Mansfield Nordic Club

Another year and another memorable Bogburn ski race. This year the event was moved to the Woodstock Nordic center which ended up really changing the character of the course quite a bit. Last year’s conditions and the nature of the traditional course made double poling at any point nearly impossible. This year, it seemed like skate skis and double-pole-only racing was the method of choice for many. Those that went on klister probably still felt it in their upper bodies because there was no escaping the long stretches of open field on this course.

One thing that stayed consistent about the race, regardless of location, was the fun atmosphere and real old-school vibes even amidst the posh country club setting. The fact that most of us got to race in a T-shirt was an extra bonus!

Things got going with the BKL contingent and while it was a bit of a bummer to not see more of our BKL crew in attendance for this one (I think fatigue, both athlete- and parent-based, is lingering from the early BKL Festival this season) Virginia and Julia tore it up and even got to ski together into the finish. In a running series of close finishes rarely more than a second apart, Virginia got the better of her rival Sarah Glueck on this day! Then it was time for the open races, where MNC coaches and athletes alike raced through the slush.

Many MNC folks raced in the open races, from athletes like Dakota and Baxter, to all the coaches, to stalwart Masters competitors like Karen who has scored tons of Club Cup points for MNC this year with her super attendance at races far and wide!

Dakota went with the vintage suit which was the right call, but unfortunately lost a pole basket right after the race started and decided to soldier-on without it for the rest of the way. I told him people would’ve given him a new pole but he said he wanted to be polite since it wasn’t an intense Eastern Cup race! (photo by Camille)

Opting for the double pole, and also for the lemon-lime color scheme (photo by NENSA)

Before us older races got going, I entrusted Julia and Virginia with the GoPro for the remainder of the day, and thanks to their hard work interviewing and capturing race footage I was able to put together the first-ever “BKL Mini-Vlog”. So, without further ado, enjoy some footage of the 2018 Bogburn as seen through the eyes of these two:

Stay tuned for a full-length vlog of this past week, including the Bogburn and the adventures around Woodstock that Dakota, Sara, Magda and I had after the race ended. A few more photos from Camille below…check out the NWVE recap for links to the full album.

This was a fun day where every coach actually raced as well! Adam, Sara, Rick, Rosemary and Tom all competed! (photo by Camille)

Not sure what type of post-race cooldown method Magda is going for here, but good knee-drive and hip activation! (photo by Camille)

Results can be found on NENSA!