11.10.2013
12.17.2012
First Eastern Cups: Craftsbury Dec 14-16 2012
by George, Sam, Noah (aka the College boys)
Saturday was the first Eastern Cup of the season, and for most of us a day of finding out just what hard efforts feel like on snow. Our daring excursion to the Northeast Kingdom began Friday with a clever Terri's game played in the back of the van in order to squish all our gear into the Ford Sayre Van v 2.0. We were joined by two alums on our trek northward, Chelsea Little and Lizzie Torkelson. When we found that there was no auxiliary jack for us to play music we filled the time with games, talk of ligers, litigons, and healthcare. When we arrived at Craftsbury there were two loops to ski each less than 2km. While the alums and coaches conversed in hushed tones over waxing for the next day, us athletes got on our skate skis and visited with fellow racers while loping around the course. We retired to our house, and quickly were in enveloped in the warmth of the fire, drifting away into our subconscious as we fell asleep.
When we awoke on Saturday the buzz of excitement was intangible as we stumbled out of our beds. With the coffee maker broken our caffeine dependent crew struggled to make sense of the morning. When we arrived at the venue skiers were checking out the course. We slapped on some wax to test and went out to check how the course had set up overnight. With Chelsea representing us as our only female racer, she tested the water for our later skiers and relayed critical information to our first boy racers describing the course. After racing we discovered to our dismay that the world was ending on December 21st, also the results were corrupted and we would to have do another qualifying round in the afternoon. This is of course an issue since Northern light quickly disappears after noon, so by the time the races were starting our finishes were accompanied by a lovely sunset; all the while the temperature was rapidly dropping.
The Team woke up on the second day of Eastern Cup skiing and was greeted with some snow showers that turned to heavy snow by the afternoon. The J2 boys got out on the course first to race 3 laps of the 1.75ish k skate loop. Chris was not feeling well, so guest appearance Adam (Ford Sayre BKL) joined Colin to battle it out with 40 or so other J2 boys. The college boys (plus Tucker) got a quick preview of the course before it was turned to cornmeal by all the J2 skiers, the women's field, and half of the men's field. So as Chelsea raced through the mush for her 5 laps, the big boys lounged in the van, eating cookies and brownies. Scottie and Dennis soon roused the big boys for their warmup. Sam led, starting 5 minutes ahead of Noah, then George followed just 2 minutes behind Noah. Tucker was racing his first distance longer than 5k, so had no points, and started about an hour after Sam. Big Tuck did extremely well in his first J1 distance race, especially considering how little he had been on snow before this weekend. In fact, that goes for the entire FSJNT crew. This is the first year they did not have any team intervals on snow before the Eastern Cup Opener, but they jumped onto race skis and hammered some very solid races.
Thanks to Peg and Lizzie for the iphone shots - we'll try to do better with pictures!
Saturday was the first Eastern Cup of the season, and for most of us a day of finding out just what hard efforts feel like on snow. Our daring excursion to the Northeast Kingdom began Friday with a clever Terri's game played in the back of the van in order to squish all our gear into the Ford Sayre Van v 2.0. We were joined by two alums on our trek northward, Chelsea Little and Lizzie Torkelson. When we found that there was no auxiliary jack for us to play music we filled the time with games, talk of ligers, litigons, and healthcare. When we arrived at Craftsbury there were two loops to ski each less than 2km. While the alums and coaches conversed in hushed tones over waxing for the next day, us athletes got on our skate skis and visited with fellow racers while loping around the course. We retired to our house, and quickly were in enveloped in the warmth of the fire, drifting away into our subconscious as we fell asleep.
When we awoke on Saturday the buzz of excitement was intangible as we stumbled out of our beds. With the coffee maker broken our caffeine dependent crew struggled to make sense of the morning. When we arrived at the venue skiers were checking out the course. We slapped on some wax to test and went out to check how the course had set up overnight. With Chelsea representing us as our only female racer, she tested the water for our later skiers and relayed critical information to our first boy racers describing the course. After racing we discovered to our dismay that the world was ending on December 21st, also the results were corrupted and we would to have do another qualifying round in the afternoon. This is of course an issue since Northern light quickly disappears after noon, so by the time the races were starting our finishes were accompanied by a lovely sunset; all the while the temperature was rapidly dropping.
