Some great colors last week at the top of Smugg’s!
Sun. 10/18 Williston Roller Ski (map) This week we will be back in Williston. Coach Rick has the following planned: 30 min warmup/5km time trial/20 min easy ski to cool down. Plan is to meet 9:30 at Kort’s house.
Tues. 10/20 Dee PT Strength (map) – JoinCoach Dennis this Tuesday at 6-7PM for strength training session at Dee PT in South Burlington. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
Thurs. 10/22Dry Land Training (map) – Join Coach Rick for the first week of dry land training. This week we will meet from 5:30 – 7:00PM and will shift the training location to the Ethan Allen Range in Jericho where we will have access to lights and additional equipment. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
This season, Mansfield Nordic is introducing and promoting a MNC Club Membership. MNC wanted to create a means to enable all club participants and supporters, including those who don’t participate in training programs, to both support our mission and share in the benefits that our club offers. We have a number of great incentives for membership and are continually working to develop new partnerships for even greater rewards! This membership also involves a fee structure, which addresses the increasing insurance costs and overhead associated with our programs and the hiring of a full time Executive Director/Head Coach.
To offset this fee, we will no longer require all of our members to purchase a NENSA membership. In addition to club discounts and promotions, all club members will also have access to special MNC events, activities and celebrations throughout the year.
Once they have joined, club members will be provided with an official MNC Membership number that allows them to enroll in our training programs and take advantage of club benefits.
For more information and to sign up, please see the MNC Membership page on our website.
Sun. 10/11 Madonna Hike followed by Roller Ski (map) This week we will mix things up and start with a hike up the Smugglers Notch ski trails followed by a shorter roller ski on Pleasant Valley Rd. Non-roller skiers are welcome to join us in this ~1.5hr hike. Bring Poles and plan to meet at 8:30AM at Madonna Mtn Parking lot. We estimate that we will be starting the roller ski around 10:30-11:00.
Tues. 10/13 Dee PT Strength (map) – JoinCoach Dennis this Tuesday at 6-7PM for the first strength training session at Dee PT in South Burlington. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
Thurs. 10/15Dry Land Training (map) – Join Coach Rick for the first week of dry land training. This week we will meet from 5:30 – 7:00PM and will shift the training location to the Ethan Allen Range in Jericho where we will have access to lights and additional equipment. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
We took an extremely fun field trip to the Mad River today…rallying in the valley and up over App Gap to our friends at GMVS! The first order of business was to gather up with the new GMVS coaches Kat Howe and Garrott Kuzzy (hey, that name sounds familiar??) for a lo-down on the course and races: 10km and 5km mass start races on East Warren road. (results at the bottom of this post)
When the morning fog lifted we were greeted with an awesome fall day with great foliage and even some frost and ice on the mountaintops.
5km racers just after the gun goes off! Yes, Ben is on classic gear…he double-poled the whole 5km including the Plunkton hill!
Will, Elliot and Forrest out of the gate!
Here’s a short clip of the 10km men…I was very excited about the skiing and also about the scenery as you can tell!
A nice handy tailwind allowed for some very fast times, and all three of the 10k boys posted some of the faster times ever for the course! Kat and I only got to witness the start and finish, but Garrott (in van #2) saw the battle unfolding. He said it was an impressive display of smart, aggressive skiing: lead changes, quick little breakaways and re-connections and great head-to-head racing for the whole 10km!
In the 5km, Greg stuck to his pre-race plan: go out hard and push the whole way. He threw down a blistering race in just over 13 minutes and came across the line looking strong. Greg has put in some great training this summer and was slamming his poles down into the pavement with some jackhammer forces! Andre hung tough and tried to latch on to Greg for the first section of the course, ending up with a really strong performance for his first-ever rollerski race. Just like Greg, Andre is still a U16 and is going to turn some heads this season!
Andre rounding the turn…possibly hitting 40mph
Due to nerve injuries that are still getting diagnosed, Ben C has been classic skiing and double poling all summer. He definitely put that to the test today as he double poled the entire course…tough stuff. It takes a lot of perseverance to only be able to ski one technique but the payoff has been big gains in strength, power and technique!
Due to XC running season and SAT exams, the MNC female contingent was unable to make it. Coach Sara jumped in to double the women’s field size and had a great race…there are rumors she may put Alaska behind her and roll VT-style to jump in some Eastern Cups this winter!
Happy gang at the finish…never forget the flag!
Heading back to base…and spotting some frost on the top of the mountains!
After a cooldown both groups enjoyed some large burritos, cokes and mingling at the Mad Taco in Waitsfield…a classic apres-ski joint if I have ever seen one. All in all it was a pretty great lunch…Greg limited himself to one soda, Kai learned what cilantro was and nobody burned their faces off with hot sauce.
A burrito from the Mad Taco
After parting ways with GMVS we saddled up for another adventure. The Gumbies were finishing off a week of intensity but we were after volume, and we weren’t just about to drive all the way to Waitsfield for a rollerski hammerfest and some mexican food! On Garrott and Forrest’s advice we headed up to Blueberry Lake for some light distance training.
I went out for a mountain bike ride with Kai and Greg, while Sara explored the same trails on foot with Andre and Ben. Great trails with only a few Jerry’s in the way to inhibit maximum speed and gnar on the downhills!
Greg shreds so hard he can bike on water!
Happy group after session number two…coach is too tired to keep his eyes open?
What started as a frigid morning turned into a spectacular fall day in the mountains. Adventures like this are a great way to make the most out of the incredible terrain (and friends/competitors/teammates) we are surrounded by. Here in VT we are lucky to have ski clubs and training partners around every corner, so it’s easy to coordinate and get groups together for collaborations like this. Plans are already in the works for our next rendezvous with the GMVS crew…discussions of a rollerski sprint race under the lights at the Range were tossed around…stay tuned!
Parting shot: Kai and Sara ice their legs in Blueberry Lake under the watch of the green mountains!
Sun. 10/4 Sunday Roller Ski in Williston (map) This week we will roller ski in Williston with a mix of distance and long intervals. We will meet at Kort’s house at 9:30 AM.
Tues. 10/6 Dee PT Strength (map) – JoinCoach Dennis this Tuesday at 6-7PM for the first strength training session at Dee PT in South Burlington. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
Thurs. 10/8Dry Land Training (map) – Join Coach Rick for the first week of dry land training. This week we will meet from 5:30 – 7:00PM at Mill’s Riverside Park in Jericho. If you haven’t signed up yet or want to find out more click here.
