Author: Weston

This past week we had a focus on volume and continuous skiing at low- to moderate-intensity. In spite of the shortened days and the venue changes, we were able to get some quality workouts. Thanks to good attitudes from the athletes and help from several parents, we stayed safe and had fun to boot. The banner picture above shows us near the end of training last Tuesday (11/6 at 5:30pm). That is what a group of 15 hard-core rollerskiers looks like! Thank you to the following parents for helping with “chaperoning” the end of our training sessions when it has been pitch black:

• Bill Hegman (cycling in 35˚ weather!)
• Rosemary Shea-Cobb
• Pat Harmeyer
• Don Harmeyer
• Amy Kuzio
• Gary Solow
• not to mention all of the coaches: Eli Enman, Rick Costanza, Alice Nelson, Murray Banks, and Paul Allison

We still have a handful of MNC Race Suits available for sale. Contact me immediately if you’d like one.

******  Bring headlamps and taillights and any reflective stuff that you own! ******

Training 11/12 – 11/18: “Speed Week”.

• Tuesday 11/13: 4pm at Round Church. Skate + speed and power (strength).
• Thursday 11/15: 4pm at the Range (tentatively). Backup = Round Church. Classic sprint time-trial if possible.
• Sunday 11/18: 9-11am at TBD. Classic rollerski + time-trial.

Training 11/19 – 11/25: “Volume Week”. No formal training however lots of opportunities:

• Craftsbury has been making snow every time it gets cold enough. It may be worthwhile to drive up for a day even if you weren’t able to sign up for the MNC Camp with Garrott.
• Monday = Possible bonus training run.
• Thursday =  GMAA Turkey Trot 5km run/race @ UVM.
• Saturday = Craftsbury season opener freestyle races.
• Wednesday – Sunday = MNC Camp @ Craftsbury with Garrott Kuzzy.

Training 11/26 – 12/2: “Recovery Week”. Monday night Swix Wax clinic at Skirack hosted by Drew Gelinas. Take 2-3 days of rest this week if you are tired from Thanksgiving Camp!

• Tuesday 11/27: 4pm at the Range. TBD. Low intensity.
• Thursday 11/29: 4pm at the Range. TBD. Low intensity.
• Sunday 12/2: 9am at TBD.

Warmup drills last Thursday.

Dusk on the Greystone ascent.

Congratulations to some awesome performances by MNC skiers yesterday at Thetford! Full results are here.

Patrick Hickey, Nathanael Kuzio, and Autumn Eastman were each amongst the top-6 in their division and helped their teams win the D1 Boys, D2 Boys, and D1 girls’ titles, respectively.

MNC and other local skiers’ results are down below.

Today we did a long rollerski out Pleasant Valley Rd, from Underhill Center to Cambridge and back. The boys skied close to 35km total, with many of them doing L3 intervals. The gals and J3 skier Will Solow skied approx 25-27km total – and this was hilly terrain! This is the end of an intensity week, so the athletes will have several days off this coming week.

A few pictures:

An inspirational place to train… just 40 minutes from downtown Burlington!

Henry, Forrest, Bill, Ben, Parker and Ethan making their way back up the Pleasant Valley climb

Other Nordic skiers from the greater-Burlington-area (ranking amongst combined D1/D2/D3 results):

• Taylor Spillane (2)
• Autumn Eastman (3)
• Lucy Leith (26)
• Chloe Levins (41) – Rutland
• Riley Carbone (49)
• Leslie Roberts (68)
• Molly Shallow (84)
• Aleksandra Zakrzewsca (117)

And from the “Challenge” Race:

• Kayla Servin (8)
• Rachel Slimovitch (11)
• Alissa Stone (34) 
• Anna Franceshetti (38)
• Amy Bruce (52)
• Claire Julianelle (119)
• Adele Julianelle (151)

BOYS (combined rank)

• Patrick Hickey (8)
• Nathanael Kuzio (11)
• Sean Delaney (17)
• Henry Harmeyer (34)
• Will Kay (35)
• Nigel Sarrazin (44)
• Jordan Lamay (59)
• Bill Harmeyer (61)
• Lukas Adamowicz (86)
• Ethan Thibault (120)

Boys Challenge Race:

• Louis St-Pierre (3)
• Forrest Hamilton (8)
• Emmett Peterson (10)
• Casey Silk (23)
• Sam Longenbach (99)
• Seamus Nolan (105)
• Griffin Cannon (158)
• Charlie Cobb (174)

Great job; now it is ski season!!

