Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Team

First Van-less OD!

2012-02-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

by Noah

Today the JNT Team started our OD at a leisurely 10:00am at our favorite spot in Lyme. It was our first OD without using the van (wow...)!! The J1 boys and girls skied for around three hours, while the J2s skied for around two and a half hours. We were graced with the presence of youth olympian Paddy Caldwell who skied for about an hour with the J1 boys. He regaled us with stories of skiing in the Austrian Alps. I, for one, was quite tired by the end. Overall, a solid OD in a scenic place.

Paddy, Noah, George (Sam M photo)

most of the gang at the Smarts cabin (Dan photo)

Stowe Photos

2012-02-12T21:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Greg for these great photos of current and alum JNT skiers! (Click on any photo to see a larger version.)

Dylan

Phil

Paco

Sam R

Paco

George

Spencer

Noah

Stowe Eastern Cups

2012-02-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

A great weekend! Lots of skiing, not a lot of blogging or picture-taking, so here are some quotes and random photos from the weekend.

"I skied so hard I blew my contact out and it stuck to the lense of my glasses. I couldn't figure out why everything was blurry!" - Emily, after Sunday's skate race

"I have two things to say: thank you for cheering for me on those hills... and I really didn't like you then." - George to Scottie, after Sunday's skate race

we seem to have the van loading thing down... except that part about keeping stuff off the door mechanism...
(aka, where's Isaiah when we need him?)

Coach Alice! FS BKL & JNT alum, now coaching Mt Mansfield BKL and Masters

and thanks to Eric and Sam M for this video from Sunday's race: 2012-02-05 FS Stowe

NH Series #1

2012-02-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

by Spencer
Most years the first new Hampshire series is the third or fourth race for the high school team. With the limited snow this year, it was the only the second classic ski of the year for some beginners. All in all however, it was a successful race. The Hanover High School girls team continued their winning streak, while the Hanover High School boys finished 4th.

by Sam M
The New Hampshire Series races are always crazy and fun for us skiers that normally only race Eastern Cups. This year's race was no different. With over 700 racers signed up, the Gunstock venue was a zoo. Because of limited snow, only A racers were allowed on the course for a single warmup lap. This made it all the more interesting when we went out from the start for two laps with 150 other boys. People were crashing all over the place; passing required forethought to avoid getting tangled up. After the first few waves of boys, the tracks were almost gone on most of the course and the downhill were sheets of ice sided by huge banks of snow. Despite the chaos, Ford Sayre had impressive finishes; Helen, Emily, Caitlin, Spencer, George, Sam and Tucker all posted top 15 finishes in their respective races.

Skiing at Tucker Hill

2012-02-02T18:29:00.000-05:00

"easy ski with speeds"

Sunday OD at Trapps

2012-02-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

The weather at Trapps was amazing on Sunday. We were able to use hard wax which was a great break from the klister at Saturdya's race. The J2 girls went with Scottie and explored the field across the street where we worked on no poling. The boys went with Eric and the J1 girls went on their own. No matter where everyone was skiing, it was a beautiful sight with the flurries of snow. J2 boys did a warm up loop around the Sugar Road, then came back to the van and then went and did strength around the Pasture Loop. Boys went no poles down the Sugar Road to finish it off.

Vershire Ski

2012-01-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

by The Van

thanks to Sam (and Liam) for grooming late Fri night!

On Saturday the 21st, we made the trek over to Vershire, VT to ski on Sam Rossier's trails. When we arrived we were treated with a lovely network of trails stretching through The Mountain School's woods and near perfect weather. We skied for an hour and a half before heading inside for homemade muffins and coffee kindly supplied by Sam's mom.

New Year's Day

2012-01-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

by The Van

This New Years Day (yes, almost 4 weeks ago) we loaded up the van bright and early at 8:30 AM. Although the ride up was quiet, it was apparent that everyone was secretly bursting with excitement for the day of skiing ahead. Our original plan was to classic ski, but once we arrived in a cloud of fog, we opted to avoid klister and skate instead. We started off with an hour of easy skiing on the race course. Then, it was decided it was time to take a lunch break. We headed into the lodge to enjoy the warmth and good food. Inside we enjoyed our sandwiches and snacks but quickly headed back outside to ski again. The J2 girls went with Scottie to work on V2 techniques, the J1 girls went together and worked on strength, and Noah went with Dan to practice skating slower. By the time we all got back to the van, the fog had lifted. We loaded up the van and headed to Champlain Chocolate, which was closed, so we headed back home where lots of dryland training was waiting.

Valley Cup at Ole's

2012-01-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

by The Van

Today everyone showed up bright and early at the van ready for the Valley Vup race. After a few snores here and there, we woke to the wintery wonderland at Ole's. The J1s went first and skied 10k. This was our first distance race with less than 3 laps. The snow was the smoothest we've seen this winter, and V2 was the way to go for most of the race. After the J1s went, the J2s were next. Ford Sayre was well-represented at the awards ceremony.

Many thanks to Gene, Justin, Jennifer, and the Ole's crew for welcoming us and putting on a great race!

Congrats to Paddy!

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

Paddy is competing this week at the Youth Olympic Games in Seefeld, Austria. He raced a strong 10k classic on Tuesday, finishing 16th, and placed 5th!!!! in today's freestyle sprint.

Post-race photos are shamelessly stolen from the Stratton Mountain School blog (thanks Sverre!) - check the SMS blog for more great photos, updates, and race reports.

Sisters Heidi and Lucy (also FS alums) are there to cheer Paddy on

Tim's helping the team (and promises stories when he returns to his JNT coaching role)

the Lymies in FS BKL sent their own video cheer to Paddy after practice today

And Now...

2011-12-20T12:44:00.000-05:00

... back to dryland... (most of us) in our finest fall colors! the 1/2" of snow on the hill looks nice, doesn't it?

Eastern Cup Openers

2011-12-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

by the crew in the van

This weekend was the first Eastern Cup and most of the older racers went for the all the races. Not only was it the first races of year for most, it was the first groomed skiing for more than half of our racing team. We were not alone. Very few skiers from New England had spent much time on snow, which there was not much of anywhere. With the hard work of the Craftsubury race organizers, a1.4 kilometer loop of manmade snow was maintained for our enjoyment. The fist day was a sprint of 1.4km with all age groups and genders mixed into one medley of fast moving skis and bodies. Our results ranged from mid 50’s finishs to mid 100’s. With these results we were seeded for the afternoon prologue which was a 3km classic race. We returned to our homestead in Glover, VT and proceded to make a lovely burrito dinner followed by brownies and ice cream. The final day of racing was a 4.2km race for the J2’s and Women, and a 8.4km race for the Men’s field. With lots of alums and friends in the field our day was filled with racing, cheering, and catching up with friends. Despite the chilling weather that assailed us throughout the weekend we handled our temperature well with layers and big puffy jackets. Dennis even helped us discover a warm room for volunteers that the girls used to regain feeling in their toes after the final races. Overall, the weekend was a good start to the racing season. It was full of good racing, some homework time, and most importantly, delicious cookies and brownies.

Thanks to Janet for all of these great Saturday photos! (click on any photo to see a larger version)

Déjà Vu

2011-12-13T12:10:00.000-05:00

It's December, the week leading up to the first Eastern Cup races, and we are skiing in the fields of Lyme - with Astri coaching!

Many thanks to Karl and Charlotte for the beautiful venue, and to Astri for joining us!

Skiing in Plainfield

2011-12-10T21:08:00.000-05:00

by Alexi

Today was my first day classic skiing on snow this year…. and in my whole entire life. While seeing the other skiers whizzing by me gracefully was often frustrating, I feel as if I progressed a lot during the hour we skied at Plainfield. My first lap was messy and I felt that I was getting nowhere. Used to skate skiing, my legs kept moving into skate position. But as I circled that small soccer field over and over again, I could feel myself getting more comfortable to the classic motion. Natalie and Scottie taught me great tips on weight-transfer and watching the other skiers really helped me. The little lesson Dennis gave me about relaxing my upper body benefited me. After today's experience in the van and on snow (finally!), I am so excited to get back out. Cross your fingers (and toes) for snow!

Sunday 12.4.11 OD

2011-12-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

by Noah

Last Sunday (12/4) all the JNT skiers (except Sam M who was in SWEDEN) along with the coaches (including Natalie!) met at River Rd in Orford for the weekly OD.

We classic rollerskied south on River Rd on flat and rolling pavement at an easy L1 pace while working in some specific strength along the way. The J1 boys (George, Sam R, Noah, Spencer) and Natalie turned left onto North Thetford Rd first and headed toward the intersection at Rt 10 near Post Pond. Once we got there we looped back to meet the J1 girls and J2s to end the rollerski together at Post Pond.

While Sarah L and Emily rollerskied back the way we came, everybody else (expect for Liza and Alexi who had to go back to Scottie's to get their running shoes - coach error!) changed into running shoes and grabbed poles to ski walk/stride up through the Lyme hills to the top of Pinnacle. We all finally regrouped to summit Pinnacle on a beautiful, clear New England day. After dashing down Pinnacle, the J2s jogged back to Scottie's for a waxing tutorial.

Overall, despite some confusing logistics, the team had a good time while getting a quality 2.5 hrs of L1!! Hopefully this OD was the last one on foot this season!

Fall Testing

2011-12-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

We completed our fall testing today, having split it across two Friday practices due to the daylight issue.

Our uphill run records don't fall often, but Noah did it!! He ran it in 10:27, 2 seconds faster than Dylan's and John T's record. Almost every skier ran a PR.

In today's strength portion, George raised his own sit-up record and Emily raised her own push-up record. Both set PRs across the board, as did Tucker. Helen and Noah each had a PR in one of the strength tests.

The first-timers all did great, and now have benchmarks to build on over the coming years.

Bring on the snow!

NENSA Craftsbury Thanksgiving Camp

2011-11-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

by Spencer

Skiing, eating, sleeping--that’s how a few lucky kids burned off the thanksgiving meal. NENSA hosted the first annual Craftsbury thanksgiving ski camp this year. Because the Craftsbury ski center now has snowmaking, it was possible for them to hope to be on snow by Black Friday. While it was too warm for much man-made snow, we were blessed by a significant storm mid-week, which was enough to open the ski center. Athletes from all over New England converged on some of the only skiing in the area. Three Ford Sayre skiers (Caitlin, Spencer, George) joined (created) the NENSA camp for 3 days of training and a race. It was great to be back on snow! Even though snow became rather sparse by the last day, it was a blast for all. Training all day, without much else to think about was a very relaxing yet productive life style we all agreed we could live with. One of the snow free highlights involved a partially frozen lake and a sauna. All in all, it was a great way to kick off the winter.