The Team woke up on the second day of Eastern Cup skiing and was greeted with some snow showers that turned to heavy snow by the afternoon. The J2 boys got out on the course first to race 3 laps of the 1.75ish k skate loop. Chris was not feeling well, so guest appearance Adam (Ford Sayre BKL) joined Colin to battle it out with 40 or so other J2 boys. The college boys (plus Tucker) got a quick preview of the course before it was turned to cornmeal by all the J2 skiers, the women's field, and half of the men's field. So as Chelsea raced through the mush for her 5 laps, the big boys lounged in the van, eating cookies and brownies. Scottie and Dennis soon roused the big boys for their warmup. Sam led, starting 5 minutes ahead of Noah, then George followed just 2 minutes behind Noah. Tucker was racing his first distance longer than 5k, so had no points, and started about an hour after Sam. Big Tuck did extremely well in his first J1 distance race, especially considering how little he had been on snow before this weekend. In fact, that goes for the entire FSJNT crew. This is the first year they did not have any team intervals on snow before the Eastern Cup Opener, but they jumped onto race skis and hammered some very solid races.
Thanks to Peg and Lizzie for the iphone shots - we'll try to do better with pictures!
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| Colin |
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| Chris |
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| Sam |
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| Chelsea |
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| Tucker |
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| Refueling |
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| Colin |
12.01.2012
First Team Ski: Craftsbury 12.1.12
by Colin and Noah
Getting to Craftsbury, we found a very chilling morning and a steady snow fall that lasted through the car trip there. At our 9:00 AM arrival, the place was bustling with junior teams, French-speaking teams from Orford, and UVM skiers. The thermometer read a chilly 18° on arriving, warming to 20° by the time we finished skiing. We got to our Classic boots and skis first, putting 3-4 coatings of a Blue Extra that corked in well and went to the trails. Most trails were open with fresh snow on them. It was very excellent skiing with minimal or no sightings of grass. We took the Men's Sprint Loop several times. It was awkward being out there for the first time on skis, and I'm sure we all had at least one slip that we can admit to. The Extra Blue kept a wax pocket notably, though it did get slippery after the first hour. We then took off our poles to work on some classic technique on the tiny lower stadium loop. It became clear after an hour or so of skiing that about half the New England ski community was bustling around the Craftsbury trails. UVM was doing some pretty hard intervals, while some were shooting on the one new biathlon target in the lower stadium. After no-poling we took an easy tour out into the field where the Craftsbury Green Team house is, and into the winter wonderland of trees below. We hooked onto the 5k race course and some of us reminisced about the last Eastern Cup race there last year. We then took an extended snack break and Tucker, Colin, and Chris skated for a half hour while Noah kept classic skiing. Overall, the four boys felt great to finally put on our skis again. Now all we need is some accumulation in the Upper Valley!
Getting to Craftsbury, we found a very chilling morning and a steady snow fall that lasted through the car trip there. At our 9:00 AM arrival, the place was bustling with junior teams, French-speaking teams from Orford, and UVM skiers. The thermometer read a chilly 18° on arriving, warming to 20° by the time we finished skiing. We got to our Classic boots and skis first, putting 3-4 coatings of a Blue Extra that corked in well and went to the trails. Most trails were open with fresh snow on them. It was very excellent skiing with minimal or no sightings of grass. We took the Men's Sprint Loop several times. It was awkward being out there for the first time on skis, and I'm sure we all had at least one slip that we can admit to. The Extra Blue kept a wax pocket notably, though it did get slippery after the first hour. We then took off our poles to work on some classic technique on the tiny lower stadium loop. It became clear after an hour or so of skiing that about half the New England ski community was bustling around the Craftsbury trails. UVM was doing some pretty hard intervals, while some were shooting on the one new biathlon target in the lower stadium. After no-poling we took an easy tour out into the field where the Craftsbury Green Team house is, and into the winter wonderland of trees below. We hooked onto the 5k race course and some of us reminisced about the last Eastern Cup race there last year. We then took an extended snack break and Tucker, Colin, and Chris skated for a half hour while Noah kept classic skiing. Overall, the four boys felt great to finally put on our skis again. Now all we need is some accumulation in the Upper Valley!
