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BKL Skiathlon Race Report 2025

By on 13 January, 2025 in BKL Race Blog

Photos by Adam Popkin, Results and Thanks to Clover Whitham for writing this race report.

Mother Nature was smiling on the Mansfield Nordic Club Skiathlon, which was held Sunday at Sleepy Hollow on great snow under sunny skies.

It was all smiles with friends after the race for Rory, Bella, Hanna, Margo and Ophelia!

This is the “home” race for the club and proceeds support the MNC scholarship fund. It was also the first race of the season for many. Adults and Juniors (U20, U18 and U16s) raced in the morning before the Lollipopers kicked off the slate of Bill Koch races.

The Lollipop race is always a spectator favorite where the smallest racers of the day tackled some wild hills in the Sleepy Hollow fun park on the way to the finish line. Racers from around Vermont, including Craftsbury, Frost Mountain, Mad River Bill Koch and Sleepy Hollow BKL clubs, participated.

Next up were the eager Grade 1-2 racers who showed up to the start line ready to race many minutes early!  MNC racers Nathaniel Schroeter, Johannes Hollenbach, Tanner Magnan and Grant Gillan, Margo Dillon, Claire Dolbec and Daisy Tremble flew off down the trail when the starter finally said “Go!” They skied a 1k loop around Molly’s Meadow and into the woods on Acadia Mania and returned on Potato Farmer to the fun park and finish.

There were a couple tangle ups in the mass start of the Grade 3-4 race but it didn’t stop these skiers! There were five MNC racers on the boys’ side – Rory Dillon, Rory Dolbec, Ollie Laber, Ronin White and Bodhi White – and two girls – Bella Altadonna, Nora Johnson. They skied in a crowd of 28 total racers for the first kids’ skiathlon race of the afternoon. They completed 1 classic and 1 skate lap, each 1 kilometer long. There were a lot of smiling faces flying by! Perhaps it was the promise of cookies made by volunteers at the finish line.

The racers in the Grade 5-6 race showed real grit and skill by finishing 4 laps (2 classic, 2 freestyle) for a total of 3.75 kilometers. This was also the first timed race of the Bill Koch races. Suiting up for MNC were Kaisa Weaver, Mazzy Merritt, Oliver Tremble, Finn Laber, Charlie Goosen and Jackson White. It looked like the ski exchange practice on Thursday paid off with smooth transitions and racers speeding back on the course.

Racers setup for the start of the Grade 5 + 6 race.

Sylas Weaver and Fiona Repp represented MNC in the Grade 7-8 race, which had 24 finishers from more than a half dozen clubs. These racers also completed 2 classic and 2 freestyle laps, for a total of 4 kilometers.

An honorary gold medal goes to former MNC coach Hanna Holm in her trademark cow in pink tutu costume for leading and keeping racers of all ages on the course!

Racers and their families made this another successful skiathlon! Special thanks to volunteers who made cookies for prizes, stocked the lunch table and monitored the transition zone and race course.

MNC Skiathlon Wax Tip

By on 10 January, 2025 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

Wow, we have SNOW and things are looking awesome for the Skiathlon on Sunday. This is a classic race, followed by a skate race, all together (switching skis in the “exchange zone” in the stadium). It can be overwhelming, but the weather looks stable and perfect for nice classic skiing and smooth skating.

Be sure to start with clean skis: that means glide zones, too! Make sure to use a dedicated glide zone cleaner (not to be confused with a more potent chemical kick wax cleaner).

With bases all cleaned, a great paraffin layer would be Toko Red, Swix 7, Rode R30/40, or any other simple mid-range glide wax. If using a Toko or Swix spray, put this on the night before and let it sit until race morning, then scrub with a nylon brush.

For kickwax, it looks to be hardwax in the purple/red range. Start with a hardwax binder like Toko Base Green ironed in, and then feel free to stop by the MNC bench for help with the wax of the day…coaches will be testing and helping application.

See you at the race!

 

BKL Info January 6-12

By on 6 January, 2025 in BKL Training Schedule

Thursday 1PM Update: Practice is on, but it is snowy out there, so please feel free to stay home if you come from farther away and don’t want to venture out. The trails are getting groomed just before practice and the Thursday plan below for more details.

Tuesday Update: Practice is on and we will classic ski in the powder. It’s snowy out there, so if you come from farther away or don’t feel like venturing out in the weather please feel free to stay home. At home you can get out in your yard for a ski, go sledding or play in the snow.

It’s MNC Skiathlon week! This is our “home” ski race for all ages and proceeds go to support the MNC scholarship fund. Everyone is invited to race or come cheer and check out the scene (details and registration link below). At practice this week kids that are planning to race will do some skiathlon practice. On Thursday we’ll practice with skate boots and both skate and classic skis and poles.

It looks chilly and snowy this week – To stay warm wear warm layers, use hand warmers and eat a big snack before practice.

