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Virtual Team Meeting/Wax Tip: Rodrigues/Kendall Weekend

By on 10 December, 2021 in Junior Blog, Masters Blog, Uncategorized

The first races of the season are approaching this weekend. We’ve got a rainy, warm day in the works for Saturday’s Rodrigues Sprints, and a cool night for plenty of ice leading into the Kendall Classic.

For ski prep: 

  • Iron a layer of blue or green paraffin into skate and classic skis. Scrape and brush. Hard wax adds durability and is a great way to start every wax job.
  • Skate skis: Apply a layer of yellow/warm paraffin wax of your choosing (Toko Yellow, CH10, etc). Scrape and brush.
  • Classic skis: Apply a layer of medium/warm paraffin wax of your choosing (Toko Red, CH8, etc). Scrape and brush.
  • Clean and mark all kick zones on classic skis. Choose white base/warm skate skis and stiffer/klister skis if you have an option.

The MNC trailer will be located in the lower parking lot. It is a black trailer that’s currently unmarked, but MNC flags and paraphernalia will be located around the vicinity. Stop by for final coats of race wax or structure if you have not already provided skis to Adam.

Virtual team meeting notes: Saturday

  • Please plan to arrive at least one hour before race start (start is 9AM). Check-in at the trailer, and plan on skis being ready 10-15 minutes before the qualifier start. Skis outside the trailer in the wooden racks are ready to race.
  • A good warmup is key! For sprints we like to do a lot of intensity…some L3 followed by 2-3 minutes at L4 pace is recommended. You want to go to the start line breathing pretty heavy and fully ready to give it your all.
  • Please note the very busy schedule. You will finish your qualifier race and shortly thereafter a list of heats will be created. 6 skiers per heat, with heats going off continuously.
  • MNC will try to bring a tent near the start/finish area to keep bags dry: it would be best to keep a bag with lots of dry clothes/hats/gloves safely in this spot so that you can always have access to warmth even if you cannot go all the way back-and-forth to the trailer.
  • After the conclusion of all your heats, bring skis to the trailer for a quick clean and travel wax layer!

Virtual team meeting notes: Sunday

  • Plan to arrive at least one hour before your start: 90 minutes is ideal. Note that this race is individual start now, with age groups going off at separate times. If you are a Junior that has not provided skis to Adam yet, please make sure to arrive with plenty of time to get that taken care of.
  • The goal is to have skis ready to test 25-30 minutes before your race start. Pick skis up at trailer, and give them a test before reporting back for changes or touch-up. A great way to structure this is to plan a warmup that is set up to have you doing some intensity while you test race skis, so that you get a feel for the skis at race pace.
  • At the conclusion of your race, bring skis back to the trailer for a cleaning and travel wax layer.

Racing licenses/Registrations

By on 8 December, 2021 in Junior Blog

Juniors (and parents),

Please read below for lots of information regarding race registrations, racing licenses, and more. This is a confusing and headache-inducing part of the sport, but it is necessary for our racing each season.

USSS (US Ski and Snowboard)

A US Ski and Snowboard license is required for all Eastern Cup competitions. You can get this license from the official website here:

My USSA | my.usskiandsnowboard.org

If you want to be ranked and scored for Eastern Cup races, you will need the more expensive Competitor’s License. Without this license you will not receive points, will not be ranked or eligible for Junior Nationals qualification, and you will start every race (individual or mass start) from the back of the field. College teams and coaches view points as valuable recruiting tools, so regardless of JN qualification, without points you will be at a disadvantage if interested in skiing in college.

If you are not at all interested in Junior Nationals or having a points profile, you can still register for a General Membership from US Ski and Snowboard and compete in Eastern Cup races.

Here are some FAQ pages from US Ski and Snowboard:

2021-22 XC U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership FAQ

Cross Country Memberships

Note: for U20 athletes (18 and older) there are several other requirements such as a background screening and Safesport training. If you have not already done so, please acquire your membership ASAP to finalize and meet these requirements.

NENSA (New England Nordic Ski Association)

NENSA is the regional governing body for our sport. NENSA is the organization that puts on Eastern Cup races, and as such you will need a NENSA membership to compete in these events. You can sign up for a NENSA membership below, and remember to select Mansfield Nordic Club as your club!

NENSA Membership Page

Note that if you have never had a NENSA membership before, your first year of membership is FREE!