Sam M in Sweden

2011-11-29T22:20:00.000-05:00

Sam M is in Östersund, Sweden with his dad. They are supporting the US biathlon team for the opening World Cup races - Ed as team physician, Sam as ski/wax tester, photographer, videographer, etc. He's getting in some great training (though I think we had more snow here for the first few days!), and has posted some pics on his blog: http://ostersundsam.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Snow: Bretton Woods

2011-11-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

by Sarah L

Getting up early to drive two hours usually isn't one of my favorite things to do. However, this was for snow. Snow in November. Although the temperature was steadily rising as my dad and I approached Bretton Woods, the base was still intact. For about an hour and forty minutes we just cruised. The adjustment from rollerskiing was awkward and both of us are now 1 for 1 on number of falls. However, it was great to get on snow again. Praying for colder weather!

Life After JNT, revised

2011-11-27T22:17:00.000-05:00

Not all JNT skiers continue cross country ski racing after high school or college, but many pursue diverse athletic interests. I would like to think the basic training principles learned in the JNT are valid in other endurance sports. I had a chance to watch two former skiers in the New York City Marathon Sunday, Nov 6. Impressive results from both: Stephen Donahue, 59^th overall, 2:32:25 and Megan Kelly, 283^rd overall, 3:04:58.

During lunch with Stephen after the race, I asked him for his reflections. After a half dozen marathons, Stephen noted he was better able to pace himself and not lose a lot of energy before and during the early stages of such a long race. Practice makes perfect, even for 26 mile events. But I do remember how nervous he would be prior to a cross country ski race as a JNT member. Obviously he has learned a few things over the years - one of the primary goals of the program (sport for life).

Firewood vs. Thanksgiving Snowstorm

2011-11-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to Kate and Paddy for helping with Tuesday's last-minute scramble to get the firewood under cover before the snow came!

8am Weds

2pm Tues

This year's firewood is the result of pushing back the treeline above the house to give the photovoltaic solar panels as much sun as possible. It was a real team effort: Dennis and Sam R (and Ben Nichols) ran the saws, Paddy and Spencer shared in the fun of splitting, lots of hands moved and stacked, and a couple even had to drive the truck!

happy (now unshaded!) solar panels

sculpture in the field

lots more firewood to come!

Snow in Bend

2011-11-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Chelsea made the three-hour trek from Eugene OR to Bend OR. She reports several feet of snow and great skiing!

MBSEF version of BKL practice. Too bad about the snow and the scenery!

Chelsea and Anna

Her friend in Bend, Anna Schulz, invited her to guest-coach at a Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation BKL practice, where she got chatting with one of the 13-year old boys in her group. They discovered they were both from New England. He explained he had skied in the Eastern Mass Bill Koch program before moving to Oregon, and Chelsea told him she skied for Ford Sayre. He went on to say that the Silver Fox Trot is his favorite race, and hopes to come back to race it again soon!

XC States Video

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

video from Sam M of the boys' race at NH XC States, 10.29.11

Snowfall Totals

2011-11-06T07:32:00.003-05:00

This is being posted so we accurately remember what transpired the night of 10.29.11. Sorry New Hampshire, the forecasters in Gray, ME don’t seem to like maps like the crew in Burlington, VT.

10.27.11 First Tracks East of Rockies set by JNT Skier

2011-11-06T07:29:00.002-05:00

Thursday 10.27.11: snow had been falling at altitudes above 1200’ for much of the day, it wasn’t until dusk that the rain turned to snow in the lowlands of downtown Norwich. By 7:00 pm there was full snow cover on exposed surfaces and at 7:12 pm JNT skier Caitlin declares herself to be the first skier on snow this season east of the Rocky Mountains. The course was short and the duration brief, but, hey... first tracts.

If you want to contest the claim for first tracks east of the Rockies, digital photo with date stamp please.

More Photos from Last Weekend's Ski

2011-11-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

thanks to Sam M for photos from our first ski of the season! (click any photo to open a larger version)

pinnacle fields

Strafford Nordic

2011-11-06T07:19:00.007-05:00

Saturday 10.29.11 Father of JNT Skier Emily Muller and I hopped on our bikes for a visit to the new Strafford Nordic Center. After a "shortcut" to Strafford we rode up to the ski center from the valley via Carpenter Hill and Ayres Road. Although this route presented beautifully unique vistas it was rather steep and narrow: don’t go this way in winter. Access either by Cross Road, or better, Brook Road out of Strafford Village which is paved.

Father of JNT Skier Emily Muller's "shortcut"

We met Rett Emerson and his father. Rett was busy clearing brush along electric fence lines in preparation of the snow forecast for Saturday night, but had the time to orientate us to the land and location of the trails.

We left with two impressions: the setting is beautiful, a blend of forest, rolling hills, old orchards and open fields and second, something one really appreciates when riding a bike, its at a fairly high elevation, so expect good snow. I’m thrilled to have this opening and look forward to skiing the trails.

Scenery on the climb up Carpenter Hill

Here is the web page: http://straffordnordicskiing.com/

And lets all get out for their first event, A 5 km Turkey Trot:

http://straffordnordicskiing.com/runningrace

XC Running States

2011-11-05T13:32:00.000-04:00

by Noah, George, and Sam M
Last Saturday (10/29/11) the Hanover Cross Country Team woke up early and hopped on a school bus at 8AM to go down to Manchester, NH for the State Meet. It was a bitterly cold day with a taste of snow in the skies and not a glimpse of sun was to be seen. At last it was time for the races to begin. The girls raced valiantly to a 2nd place finish in Division II. But our real Ford Sayre heroes were in the boys race. Noah Williams led the Hanover wolf pack as number one runner, followed by George Voigt and Sam Merrens. The race began with a bang and sprint into the swamp that was Derryfield Park. As our heroes reached the first mile, they sat comfortably in the top 30 with plenty of room to make their moves in the following hills. Noah clipped along at the heels of champions in an advantageous top 5 position, while Sam and George joined forces to battle the evil forces of Coe-Brown and Merrimack Valley. Just short of the second mile lay a dormant monster, known only as “The Ski Hill.” Naturally, our intrepid skiers smited this beast with all the energy they could spare. They then sprouted wings and flew down the proceeding hill, back into the marshes and nearing the final challenge. As they approached the 800m mark, a deafening roar rose from the crowds upon seeing these true champions fight to the end. With the finish finally in sight, each athlete conquered their own obstacles. Noah fought desperately to overtake a competitor, but in the end, settled for a respectable 4th place in a blistering 16:29. George followed suit with an incredible kick putting him 24th place, with an astounding 30 second PR of 17:14. Sam made a modest effort at a sprint, but in the end it was for naught, still finishing with a top-30 position of 28th with a stellar time 17:27. In the end, the boys took 3rd overall in Division II, an incredible feat for an unranked team. Stay tuned for the next installment of our brave heroes journey, this time into the mighty plains of Nashua.

Hi Viz Shirt Order

2011-11-03T21:13:00.001-04:00

Orders due WEDS 11.9.11
short sleeve and long sleeve versions available
click to order

click image for larger version

First Ski of the Season!

2011-10-30T22:21:00.000-04:00

by Elyse, Sarah H, Liza, Tucker, and Caitlin
With last night’s early snow, most of the team headed up to the fields of Lyme for the first ski of the year. It was very cold (32 degrees - ed) and windy (northwest under 10 mph) but there was a very good view (verified - see team picture). There was grass poking through and the snow was heavy and wet, sticking to the skis, making gliding hard. But, after a few laps, the feeling started to come back and everyone began to enjoy themselves. Everyone had a few falls so it was quite easy to remember how eating snow felt. The team skied around two fields for an hour and a half and then went to Scottie's house for a post ski treat.

Coaches Keeping Busy

2011-10-28T21:39:00.000-04:00

The season of meetings and organizing continues... nothing here deserving of a picture, but I hear there will be photos posted shortly of last night's first-of-the-season backyard skiing!

Last Thursday evening, Dennis and I went to the New Hampshire Nordic Coaches Association fall meeting at Moultonborough Academy. With a new president who is reaching out to all athletic directors and coaches throughout the state, it was the largest turnout in years! There are many great initiatives underway, including a move of the NH Series races to late January/mid-February. This shift will allow more ski time before the races, and holding these qualifying races closer to the J2 and EHSC championship events has been a goal for years. There is also a move to take a more regional approach to the high school racing schedule to minimize travel costs and missed school. Look for cross-division (may also include prep schools) Regional Championships in early February. For the Connecticut Valley region, this event is likely to be in the Upper Valley!

Sunday afternoon/evening, Dennis, Tim, Dave & Nancy Lindahl, and I attended the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum's Hall of Fame induction dinner at Killington. John Morton, long-time teammate of Dennis's and men's coach during Dave's and my years at Dartmouth, was one of this year's inductees. There was a strong Upper Valley/Ford Sayre contingent there to celebrate with him!

Tuesday evening brought a USSA coaches' education webinar on "Effects of Altitude on Training and Performance." Take-aways from the 90min presentation... the most important things a sea-level athlete can do to prepare for competition at altitude are stay hydrated and stay healthy... and Dennis will need to 'live high, train low' to be ready for his duties as a NE Junior Nationals coach in Utah!

Alum Update: Chelsea

2011-10-22T21:20:00.001-04:00

an update from Chelsea Little... from Eugene OR (click any photo to view a larger version)

Hi everyone! I’m a Ford Sayre alum that many of you have seen kicking around on the Eastern race circuit for the last few years, first skiing for Dartmouth and then the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. At the end of last season, I decided not to continue as a ski racer, and so now I’m being forced to grow up and get a real job! Although negotiating municipal water and electric bills and not having my dad around to help me troubleshoot car problems has been a big change, it’s actually pretty fun, so here’s a little update.

I moved all the way across the country to Eugene, Oregon, where I am working as a research assistant in the biology department of the University. I studied ecology at Dartmouth and did a lot of field research there, so it feels great to get back into science.

It’s nice to like your job, but the best thing about Oregon is that there is a ton to do outside, especially in the summer. I have been on some amazing hikes up big volcanoes, a great backpacking trip in a national wildlife refuge, some summer skiing, and plenty of trail running. It’s a little strange after so many years of training to know that I am only getting more out of shape with every day that goes by, but I’m still fit enough to do the hikes and runs that I love so I can’t really complain.

One of the most fun things I got to do this summer was the Hood to Coast relay, which I think is the biggest running relay in the world. It’s like Reach the Beach, but bigger – there are over 12,000 people racing! The relay is 200 miles long, and the twelve people on each team run three legs each. I managed to sneak in with a group of runners from Eugene and Portland and we had a great time. We all ran in red dresses and our team actually won the best costume award! I had the hardest leg because I claimed that I could run uphill... it was a good challenge and I actually ended up running two of my fastest 10k’s ever. That was a huge surprise and the icing on the cake of a weekend that was just pure fun.

Now I’m looking towards winter, which won’t be very white in Eugene: it just rains all year, no snow. Luckily, though, the mountains aren’t too far away. A couple of my old Craftsbury teammates are living in Bend and I’ve already been over for a nice visit. I’m hoping to jump in a few citizen races as part of the XC Oregon squad, and I’m also going to be helping out with the high school team here. Since there isn’t any snow in town, it’s a lot of rollerskiing, running, and circuits during the week, with some trips to do real skiing on the weekends. A little bit different than the training I’m familiar with in New England, but the other coaches are really great and the athletes all have wonderful attitudes, so I think I’m really going to enjoy coaching. It will be nice to give something back to the ski world after being a giant sponge on society for a few years.

