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From Katie Hill:

MASTERS – MNC NEEDS YOU FOR THE CLUB CUP!

(First-time racers & casual racers – this means you too!) 

As you’ve probably heard several times by now, the Club Cup race is very tight this year.  For the first time ever, MNC stands a real chance of upsetting perennial powerhouses NWVE and CSU to claim bragging rights as THE BEST NORDIC SKI CLUB IN NEW ENGLAND, but we need everyone’s help to do this.  That includes getting some of you first-time racers and more “casual” racers to the starting line to earn Club Cup points too (yes – we mean you there, hiding in the back-of-the-pack).  Please consider entering a Club Cup race to help the team effort!

What is the Club Cup?

The Club Cup is the ranking of all the NENSA ski clubs in New England, based on age group race results of club skiers 15 and older in designated Club Cup races.  MNC is currently in 2nd place out of 55 teams, and closing in on 1st.

Who is eligible to earn Club Cup points?

Any MNC member who is 15 years of age or older; individual NENSA membership is not required.  IMPORTANT:  SKIERS MUST IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH MANSFIELD NORDIC CLUB AT RACE REGISTRATION TO EARN POINTS.  

Which races count for the Club Cup?

Each year NENSA designates a series of masters-friendly races that are used for both the Club Cup (team rankings) and Zak Cup (individual rankings).  This year there are 23 Zak/Club Cup races across New England, culminating with the New England Club Relay Championships at the end of March. You can see the full list of Zak/Club Cup races here.  At each race, one distance is designated for Zak points but all distances are scored for Club Cup points. (See below for Club Cup races that are most suitable for novice/casual racers.)

How do the points work?

Club Cup points are awarded based on age-group finish place for each gender and for each race distance.  10 points are awarded for 1st, 9 for 2nd, 8 for 3rd, and so on down to 1 point for 10th; all skiers 11th and beyond also earn 1 point.  Age groups are U16, U18, U20, U23, SR (23 to 29), and masters by five-year increments: M1 (30-34), M2 (35-40), etc. Scoring is by displacement (i.e., non-club skiers are included in the results when assigning points).

Why do you want a slow-poke like me to enter a Club Cup race?

Because EVERYONE who finishes the race scores points!  With so many age groups, there are typically only a handful of skiers in each age group (the Craftsbury marathons are the exception).  That means even the slowest person in the age group still often earns 5 or more points. Two slower skiers can typically match the 10 points of an age-group winner.  Women tend to earn more points than men simply because there are fewer women in the races. 

Most teams average about 6 to 7 points per skier.  NWVE, with the fastest roster of masters skiers in New England, is only doing slightly better at 8 points average per racer.  With such a small point differential for speed, the best strategy is to send more people to the races rather than focus on just the fastest skiers.  

A few more bodies can make all the difference in the point totals at the end of the season.  Last year MNC finished 2nd, just 23 points ahead of 3rd place CSU. This year, MNC has been within 20 points of NWVE (last year’s winner) for most of the season.  It only takes about four more skiers – of any speed – to cover a 20 point spread so literally every skier makes a difference!

What upcoming Club Cup races do your recommend for novice/casual racers?

• MNC Skiathlon  (this weekend, 2/22) – If you aren’t up for the full 14k skiathlon (7k classic + 7k skate), then enter the 5k “What the Heck, I’ll Try it” race, with your choice of technique.  MNC Skiathlon info.
• Trapp’s Race to the Cabin (3/1) – 5k classic hill climb with fire, food, and drink at the end.  Race to Cabin info.
• New England Club Relay Championships (3/22) – Join an MNC team for this 4x5k relay (2 legs skate, 2 legs classic).  This is a great starter race, suitable for skiers of all levels. Club Relays info.

**** We are on! ***

Since the snow is so great and with more on the way, our coaches have decided to lead a ski from Highland lodge this weekend in lieu of a Mini-camp.  The Highland Lodge ski is a 20K point to point ski from the Highland Lodge past Craftsbury Village ending at the Craftsbury Touring Center.

To get to Highland Lodge, a shuttle leaves the Craftsbury Touring Center at 9:30. There is a cost of  $5 for the shuttle to cover the cost of bus use, paid at the Activity Center prior to boarding.

Skiers can do technique of choice but with fresh snow and rolling terrain it should be a great day for a long classic ski.  Plan to arrive to purchase tickets, wax tickets, etc..  You may also want to consider a back pack for clothing layers, food and kick-wax.   The day looks to be somewhat sunny and warming to 18 degrees, it could be much colder at the start.

