Mansfield Nordic Club

Vermont has come away at the top of the Eastern High School Championships! This NENSA event brings together HS-aged skiers from across New England for a weekend of racing, and while this year was a bit of a different format to make the most of COVID safety (not to mention extremely marginal and dwindling snow) it was great to have the championships back on the schedule.

MNC skiers made up a large portion of the Vermont team thanks to great performances at the qualifier race day in Craftsbury. 18 athletes from MNC attended the event, with even more declining their spots for other travel, competition, or commitments. That’s some big representation, and these skiers helped Vermont secure a victory in the team score!

MNC squad in Farmington

With a victory in the classic race and a close second in the skate sprint, Hattie was the overall champion! Many other strong MNC performances in the top 10 and beyond (like Nico’s 5th in the classic, Julia and Emma’s 10 and 11 in the women’s sprint, and Anders’ 7th in the men’s sprint) helped secure strong points, but at race events like this everyone is a contributor.

Hattie on top, alongside NE JN teammates Emma and Evie

The final event of EHS is always a team relay, with 2 men and 2 women making up teams from each state. MNC skiers had great relay legs, including a 3rd place overall finish for a team entirely composed of MNC skiers (Nico, Anders, Virginia, Rebecca). With a 1st and 3rd for their teams, Vermont handily secured a big win. It’s hard not to realize how strong our state is when it comes to Nordic skiing…clubs, high school teams, venues, training opportunities, race series’ and more all add up to an amazing ski culture that fosters growth and competitiveness on a legit scale!

EHS Results Page

MNC/VT relay team!

Emma Page wrote a great piece for NENSA about her JN’s experience. It is linked here directly to the NENSA site, or you can take a look below!

Emma and her grandmother in MN!

I moved to New England two years ago and I am so grateful that I did. My experiences with New England racing and training have been amazing. This year, I went to all the eastern cups and met many wonderful people there who made me feel like I was a part of a tight knit and welcoming community of hardworking athletes, coaches, organizers, and parents. After traveling to Junior Nationals, I feel even more a part of this great group of people.

Out in Minnesota I definitely had my ups and downs. I had a few races that did not go as I had hoped, and yet, I was still able to enjoy my time. I believe that this is all due to the uplifting group of people around me. We all tried to communicate with each other on how our races went. If a race went well, we all congratulated and celebrated with that person. If a race did not go as planned, we worked together to lift that person up and help them get back to having fun. After a few tough races for me, I was revamped by the teamwork of the super fun relay races. One of my best races and most fun races ever was the relay and I heard from many other people that they share the same attitude towards that day of racing. The fact that the relay was so great for so many people on team New England shows that we are not only strong individuals but a strong and uplifting team.

This great attitude continued through the fun activities we did as a whole team or as an age group outside of skiing. I had tons of fun playing tag in our afternoon mobility, receiving some snow balls to the face, showing off my terrible bowling skills, and emptying the shelves at trader joe’s of all peanut butter and chocolate milk. I also can’t remember another time that I voluntarily sat in the hallway of a hotel for hours. During our free time, I really enjoyed resting in the hall and hanging out with my new friends. We spent so much time just talking and getting to know each other. It was awesome to meet people from all over New England and the world, with Elsa and Maddie from Sweden and Australia, who I had raced with in the past but had never had full conversations with.

Another uplifting routine we got into was the team meetings every night. Everything from sharing thoughts of the day at our U18 girls meetings to the awesome speeches/ pep-talks from our team leaders. Jack Lange truly made me remember how much this team cares about each other and our success as a whole group. I am really going to miss the fun times we had at JN’s and am looking forward to seeing everyone at the end of the season races, camps, and next race season.

I think that the immense success that team New England had is all thanks to the amazing coaches, wax techs, organizers, and team mates that we had out there. As a team, we not only succeeded in winning the coveted Alaska Cup but we showed other teams what real team spirit looks like! Thank you so much to everyone who supported team New England and let’s keep the cup for many years to come!

What a whirlwind week at Junior Nationals. Things went very well for MNC and Team New England! I have been impressed by MNC skiers all year, and this race week proved no different. That’s not just accounting for on-track performances and race efforts…this is a group that supports and cares for one another in big ways.

The highlights on paper are numerous…and certainly something to celebrate:

• Ava swept all of the races, the first athlete to do so since Jessie Diggins in 2011
• Ava and Hattie shared the podium in the 5km skate race, with 1st and 3rd
• Anders finished 5th in the classic sprint, for another MNC All-American
• MNC alum Julia Oliver was All-American in the classic sprint as well
• Julia Thurston scored a 10th in the classic mass start, making it FOUR individual All-American skiers from MNC!
• Ava and Hattie teamed up with SMS skiers Fin and Jack to WIN the mixed relay for New England

And overall, the team scoring says a lot…MNC was the 3rd best women’s team in the nation, and 6th overall. Following the sweep of all four Eastern Cup weekends, MNC was also the top team from New England in the club rankings.

BUT there is far more than just ski racing to be proud of with this group. JNs is a busy week with a lot of ownership placed on athletes. It is interesting to see what kind of traits this brings out each year, and I came home from this trip so humbled by our collection of skiers and teammates.

Not every race was amazing for every MNC skier, and that’s ok.

Some of our skiers grew about 3 years older in the course of a week, it seemed. From struggling through pre- and post-race anxiety, to handling target events that didn’t go as planned, there seemed to be a friend and teammate waiting in the wings to jump in for support. Coaches and wax techs are present, but the business of this week for all the adults involved lends itself to self-discovery for all the athletes involved. I can’t say enough positive things about how MNC athletes and alums took time to look after one another through the good AND tough moments. Nothing could make me more proud as a coach, even amidst a week full of banner performances and medals.

MNC has come a long way, but we are always striving to reach new heights!

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