Stay well, Ford Sayre, and I’ll miss seeing you on the trails this winter!

Hood to Coast: At the top of the hill on my third and final leg of the Hood to Coast relay - it felt like a victory even though the team was still hours from the finish!

Oregon Coast: The Pacific Ocean is just over an hour from my house, and the coastline is beautiful, like a western version of Maine!

Steens: I did a three-day backpacking trip in a 185,000 acre wildlife preserve with a friend from college. There were big views.

Wild Horse Lake: This was our camping spot on the second night: on the edge of alpine lakes overlooking a huge canyon, with jagged ridgelines in the background and not another person for miles.

Thielsen: I did a fun hike of Mount Thielsen with some friends. It's described as one of the "pointiest" mountains in the world and is hit by lightning more than any other peak in the Cascades.

Fall Variety

2011-10-20T20:00:00.001-04:00

by George

This fall has been filled with lots of training for both skiing and also running. Sam, Noah and I have consistently been heading out on rollerskis most weekends. While we balance running for the cross country team and training for this winter we have as a team stayed much more involved in skiing this year. Staying connected with the sport has been beneficial by letting us maintain a level of fitness without the impact of running.

Even though we are in the middle of our fall sports seasons many of us have made an effort to stay connected to skiing as we train through the fall. We have been holding roller skis most weekends. I was granted the opportunity, and am the only member of our team who made it to all of the previous 3 roller skis. Two weekends ago we didn't have a cross country race so our team planned to go on two roller skis, however many people were only able to make it to one of them. On Saturday we had a roller ski out Route 10 starting from the Lyme park and ride and heading out to the far end of River Road. After skiing Spencer, Cailtin, Helen, and I helped out at Scottie's house to clear more of the brush and wood that was recently cut down. The next day with the news of Kate's arrival back to the Upper Valley we planned a roller ski out on Dogford. Sam, Noah, Kate, Helen, and I showed up for a roller ski that included specific strength and classic technique filming. This past weekend Sam, Spencer, Caitlin, and I showed up at the Huntley park and ride (Norwich) to begin a mixed distance ski, we started out with some specific strength and speeds on classic rollerskis (which caused some of us trouble with our balance). After finishing the hour ski we ran up onto the power lines and connected to the Heyl trail. Considering how busy we all are with fall sports and homework it is an astonishing accomplishment that we have made it out for so many skis throughout the fall.

The Season for Meetings

2011-10-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

With many of the JNT skiers getting their introduction to organized skiing through the Ford Sayre Bill Koch League program, we're committed to helping our coaches acquire tools and skills to ensure that the 'little kids' have a blast on skis. On Saturday, Ford Sayre hosted a NENSA BKL coaching clinic at the Lyme Center Academy Building. Many thanks to Abby Weissman for organizing all aspects of the clinic, all of the presenters, and everyone who came and shared ideas!

This week: Ford Sayre Q&A night (Tues, 6-8pm, Montshire), and the New Hampshire Nordic Coaches Association fall meeting (Thurs, 6pm, Moultonborough Academy).

Ongoing: Dan and the Ford Sayre Council are putting a lot of time into getting ready for the season, including the move to all-online registration... check it out at www.fordsayre.org.

Dan has also been schooled in all things web, so look for ongoing updates to our part of the Ford Sayre website: http://www.fordsayre.org/nordic/junior-nordic-team.

Thanks to Abby for sharing her photos from the clinic!

Sunday Roller Ski - Caitlin

2011-10-16T21:55:00.003-04:00

This morning, a few of us gathered on Turnpike Road in Norwich for a distance roller ski. Spencer skated while Emily, Helen and I classic skied. All was fine until 20 minutes into the workout, I broke my right pole and had to head home to find a replacement. Of course, it wasn't that easy, I found another set of poles, but had to switch the ferrules, so more delay as I heated a pot of water and got out the glue gun.

For me, a lot of no pole work and a bit of strength and a bit of frustration. And yes, the pole did break, see the picture, and I did change the ferrules.... look at the tip.

Saturday OD

2011-10-16T21:38:00.006-04:00

Saturday we combined roller skiing and a trail run into a two and a half hour OD. (Editors note: We have a rule here at the JNT, if there is no picture, video or GPS track, it didn't happen. As there are no pictures of the roller ski, assume the worst.)

(The run however) was glorious, following footpaths so lightly used the freshly fallen leaves had almost made them disappear. An approaching cold front brought light showers and at one point the sun broke through to make a rainbow. The vista from the highest ridgeline all one could ask for when the fall colors are out. The run was 1 hour and 20 minutes long and 10 minutes after we got back to the car, the cold front arrived full force with gusty winds and pelting rain.

Video proof of run:

Dutton Hill Intervals

2011-10-11T21:59:00.002-04:00

The team has been getting together for some early fall training, last Sunday morning it was intervals in Dutton Hill Road in Norwich. For those that don’t know this road, its dirt and I wouldn’t be exaggerating to describe the first section as steep.

Caitlin's Early Fall Cycling

2011-10-11T21:33:00.001-04:00

Because I’m not doing XC this year, I’ve been on the hunt for other races and events to do. Last Wednesday, I went down to Proctor Academy for a high school mountain bike race that is part of a series I’m hoping to continue all fall. It turned out to be quite a learning experience; they started the girls (all 9 of us) with the 60 or so category C boys on to a tight 3 mile singletrack course. I realized that girls race a lot differently than boys. Boys fly out of the start, elbowing and pushing for the lead whereas girls prefer more of a “I’ll give you space, you give me space and we will see who gets there faster” approach. The race was a lesson in aggression for me but I still had an awesome race - it felt good to back racing. I ended up in second for the girls, behind Erin Donohue, an old riding buddy and 10th place in the C boys.

This Tuesday, in an effort to continue finding ways to keep my fall exciting, I headed down Paradise Sports in Windsor, Vermont for their weekly tuesday night cyclocross training session. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the sport, Cyclocross, according to Wikipedia, “consists of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5 km or 1.5–2 mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike whilst navigating the obstruction and remount.” It was a pretty low-key scene down there; a core group of middle-aged guys intermittently raced around the course, pausing to rehash the last lap every once and while. Being my first time riding ‘cross, I just rode around the course, practicing the barriers and corners while trying not to humiliate myself to badly. Towards the end, I was fortunate enough to receive a bit of expertise on the barriers from some of the experienced riders. I definitely improved a ton over the hour or so we were riding and I’m hoping to go down again next week.

belatedly: Dan's Summer Adventures

2011-10-11T21:20:00.007-04:00

I like winter, but will freely admit I look forward to getting back on my bike when the snow melts. This spring was college tour time for daughter and JNT skier Caitlin, thus I found myself visiting a college near Mt.Graylock, in western MA. These tours were providing a good opportunity to “double-up”, college tour in the morning; bike ride in the afternoon.

Misjudgements tend to be a prelude to misadventure, and that proved the case when I figured the best ride here would be up Mt. Graylock, the highest point in MA. The map suggested a route switchbacking up from the north, a short spur to the summit followed by a decent to the south and a return route up a valley west of the mountain. At the start for the climb, things couldn’t be better, turns out the road to the summit was closed, so after slipping around the gate we were on a trafficless road with superb views.

After climbing for a while, we hit some snow and after a bit had a problem. The road was covered with small patches of snow and we had been walking the bikes across assuming things would improve as we got nearer the open summit. Naturally this wasn’t the case, the snow was getting deeper, I think the pictures best describe the situation.

Ultimately, the question was really getting to be, “what was the fastest way down?”, back through the snow, or hope the road on the south side of the mountain, which the map indicated was relatively close, was clear. We opted to push over the summit and take the southern route, and I will never know if that was the better decision. We made it back to the car, five hours after the start of the ride and having spent the last hour riding in the dark.

Sound judgement and good planning ruled for my real summer holiday, canoe tripping in the LaVerendrye Wilderness Reserve in Quebec. I don’t think Goldilocks could find a better place for tripping, the lakes: not too big, not too small, the rapids, not dull but not too scary, and the navigational challenges.... just right. Combine that with great weather offering blue skies, brilliant stars, sandy beaches, plus generations of family: all ingredients for a great trip.

Summer Adventures: Lizzie

2011-09-22T13:41:00.002-04:00

Lizzie (JNT alum, Colby sophomore)

My summer was filled with a variety of fun adventures. Some highlights included awesome spring skiing in Vail, Colorado with a couple of my college teammates, scenic road bike rides around the Upper Valley, hiking in the White Mountains, including a trek up Mt. Washington for the first time, and returning to Wednesday morning strength with Ford Sayre. Have a great fall, Ford Sayre JNT, and I look forward to seeing you on the trails this winter!

spring skiing in Vail

Summer Adventures: Emily

2011-09-13T07:48:00.000-04:00

Emily
This summer I spent a month at a Spanish immersion camp in Minnesota. The goal of it was almost complete immersion, so we weren't allowed english books, or music, and had to speak as much Spanish as possible. The first two weeks or so were quite difficult for me because I didn't know any Spanish but I caught on pretty quickly. I tried hard to do as much ski specific training there as possible, but I had to search to find a hill anywhere, which made it hard. After Spanish camp my family and I went to Alaska for two weeks. We spent 5 days 90 miles into Denali National Park. There were did lots of hiking, and we even found snow! Looking out from our cabin we had an amazing view of Mt McKinley, which looks absolutely enormous. Seeing all the snow there made me very excited for skiing.

Summer Adventures: Caitlin

2011-09-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Caitlin

I spent this summer at St. Paul’s Advanced Studies Program near Concord. Besides learning a ton and becoming addicted to coffee, I learned how to row in an eight which was pretty exciting and a lot harder than it looks. Rowing is actually a very technical sport and rowing all together is quite a challenge - especially in a boat full of novices. By the end of the summer, I discovered that I love to row. It's a great team sport, awesome for ski training, and really hard. This fall, I decided to continue with my rowing and I’m now part of the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation’s Fall Junior Crew Program which meets three days a week in the mornings.

Caitlin in stroke seat

Summer Adventures & Intro: Sarah L

2011-09-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

we welcome Sarah L, a junior at Rivendell, to the JNT!
Sarah L

For those of you who don't already know me, I'm Sarah L.

I've been floating around from school to school for the past couple of years. I orginally started out at Rivendell and spent K-5 there. Then went to Crossroads Academy for middle school. And finally high school wise, I was at Kimball Union for 2 years and I'm finally settled this year at Rivendell.

There's been a lot of opportunities for me to play different sports and find out many of my current intrests. For many years I was playing basketball in the winter. But, honestly, who wants to be stuck in a stuffy gym for 4 months? So freshman year at KUA I decided to try nordic. My dad skied and competed when he was in his 20s so I guess you could say I wanted to try it out for myself.