Tuesday 1/7: Penguins, Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: Tomasi Meadow
Details: Classic for ALL – Racers are practicing at Sleepy with Peter Davis. Devos are also at Sleepy with Coach Kristen – check the juniors training doc for technique.

Practice Waxing Info: If you raced this past weekend at the Bogburn it would be good to use a putty knife and some wax remover to clean-off our kick zone before putting on some new kick wax. Forecast is for mid teens and something like Swix Blue, Swix VR 40/45, Toko Red should work well.  We’ll have the wax bench setup on the side of the parking lot near the trailhead. Please come a few minutes early if you need wax.

Parking: The Tomasi lot on Mountain Rd. Please park tight, so there is space for everyone. Please don’t park on Pinnacle Ridge (it’s a private driveway). Underhill Central School is an overflow parking location.

Reminder: There is no inside space or bathrooms (go before heading over). Wear a headlamp!

 

Thursday 1/9: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi
Details:  Skate for some and Skiathlon Practice for kids signed up to race this weekend.

Skiathlon Practice for Racers, Devos, Jack Rabbit Red Group and any Arctic Fox or Jack Rabbit in Grades 3 or 4 that are doing the Skiathlon: Wear the boots you use for skating and bring both Skate & Classic Equipment for Skiathlon Practice. Let your coach know and they will help connect you with a group that is practicing Skiathlon.

Parking: The Tomasi lot on Mountain Rd. Please park tight, so there is space for everyone. Please don’t park on Pinnacle Ridge (it’s a private driveway). Underhill Central School is an overflow parking location.

Reminder: There is no inside space or bathrooms (go before heading over). Wear a headlamp.

Sunday 1/12: Skiathlon at Sleepy Hollow
Online registration closes Saturday 1/11 at 5pm (BKL $12 and lollipop free)
Day of race registration is also available (BKL $20 and lollipop free)
Let coaches know you are coming: Racer Sign Up List
We do need some parents to Make Cookies for Finish Line Prizes  and help feed hungry racers Bring Something for our Team Snack Table

MNC Team Info will be updated here on Thursday and will also be email it to everyone on our Racer Sign Up List.

Biathlon Trials/US Nationals

By on 6 January, 2025 in Junior Blog

The end of one year/start of a new year is often thought of as a time for family, friends, and gathering away from sport. Unless you’re a nordic skier or biathlete, that is. For those groups, the holidays signal “trials season” where athlete from across the country gather to race for spots on championship teams like World Juniors, U18 Scandinavian Cup, Junior IBU Cup, and more.

As MNC has grown, more and more of our athletes have made long journeys over this timeframe. Not to mention all of our alumni competing for various colleges and post-grad programs that also continue to race.

Biathlon trials took place in Soldier Hollow, UT where Seven Bowen earned the chance to compete in Poland and Germany this January in the IBU Junior Cup! She’ll do 6 races in 11 days, and travels out across the ocean in a short week’s time. Pat Frazier also competed for the Pugs out in Utah, where familiar faces like Taylor Carlson and Virginia Cobb were also making waves!

Right after biathlon trials ended, US Nationals began in Anchorage, AK. If you’ve ever been to Alaska, you likely haven’t forgotten it…if only for the immense amount of travel required to get there. Can you believe that Alaska and Florida both exist in the same country? It’s actually a bit wild to think about.

Anyway, MNC is represented on this trip by Jonah Gorman and Emma Crum. Emma is an MNC alum who currently races for Bowdoin, but as that team is not making the journey, we were happy to take Emma under our wing (paw?) for the races. We also teamed-up with Ford Sayre for the second year in a row, making a New England powerhouse squad!

Before the racing started, we dove a ways outside of the city to Hatcher Pass for what was, personally speaking, the best Nordic skiing experience of my life! Bright sun, tons of snow, an epic mountain pass with the sun rising between the peaks to bathe us in golden light, and Pisten Bully-groomed trails through an abandoned turn-of-the century mining ghost town…it was mind-blowing.

Naturally, we actually classic skied for about 20 minutes, and then spent over an hour blasting through powder, whooping with joy, and filming it all:

And then we eventually did have to start racing…a lot! Jonah made the Junior rounds in the classic sprint, which is an awesome accomplishment for a first-year U18. And with one race to go Emma Crum is in contention for U23 World Championships! Ford Sayre athlete Annie Hanna qualified for the U18 Scandinavian Cup, and everyone on the trip has at least a race or two they felt really good about.

Back home, there was great local racing at the Bogburn, and soon all of our Juniors will turn their attention to the second Eastern Cup in Lake Placid, NY!

Jonah and Taylor (who is doing a PG year at Sun Valley)

MNC alums Emma (Bowdoin) and Ava (Dartmouth) both kicking butt!

Brooke Greenberg, who moved to Utah when her dad became the new boss of Salomon USA…but is still a Pug at heart!

 

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