10.30.2012
Nordic Uniforms
click on the graphic below to see a larger version
click here to go to order form
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click here to go to order form
you will receive payment instructions by email after you submit your order
5.28.2012
Spring Running Races
May 12th: Road to the Pogue, Woodstock VTAlum Dylan Grald won the 6.1 mile trail race, and current athletes, parents, and coaches made sure Ford Sayre was well-represented on the age-group podiums:
- Dylan Grald: race winner! 1st age group
- Sam Merrens: 9th overall, 2nd age group
- Dorcas Wonsavage: 1st age group
- Peg Merrens: 2nd age group
- Ed Merrens: 3rd age group
- Geof Little: 3rd age group
- Karl Furstenberg: 1st age group
- John Griesemer: 3rd age group
- Noah ekes out a win in the 3200, coming from 30m behind with 100m to go!
May 27th: Burlington Marathon
- Alums Alice Nelson and Lizzie Anderson ran their first marathons! Alice ran fast enough to qualify for Boston...
4.29.2012
Green Acre Garden
Spencer and Caitlin are part of a group of Hanover High students who have started a vegetable farm in Norwich! They'll be selling through Dan & Whit's, possibly a stand in Norwich, and via delivery.
Learn more about their endeavor on their website:
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| pac choy starts |
3.25.2012
BKL Festival
by Caitlin (photos by Lars)
A few weeks ago, George and Caitlin spent the day helping out at the Bill Koch Festival's relay at Great Glen Trails (right by Mt. Washington). They spent the day in the start area organizing relay teams and making sure things ran smoothly. It was nice to see the other side of racing, coaching skiers and helping with all the other aspects of racing that athletes typically don't see.
They also experienced the full array of New England weather, starting with rain and sleet in the morning, cold and blustery snow by lunch and finishing with warm and sunny in the afternoon.
A few weeks ago, George and Caitlin spent the day helping out at the Bill Koch Festival's relay at Great Glen Trails (right by Mt. Washington). They spent the day in the start area organizing relay teams and making sure things ran smoothly. It was nice to see the other side of racing, coaching skiers and helping with all the other aspects of racing that athletes typically don't see.They also experienced the full array of New England weather, starting with rain and sleet in the morning, cold and blustery snow by lunch and finishing with warm and sunny in the afternoon.
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| happy birthday Greg! |
3.14.2012
J2 Championships
by all of the J2s
Ford Sayre and Hanover skiers met bright and early at the Norwich public library on Friday to take the four hour drive north to the J2 championships at Rumford, ME. At the Black Mountain ski spot we headed straight to our New Hampshire uniforms and then to the start of our first race of the weekend - the 5k skate. There were teams from Vermont, Maine, the Rocky mountains, CXC, New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Despite the slushy snow and the dreaded "high school hill" Tucker finished fifth and Elise finished at sixteenth place. Everyone had a great race overall and were then welcomed to amazing pumpkin bread and grilled cheeses which were eaten on the hour long bus ride to the hotel. After dinner, the team had a Yankee swap. There were many interesting gifts including clown shoes, a mini zen garden, a pee guy and a coke bottle. The team got to bed early for a 6 am rise the next day.
In the classic 5k, Tucker took 6th place for the guys and Sarah took 18th and first place for the New Hampshire team. Alexi finished 4th for New Hampshire (37th overall) after being a seeded 18th on the team. Colin got 5th for the team (29th overall) (he was REALLY jazzed). After a cool down we headed in for lunch and stretched on the floor to get ready for the afternoon's 1.2K sprint. The sprint course went out of the stadium, around a few turns, up a big hill, and back into the stadium. Elise finished 9th and had an amazing performance. We soon left the venue to have a quick turnaround at the hotel and back to the banquet with all the teams. After dinner, we loaded everyone, stuffed with lasagna and salad, into the bus and we shipped off to the hotel. We got to bed almost immediately except for the select few who naturally seem to stay up way too late.
