Mansfield Nordic Club

Monday morning arrived with bright sun, blue skies, and a large white van travelling steadily up I89 toward the Richmond Park and Ride. At 10:30, Ken and I greeted the transport team as we were handed the keys to the MNC VAN!

That’s right…the next step in training options, team culture, and accessible transportation. It’s an exciting time for our club!

Day 1…you could tell Coach Adam was excited

It didn’t take long for the van to prove its usefulness. On Friday we went on a classic rollerski that was a favorite of the MNC Academy crew for morning sessions last fall: rollerski from the Round Church down to Dugway road, and then take Dugway road (yes, the dirt road!) up into Huntington. This dirt road is great for rollerskiing because it gradually climbs the whole way and involves no downhills, and it takes a generally dull and well-worn rollerski route (Cochran Rd) and extends it to a much cooler direction.

This ski requires a shuttle back down to Richmond, as there’s no safe way to make it happen otherwise. That meant that my Subaru would have to suffice…max group size of 4 or this workout wasn’t happening. This time, the whole gang got to experience the trip!

We also went to Bolton on Saturday, to take on the uphill run test for the 2nd time this year. A lot of PR efforts, and new course records from alums Liam and Emily. Congrats guys!

Interested in contributing to the van? Check out our page right here: New MNC Van

So many awesome events and activities happened this week that it’s hard to believe all of it happened in just the past 7 days alone. From rollerski summer group startups to progressive agility features and a visit from NENSA, to our annual summer kickoff event, and today’s meeting to pick up our NEW VAN! From one Monday to the next, that’s quite a packed schedule.

My first day of summer training, back in 2015, I was terrified. I called Tim Weston just ONE last time the night before the first day, just to get the final check on how to go through the front gate at the Range. All I could think of was how things could go wrong…some military shutdown, some angry general, nobody showing up to practice…

All told things went fine, and I think about 10-15 people attended. We worked on agility and did drills off-skis, then hit the trail.

On Tuesday we had about 35 people, with a gigantic crop of new skiers and some of most established veterans ever. This squad was too big to just start on skis: we divided into teams, decided on mascots and cheers, and competed in a series of events: high-skill competitions like tug-of-war, a rollerski relay race (where skis are carried, not skied on), and a thrilling mini-bike racecourse. THEN we tossed our skis on. The more novice group picked things up really quick under Rick and Sara’s tutelage. Ever single person was skiing down the Sprint Loop hill by the end of the day! We’re already closer than ever before to having the whole summer group able to ski some workouts as one.

After the ski we had a great turnout at Hammerfit, with 18 athletes taking on the Canadian Strength Test. A minute on, a minute off of pullups, situps, pushups, box jumps, and dips. Score across the board were higher than last year and this group is strong! We’re excited to keep partnering with Hammerfit to offer strength training options to all of our Juniors.

On Wednesday, the Juniors headed to “dirt church” at Cochran’s for a trail run up to the top of both peaks, the prayer flags (town ride) and Jimmy Cliff (Cochran’s side). This was another big reminder of how far we’ve come. We went up and over Cochran’s my first summer and it was an ordeal and a half. Now, a 2+ hour run with about 1,500′ of elevation is just another Wednesday morning.

Cochran trails…glorious place to train

Thursday was a special day and particularly beneficial for our newer skiers. Justin Beckwith, NENSA’s High Performance Director, pulled up with a collection of ramps for rollerskis. I had called JB a few weeks earlier about “renting” the ramps for a day and he was more than happy to jump on board! Modeled after the “bicycle bumps” Nordic Cross feature, this wavelike object is amazing for building confidence on rollerskis.

Our experienced skiers (some who had already sampled these ramps at various events) had a blast, but it was watching the newer skiers grow in skill that was so rewarding and showed the value of a tool like this.  The ramps force good body position and mobility in a natural way…think going from strider bike to pedal bike! Some skiers who had only started rollerskiing 2 days earlier were able to progress through the ramps with greater confidence each time. Special shoutout to Anders who made huge strides. His secret? As he put it: “I’m really not afraid of hurting myself”. Hey, if that’s what it takes!

Thanks for stopping by JB!

For those who had a few years of rollerskiing under their belt, Friday’s classic session was a great sign of how strong this group is with their fitness and technique. Also…with road safety. I had a conversation with Eli after this ski, as we both were feeling good about how “pro” the group seemed at most times. We all show up with hi-viz clothing, ski in sync and great as a pack, and know how to handle corners, hills, and climbs. The video clips I took for the session look like they could be a much-older group of skiers from a much more foreign-sounding area than “Richmond”.

That brings us to Saturday, the annual MNC Summer Kickoff! This year we had two mountain bike groups (thanks to Andy for leading one!) and a run group (thanks Liam!). It was another day of perfect summer weather, and we had a good time grilling and playing some lawn games after at my house up the road. What a way to get ready for the summer!

Consider summer kicked-off!

Congrats to our 5 MNC seniors who are headed to new places and new teams next year! We will do a little more recognition at our Junior Summer Kickoff event this coming weekend, but here’s some of what lies ahead for these great grads:

Eli Grossman is headed to Bates next year where he’ll ski for the Bobcats!

Jenny Wilbraham is crossing the northern border where she’ll ski for Carleton as a Raven!

We’ll see Brook on the trails a lot next year as he begins a 3-2 engineering program at St. Mikes/UVM and will ski for the Purple Knights!

Montpelier HS Valedictorian Meredith Stetter is off to Bowdoin to ski for the Polar Bears!

Making the biggest literal move of all is Timmy, who is headed to Sirdal, Norway for a post-grad year in biathlon!

Kai Richter spent his senior year in British Columbia, but he’ll be back stateside to ski at St. Lawrence as a Saint!

Many of our rising seniors have visited some schools and begun talking to coaches. Remember, we have a page full of resources for those interested in skiing past high school. Whether you’re looking to make your first outreach to a school, or wondering where to start looking in the first place, don’t hesitate to check out our Skiing in College page or email coaches for recommendations! Thanks as always to Dave Priganc for the great photos.