Last year I met up with the UNH ski team when I was up at Trapps and got some direction with V2/ V2 alternate. Classic however…

This past summer I've spent a lot of time working at an inn. I'm officially a pro at cleaning toilets and weeding gardens. While I wasn't working, I was riding my bike. Something I've also recently gotten into. Competed this past spring and won my championship first time out… it was pretty sweet.

This fall is soccer… and I'm making my way through my fifth concussion. Fun.

But that's pretty much all everyone needs to know about me for now. I'm looking forward to starting training and getting on some snow!

Rivendell girls soccer Jamboree

Profile School bike race (a hilly 27 miles!)

Cardigan 5k CL race, 2011

Summer Adventures: Beth (and Phil!)

2011-09-12T09:52:00.002-04:00

Beth (JNT alum, Bates senior & 2011/12 Bates ski team captain)
I spent the summer in Truckee, CA with Phil (and a visit from Cate). We were part of a 12-person collegiate training program comprised of skiers from Bates, Williams, UVM, Bowdoin, St. Lawrence, UNH, and Middlebury, coached by former Bates assistant coach/current Sugarbowl Academy coach, the legendary Martin Benes. We were able to ski on snow, on trails groomed by Auburn Ski Club (where 2005 & 2009 Truckee JOs were held), until July 4, which was incredible. We even had a sprint race with the local high school teams on July 3rd! After the snow melted, we put in a lot of rollerskiing, hiking, running, and biking, along with backcountry skiing, cliff jumping, barbecuing, and general fun. Highlights were a 3.6 mile race up Squaw Mtn, 17 mile ridge run from Sugarbowl Mtn to Squaw Mtn, doublepoling up Donner Pass (named for the historic Donner Party), and a 14-mile run down into Royal Gorge to cliff-jump. North Lake Tahoe is a fantastic and beautiful place to train, with a great nordic community. We were also able to train with both the Sugarbowl Academy team and the Far West team and their awesome coaches, Jeff Schloss and Ben Grasseschi, on a regular basis. We had very competitive weekly soccer and ultimate Frisbee tournaments with the younger teams (usually getting our butts kicked by the Californians). All in all, it was a fantastic few months, and I can't thank everyone who contributed to the success of our group enough.

gorgeous snow... perfect tracks... in late June!

Beth - drifter time trial

Phil - backcounty on July 4th

Beth - July 3rd sprint race

Phil - July 3rd sprint race

hiking in August

skiing in June

Phil - squaw mtn run

Summer Adventures: Jennie

2011-09-06T20:42:00.000-04:00

Brentrup

After spending the winter helping coach the JNT skiers, my career as a Nordic ski coach came to a grinding halt when I decided to attend graduate school at Miami University in Ohio, (oddly not Florida) a place where snow and skiing are quite foreign. However, I hope to be spending a lot of time at high altitudes to study the effects of UV radiation and climate change on alpine lakes. This past July, I traveled to the Beartooth Mountain Range in eastern Montana to collect water samples. After a winter with the highest snowfall record to date, our research was put on hold when we noticed the 7ft high snow piles on the side of the road and discovered that the majority of the lakes were still frozen. Needless to say, climate change seems to be altering seasonal patterns, but maybe this would not be all bad if New England gets plenty of snow all winter long! From Montana, I flew to Sweden to attend a workshop on aquatic sensors used to study long-term changes in water quality on lakes all over the world. Although a trip to Sweden in the winter would have been ideal, the long hours of daylight and Swedish saunas made it a wonderful time to be in a gorgeous country. I hope all the JNT skiers have a great upcoming season, train hard, and make sure not to snowplow on the S-turns!

Beartooths, Montana

Lake Erken, Norrtälje, Sweden

Summer Adventures: Dennis D

2011-09-05T18:59:00.003-04:00

Summer was busy with a large list of chores at home, at Scottie's with Sam Rossier and other JNT members, and at a our family camp in Colchester, VT. I spent a half day with Sam R as he felled about 20 trees in her backyard to allow more sun to hit the solar panels. My job was limber - a challenge because I could not keep up. Other skiers split and stacked - Paddy Caldwell was the most productive with the maul. Late spring my daughter received her PhD in Public Health from BU. Her thesis was about the law in Maine that prohibits junk food advertising in ME schools!! Early summer my son Stephen cut down an over grown cedar hedge at our camp; late summer my son Chris, his daughter Nora, and I removed the stumps with an excavator. I also was given a tour of the trails and biathlon range site at the future Strafford Nordic Center. Jere Linehan is one of the prime leaders of this project; he skied for Hanover and was on the nordic combined B team. A great end before Labor Day weekend was a visit from Liz Stephen for a brief dry land drill demonstration followed by a slide show which gave us a glimpse of her life as a World Cup XC racer. Thanks to Liz for making time to visit Ford Sayre and to Greg DeFrancis for the Montshire space.

Summer Adventures: Sam M

2011-09-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

Sam M

This summer I did a lot of camps and each was fun in its own way. The NENSA Regional Elite Group Camp in Craftsbury, VT was fun because I was able to train alongside the best skiers in New England and some of the best in the country. Youth Biathlon Camp in Lake Placid was fun because I was able to do a lot of training and eat a lot of frozen yoghurt at the Olympic Training Center over the course of the two week camp. The National J2 Camp in Sun Valley, ID was awesome because I trained all week with the fastest J2 skiers in the country and was able to meet a lot of new people. The SMS Junior Camp at the end of the summer is always fun because I've done it since I was 9 and I know every workout by heart. This summer was awesome and I can't wait for the snow to fly so I can get on skis again!

Summer Adventures: Spencer, Noah

2011-09-03T13:12:00.000-04:00

Spencer

This summer I was fortunate to be able to travel to the Peruvian Andes. Although it was not a training trip, the chance to ski in the southern hemisphere was too good to let go. At 5,700 meters (18,700 feet) nothing is easy. A thirty second loop felt like a full sprint race, and I would have to admit the snow wasn't very good. But I wouldn't complain about July skiing anywhere.

Noah

I started my summer with a family vacation to Maine, which consisted mainly of relaxing, rollerskiing, and running. Although I was worried about it, the J2/EHSC Development Camp was a success for me and I learned a plethora of new training tips/theories. Kenya can be summed up in a list: early mornings, red dirt, crazy Kenyan second graders, bumpy roads, small taxi vans, insanely fast (and skinny) runners on dirt tracks, needy orphan kids, hippos, wildebeests, lions, and, of course, lots and lots of RUNNING.

Summer 2011

2011-08-31T11:24:00.000-04:00

The JNT was represented on four continents, and all over the US, this summer! Some were based at home and were regular participants in organized training; others spent the summer in a combination of camps (skiing, running, soccer, biathlon, Spanish), school, research projects, family vacation, etc. Everyone got to explore new trails, roads, water, and even snow!

Here are some photos from a few of our team outings - individual reports to follow (to prove that some of us ventured away from the greater Lyme area this summer...). Click on any photo to enlarge it.

4th of July outing: low-to-high of Lyme, from the river...

... to the summit of Smarts! (thanks to organizer John G, and the Caldwells for hosting swim/bbq!)

our small part of the Grand Parade of Lyme's 250th "birthday" celebration

Fat Bob's stop after the Moosilauke time trial (thanks Ruff!) - note Sam's "medium"...

Sam (and his helpers) did it!

Meet of Champions: Bedford, NH

2011-03-16T06:24:00.006-04:00

Today at Meet of Champions the girls all had successful races! In the first race of the day, the classic 6.5 k race, all three came in the top five (Caitlin in 5th, Helen in 2nd, and Kate in 4th). It was a very close race; everyone was within a minute of each other. Although the waxing was tricky we managed to find a great mix of klister that gave both kick and glide, which can be rare while using klister. Not even the morning’s drizzle deterred us from having a good race day!

In the afternoon skate relays we were teamed up in pairs: Caitlin and Helen, and Erin Perryman and Kate. Yet again, both of these speedy teams took medals in the sprint! Kate and Erin came in second, and Caitlin and Helen came in third. In the end it was a fun and busy day full of waxing (we did our own race-site waxing), warming-up, and racing!

~Helen

The meet of champs was a great race for most of us. We all had a great time and spent a nice amount of time hanging around in-between races. For most of us classic distance was one of the most interesting courses we have skied in a long time, I know for me the downhills were some of the most fun and scary that I have skied down even after the S-turns at Oak Hill. The sprint relay was a fun cumulation of the regular season for a lot of us, since it was extremely short and very fun to be able to just go for it 100% for the whole race.

We had some great success at the race event though we weren't counted as high school competitors. Many of us scored in the top ten, which for such a challenging course is a nice feat. Many of the corners felt as if we were skiing a GS course, completely iced out on the inside and very sharp narrow turns.

Afterwards we all did our own thing to recover on Sunday. To the great pleasure of the Hanover High students we had a snow day on Monday. For some of us this was a godsend since the JO sprints were on later in the day. We faithfully watched our skiers from NE progress through the qualifiers, quarter finals, semi finals, and finally for the elite the finals that went until around 9pm eastern time.

-George

JO's Sprint

2011-03-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's sprint went well for the New England team, with several age-group winners and a sweep of the J1 Girls podium (NE took the top five places!). The qualifiers began at 1230pm, and all of the finals were raced under the lights. Both Sam (9th J2) and Paddy (5th J1) made the top ten and All-American!

Paddy and Sam after Paddy's J1 Boys A final

Eastern Cup Final Weekend and Lead Up

2011-03-05T17:40:00.000-05:00

by Isaiah

Holderness Preview
Last Thursday we rolled up at Centerra for a nice spring ski/ preview for the other nomenclative EC, the Cheri Walsh. Stepping groggily out of the polar bear, we were all ready to grab our skis and get going, except for Dennis, who forgot all his equipment. While he scrambled to locate skis et al, we broke out the tubes of klister which was the first time this year for some. Finally able to start skiing we headed out on the race course. After many of Dennis's reminiscent moments and some other breezes of warm air we reached the famous four corners, the symbolic high point of the course. Here still trying to dial in klister zones on new skis, many took to the putty knife and reskiied the uphill to the corners. In true Ford Sayre spirit we raced the downhill onto the stadium.

The Silver Fox Trot
Saturday yielded ideal conditions for the fox trot. The snow was fast yet all the downhills remained skiable and the uphills stayed firm. Early starting J2s got the advantage of unfitted snow, while older kids were able to mosey along and relax for most of the morning. For me it worked out to arrive somewhat late, but still leaving enough time to see how the course was holding up before my warmup. My focus for the race was to race smart and have something left for the dam hill. With the strong head wind in some places. I managed to stay relaxed and it paid off with my best race so far this year. Also impressive were the J2s, all of whom were in the top 10, including a podium for Sam, a top 5 for Noah, and a big leap up the results for both Tucker and Kate.