SkiReg (Race Registration)

SkiReg.com is the site that NENSA (and many other hosts) use for race registration. You can make an account at SkiReg, or you can check-out as a guest for each event.

Please pay close attention to the registration closing dates and times for events, listed at the top of each event page, which indicates when registration is NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Most all competitive Nordic races have a deadline and do NOT accept day-of-race entries, so making this deadline is extremely important.

Signing up for races

MNC does not register racers or teams in bulk. For NENSA events, each athlete must individually register themselves for the race(s).

When signing up on SkiReg, either as a guest or with an account, please list your club as “Mansfield Nordic Club” (all spelled out, capitalized). This is more a matter of consistency in results and final scoring documents: it is a clean and efficient way to find and view your results, rather than a hodgepodge of “Mansfield Nordic” or “MNC” or “Mansfield NC” etc.

Juniors: what races Dec 11/12?

By on 5 December, 2021 in Junior Blog

There are some races coming up the weekend of December 11th/12th at Craftsbury. The season is really getting underway and there are now enough competitions on the high school/VPA schedule to necessitate a little planning on which races make sense to attend versus which are better sat out. Below I’ll try to provide my suggestions for different athletes based on their school race schedule, yearly goals, team flexibility, and ability level!

First off, you can find links to the Craftsbury races here:

Saturday December 11th: Rodrigues Sprints

Skate sprint race where EVERYONE makes heats. You will do the course 4 times: once solo for a qualifier, and then three more times head-to-head against others. This makes for a long and tiring day with lots of planning/extra clothing/snacks and meals necessary. 

Sunday December 12th: Kendall Classic

Classic mass start distance races. 5km for U16 and 10km for U18+. This is a very standard format and schedule, but with the added bonus that we did not get to do any mass start races last season! 

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If you are trying to pick which race(s) to attend, here are some of the key factors:

  • Are you racing midweek during this upcoming week, either a timetrial or true race?
  • Are you competing in the biathlon events at Craftsbury over this same weekend?
  • Do you have a race on Wednesday, December 15th?
  • Are you competing in Eastern Cup #1 in Maine the weekend of December 18/19?

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The ideal situation is for MNC racers to enter Eastern Cup #1 (Dec 18/19) having completed two races in the 10 days leading up to the Eastern Cup. Ideally, one classic and one freestyle race. 

We want to have races under our belts before the Eastern Cup, but it is also early in the season and we don’t want to put our bodies through a ton of hard races at the expense of general consistent skiing and fitness. Based on all those factors, here are Adam’s recommendations…

  • If you are racing a high school competition on Wednesday, December 8th and/0r Wednesday, December 15th, it is best to choose one weekend Craftsbury race. My suggestion would be the Kendall Classic, as for most it will be the first real classic race of the season. This also means Saturday can be a day for longer, continuous skiing (up to 90 min).
  • If you are competing in the biathlon race events at Craftsbury, and/or you are competing in high school competitions, the Kendall Classic is the best option (see above).
  • If you are NOT racing any high school events, my suggestion would be to do both the Rodrigues Sprints and the Kendall Classic, as this perfectly simulates the upcoming Eastern Cup weekend of skate sprint followed by classic distance. This is perfect preparation!

 

 

Winter Season Start-up

By on 29 November, 2021 in BKL Training Schedule, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

We’re excited to see snow on the ground, and as ski areas in our corner of Vermont begin to open up it’s officially time to get ready for the winter season.

MNC Masters will begin officially next Tuesday, December 7th, at the Range. With snow guns blowing, the Range hopes to be able to provide good skiing by next week when we will be under the lights.  The Masters Training Doc is the best place for weekly information on techniques, and goals   You can find more general information on our Masters FAQ.

MNC Juniors have been training hard, and have just returned from a Thanksgiving training camp. They will continue to train each week, with the Junior Doc being the primary source for scheduling information.

MNC BKL will start officially next Tuesday, December 7th, at the Range for all groups. The BKL Racer group will be meeting this Thursday at Mills River Park for some early-snow games and skiing in the fields and trails. There will be a BKL Parent Meeting on Zoom tomorrow (Nov 30) at 7pm. The best source for BKL scheduling and locations is the BKL Blog.

We have re-established the “Range Snow Report” Twitter feed, which appears at the top right of the MNC homepage. This is where we will do our best to use communication with the base and groomers, as well as our own firsthand info, to let members know what the conditions are like at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site.

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