Author Archive | Adam Terko

After a typically-rainy and cold April, the days turned a bit warmer and brighter for our first week of Junior spring training. With new goals, new teammates, and a fresh couple hundred days of the year ahead it was easy to be excited.

For one thing, I don’t think we’ve ever had a spring group quite this ready to hit the ground running. I’ve found myself trying to be assertive in grabbing the reins and keeping some of the team from doing too much and if it weren’t for the excellent 2021/2022 season we’re all coming off it, we may not be in that situation.

What it all has added up to has been a “Week 1” of the highest quality I can remember.

We started off on Tuesday with an easy run at Allen Brook School in Williston. Most people familiar with the area probably wouldn’t take ABS for a good running location…there’s a bike path and some suburban sprawl and that’s about it. But the goal was to have the first day be on foot in order to maximize the ability of everyone to participate without rollerski experience coming into play.

Earlier in the afternoon I separated a few jigsaw puzzles into plastic bags, spaced them around the various neighborhood spots we’re used to rollerskiing (a side-benefit of this workout was familiarizing new skiers with our routes). With a map and two teams, the gang spread out to find the puzzle pieces, with the key rules being:

1. Don’t do on people’s lawns
2. Don’t cut through any woods or water
3. Stick to the main roads to get from Point A to Point B

I went along with one group and of course all three of those rules were broken within about 8 minutes. In typical MNC fashion some fun was had trying to find the best way to navigate the suburbs and get pieces fast enough to “win” (even though the two teams were seeking different puzzles and had different routes, so it was not even a competition). We followed a dirt path and eventually came to a dead end at a stream which, naturally, was jumped-across and forded in any way possible. This led to a scramble through the back of a few condo units in order to arrive at the road and pick up a bag of puzzle pieces.

One of the scavenger teams scanning the map

Jonah crossing Allen Brook

Workout isn’t over until the puzzle is complete

Not every training session can be a ridiculous scavenger hunt though (well, it could, but that wouldn’t help us achieve all our goals) and it was time for some more traditional business on sunny Thursday, when the wheels came out for the first team rollerski of the season.

Despite having a mix of experienced veterans and some who had never rollerskied with the Juniors before, everyone was able to mix it up and get in a great effort. It’s already shaping up to be our biggest spring training group yet!

And in another lucky day of sun and blue sky, everyone teamed-up to get dirty and contribute to Green Up Day. The Juniors were signed up to do their part on Nashville Road in Jericho, and after meeting for a run on some trails and roads in the area and eating some bagels to refuel, the green bags came out and the gloves went on. Fun to get in a little alternative additional exercise and help remove the litter from the roads we travel and train on.

There’s a new GREEN RACING PROJECT in town!

Now, it’s onto more solid training as we incorporate some staples like intensity sessions and a schedule of fitness tests that we’ll use as benchmarks for improvement over both the summer and the long-term. Here are a few important links!

Sign up for training (Spring and Summer) programs, and training camps, HERE

Order apparel (spandex shorts and sweatshirts) by May 10th HERE

MNC graduating seniors,

NWVE awards the Spike Clayton Memorial Scholarship each year. Spike was an institution in the ski world, and a great friend to the club who helped support MNC alongside many local and regional outdoor organizations. Below are the details about this scholarship from the NWVE website. You can apply at the link below:

Spike Clayton Memorial Scholarship

May is here, and summer is right around the corner! We like to try and stay one step ahead of things, and so with the start of Junior Spring Training this week, here is some info on the next season for planning purposes.

Junior Summer Training starts on June 21st, and runs through August 30th. You can read program descriptions (updated along with dates and links) on the page below:

Junior Summer Training Page

All of our Junior programs are best suited to skiers with some prior rollerski experience (even just a little neighborhood practice). Additionally, a good base of aerobic fitness is recommended, as athletes in all summer programs will be engaging in strenuous exercise for at least 30+ minutes at a time, and routinely up to 60-90 minutes at a time.

For newer rollerskiers, we are targeting two “Learn to Rollerski” days (also open to Masters and BKL skiers) on Saturday, June 11th and on Saturday, July 9th on the bike paths and parking areas near Allen Brook School.

For advanced rollerskiers, please keep an eye on the NENSA Calendar for rollerski races at locations such as Craftsbury or App Gap. If you get your rollerski feet under you this month, check out NENSA’s great 25K in May event and look for an MNC day of 25 kilometers on rollerskis later this month.

With rollerski orders, summer camps (see below) and training all adding up, we’ve put together a page on Junior Yearly Expenses that we hope is helpful in planning and visualizing an entire picture of costs. This can be found under the “Juniors” tab on the MNC homepage. Our aim is to price our programs, camps, race support, and experiences reasonably. As our programs have grown in competitiveness on a regional, national, and international scale, we have added levels of support and trips that grow alongside our athletes.

