An alpine ski trail beneath a shiny red gondola. A dance floor tucked deep in the heart of the woods. A former school gym in the heart of a quaint Vermont village. None of these places scream “cross country skiing” on a typical weekend, but our club changed that in short order recently.
Swap 2025 BEGINS!
Often at big-picture moments like Board meetings and goal-setting sessions, I have posited the idea that we will have achieved a certain measure of “success” as a club when MNC becomes the resource you turn to for all things skiing in our area. My reference is usually the Green Mountain Club…I am not a member of the GMC, but if I wanted to get info on a hike or maybe learn some trail history, I know that’s where I’d go first. Why shouldn’t we strive for Mansfield Nordic Club to be the same for cross country skiing? And not just racing and training, but also things like social skier gatherings, gear and equipment needs, and the grooming/trail infrastructure for the sport itself?
Being that “go-to” resource is an ambitious target. It’s also a target that is growing in scope all the time: just like deciding to ski just one more lap, or do one more interval, growing bigger and broader opens up more opportunities to just keep expanding what we can do. I think we have reached a new benchmark this fall, with this step represented by the scope of our community of skiers, friends, family, and more.
From the Stowe Harvest Market and Mansfield Uphill run last weekend, to the Pro Team Halloween Ball and Ski Swap the other day, a community of skiers and their friends has grown in numbers and grown closer. Kids to adults all participated in each event, and some even pulled off the whole checklist of every event!
It was our most successful ski swap EVER and not just from a fundraising standpoint (which was also true). The objective metrics are great, but just the sheer excitement was incredible.
The swap has also become far more than just a place for skis…Astrid, Mia, Laura, and Eric provided hours worth of treats both savory and sweet at the bake sale out front, while Colin challenged kids and their parents to higher and higher numbers on the SkiErg at the Pro Team table. Next to that, Mazzy and Catherine sold our new club hats, while BKL skiers were outfitted with lease skis one booth over!
Crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder for about an hour, and we ended the day with significantly less material to sort through than other swaps…this is a sign that what the swap had on offer was both desirable/useful and of really good quality! Getting good equipment into the right hands helps the whole sport!
Mia and Astrid serving hot drinks, baked goods, grilled cheese, and hotdogs
Hats and headbands for sale!
While it might seem like a good time to catch our breath, there’s plenty to keep the pedal down for these next few weeks. The energy from this community has never felt higher and rather than just rest on that, we will focus on channeling that energy into the wintry part of the year. If things are this engaging right now, just imagine what can happen when the snow flies!