Hope so see you all out there this should be a great ski day!    RSVP Here.

All MNC Masters,

Whether you’re a seasoned racer or someone who has never put on a bib, we encourage you to come out to Sleepy Hollow this Wednesday night for this week’s edition of Wednesday Night Worlds! February 12th.

This is a super-popular, super-fun community event that has something for everyone. Sign-up at the front desk and choose the 2km, 4km, or 6km race in classic or skate technique. Hard to think of another race with that much flexibility and variety. Race begins at 6:30 under the lights, and is followed by an awesome potluck dinner in the lodge dining room. Nothing beats a fun ski race with dinner after.

Conditions look amazing, with mild temps (even into the night) and Sleepy Hollow operating at 100% open and groomed!

Find the race website HERE.

RACE?  WHO, ME????

by Katie Hill

“But I’m not fast enough to race.  I don’t like the stress of competition, and I’m afraid I’ll finish last.  And there’s no way in hell I’m going to parade around in public in a skin-tight unitard!”

Sound familiar?  For masters who weren’t introduced to ski racing at the youth or junior level, it can be a big step to jump into a race for the first time as an adult.  We’re so conditioned to thinking that racing is all about speed, competitiveness, results – it certainly seems that way reading about our talented MNC juniors (and even a few of our speedy masters).  Fear not, the masters racing scene is a whole different ballgame than junior racing, one that is welcoming to skiers of ALL levels of fitness, skill, and competitiveness. That means – you too!

Why do masters race?  Sure, there are a handful of masters skiers who are super-fit and show up to fight for the podium.  But then there are the rest of us. With jobs, families, and other responsibilities that get in the way of training, most of us aren’t as fit as we used to be or would like to be.  Injuries catch up with us, and with each passing year it’s a little bit harder to keep up the pace. For those learning to ski as adults, it can take years to develop the balance and technique that our kids seemed to master overnight.  

With masters skiers having such vast differences in age, fitness, and experience, masters racing is less about competing against the others skiers and more about simply showing up at the starting line to compete with yourself.  What is it you hope to accomplish today? Are you up for it? 

Everyone’s reasons for racing are different, but I’ll share a few of mine:

• Planning for a specific race gives me something specific to work towards in practice.  Right now I’m trying to work on my classic technique and improve my endurance, so this season I’ve been focusing on classic races of increasing distance. 

• Races give me an excuse to travel to check out new ski areas.  I just went to Bretton Woods for the first time a few weekends ago, for the Geschmossel Classic.  It was a picture-perfect and sunny winter morning and I was blown away by the gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and snowy woods as we raced.  I will be back for sure.

• Races (and time trials at practice) are a great way to measure progress over time.  I’ve been working hard over the past two years to rebuild my strength and endurance from scratch after a rough bout with illness and injury, and it’s been a frustratingly slow process.  Finishing 29th out of 33 women at this year’s Bogburn Classic may not sound like much, but I was thrilled with my race because I felt SO much stronger and faster than at last year’s race (where I didn’t finish).  What a difference a year of hard work made!

• Races give me an opportunity to push myself in ways I’m unlikely to do at practice or when skiing on my own.  Turns out I can skate the entire length of a super hilly 10k course – the longest non-stop skate I’ve attempted since my high school days!  Admittedly, I wasn’t moving very quickly, but the fearsome course scared off all the other 50-54 year old women so I won my age group and took home 10 Club Cup points for the team, too.   For simply being willing to show up and give it a try.

As for finishing last:  I did that twice last year.  I can report firsthand that the world didn’t come to an end.  In fact, I don’t think anybody other than me even noticed. Last place is still much better than not showing up at all.  Since I’m routinely near the back-of-the-pack, I try to set one or two goals for each race and then measure the success of my race against those goals rather than by my finish place.  Some days simply making it to the finish line is a noteworthy accomplishment! So fear of finishing last is something to just cross of your list of worries.

Finally, that bit about the spandex unitard?  No worries, you can wear whatever you want when racing.  That said, I’ve heard that a race uniform is like a cape, it gives you superpowers on race day.  I can use all the extra help I can get, so look for me in my MNC uniform on race day.  

I hope this has made it clear that you don’t need to be a speed demon to jump in a masters race and have a good time.  We’d love to have you join us at the races!