The Cheri Walsh
Stepping out of the van at Holderness again, the warm breezes of Thursday were replaced by frigid gusts. A wonderful day to be waxing, the snow was cold and transformed, but also had some snow from the night. Fortunately the coaches were able to find something that worked well. With the exception of some leaves in the tracks the course was fast and constantly demanded attention to keep up with the stride to kick double pole to stride to double pole to tuck rapid fire transitions. With George starting only 15 seconds behind me I had constant motivation to push and rightly so because I barely got across the line when he came into the final straight away. After the race was the team naming for Junior Nationals in Minneapolis, where Sam was named to the J2 team. On our way back home we made our annual stop at dunkin donuts, the one time we get to eat junk with Scottie around.

Thanks to Dan and Dominic for the photos from the Cheri Walsh!

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

2011-02-24T20:41:00.002-05:00

Team Spirit!

2011-02-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

by Emily

Preparing for ski races not only involves being rested, fast skis, and good coaches, but also team spirit. In order to ensure that we had enough this weekend the girls decided to dye a strip of their hair blue. It was quite a complicated process involving bleach, shower caps, and blue bathtubs, but in the end the result was worth it. The blue should last for several weeks, so identifying us should be quite easy.

In order to be all in for team spirit we managed to convince Scottie and Jennie to temporarily dye their hair. At our organizing team dinner at the Montshire we gave them each a blue stripe as well.

Decorating the van before the final eastern cup has been a tradition for many years. On Friday before practice many of us did so. With a window marker we wrote this years van's name “the polar bear” on one side and all of our names on the other. The interior was adorned with streamers, balloons, and even an American flag. Ultimately it was quite a masterpiece and we were very proud of it.

Thanks to the snow gods!

2011-02-18T11:01:00.000-05:00

by Sam R

This winter has not only been an awesome skiing year, but also therefore an awesome grooming year. I have been grooming more this winter than ever, which is better some days than others. But no matter how many times I get stuck, it is awesome to be able to walk out the front door right onto fresh corduroy and newly set track. Living next door to the Mountain School, in Vershire Vermont, I have complete access to 5k of beautiful machined ski trails. Designed by John Morton, they have tight S-turns, rolling terrain, and a few steep climbs. Even though I have groomed and skied these same loops every week for the past four years I still have not got bored of them. Let's hope that it cools down and we can get a couple more months out of this awesome season! If you are ever Near Vershire, feel free to stop by for a ski.

Backcountry Trek

2011-02-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

by Spencer

A couple of Wednesdays ago we were blessed with a big snow storm. The predicted foot plus of snow was enough to close schools in advance. With this in mind, plans were made for a back-country ski through the woods of Norwich. Later in the day on Wednesday, 4 of us were able to meet at parcel 5. We planned to ski up Brown School House Road and then on to my house via the roadside fields. This turned out be easier said than done. The new foot of powder was both a blessing and a cursing; some of us ended up on the ground with surprising frequency. After 45+ minutes and several adventures with fallen trees, we emerged on Bragg Hill Road. Luckily the road had not been plowed recently, which made for nice and speedy skiing. Happy and soaked we reached my house and traded the skis for hot chocolate.

Race Report: Stowe 10/15k CL, Sun 6 Feb 2011

2011-02-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

J1 girls: 10k CL
by Caitlin

Another Big Day at the Races
This sunday was the classic races for the weekend and had many of us pushing our distances: a 10k for the women and a 15k for the men. After Saturday night's wild weather, the roads were closer to a skating rink than drivable roads making the logistics of the morning a bit of a challenge. Our driveway was steep and icy so the van was decommissioned for the morning until the plow came with salt and gravel. In the mean time, we worked out an advanced shuttle plan to get everyone to their respective races on time and the house all cleaned out.
For the J1 girls, this meant getting to the race site an hour before our start. I personally prefer to get to races with only a little time to spare, sitting around the race site tends to be pretty intimidating before a race, so I actually liked our arrival time. I don't think the other girls are with me on this point; the time pressure was a bit nerve racking. But what ever happened before the start, we left it all at the start line and gave a good hard effort out there on the course. A classic 10k is one of the longer distance races we do each season and the Stowe course is especially mountainous. Overall it's a tough course but we all rose to the challenge and felt we had good races. The finish line was a bit of a scene as all of us hugged and congratulated each other, relieved to be done and infinitely proud of one another to be out there racing.

J1 boys: 15k CL

by George

The Sunday Classic Race:

Sunday was an eventful day for all of us, J2's had their regular 5K, J1 women had their 10K a beautiful 2 laps, and the J1 men had a lovely sight seeing trip around the course 3 times for a grand total of 15K. As the morning progressed we all began to notice that today wasn't going to be like the day before which was a lovely day. Sunday was a much cooler day, which led to more challenge when warming up. As the day progressed further on and our races drew closer and closer the time in the bus became much quieter as we mentally prepared for the first 15K of the season.

As we all got our skis on and went off to do our own race warm-up we had thoughts of what we wanted to accomplish in the race, it varies for all of us. And then as time dwindled down into the 15 minute mark we all gathered near the start to get our race skis and start getting the wax ready. And finally it was time to get into the tracks, and once that happens all of the thoughts that we spend time coming up with get flushed out and all you can do is focus on what is ahead. The grueling course of Stowe managed to take a lot out of us by the time we had managed to make it around 3 times, but with the help of spectators and coaches we all made it in.

Once it is over you realize that it wasn't that bad, no where near the trip to the underworld you were expecting. When we were all nice and "recovered" after the race the cool-down came next and once we were nice and relaxed and ready for the bus ride back we piled all of the remaining gear and headed out on the road. With the customary stop at Champlain Chocolates on the way.

Race Report: Stowe 5k FS, Sat 5 Feb 2011

2011-02-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

by Sam M and Noah

J2 Boys

They woke up at 645, ate breakfast at 7 and headed off to the races with the girls. There, they did an easy course preview loop on our training skis. When we got back we talked some tactics and then grabbed our race skis and headed off to warm up. Our warmups consisted of some speeds, hills, and work in level 3 (aerobic threshold). We got to our starts with 5 minutes to go, and got into line. Noah started just 15 seconds ahead of Sam M. and Tucker only a couple minutes behind as the Ford Sayre skiers left the starting gate with pride. The course began with a fast downhill, so we had to be extra warmed up before the race. By the first uphill Sam had caught and passed Noah, but Noah wasn't going down without a fight! The two skiers flew around the twisted trail, passing other racers as they went. At the end of the biggest uphill however, they were quite fatigued. Noah passed Sam at the top and somehow (with the help of the amazing Ford Sayre training they had been through) they powererd up the last two brutal uphills and ended up 4th (Sam), and 6th (Noah). Meanwhile, Tucker had motored up the first uphill and skied strongly around the rest of the course (somehow pulling through the brutal hills at the end) and finished 19th. Overall, the Ford Sayre J2 Boys represented the team extremely well, and lent much credence to how much Vermont skiers excel on the hardest courses.

J1 Boys

no words yet from this crew - thanks to Janet for these great photos!

Weston Race Help

2011-01-31T21:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our Boston-based support crew for helping and cheering!

alums (and alum-in-law) Tim, SarahT, SaraD

our youngest wax tech at work (on her parents' skis)

Weston Race Report

2011-01-31T20:48:00.001-05:00

by Emily

It was a beautiful sunny day for racing. We began our long day with an early morning departure for Weston, MA. This eastern cup was different from anything we have done before. There was a sprint in the morning, then a distance race in the afternoon. Upon arrival we got right on our skis and began warming up for the sprint. The course was located on a golf course, so there were few hills, and many long flat stretches. The biggest hill deemed “Mt. Weston”, was a small hill with a pile of snow on top to make it bigger, but it was very steep, and a key place to gain time. The girls had a strong showing in the sprint, all placing within eleven seconds of each other, later in the afternoon the guys came close to matching with fifteen seconds between them. The middle of the day was hardest for all of us. Sam, Noah, and Tucker had a mere hour and fifteen minutes in between the two races, but were able to produce impressive results in their 6k distance race. The girls were next with the same distance, 2x3k loops to make 6k total. They also skied well considering the course was beginning to deteriorate on the hills and corners. About half way through the race a wind began to pick up that blew through the flat golf course. It was great to have a tail wind, but a head wind after racing twice that day was very challenging. The J1 boys had a similar experience, but skied three laps around the loop for a total of 9k. Overall today was exhausting, but everyone left with at least one strong performance making it a very satisfying day. For those who would have liked even better performances, there is always the Stowe Eastern Cup next weekend.

watching the girls approach Mt Weston in the sprint

Recent News

2011-01-24T07:53:00.000-05:00

by Helen and Kate

New Hampshire Series: With everyone done with exams, we started off the new quarter with the second half of the New Hampshire Series. It was a classic 5k at Whitefield with lots of new snow from the recent storms. Although it was cold everyone did well and managed to keep most digits. All Ford Sayre skiers made either the New Hampshire J2 Team or the New Hampshire Eastern Team! It was a successful day for the team!

OD: Today was another cold day in Lyme, where the team went on an over distance classic ski. It was around 2-2:45 hours, with three ten minute sessions of strength. We were lucky with the beautiful weather and the beautiful snow conditions.

Pictures from today:

Photos from last weekend:

Happy Birthday Jennie! (or, cold camera enters warm building)

December Skiing

2011-01-19T09:12:00.002-05:00

by Sam M

Although the snow cover is now abundant, back in December this wasn't the case. During that time, the team was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get some quality skiing in on some high meadows in Lyme. We are much appreciative of the Furstenbergs' generosity for the use of their fields. The days were short and cold but the sunsets amazing!

Making the Most of the Early January Thaw

2011-01-06T08:27:00.001-05:00

Many thanks to Bill and Eric for their grooming efforts! The course they set through the crust in the fields at Fullington/organic farm easily absorbed 100 BKL skiers, coaches, and parents on Tuesday, and provided a great venue for the JNT's Wednesday intervals.

Meanwhile, our alums continue racing at Nationals in Rumford. Greg sent these photos of Dylan and of Paddy and Paco pushing each other through one of their six laps in yesterday's 15k CL race.

Good luck to everyone in today's FS distance race!

Mt. Hor Hop 1/1/11

2011-01-03T22:59:00.006-05:00

Mt. Hor Hop is ski racing old style, from the flow of the narrow course to the one long hill, its just plain fun to ski. Better, one never knows who might turn up, two years ago Liz Stephen came and zipped around for two quick laps.

This year was quiet, probably because the nationals in Rumford. Of the JNT, Kate, Helen, Caitlin, Emily, Noah and Isaiah raced. Summer JNT member Molly came with the team and raced in Holderness Colors. Ford Sayre masters also had a strong turnout.

Conditions proved tough, the course had soft shoulders and demanded a light touch, some were happy with their race, others not.

Here is the link to the JNT YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSfe-GPhsqw

Go JNT!

Classic Technique Practice 12/29

2011-01-03T22:51:00.003-05:00

The holidays brought snow and distraction from the blog, so here is what happened last week.

