Adam Terko on 6 August, 2018 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog, Uncategorized

MNC Members of all ages…if you’re interested in participating in the US National Rollerski Biathlon events this coming weekend, see this email from John Madigan below on ways to volunteer. Thanks!

Hi Volunteers!

Thank you for agreeing to help with the 2018 North American and US National Rollerski Biathlon Championships on August 11th and 12th. As always, without your generous help, it would not happen. The races are fast and should be a lot of fun. Saturday is the Sprint race and Sunday is the Pursuit and Mass Start for Sr Men and Women. Here are some details for volunteers:

1. Plan to arrive at 7:45 am the first morning when you will be assigned to either the Chief of Range or Chief of Timing for training in your volunteer job for the morning. The athletes will zero their rifles at 8:00 am and the racing will start at 9:00 am. Note that this is earlier than in the Winter. Things should wrap up before noon. Volunteers will meet outside the timing building at 8:00 AM for assignments.

2. Make sure you bring clothing for all kinds of weather including rain. Bug spray and a water bottle might be a good idea.

3. There will be snacks and drinks in the Walker Building before and after the races.

4. Once the races start it is hard to get away from your position, so try to take care of all your needs before the 9:00 am start.

5. The outcome of these races depends a lot on how well we do our jobs as volunteers. Details, details, details! It is very important to be focused when on the range, in the penalty area, or at the finish. Missing a number or recording something incorrectly takes quite a bit of effort and time to sort out so do your best to get accurate information. You will get additional instruction on this from the Chiefs. Having said that, we all sometimes miss things. If you think you might have missed something, don’t guess, note it on the recording sheet and bring it to the attention of the Chief at the end of the race.

6. If you have any questions before Saturday, you can contact me at this email address or at jpmad2013@yahoo.com or call me at (802) 373 5777 (doesn’t work at my home in the evenings). Looking forward to seeing everyone. We can always use more volunteers so feel free to bring a friend.

John Madigan

Chief of Competition

Paradin’ around on skis

By Adam Terko on 9 July, 2018 in Uncategorized

We had a great time at the Williston 4th of July parade this past week! MNC skiers of all ages hit the road with our official float (MNC trailer) that was filled with SNOW from the Gutterson ice rink. On a hot and humid summer day, lots of spectators were excited to experience a bit of winter during an event that is likely to become an annual outing for the club. We hope you’ll plan to join us on rollerskis for next year’s 4th of July festivities!

Champlain Canoe and Kayak Series

By Kort Longenbach on 29 May, 2018 in Masters Blog, Uncategorized

Looking for a training alternative this Summer? Paddling is a great way to train for Nordic skiing and a lot more fun than going to the gym.

If you have a canoes or kayak, join Coach Rick this Tuesday night for the start of the weekly time trial series on the Winooski River at the Bolton canoe access on Duxbury Rd.

More information and details can be found on their website http://www.treeskier.com/cvcks/index.html which still shows the 2017 dates but it’s basically the same schedule this year. Its $40 for the whole series or $5 per race. The money collected by Bert’s Boats of Jeffersonville is used to buy a kayak for a youth group each year. While some people will have very fast race boats there always a few (such as Coach Rick) using a rec boat. The atmosphere is very laid back and welcoming. It usually ends with a beer in the parking lot at the end.