Skate sprint at 2005 Junior Nationals

Scoreboard at U-23 World Champs in 2004

Here are a number of exciting events that take place every season. They are in order by ascending age (and degree of difficulty to qualify!):

• BKL Festival: A weekend-long festival for kids up to age 13 (K-8th grades). This is not just a “race” weekend — the event is more like a fair with different theme each year. Kids get to enjoy face-painting, mini-tours, some short races if they desire, food, friends, and a great time. Typically 400-600 kids participate each year! This event is open to anyone in this age group. Venue changes each season: Weston Ski Track hosts in 2013.
• New England J2 Championships: A weekend-long race series for the top J2’s in the region (ages 14-15). Athletes must qualify to participate (at the EHS/J2 qualifier races in mid-February each year). 2013 J2 website. Each state in New England has its own qualifier races. Vermont has a 3km classic followed by a 3km skate. Finishing time = the sum of your 2 races and the top 20 J2’s from Vermont earn a spot on the J2 Champs Team.
• Eastern High School Championships: a 3-day weekend of racing for the top high-school skiers in the region. Athletes must qualify to participate (at the EHS/J2 qualifier races in mid-February each year). The qualifiers are a 3km classic + 3km skate, with the top 24 high school athletes being named to the team. At the EHS Champs, athletes compete for individual honors, and also represent their home-state in a team competition. Events include a sprint prologue, a relay, and 2 short distance races. 2013 EHS Champs website.
• Junior National Championships: athletes from age 14-19 qualify to represent their region at this week-long race series, which includes a sprint race, 2 distance races, and a relay (as well as a dance that kids get really excited for). Skiers compete against their age group for individual honors (J2 = 14/15; J1= 16/17; OJ = 18/19). There is also a team competition which pits the 12 regions against one another. New England has won the team competition for the past 4 years!! 2013 Junior Nationals take place in Fairbanks Alaska. To qualify in New England, racers must participate in the Eastern Cup races and score NENSA Points. After the last Eastern Cup, the New England coaches use the NENSA Points in each age-group to select the team: 6 J2’s of each gender, and 15 J1/OJ’s of each gender (total = 42 athletes). There is an entire section of the NENSA website dedicated to athletes that would like to participate at JN’s.
• J1 Scandinavia Cup Championships: This is an international trip sanctioned by the US Ski Team. Based on results at Senior Nationals, the top-6 boys and girls from the J1 category are named to this team (age 17 or younger). The competitions take place in Scandinavia in late-January or early February. Link to J1 Scando Cup blog.
• Junior World Championships: Another international trip. Location varies from year-to-year; typically it takes place in Central Europe or Scandinavia. Athletes qualify based on results at Senior National Championships. The top-6 boys and girls (age 19 and younger) are selected each season. 2013 JWC’s take place in Czech Republic.
• U-23 World Championships: International trip that overlaps with the Junior World Championships. This is for athletes up to age 22. 2013 U23WC’s take place in Czech Republic.
• World Championships/Olympics: we all know about these! Only for the best-of-the-best. There is no age limit — you’re never too young or too old!

Senior National Championships: held annually in early January. Typically a 4-race series that includes 2 sprints (skate & classic) and 2 “short” distance races (approx 5/10km for gals, 10/15km for boys). These events are open to anyone with a USSA license. The best juniors in the country will participate in hopes of qualifying for the J1 Scando Trip, Junior Worlds, and U-23 Worlds. The races are hosted by Soldier Hollow (Midway, UT) in both 2013 and 2014.

This past weekend we had our last training of the summer session, followed on Sunday by the Catamount Trail fundraiser “Race to the Top of Vermont” which is either a running or mountain bike race up the Mansfield Toll Road (Stowe). There were a ton of skiers and former skiers in the event: including a group of MNC athletes, Craftsbury Green Racing Project Elite Team members, and coaches.