Wednesday before the new year was technique drills at Oak Hill. Dennis provided coaching and spent the session emphasizing snow feel and body position. After skiing around the arena with no poles, up the hill they went. After some practice climbing, it was time for some downhills and working on step turns.

Thursday was a distance ski in Lyme and Saturday we raced at Mt. Hor Hop.

FS JNT Alums at US Nationals

2011-01-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

We got a quick update and some great photos from Greg, who was in Rumford for the first race at US Nationals (classic sprint). Click a photo to see a larger version.

Natalie made the ski downs among the senior women. She led her heat out of the stadium and for the first 500m.
Lizzie made the ski downs among the junior girls today - came in 5th in the junior ski-downs, 14th among all junior women (9 junior girls skied in the top-30 rounds).

Good luck to Paddy, Lizzie, Paco, Dylan, Beth, Natalie, Chelsea in Wednesday's classic distance race!

Back at Oak Hill!

2010-12-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the nor'easter, yesterday was our first skiing at Oak Hill since....... early January 2010! It was great to have so many alums out with us - thanks Alice, Jennie, Dylan, Rosalie, Phil, Paco! We have some work to do on downhill skills (the alums took the downhill race...).

Ford Sayre HIgh Viz Training Shirt

2010-12-22T21:31:00.008-05:00

After what seems like an unnecessarily protracted process, the JNT have sorted out the graphics, price and expected delivery schedule for a Brooks high visibility shirt with the Ford Sayre logo on the sleeve and a caution symbol on the back. The JNT is required to wear this (or very similar) shirt when involved in any training that introduces the risk of being hit (rollerskiing) or shot (hiking during hunting season). Sam Merrens came up with the graphic concept.

Here is the specific Brooks shirt: http://www.brooksrunning.com/Podium-SS/210015305%2e035,default,pd.html?start=15&cgid=mens-apparel-tops

Here are the sizing charts (also at brooksrunning.com with some searching):

Cost: The cost of the shirt with silkscreening is $24, We're adding $4 per shirt for shipping and handling for a total cost of $28. In full disclosure the JNT program is covering the shipping and handling for the JNT and JNT alumni as the program requires high vis shirts be worn and we want each skier to own several!

Delivery: The Brooks podium shirt in yellow night lite has been chronically backordered. We're told a realistic delivery time is end of February.

Order deadline: Prepaid, with check made out to Ford Sayre, by Jan 9.

To order: send check made out to Ford Sayre to Dan Haedrich, 49 Cliff Street, Norwich, VT 05055. Also, let me know via email daniel.haedrich@comcast.net if you are ordering, I don't want to sent the order off and then get a stray piece of mail! Also, email if you want a higher resolution image of the shirt.

Thanks and pester your friends to buy one, two or more!

Classic Distance at Jericho

2010-12-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

by George

Today many of us endeavored to wreak havoc on the course of the Ethan Allen Biathlon ski course as the opening weekend of the 2010-2011 JOQ races commenced. For some of us it was the same old same old. And for others it was the opposite, many of us moved into a new age group this year and that means that we get to ski longer distances at the same speed that we skied previous years. For George, Spencer and Caitlin racing 10 kilometers was the next challenge and so we proceeded to wait for hours and mentally prepare for the race that would double our distance from the previous year. As the time for the race approached our younger skiers (Sam, Noah, and Kate) were preparing to battle it out against similar J2’s on a 5.5 K course that consisted of 2 loops. Sam came out with a fantastic showing for Ford Sayre, coming in 4th for his age group. As the younger skiers cooled down and got into their comfortable clothes, us older skiers were only beginning the trial that would last almost an hour and a half for some of us. Caitlin was the first of our J1’s to race today and was the first one to test her mettle against the challenging course that consisted for J1’s of 4 laps around a small loop that ended out being close to 11.2K rather than 10. But as Caitlin was speeding around the course, Spencer, George, and Isaiah were beginning our warm up and trying to figure out how we were going to make it up some of the more chewed up hills. And when it came time for our race as the siren sounded, everything went out of our heads except for our goal of getting around the course one lap at a time. And as time flew by and laps passed “quickly” we realized that we had only one more lap left and that little surge of excitement and a realization that you are almost done. And when it comes to the last downhill and the last little uphill you see the finish and you realize that the first 10K of your life is almost over, you see the people in front of you and you go into a mode of pursuit trying with all the strength you have left to track them down and maybe just maybe throw you foot a little better than them and get that place just ahead of them.

Craftsbury Sprint

2010-12-18T20:36:00.001-05:00

Race report by Sam M and Noah

The Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Team got up on a brisk December morning at 6AM. After scrambling into the van at 715 we headed out to Craftsbury for the first skate sprints of the Eastern Cup Season! It was a very technical and challenging 1.3k course because the terrain and surface was constantly changing.

Upon arrival everyone immediately loved our new team Skida hats. But we had to put the compliments aside because the qualifiers started at 10AM. All the boys went together in the qualifiers (J2/J1/0J), then all the girls went immediately after, all in 15 second intervals. Everyone felt pretty good about getting the first race under the belt, and Sam M. and Noah qualified 4th and 9th respectively getting themselves into the J2 skidowns (semifinals)! Chelsea, Lizzie, Dylan, and Paddy also skied fast qualifiers, making it into their respective quarterfinals.

Spencer in morning qualifier
Noah in morning qualifier

Sam M. and Noah were both put into the same semifinal heat which went off at 1:50 PM. Sam M. pulled off a great 3rd place in the heat, which got him into the A-finals. Noah barely got 5th just missing 4th place by milliseconds, which got him into the B-Finals. Two successful races considering skate sprints aren’t their best events.

Next came the finals, though the intensity may have been too much for others, Noah and Sam put away all doubts and questions and raced two amazing races. First came the J2 boys’ B-final with Noah as a star competitor. Noah raced well and finished 4th, putting him in 10th place overall, a fine finish for the season’s first race. Next came Sam, who was racing in a pretty stacked J2 boys’ A-final. After a blazing start, a speedy descent into the first turn, a roaring climb up the so-called “heartbreak hill”, and a strong finish, Sam managed to take 5th in the heat and thus overall. Both races provided an exciting finale to a seemingly endless day of racing.

preparing for the ski-downs...
... complete with snoring!

Quebec Trip

2010-12-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

by Sam M and Paddy; photos by Paddy

In early December, Paddy and Sam had the awesome opportunity to get on some early season snow up in Quebec, Canada. After a 5 hr drive up past Quebec City and down into the valley below Mont-Saint Anne, a popular ski resort, snow was found! The snow was a bit slushy for the first ski, but overnight it firmed up nicely and by the end of the weekend, there was some world class skiing to be had.

For the first couple days, everyone was still getting used to their skis, so we went slow and long skate and later, as the snow got better, classic. Every ski was awesome and had its own feel: some were long and smooth, others quick and fresh, and still others were just plain funky! One day after a long afternoon ski around one of the mountains, we came to the final trail at the same time as the other group of boys: the race was on! Flying through the woods at top speed, we all came to a flat, doublepoling into a long gradual descent, someone behind us goes down, but we hold our ground, and into the stadium we go! Too close to call, three of us throw our feet out to the line and fall into the finish. An awesome finish to a long day and a wonderful week.

Overall, Quebec was a great opportunity to get on some beautiful snow in preparation for the first early-season eastern cup.

Off to the Races!

2010-12-18T06:01:00.002-05:00

Heeere we go!

Friday: pre-race ski at Trapps
Saturday: freestyle sprint at Craftsbury
Sunday: classic mass start 5/10/10k at Jericho

Sunday at Trapps

2010-12-14T21:15:00.009-05:00

by Rosalie

A few brave souls (who were more eager to push through the past days' fatigue than through sunday's homework) headed back to Trapps for day 3 of skiing. As usual, it was a completely different world up there! Instead of pouring rain and yellow grass there was fresh, wet powder. Which resulted in...

Rewaxing:

Clumping:

And goodness knows what else:

Overall, we were able to get in some more k's and practice those downhills through the powder! Another day on snow in early December...not much to complain about!

First Ford Sayre Ski of the Year

2010-12-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

by Kate and Helen

Today the Ford Sayre ski team drove up to the Trapps Family Lodge. There, we finally took our first strides as a team. Although waxing was a bit difficult we were soon on the trails. We started off with practicing technique on a good section of the trail. We took off our poles for several loops and worked on getting our wax to stick. In an hour we had already improved a great deal with direction from Scottie and Astri. After this we worked quite a bit on downhill technique. We accelerated to catch the person in front of us and worked on keeping our skis flat on the snow. It was a great way to get our legs back under us; preparing us for the monstrous roller coasters on our challenging home course. We continued on to the race course starting at the “start”. By now we were slightly tired, but we still wanted to preview the course. There is a chance that the upcoming Eastern Cup will be held there. After finishing the course we ended the day with speedy speeds and mass starts. Finally it was time to put on warm clothes and to part from Trapps, but without doubt we stopped at the Champlain Chocolate Shop/ Cabot Shop. A delicious end to a great day.

Tour de Lyme OD

2010-12-07T07:08:00.002-05:00

by Spencer, Noah, Isaiah, Caitlin

With snow in the future, we began what hopefully will be one of our last foot ODs. Nine athletes started running from Scottie’s warm house into the cold Lyme morning. A mile on the road warmed us up nicely for the climb to Pinnacle. From the top the snow line was clearly visible on the upper reaches of Smarts and the skiway. After a quick water break we were off, bushwhacking down to the road.

The Tour de Lyme continued through the McIntyre/Little fields and through the woods onto a series of back-roads through Lyme. We took advantage of an icy road and pretended to glide up it with poles. Eventually we made our way back to Scottie’s driveway and some of us did some short spenst up it.

With the OD complete Isaiah, Spencer, George, Noah, and Tucker helped move brush and wood around the yard, while the girls made some fantastic grilled cheese inside. This will hopefully conclude the final post about an OD on foot in the 2010-2011 ski season!

Since the coaches forgot to bring a camera, today's graphics are from Dan's GPS via Strava:

Testing, Part I

2010-12-01T20:19:00.000-05:00

Seven athletes completed our sprint and uphill run tests this afternoon... in the lovely 47° rain. Congrats to Sam M and George, who matched the boys' sprint record (joining Jack, Jon, Phil). Fitness and mental toughness are looking good: six of the seven set PRs in the uphill run! (Look out Dylan and John - Noah is just 9sec off your uphill run record, and he's only a sophomore...)

Isaiah's Yellowstone Week in Review

2010-11-30T20:33:00.003-05:00

by Isaiah

Saturday, The Ride Up

After arriving in Boulder I got to leave really early in the BNJRT team van on a 14 hr ride to West Yellowstone. Due to impending weather up North we ended up going all the way up to Bozeman and back down rather than Teton Pass. Although the ride is not particularly eventful, 2 major points stand out. 1. Weaving Friendship bracelets is an oddly enjoyable way to pass many hours and 2. the music played in the Boulder van would cause Scottie to throw an ipod out the window.