Sunday was just like the last two days waking up. We warmed up with the skaters heading out first and then the classic skiers using their race skis to test wax. The klister had to be adjusted a bit, but in no time we were off and lined up. Our last race and our first mass start, the start to the 2.2 K was nothing unusual. It was on the first sharp turn that everything went chaotic. In mere seconds the bend had turned into a huge pit of snow and flailing bodies, reportedly taking down several New Hampshire victims. Colin and Chris were lucky and jumped through without major problems. After that, we had a rather icy trail with minimal slush (very different from the rest of the weekend) and a lot of boxing in on uphills, aggressive opponent passing, and slick ice on the final climb before dropping to the stadium. The tag zone was very stressful for some, but every girl/boy got the right tag in the end. Others reported it stayed reasonably smooth Sunday with minimal melting. Tucker came speeding into the stadium on his skate part in a well earned 5th place, and Alexi had a great race too. Cool down was a mixture of classic skiers and skaters all together having fun in the last ski together. Awards went off with no surprises and NH took 3rd place proudly. VT came second and the CXC kids earned the 1st place title. Everyone said good bye, packed up and out, and finally we headed back to good old Hanover/Norwich.
In the classic 5k, Tucker took 6th place for the guys and Sarah took 18th and first place for the New Hampshire team. Alexi finished 4th for New Hampshire (37th overall) after being a seeded 18th on the team. Colin got 5th for the team (29th overall) (he was REALLY jazzed). After a cool down we headed in for lunch and stretched on the floor to get ready for the afternoon's 1.2K sprint. The sprint course went out of the stadium, around a few turns, up a big hill, and back into the stadium. Elise finished 9th and had an amazing performance. We soon left the venue to have a quick turnaround at the hotel and back to the banquet with all the teams. After dinner, we loaded everyone, stuffed with lasagna and salad, into the bus and we shipped off to the hotel. We got to bed almost immediately except for the select few who naturally seem to stay up way too late.
Sunday was just like the last two days waking up. We warmed up with the skaters heading out first and then the classic skiers using their race skis to test wax. The klister had to be adjusted a bit, but in no time we were off and lined up. Our last race and our first mass start, the start to the 2.2 K was nothing unusual. It was on the first sharp turn that everything went chaotic. In mere seconds the bend had turned into a huge pit of snow and flailing bodies, reportedly taking down several New Hampshire victims. Colin and Chris were lucky and jumped through without major problems. After that, we had a rather icy trail with minimal slush (very different from the rest of the weekend) and a lot of boxing in on uphills, aggressive opponent passing, and slick ice on the final climb before dropping to the stadium. The tag zone was very stressful for some, but every girl/boy got the right tag in the end. Others reported it stayed reasonably smooth Sunday with minimal melting. Tucker came speeding into the stadium on his skate part in a well earned 5th place, and Alexi had a great race too. Cool down was a mixture of classic skiers and skaters all together having fun in the last ski together. Awards went off with no surprises and NH took 3rd place proudly. VT came second and the CXC kids earned the 1st place title. Everyone said good bye, packed up and out, and finally we headed back to good old Hanover/Norwich.
3.12.2012
A Week of Contrasts
Just when we think we've seen it all, the Winter of 2012 offers up some more surprises!
Monday
East of Lyme Center
Wednesday
above the jump at Oak Hill
Monday
East of Lyme Center
above the jump at Oak Hill
Thursday
skiing the only remaining patch of snow at the top of Oak Hill
skiing the only remaining patch of snow at the top of Oak Hill
Saturday
close to a foot in Lyme Center, and beautiful skiing in Vershire - thanks to Sam R for grooming!
George's CO Trip
by George
Over February break my family took a trip out to Colorado for a week to go skiing at Devil's Thumb Ranch, and Vail. We spent the Monday through Friday at DTR and became acclimatized which made nordic skiing by far easier by the end of the week. The views were incredible and there was no lack of snow even though 3 feet seemed measly to many of the locals. We spent the weekend at Vail downhill skiing and enjoying the views as the sky was blue everyday and the Rockies really took your breath away.
Over February break my family took a trip out to Colorado for a week to go skiing at Devil's Thumb Ranch, and Vail. We spent the Monday through Friday at DTR and became acclimatized which made nordic skiing by far easier by the end of the week. The views were incredible and there was no lack of snow even though 3 feet seemed measly to many of the locals. We spent the weekend at Vail downhill skiing and enjoying the views as the sky was blue everyday and the Rockies really took your breath away.
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