Running results

In the women’s run, 5 of the top 9 are skiers:

• 1-Kasie Enman (Eli’s wife)
• 2-Caitlin Patterson (UVM Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 3-Ida Sargent (Dartmouth Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 5- Clare Egan (UNH Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 7-Robyn Anderson (Middlebury Grad, VTXC)
• 9-Hannah Dreissigacker (Dartmouth Grad, Craftsbury GRP)

Other female skier sightings include current & former NENSA board members and other former coaches and recreational skiers and HS ski families:

• Hollenbachs, Spillanes, Eastmans, Pribrams, Rands, Hosmer, Geer, Van Dyke, 

In the men’s run, 12 of the top 20 are current or former skiers:

•  2-Gordon Vermeer (Dartmouth Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 3-Nils Koons (Dartmouth Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 4-Scott Patterson (UVM Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 6-Jordan Fields (Woodstock HS Grad)
• 7- Dylan McGuffin (UNH Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 8-Eli Enman COACH MNC and CVUHS!!
• 10-Tim Reynolds (Middlebury Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 11-Patrick O’Brien (Dartmouth Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 14-Mark Gilberston (Former US Ski Team / Olympian)
• 16-Bryan Cook (NMU Grad, Craftsbury GRP)
• 19-Nathan Alsobrook (Bowdoin College Head Coach)

Also sighted in the results:

• Kerrigans, Harmeyers, Skyler Davis, Howe, Kelloggs (Charlie formerly US Ski Team, Terry formerly Middlebury College), Darling

Mountain Bike:

•  Won by 2012 Olympian Lea Davison (Middlebury grad, former alpine racer, currently uses XC skiing as part of her winter-time training for MTB)
• Also seen: Harmeyer, Jamiesons (Mad River Valley BKL participants)

Cally Braun early in the race

MNC folks at the summit: Annavitte, Karin, Ethan, Liam, Bill, Penny, Alice

Pre-race: Annevitte, Bill, Henry, Autumn, Emma, Cally, Tatum

Saturday AM rollerski at Mud Pond: working on skate drills

Yesterday was a perfect morning for training at CVU. Fall sports are going through tryouts, so there was a lot of activity beyond our training. After warmup, the crew did a circuit-style plyometric and strength routine. The athletes jogged between 5 stations that included plyos, abs, push ups, bench dips, narrow-pushups, and walking lunges. Coach Eli Enman and I supervised the plyos and helped with technique and timing.

After nearly 60 minutes of that, we put on our skis (thats right, snow skis!) and did some short relays. Grass skiing is extremely taxing on the body – it is like trying to ski uphill through about 10″ of heavy snow. There is almost zero glide, meaning you can never really relax your muscles and recover. The benefits of grass skiing are that striding uphill is nearly exactly the same as on the snow: the body position, the balance, the kick phase, and the resistance from the grass is like a steep climb on snow. Rollerskis are nice, but they give you 100% guaranteed kick every stride – no matter how steep the climb. And there is much less resistance (friction) on a rollerski than on snow. If you don’t believe me when I say it is like real skiing, look at the pictures (below) of the athletes on the ascent. Body position is dead-on.

I remember seeing Kris Freeman (US Ski Team) and Pat O’Brien (Craftsbury GRP) doing some short sprints on grass skis last summer with coach Zack Caldwell. Earlier this summer, there was video of the Craftsbury athletes practicing sprint starts. And just recently, the athletes at Rochester Nordic Racing (coached by Jason Hettenbaugh and my dad, Roger Weston) posted video of their own relays on grass!

CVU has such perfect grass and also many steep hills between the fields. The hills were actually steep enough to glide down! It wasn’t fast, but it was fun and good for balance.

Click the pictures to enlarge!

Part of the relay included doing some 360˚s. Will Solow on the right catches air.

The crew at the end of the workout.

Nigel, Ethan T and Jordan working on plyos

Emma Hamilton striding up the hill

First crash of the 2013 season!

Ethan T working on the lateral hops

Ethan John striding uphill

Sienna, Cally and Emma doing the 1-legged hops

See, it looks like skiing!! Cally and Molly

Getting the feel of having skis on.