Sunday, The First Ski

My first ski in West Yellowstone while fun, definitely had its drawbacks. First, I learned the hard way that between my fall lifting and my brother's ultra running, we are no longer the same weight, so my first hour or so was spent trying to overcome an overdose of kick wax. Second, Adam brought his portable lactate tests, so between coming from sea level and struggling with wax I easily took the highest heart rates of the day. However at 1.9 mmol for 161 bpm I also learned that my previously tested zones are wrong, at least something worked out. In the afternoon we went for anther ski focusing on no and single pole classic skiing, and I managed to stay closer to in zone.

Monday, The Long Ski

The monday morning workout was a 3 hr od with the whole rocky mountain conglomerate. I did my best to stay in zone skiing somewhere between the Durango guys and Steamboat girls. After about 2 and three quarters hours, much of which on not yet groomed trails, most of the teams had dispersed. However, to get the full workout I continued with my brother, his top skier, the Crested Butte coach and one of his skiers. I was doing well until about 3 hrs and 15 minutes in I seriously bonked. On a positive note though, that meant I was on skis for the longest. After dinner we went to see Harry Potter 7 prt 1 in the lone theater, and basically every other colorado team had the same idea, but it was still a nice treat even though I kind of just wanted sleep.

Tuesday, Preparing for the Sprint

Both of the skis today were focused on learning the course for the sprint showdown scheduled for tomorrow. After skiing some loops and figuring out the difference between the skate and classic courses, we proceeded to do ladder speeds.

Wednesday, Too Cold to Sprint

So the sprints were postponed due to it being like -8 degrees F. With the brutal cold, we bundled up for one lone ski along the Windy Ridge trail. I actually was glad that the sprints were postponed, because staying with the common view that the 4th and 5th days at altitude are the worst, I felt like crap. With the rest of the day free there was little better to do than play Wii wintersports, which does not even begin to compare with the real deal. However, when the gleeks tuned into Glee that was the last straw, so Mike and I went sticker hunting at the expo.

Thursday, The Sprint Showdown

After much anticipation the sprints finally happened. In my races I felt solid technically but a little flat from a lack of speed work in the fall. However, the part of today that will always stick with me is the poorness of the setup. The sprint courses themselves were quality enough, but there was the problem that after finishing, skiers had to ski 2 km back to the start. It also seemed poorly thought out that the skate race involved finishing by going backup on a two way hill. I dont think I'm conveying my disapproval well, but trust me it was awful.

Friday, The Last Day on Good Snow or Winning Feels Good

While many of the Boulder kids prepared for the skate race (slept in), I and the others not racing proceeded to do a race warm up folllowed by 6x1 minute all out intervals and a steady L3 10 minute piece. The workout felt good and I noticed quite a bit of heart rate supression, indicating that this had indeed been a big week of training. After getting warm and changing we went back out to suport the racers, of which Mike was .2 seconds out of the first results page. In the afternoon we broke out the ugly spandex for a ski in the park, for me that meant the cow tights. On this excursion we through the park to a river and around a little loop, unfortunately the only wild life was some crows and a bald eagle. However, we crossed paths with the St. Olafs team and Adam challenged them to a friendly powder sprint. Using a beautiful high knee run, I handily beat him out for the win, putting the frosting on the week. Then maximizing our last day we went for a night ski, which like any night ski was thrilling, especially since none of the hills had a chance of comparing to Oak Hill in the daylight. This was by far the fastest conditions of the week and a perfect way to end.

Saturday, The Drive Back

On the return trip we were able to cross through Teton pass. Though less eventful than before we did end up eating cupcakes with enough saturated fat to make those reading the label want to gag. And we watched some world cup videos including the Holmenkolen 50km from last march.

Sunday and Monday, Back in Boulder and Back Home

Today Adam took me to ski at Eldora, which compared to Oak Hill's conditions last year, quite a let down from West. Then I waxed a ton of skis that are way better than mine, yay. Although if i could I'd stay out there, I'm back. If anyone knows where theres snow speak up.

Leaked Pictures of Spenst

2010-11-30T20:31:00.008-05:00

As you can tell from Emily’s post below, ODs have evolved to a predictable pattern, rollerski, spenst and run. Obviously we are waiting to snow, but this weeks forecast, heavy rain, means further patience is required.

Although the salt trucks had been out from last Friday’s icing, the road surface Sunday was not as gritty as expected. We had a full roster of JNT skiers and three parents along as cabooses; Dennis provided his typically brilliant coaching commentary. Freshman Tucker did a great job on the rollerski, given he has only been on them twice.

Leaked here are the pictures from spenst two weeks ago. Although spenst was done weekly in summer training, last week there was a collapse in form. Spenst doesn’t lend itself to still images as the motions are so quick, so I found the results amusing.

Remember, all the motions from spenst should mimic skiing. In the picture below, Emily appears to be snapping her fingers as in a chorus line, Max, well, not sure what to say, Dennis is looking on, clearly bewildered, that’s George studying the grass... he’s not hurt or anything.

Next picture: Dennis had to stop the session and reiterate the fact that this was a ski drill, not free form dance: Max is doing a good job checking hand position, George is still on the grass, he is ok.

Final picture. With great concentration, the JNT gets the point, this weeks spenst was much better. Good focus Sam.

Testing Wednesday... and given the forecast, expect to get wet, here is the radar image from Tuesday evening. Thank you to Scottie and Dennis, who will be standing trail-side timing.

Sunday 11.28 OD

2010-11-30T19:56:00.005-05:00

By Emily

This Sunday we had another rollerski, run, and tug of war combo. We had a very cold start, beginning at the intersection of Campbell Flat Rd. and Route 132 in Norwich, we skied to Huntley Meadow, about 7 miles, and then we transitioned to running.

We did spenst at Huntley and focused on our technique, then ran/strided with poles up Dutton Hill Road, to the top of Happy Hill where we were met by many BKL skiers.

We then had a rematch of tug-of-war, BKL vs. JNT, BKL won yet again. The JNT then split in half and went against each other. The team with Max, Noah, Kate, Sam, and Emily won over the other half. At least half of us were winners.

River Road Roller Ski

2010-11-21T21:30:00.005-05:00

This Sunday brought yet another team over distance (OD) although much colder and a little closer to winter than the last one. Beginning at the Thetford bridge, we classic roller skied down River road and rt. 10 to the Richmond Middle School, a distance of about 7.5 miles. At the Middle School we transitioned to running.

After a loop around the 5 km race course at Oak Hill, we went to the stadium do to spenst then finished by running another 3 km to the High School. We were joined by Max Block who was home from Andover and Patty who was on break from SMS.

We finally got Tucker out on a Sunday roller ski and little did we know this was his first time on them! After a quick fall at the start (that’s why the welding gloves!), he put in a good 45 minutes before the sag wagon decided enough was enough and put him on photo duty in the passenger’s seat. Many thanks to Ed Merrens who worked caboose.

Lyme OD & Hike with BKL

2010-11-16T07:05:00.008-05:00

Sunday was a training mode triple: roller ski, hill run and tug-o-war. Bonuses to the day: alums Rosalie and Beth joined us, AND the BKL skiers were going to be at the Skiway! A carefully choreographed plan had skiers of all ages simultaneously finishing at the top of Holts Ledge.

The morning was clear and frosty as the team gathered at the intersection of route 10 and River Road in Orford. The plan: roller ski to the Skiway, run around the neighborhood and up to Holts Ledge via the AT, and a tug-o-war with the BKL skiers.

Roller skiing was classic and the route covered long stretches of new pavement. Open fields, bright sun, fresh pavement.. all good. Total distance to the Skiway - 9 miles.

A change to shoes and a quick snack, meeting up with Paddy and Tim, and off to the top of Holts Ledge. Timing couldn’t have been better, the grades 5 through 8 BKL skiers were just gathering for a picture when the JNT came up the trail.

Picture taken and a short walk to the top of the chairlift and this group met the younger BKL skiers who had walked up the face of the mountain. Sunshine, more snacking and then a tug-o-war, BKL vs JNT. BKL won.

Pay attention the weather this week, it might affect practice!

First Practice

2010-11-13T07:39:00.003-05:00

This past Wednesday was the first roller ski practice of the fall. With several team members still tied up in running and various other commitments, the practice was fairly small. Because it was one of our first times on roller skis this fall, we started with the basics: scooter drill, balance, weight transfer; then finished with specific strength.
At the end of practice, we talked with Scottie about this years team hats. There were several patterns to chose from, but in the end we picked the limited edition fabric so that Ford Sayre hats would be unique.

Practice this Friday is L3 ("feel- good") intervals at Oak Hill.

Moosilauke Adventure

2010-11-08T11:54:00.000-05:00

Moosilauke has had a white top for the last several weeks, so the first Sunday hike of the ski season was a reconnaissance trip to the top. Given rumors of snow, skis had to be brought.

Three cars, two rendezvous points (Dan & Whits and Thetford park and ride) and an hour later, eight JNT skiers with skis strapped to backpacks headed to the summit. Temperature at the base: 28F, summit: obscured by clouds.

Kate K set a surprisingly brisk pace considering yesterday she had run in the NH cross country championship with a placing that qualified her for the New England Championships. Halfway to the summit the trail was snow covered and hopes for good skiing ran high!

Approaching the summit we broke above the clouds, and entered a world of blue and white: hoar frost covering trees, ground and distant peaks, blue sky above and clouds, driven by a strong north wind, rolling in a three dimensional flow around the mountain. At the tree line, layers were added in preparation for the summit push, a mad dash across the barren peak.

At the summit the wind was absolutely blasting and water bottles were freezing! So there was just time for a quick photo and then back down the carriage trail, with hope still high of finding some skiable snow before we started the decent.

Video of our summit experience is on our YouTube channel (click to watch video).

We did find snow, a 40 yard section, rock free. Four JNT skiers laced up boots and.... skied: mission accomplished! A quick lunch, and then back to the cars for a round of chocolate milk- total hike time 3 hours 25 minutes.

Dryland starts Wednesday.

2010 Fall - Winter season about to begin

2010-11-05T08:53:00.002-04:00

In spite of two days of classic New England early November rain, the JNT now has the critical mass of athletes ready to work together as skiers. Fall sports are winding down. Moosilauke hike (and ski?) on the agenda for this Sunday. Conditions most likely will be described afterwards as 'good for mental toughness'. Stay tuned for reports.-

home!

2010-03-30T20:25:00.000-04:00

All are safely home - after many hours in the Keflavik (Iceland) airport for some, and a long wait on the tarmac in Zurich for others. Many thanks to all the parents who met us (and all of our gear!) in Boston!

the copenhagen/zurich group emerges from customs

The Trip Home

2010-03-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

written by Emily and Isaiah
Yesterday morning we left Sjusjøen knowing we had obstacles ahead of us. We had learned of a volcanic eruption within 100 miles of the airport in Iceland and visibility was poor, and on top of that there was a mechanic strike which was preventing flights from arriving and departing Iceland. We arrived in Oslo and checked our baggage. But not without being warned that the plane had not yet left Iceland and we were due to depart in under two hours. That was only the beginning. We then spent about five hours wandering the Oslo airport while Scottie and Dennis madly worked on finding us another way home.
Finally after much waiting around we were informed that we would have to leave the next day and we were staying in a hotel that night. We collected all our luggage and got on a shuttle that took us to a hotel about five minutes from the airport.

fortunately, no one else was on the shuttle bus!