Any and all MNC members can access our Scholarship page at this link, where information can be found on applying for financial support.

Keep an eye on the MNC homepage for the launch of summer registration pages!

A few more links:

• Summer training camps: Mountain Camp is currently full, but you can find info on our other great camps (Mini Mtn Camp, College Mtn Camp, Rocky Mtn Camp) right HERE.
• You can purchase discounted rollerskis from Skirack by visiting THIS PAGE and ordering by May 6th!
• Shorts and sweats: if you want some gear for summer and beyond, find sweatshirts and spandex shorts HERE and order by May 10!

Congratulations to the 6 MNC athletes who were named to this year’s NENSA Elite and Development teams!

Elite Team:

Ava Thurston

Development Team:

Hattie Barker

Emma Page

Virginia Cobb

Julia Thurston

Anders Linseisen

Over the years, MNC summer training camp offerings have continually expanded. We grew from Mountain Camp to the addition of Mini Mountain Camp for younger skiers. Now, we have expanded what Mountain Camp can offer by setting up a third camp, this one structured for college skiers and our graduating seniors. The goal is to have as many MNC skiers as possible able to attend these camps and experiences.

You can find specific camp dates, prices, and locations on the Mountain Camps info page, part of the Junior dropdown menu on the MNC homepage.

But the training opportunities don’t stop there. New for 2022 we are proud to announce Rocky Mountain Camp at the end of the summer!

For the first time ever, an MNC training camp is going outside New England. This camp takes place August 15-23 in Park City, Utah, the home of the US Ski Team.

Why Utah?

• A new place! The mountains and terrain of Utah are a world away from Vermont in scope, climate, and scenery. At the end of the summer training season, a trip to a new place can be the perfect recipe for finishing off the training season on a high note. While we may have dreams of travelling to Norway or Sweden in the future, starting with a US-based trip that still is significant distance from home is a good warmup.
• More and more MNC skiers are qualifying for, or competing in, races that involve longer travel. From US Nationals and World Junior Biathlon Trials in January, to Junior Nationals in March (not to mention international trips, which these races often serve as qualifiers for), athletes from this club can benefit from learning how to manage travel alongside racing and training.
• Park City and the surrounding training venues sit at altitude, which can affect skiers in many different ways. With lots of championship races happening at altitude, this camp gives our skiers more experience with handling altitude and understanding how to best acclimate and perform.
• Cost efficiency. The SLC airport is a major US hub with lots of flight options and reasonable prices. Travel around the area is direct and straightforward, and housing costs are relatively inexpensive for a team of skiers and coaches. Note that the Junior Nationals trip costs $1900, not including airfare or uniform: we are doing our best to provide cost-effective-but-awesome ski experiences!
• Training options abound. With big mountains of course comes lots of great trail running, hiking, and uphill terrain. Just down the road from Park City lies Soldier Hollow, the only rollerski track in the country with more kilomteres than the Range. Ironically, going all the way to Utah might provide easier access to a rollerski loop than the one in our own backyard! With lots of local clubs in the area just like ours, there are plenty of options to connect with another team for training and getting to know our fellow racers.

The Details

This camp is primarily intended for U18/U20 athletes (including rising U18), with 2nd year U16 skiers eligible upon coach discussion and permission. Training will be demanding both in terms of volume and intensity…skiers should be comfortable training twice per day (up to 4-5 hours in one day), running up to 10-13 miles in one session, and rollerskiing comfortably at high speeds in all techniques and terrain.

Expect to bring classic and skate rollerski equipment, bounding poles, and running gear suitable for mountainous terrain.

Skiers attending this camp likely view skiing as their primary athletic/sporting focus, with goals of skiing at the national level, collegiate level, and beyond.

Trip cost of $999 includes coaching, housing, meals, and ground transportation once in Utah.

Trip cost does NOT include travel to Utah. Athletes may select their flight of choice from the east coast, with an intent to arrive at the SLC airport on Monday, 8/15 or Tuesday, 8/16. Adam and Sara arrive in SLC from Boston at 9:54AM on Monday, 8/15 and will then pick up the rental vehicle(s). Based on a schedule of athlete arrivals, coaches will run airport shuttles to pick up athletes at the airport.

Camp Registrations

As per our standard practice, training camp signup options will first go out to prior-year participants of a specific camp. On May 1st at 5:00, registration will open publicly on the MNC homepage and registration pages. It is our intent to have MNC training camps comprised of as many MNC athletes as possible, as they are some of our best teambuilding and cohesive experiences. That said, if space remains closer to the date of a training camp, there will be outreach to other clubs and coaches to gauge interest in those athletes joining our group.

All registrations will be available on the MNC Registration Page and directly below:

College Mountain Camp registration

Mountain Camp registration (camp full!)

Mini Mountain Camp registration

Rocky Mountain Camp registration