Nigel, Sienna, Cally and Ethan T showing good form

Liam John – lateral skate hops

Liam John trying some tele turns

Liam and Will Solow striding uphill

Lucy Leith with a bunch of skiers and field-hockey players in the background

Lukas Adamowicz ascends the hill

Nigel and Jordan working on plyos and V2 timing

The start of the relay

…and they’re off

Sienna is getting ready for skiing at St Lawrence!

Will Solow finds some glide

A doctor at the Mayo Clinic recently published some thoughts on a subject that I find intriguing: should “deconditioning” (a fancy term for being out-of-shape) become a medical diagnosis? An excerpt from his article in the Journal of Physiology:

“Physical inactivity and lack of exercise – deconditioning – is one of the most common preventable causes of morbidity and mortality known for an impressive array of diseases (Thyfault & Booth, 2011).   . . .   If deconditioning were a recognized syndrome or diagnosis . . . it would be easier to educate the general public and medical community about the one universally effective treatment for it – exercise training.”

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Yesterday we trained at the Range on a perfect Vermont summer day. We were lucky to have 2 awesome MNC graduates back: Eric and Ben Lustgarten (Burlington HS alums that now ski at St. Lawrence and Middlebury, respectively). They’ve been training out in Sun Valley for most of the summer. Ben was one of the best XC runners in the state in ’09 as well as State Champ in skiing in 2010. Eric has come on full-bore in the past year, winning 2 Junior National Championships in one season! As a sophomore at Middlebury this past year, Ben qualified to represent the United States at Junior World Championships in Turkey! These guys represent some of the “old guard” that paved the way for the expansion of the Mansfield Nordic Club. Along with Peter Hegman [UVM], Jared Supple [Colby], John Dixon [Colby] and Emily Stitt [Middlebury], this crew of folks is kicking ass in the collegiate ranks. It goes to show just how much talent we have in this area.

The coaches set up technique and skills stations and the athletes did a continuous rollerski with stops to do the drills. We practiced sprint starts, 1-ski downhill balance, running uphill, striding through an uphill slalom, kick double pole, jumping on rollerskis, and bounding up a grassy hill with rollerskis on.

After no-pole warm up and about an hour of drills, everyone did some specific strength work. The big boys double-poled about 3 loops and the gals did a variety of double-pole and single-stick repeats. We ended with some max-power drills on a gradual up: go as far up the hill as possible in 10 poles.

Bounding on skis: notice the different body positions of Eric/Ben (left) and the younger guys

Sprint starts

Craig Calhoun working on the specific strength

Destyni catchin air! That takes confidence, power, agility, balance

Ethan Thibault – specific strength

Molly, Sienna, Leslie sprint starts

Most people do slalom downhill… we do it uphill (diagonal stride)

Bounding

Jordan Lamay catching air

Liam John working on the power

Junior National champs (and BHS grads) Ben and Eric Lustgarten are going to ski fast this winter!

Sienna looks excited – like Michael Jordan

Will Kay has got some power for a young guy – not to mention wicked determination.

Saturday 8/19 we had about 22 people gather for a hike up Mt Mansfield. The days started cool and cloudy and breezy. Once we reached the ridge we encountered nice views towards Stowe – it was entirely clear to the East. We skirted around the summit on the Profanity Trail and eventually looped back up and over on our way home. On the summit ridge (now coming from the Smuggs side), it was ominous and gray on one side of the ridge while remaining clear on the other. After a chilly few minutes on the summit, the clouds lifted and made for a beautiful descent. While we were on top of Vermont, one of our other MNC families was over in the Adirondacks summiting the highest point in NY – Mt Marcy. Hopefully we can get a few pics of their hike too!

Approaching the summit. Gray to the W, clear to the E

Garrott and Murray

Nigel and Chris Rodgers

Molly, Karin, and guest Margo

Stopping for  a snack on the way up

At the bad-weather bypass

Is that the Alps? Nope, it is Stowe.

Ben and Will on the summit

Summit, looking West

Ascent – we were still beneath the clouds

Henry and Liam in an elevator shaft

Louis, Will, Casey, Henry, Liam and Bill.

View of Mansfield before the hike!!

Heyo!

On the way down…skies clear…looking towards Burlington

Awwww yeaaahh!!

