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The second week of Junior spring training brought out the rollerskis. That’s right, it was time! We gathered at Allen Brook School

Bright clothing, helmets, and rollerski gear at the ready

to get in some easy terrain and a smooth start. In keeping with the focused, steady start to the season we didn’t put on poles for the first 30 minutes, and then got a little technique footage to reference later (and/or compare to the winter).

People were saying the transition felt quite easy, even though we started later than usual. I think that’s down to a combination of several factors:

• We generally have more athletes going to the gym and working on their strength. This was probably the training mode most “kept up with” even between seasons. This means the strength required for technique (not just pure power, but the ability to feel balance and spatial awareness also included in strength exercises) benefits our ability to pick up “new” movements like rollerskiing.
• This group, and more skiers these days in general, have access to world cup and pro skier footage. This could be through official race videos, Youtube clips, or even social media. But the main thing is, skiers are more aware of what strong skiing looks like, and even how they look given all of the clips we’re able to capture.

Kai and Taylor roll out

We only skied on Tuesday this week, and on Thursday it was time to get back to running…this time a bit faster. With a beautiful stretch of dirt road scoped out on Governer Chittenden Road (from Catamount Outdoor Center) we got in 2×1 mile and 2-x4 half mile intervals. The weather was hot but the views were amazing with quaint Vermont farmland, green hills, and the Winookski river trundling alongside us.

We finished off the week with a different type of running, as we took a nice two hour jaunt through the woods of Cochrans, up and over the ridgeline, on another beautiful day. Everyone was well prepared with hydration and snacks, making it a smoooooth trip throughout. Off to a great start!

Congrats to Ava Thurston on her nomination to the US Ski Team!

Often, we tie very successful skiers to only their greatest achievements. But the experiences that brought Ava to international skiing are relatable, and very human.

Ava skied a lot growing up, and attended countless NENSA BKL Festivals. She won some sprint heats, and crashed out of others, too. She has won fitness tests at one REG camp, and gone to the hospital after falling off a razor scooter at another REG camp.

Ava had a birthday where she qualified for a championship at Nationals, and a birthday where she missed a championship team at Nationals.

Ava has always taken setbacks as learning opportunities, and through this learning has continued to grow and expand her skillset to become a seriously tough competitor. She often doesn’t give herself enough credit for her accomplishments, but this one is worth celebrating.

We spent a lot of time last week still stuck in April weather patterns of cold rain and wind, but that didn’t stop the first week of Spring training from getting underway.

This spring we’re really focused on basics. It’s a LONG time until race season, and last year the level of energy was very high…maybe even too high to sustain for quite as long into the year as we would’ve wanted! During a long drive home from some NENSA meetings earlier today in Hanover, I was thinking about a road analogy for this:

In a well-organized system, the basics of training (fitness, general athletic skills, motivation, physical and mental health) are like the highways. They can carry you 90% of the way, whether you’re going from Jericho to Hanover, or Burlington to Michigan.

The other paved roads are the puzzle pieces that make everything more connected. Specific rollerski training. Strength. Intervals in addition to just easy days.

Driveways, dirt roads, or even bushwacked paths over hills and across rivers are represented by those crazy things you try to eek out something different than the competition. What if we tried incorporating this workout that we saw a pro skier doing? What if we followed this or that research paper and adjusted our intervals by a few minutes? What about a dedicated day only for speeds each week?

For the springtime, we’re focused on building a really solid highway infrastructure. That means the basics like:

• Are we gradually increasing our running, and focusing on being prepared for it with PT and injury-prevention?
• How is our hydration and fueling before/during/after training?
• Do we really need to rollerski right away in the first week, or can we build a few other skills first?
• Oh yeah, are we still going on some fun adventures?

The training year began with some concocting of electrolyte drinks…coconut water, honey, sea salt, and more went into some delicious creations. Notice Rye also adding some special flavoring by stirring with a nearby stick. Organic and local!

We hit the dirt roads and trails at Catamount on Thursday for some running pickups, the first “real” workout of the season. But it was another dark and stormy day, which made Saturday’s adventure over in Stowe even more nice! Sunshine and warm temps and a bit of a hike up to the gondola lift, followed by a transition to our skate gear for a nor-pine trip down the mountain (and lunch at Piecasso of course).

Spring training registration is still open, as are spots at Rocky Mountain Camp! Sign up at our registration page.

Our Junior spring training begins next week on Tuesday, May 2nd. As always, the start of a new season is a good time to check over gear, goals, and schedules. Here’s a quick checklist (certainly not all-inclusive) to help us all start off strong…

For a reference on general training items to bring on a daily basis, you can always view this page on our website under the “Resources” tab.

All of our training will be outlined on the Junior Training Doc. This is one to bookmark and/or view in your Google Sheets app!

Here are some notes on spring specifically:

• Rollerskis

When was the last time you used your rollerskis? Are they covered in road salt and dirt from last fall? Now would be a good time to wipe them down and check the wheel life (no cracks or separation from the hub). Two adjustable spanner wrenches is usually enough to get a wheel off, and without removing all of the moving parts such as bearings, you can still use a rag and/or an old toothbrush to get a little grime off.

When reinstalling wheels, or installing new wheels, I recommend using blue “Loc-Tite” thread locking liquid as an additional safety precaution. Here is a video from a few years ago about changing and cleaning rollerski wheels:

• Rollerski poles and pole tips

When rollerskiing, we don’t just use the same snow baskets as we do in winter. These tips bend and break easily. Dedicated rollerski pole tips help a great deal, and are essentially mandatory for the type of rollerskiing we do.

Some skiers prefer to keep one set of poles between winter and summer (one classic pair, one skate pair) and cycle between snow and summer tips. If your poles are 100% carbon and light/brittle, you can more easily break them or wear them down with rollerskiing. On the flip side, it is miserable to rollerski with heavy, bendy poles…and since the pavement is more forceful than the snow, the flexibility in poles is extra noticeable.

I recommend rollerskiing with at least 80% carbon poles for taller skiers, and at least 60% carbon poles for shorter skiers (the longer the pole, the more deflection matters)…most websites provide details on the carbon percentage of every pole.

Remember, MNC members get 30% off at EnjoyWinter with the coupon code “MNC2223” and can purchase some poles through this site. Here are some option:

STC Avanti through Enjoywinter (not including rollerski tips)

STC Cyber pole through Enjoywinter

Rollerski pole tips are usually sold at Skirack. You can also get them at EnjoyWinter here: rollerski pole tips

Swix poles are all 10mm. Other brands vary, but most common are 9-11mm and this is usually found online or on the side of the pole itself.

• If you ordered rollerskis from Skirack

Stay tuned to your email and phone for when these skis arrive in the store. We have a collection of skate and classic skis that, while not brand new, can be used on an as-needed basis for the spring if you’re waiting on your own pair to arrive! We likely will not rollerski in the first week of spring training, but soon after may be incorporating some rolling once per week.

• Warm clothes/cool clothes

We are in a transitional season where we may get a cold rain or a hot sun at training. One thing that’s always been true: we train in any weather as long as it’s above -4F and as long as it’s not thundering outside! It’s better to be over-prepared when it comes to spring weather, even though we may get carried-away with the first really hot days of the year.