Ballet pose with Pleasant Valley in the background!!

Training 8/20 – 8/26: (last week of Summer Training)

• Monday: 8:30 – 10:30am. Classic rollerski at the Range.
• Wednesday: 8:30 – 10:30am. Running & skiing at CVU. Bring rock skis (classic) and poles/boots. Fun relays!
• Thursday: 5:00 – 7:00pm. Skate rollerski at the Range.
• Saturday: 9:00 – 11:00am. TBD.

Here are some pictures from last Wednesday. We did the make-up DP test on Wednesday, as well as a lot of classical technique work.  At the end of training we had an informal awards ceremony to honor Henry Harmeyer and Ben Hegman. Both of these boys earned All American status at Junior Nationals last year for their podium performances. Congrats guys!

Yesterday we started hiking Mt Mansfield on a chilly morning that turned into a beautiful sunny day. Going up the west side of the mountain (from Underhill), we were stuck in the clouds the entire time. We flanked the summit via the Profanity Trail and as we moved towards the Stowe side of the mountain we encountered beautiful views. Back on the summit, it was sunny in one direction (East) and cloudy/windy to the West. Everything cleared off just after we began our descent down the Sunset Ridge Trail. We finished with a bunch of mini-donuts and donut holes.

Coach Alice Nelson leads the girls – working on high hands while double-poling.

Alissa Stone doing the DP test

Ben Hegman and Sienna Searles

The boys are happy that they don’t have to do another DP test for 2 months

Cally Braun makes her way up

Ethan, Jordan and Nigel

Forrest and Ethan

After the All-American presentation. Looks like about 35 athletes/coaches!!!

Henry Harmeyer leads a group through kick-double-pole drills.

Julia Snyder joined us from BFA-Fairfax

Liam John set a big PR

Nathanael Kuzio set a really big PR

Parker Francis and another PR.

Sam Longenbach, PR.

Sam leads Lauren and Cally doing “shadow” drills

Will Solow and Adele Julianelle mimic one another

Will “suns out guns out” Solow is psyched for the BKL Festival!!

We only had about 18 athletes do the double-pole test last week, so today we went back to Richmond and had another opportunity to ski the course before fall sports begin.  I was worried that we might have a small group today — boy was I wrong. I counted 32 or 33 athletes! The boys’ course record (which was set last week) was broke today…twice. We also got in a lot of technique work including 1-pole skiing and no-pole skiing.

At the end of training we had an informal All American certificate presentation. Henry Harmeyer and Ben Hegman were both on the podium at Junior Nationals last March, and they earned All-American status from the United States Ski Association for those performances. I think there will be even more of those in 2013 and beyond.

This past Monday we had about 32 athletes at the Range for a skate rollerski. We’ve really been trying to get a lot of time on rollerskis now that everyone is getting comfortable on them. Thanks again to John Madigon and Algis Shalna for yet another opportunity for these athletes to practice their biathlon skills.

Here are times from the double-pole test today (PR from last year, if applicable):

• Adele Julianelle, 6:13
• Alissa Stone, 6:23
• Tatum Braun, 5:11 **J2 girls’ record
• Julia Snyder, 5:47
• Callie Braun, 4:09
• Sienna Searles, 4:23
• Ethan Thibault, 4:40
• Nathanael Kuzio, 3:18 (4:00)
• Ben Longenbach, 5:18
• Louis St-Pierre, 3:41
• Ben Hegman, 2:49 (3:29)
• Forrest Hamilton, 2:41 (3:05) ** new boys’ course record
• Sam Longenbach, 3:15 (3:35)
• Liam John, 3:05 (3:37)
• Parker Francis, 2:59 (3:48)

Pictures from today are forthcoming. In the meantime, here are some photos from Monday 8/13:

The “Big Gals” group: Cally, Emma, Molly and Sienna “2012 VT State Champ” Searles

Forrest, Bill, Liam and Parker working on specific strength on Monday

Ben, Thomas, and Nik work on drills with Coach Paul Allison

Casey Silk working on weight transfer

Destyni under the watch of Algis

Ethan T., Jordan, and Will Kay – no pole skate drills

The gals warming up with some balance drills

Henry Harmeyer sporting his old-school Oakley Frogskins shades (popular in the early-90’s)

Jordan Lamay

Louis St-Pierre

Coach Eli Enman watches Molly and Sienna doing some speeds

The group does some no-pole skate warmup

Tatum Braun working on balance

Will Kay doing the wide-feet drill

Will Solow working on wide feet and low body position

Yesterday we had a huge turnout for our classic rollerski and BBQ. We had 26 athletes, 4 coaches, and about 9-10 parents that were cycling or running. The top-secret venue is pretty much a training mecca: great pavement, long sight lines, and a mixture of easy- to challenging-terrain for rollerskiing or cycling. We did an endurance workout with a focus on continuous skiing and technique. Everybody skied at least 90 minutes, with the older athletes closing in on a full 2 hours. We lucked out with sunny skies, in spite of the T-storms forecast.

Thanks to Monica and Alex John for hosting the bbq and providing the kabobs and meat! It has been a long time since we’ve had any sort of social gathering for both the atheltes and parents. A great tradition in the making.

Forrest, Ethan, Craig, Bill, Sam, Henry and Liam vying for the “Banner Picture”

After nearly 2 hours, Casey asks “Can I ski some more??” Definitely dude! Casey was inspired this past week by the coaches & athletes at the J2 National Camp.

Claire working on her double-pole

Picturesque. Tatum, Leslie and Coach Alice Nelson pass a dairy farm.

CVU gals Autumn, Emma, and Tatum, plus Molly.

Autumn and Lucy “Energizer Bunny” lead a loooong chain of skiers & bikers

Molly, Leslie et al

Griffin and Nigel enjoying the workout. SBHS and Colchester.

Kayla practicing her double-pole.

Lucy gets some pointers from Coach Murray Banks.

Lukas getting stronger.

Nik Baya finishing his workout.

Relaxing on the lake!

Mischief…

Only 17 miles from downtown Burlington!

Training 8/13 – 8/19 (rollerski week!):

• Monday: 8:30 – 10:30am at the Range. Skate rollerski.
• (Tuesday – tentative Bonus Training [TBD])
• Wednesday: 8:30 – 10:30am at Round Church. Classic rollerski (and DP test make-up).
• Thursday: 4:30 – 6:30pm at Charlotte Beach. Skate rollerski.
• Saturday: 9:00am – ~12:15pm. Underhill State Park. Hike Mt Mansfield via Sunset Ridge Trail.

Yesterday we did our first double-pole test of the year up Greystone Road in Richmond. The course is a steep climb for about 600m. We do this test a few times each year (summer and fall) and the goal is to see improvement over time. Because rollerski speeds vary so much, it isn’t useful to compare times against other athletes.

We started doing this test last fall (2 times), so I only have a bit of historcial data. In spite of that, I can say that the group looked really fast altogether! This double-pole test also demonstrates who has the strength and who needs it (the pictures really show this — technique totally falls apart if there is lacking core strength and upper-body strength).

Name / Time (PR from last year):

1. Destyni Travers, 6:38
2. Lucy Leith, 4:59
3. Kayla Servin, 6:12
4. Leslie Roberts, 5:18
5. Nigel Sarrazin, 4:34
6. Lukas Adamockwicz, 4:10
7. Amy Bruce, 4:58
8. Molly Larson, 4:23
9. Emma Hamilton, 4:17 (4:42)
10. Will Solow, 4:35
11. Casey Silke, 4:38
12. Will Kay, 4:57
13. Jordan Lamay, 3:29
14. Lauren Olson (St Lawrence), 3:56 ** new women’s record
15. Charlie Maitland, 4:18
16. Ethan John, 3:29 (4:03)
17. Bill Harmeyer, 3:02 (4:25)
18. Henry Harmeyer, 2:51 (3:14) ** new men’s record

Coach Eli Enman, Bill, Ethan, Henry, Lauren warming up

Casey is smiling through the pain

Charlie making love to the camera! Bill with a mean face

Destyni getting up the hill

Emma had a PR

Ethan had a big PR as well. Solid form.

Coach Paul Allison leads a train for warmup.

Henry Harmeyer set a PR by over 20 seconds since last fall

Jordan Lamay is a guy to watch out for this year. Really nice form, except for the lack of focus??!!

Lauren Olson (St Lawrence) threw down a wicked fast time

Leslie Roberts and Kayla Servin doing their first-ever Double Pole test.

Lucy Leith makes her way up

Lukas shows good form early in the test (shins / torso / poles all angled forward and mostly parallel)

Molly and Amy getting tired near the top. Sure is pretty!

Nigel making his way up

Will Kay sees the camera

Will Solow hammering. New record for middle-school athletes!

This past weekend we did a group hike up Camel’s Hump mountain. It was one of the hottest days of the year, but we had cool temps and a light breeze on the summit. The boys hiked for about an hour to warmup, then ran the last 0.9 miles to the summit in a hard effort. On the summit we met up with Garrott Kuzzy and Catherine Collins (former MWSC skier and Middlebury), who came up from the Huntington side.

Monday we were back at the Range for classic rollerskiing with a lot of technique work. After skiing without poles, we worked on balance and coordination on the grass, and a few bounding drills up a grassy hill. The main part of the workout were 45″ striders — short intervals at an intensity like a 10 or 15km race pace (not too hard, just good skiing).

On Tuesday, 5 MNC athletes went back to the Range to train with the J2 National Camp (45 of the best 15-16 year olds in the country!). Coaches and athletes are here from AK, MN, ID, MT, CO, etc. Molly, Amy, Casey, Ethan and Craig were able to do a workout that was supervised by US Ski Team coach Bryan Fish and lots of other amazing coaches. Ben Hegman was participating in the camp, so it was nice to see him, too.

Yesterday we did our first double-pole test of the year on Greystone Road in Richmond. I’ll have another post about that with pictures.

Alissa Stone working on the “scooter” drill

Atop Camel’s Hump (8/4)

Charlie Maitland no-poles. (8/6)

Destyni (8/6)

Amy, Emma, Molly & Alice – l to r  (8/6)

Lucy and Claire (8/6)

Awesome views towards Mansfield. Garrott heading down. (8/6)

Henry Harmeyer rocking the tele-turns (8/6)

Amy Bruce and BMA Coach Kate Barton at the J2 camp (8/7)

Ben Hegman at the J2 camp (8/7)

Casey Silke got a great workout along with the best J2’s! (8/7)

Craig Calhoun (r) and Gavin McEwan. J2 camp (8/7)

Ethan John liftoff (8/7)

US Ski Team coach Bryan Fish explains the workout (8/7)

Molly, Amy and other J2 gals listen

Molly (r) running up a steep climb (8/7)

Lukas working the balance (8/6)

Will Solow and Jordan leading a train (8/6)

Ethan, Bill, Henry and Coach Eli Enman (8/6)

Coach Erin Mallory, Amy, Emma and Leslie (8/6)

Claire knew where the camera was! (8/6)

BOunding on skis. Biathlon camp in background. (8/6)

More bounding, with other MNC groups in background (8/6)

Upcoming events for the whole family!

• Saturday (8/4) = Camel’s Hump hike. Bring a friend / bring the family. We will begin at 9am from the Duxbury side (Monroe Trail).  Younger kids and parents can start ahead of the group and we’ll get a huge photo at the summit!
• Saturday (8/11) = Barbecue / potluck and swimming in Lake Champlain at Ethan/Liam John’s camp in Milton. The athletes will do a rollerski and parents can run or ride bikes. After the workout, the Johns have graciously offered to host a BBQ at their place (Everest Road, Milton VT).  Please RSVP to Monica John (vtjohns [at] comcast [dot] net). Training is from 9-11am, so the BBQ will start around 11:30am.

Pictures from the past several days:

Swimming after the bonus training in Jeffersonville

Amy, Coach Erin Mallory and Mollie Larson finishing at 1:50 rollerski

Mollie with the mountains in the background

Long trail run at Sleepy Hollow on Wednesday. Nathanael and Henry.

Cookies and blondies from my Mom!!!  Mmmmmm

Sienna and Callie discussing college

Halfway through a long run – still a few smiles

Sam Longenbach got a nice 30km rollerski on Tuesday! View towards Smugg’s.