This was a fairly upscale hotel, and for dinner we managed to work out a deal that was somewhat affordable. All throughout dinner we still had no idea how we were getting home.

all the finest linens for the weary travelers...

any word from our travel agent?

We all then went to our rooms and waited to find out what would be happening the next day. Around 11pm the coaches had a plan. We were to split into two groups. Nine would be going through Iceland and leaving at 4am, and the other 4 would be going through Copenhagen, Zurich, and finally back to Boston. For both groups we were prepared for a long day.
Our group was going on a tour of Europe. Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and the US.

the continental group waiting for the morning airport shuttle

We reached Copenhagen and all the snow was gone. Out the window we could see wind turbines in the bay and all over the coast. Throughout this trip we all decided that the US would be smart to take a hint from the European ways such as these wind turbines.

homework in Copenhagen - including Sam's, although he is in Iceland!

When we boarded we went outside on to the tarmac, which rarely happens in the US anymore. The same thing happened when we arrived in Zurich. In Zurich the airport was lined with chocolate shops, most giving free samples. Some major differences we noticed included the blatant “SMOKING KILLS” warnings printed on the cigarette boxes and security officers armed with automatic weapons and Tasers.

Sunday

2010-03-21T18:12:00.000-04:00

written by Caitlin, Emily, Sam M, Noah, George

Today we raced a race format somewhat forgotten in the US: the pursuit. It has a classic portion and a skate portion. For us, each loop was 3k, and there was an exchange zone to switch techniques. It took place on the same course as the Wednesday night race, but it was much bigger and more formal. We started with the 3k classic leg in a mass start by age group. Then, transitioned to the skate equipment in an often uncoordinated flurry, before heading out on the second leg. At the end of the race there was a grape/cranberry drink that was full of sugar. The awards ceremony was held in the main lodge where concessions were sold, the most popular of these was the waffles which every team member purchased and thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall the race was a nice end-of-the-year experience. I mean, the race was about a 40 minute drive from our apartments which are already pretty far from the center of town. The trails are on some old logging trails near an old mill. It’s called Veldre Sag (‘sag’ meaning ‘mill’).

Today’s weather was also an adventure. When we woke up this morning, it was very cold, snowing, and windy. But by the time we raced, it was quite warm and sunny, enough so that some of us got a bit sun burned and/or very tan. Coaches’ note: the quickly changing weather and variable conditions on the course also made for interesting classic waxing! Kudos to the kids, some of whom made do with skis that had no kick... while others could march up anything!

Birkebeiner (Spectator's Perspective)

2010-03-21T18:11:00.002-04:00

written by Sam R

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful day. We put on a layer of warm klister and got on our skis. We skied about 6K, up to the Birkebeiner trail and watched some of the elite racers go by. Since we were watching from about 35k into the Birki and Paco, Jack, Isaiah, and Rosalie started much later, we had time to go for a ski before they would come by. We went up to the top of a hill that was all wind-blown and bare, where we could look down on the Birki. From the top of the hill we could see 360 degrees of amazing Norwiegian landscape. We could also see the Birki trail far below, which looked like a line of tiny ants, marching through the woods. When we were too cold to appreciate the view any more we flew back down the hill to the Birki trail. After waiting for about an hour, we saw Paco. I skied behind him for long enough to find out that the wax was great and he had very bad blisters on his feet. Then we saw Jack, who was so focused that he hardly looked up. Soon after Isaiah and then Rosalie passed by. Then we skied back home to remove the klister so we could wax our skis for the pursuit tomorrow.

The Birkebeiner (continued)

2010-03-21T18:10:00.000-04:00

written by Rosalie

What a day! It started at 4:45 a.m. when we woke up in darkness and headed to the Bus Station in Lillehammer. We saw skiers flock from every direction with skis and poles in hand, all heading to a common destination: Rena, the start of the Birkebeiner.

Our wave alone (wave 19 out of 26) consisted of about 900 people, which is larger than any ski race in which I had previously participated. But that was just the wave...the race as a whole was made up of about 14,000 skiers!

As Isaiah said, I lost sight of the boys pretty quickly...Paco was leading the pack, and Jack and Isaiah were not far behind. I was feeling pretty tired from the start (oh boy! it was to be a long 54k then...), so took the pace fairly conservatively. Plus, the first 20km were literally all uphill!

Each time a “summit” came into sight, I felt a glimmer of hope that it was the top of the mountain we were climbing. Yet each glimmer was shattered when more climbs lay hidden beyond the peaks. At one point, when I serioulsy doubted I could climb any further, I got off to the side of the trail, re-waxed my skis, had some water, and attempted to mentally prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead. Finally, a big sign read “Mountain Prize Ahead 500m” and at that point I knew that that must be the high point of the course, the “mountain prize.”

The Birkebeiner (Racer's Perspective)

2010-03-21T18:09:00.001-04:00

written by Isaiah

Today, or yesterday depending on what waking up at 4:45 is considered, the four Birkie skiers (Jack, Paco, Rosalie, and myself) and two coaches woke up to ski the focus of most Norwegians, the Birkebeiner. After a small breakfast consisting of oatmeal, yogurt, and the fixings, we loaded up into the “Silver Slug” to catch a bus from Lillehammer to Rena. On the course of the two hour ride Paco ended up making a new friend with an experienced “Birkie” skier from Wisconsin. In Rena, the parking lot was packed with tons of skiers, easily the most I’ve seen in one place. The main order of business was to see if Swix was recommending a kick wax to cover our klister medleys. It ended up being VR50. While the more organized three quarters of our group finished our ski preparation, Paco was finding the optimal sack weight or something similar. In an effort to secure good spots near the front of our wave the rest of us headed to the start, after of course reminding Paco to remember his ski stickers and brikke (timing chip). Shortly after the start us guys (unfortunately I have no clue what happened to Rosalie from this point on) found ourselves out in front of our wave and quickly catching the next one. The race course was packed, even with 8 lanes we had to sneak up the side of the trail to get by anyone. Obviously people were not observing the stay right except to pass recommendations. As far as wax, our skis had perfect kick (thank you Scottie and Dennis), which is fortunate because the first third of the race is completely uphill. Soon after the start Jack and I lost sight of Paco in the masses ahead. So we skied together for a good portion of the race, until the first downhill. That’s when I found out that my klister zones weren’t the most clearly marked. That combined with Jack’s impressive speed in and out of the feed zones left me skiing relatively alone amongst the thousands of other skiers. Eventually I stopped to scrape back some klister, actually twice. Good thing too because the second half of the race is mostly downhill and flat. In regards to feed zones, I was very impressed, there were usually at least two options including water and Powerade early on, and in the second half Coke, smoothies, bananas, and a plethora of European sports drinks and energy bars. Between feed stations there were often groups of people offering drinks or food unofficially, often companies promoting their one drink or families watching the race. However, the most impressive display of food was at the finish, the race organizers had set up all the afore mentioned in addition to chips, oranges, soup, bread, and the best apples I’ve ever chowed on. After meeting up with Paco and Jack on the outside world, we learned that lo and behold, Paco “lost” his brikke. As far as results, Jack was the only one to make The Mark, although he’s skeptical as to how he made it even while not making the Mark time, Paco may have made it but we’ll probably never know...

finding bags after the race

Jack wondering whether he really made the mark

Friday

2010-03-21T18:08:00.000-04:00

written by George
Today we began our laborious task of repacking our belongings, and the nick nacks that we bought at the Birkebeiner Market. One thing that complicated the move from Lillehammer to Sjusjøen was that we had to move out of the apartment in Lillehammer by 12:00 PM, and the apartment in Sjusjøen wouldn't open up until 2:00 PM. When we arrived in Sjusjøen we decided to go for a ski in the surrounding area.
Where we ended up going for an exhilarating ski was through what seemed like the forbidden forest from Harry Potter, due to the dense unmoving fog that seemed to hang over the trails and limited sight to only around 50 meters, while the Birkebeiner skiers had a relaxing tour around the trails, some of our spring bucks decided to take off and find some challenging terrain.

Tour Near Sjusjøen, the Olympic Museum, and the Birkebeiner Market

2010-03-21T18:06:00.000-04:00

written by Emily and Helen

Today we went on another classic tour. We started in Storåsen, then skied backwards on about 7 km of the Birkebeiner trail. It was located up in between two hills, but the trail itself was very flat. Then we went up over a knoll, where there was an amazing view, and then flew down hill. At the bottom, there were teams of dogs that were taking people on tours.

on the Birkebeiner trail at Midtfjellet

dog team tours

group skiing back toward Storåsen

After returning to Lillehammer, some of us headed to the Olympic Museum, which covered the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 through 2008. The exhibits included the major aspects of each games and the progession of the Norwegian team. They started off very roughly, hardly medaling at all, even in nordic skiing. Then as the years went on, they got better and better and became what they are today.
Our next event of the day was the Birkebeiner Market. There were huge sales on many sports items. Most of them being nordic. There was everything a skier could imagine, hats, jackets, gloves, skis, poles, energy bars, wax, and much more. We all left with at least two items. This just reinforced how nordic skiing is a very large part of Norwegian culture, and it's really cool for us to see.

Climbing the Jump

2010-03-21T18:01:00.000-04:00

written by Sam R

Last night on the way home from the night race we made a pit stop. Although we had talked about it at a meeting, it was a surprise to me because I had fallen asleep. I awoke to find the Lillehammer ski jumps in front of me. We all jumped out and ran around taking pictures. The jumps are sometimes lit up at night and are visible from miles away. Actually standing on the outrun and looking up at the landing hills was breathtaking. The jumps are big as the photo from the stands of our group on the outrun shows.

Veldre Night Race

2010-03-18T18:03:00.000-04:00

written by Paco and Noah

On Wednesday evening our group headed to the Veldre Ski Club's trails -about a 40 minute drive from our apartments - for a night race. Earlier in the day, the club had posted a welcome to us on their website:
http://www.veldreski.net/
The drive took us through rural Norway, characterized by sloping forests and bumpy, frost heave-infested roads. We were surprised to find the venue more or less in the middle of nowhere. The venue was pretty awesome though. We were met by several large advertisement boards endorsed by local companies who wanted to show their support, a biathlon range, a two-story timing building, and a club house complete with kitchen, bathrooms, and large common room. The race consisted of a longish 3k loop and a 2k loop making a 5k lighted race. Warming up we saw a hot shot Norwegian 14 year-old, or our host said he was “very fast”, he told us he was second at the Junior Birkie last Sunday (out of over 1700 junior competitors!). The biggest confusion of the race was how to deal with the “Brikks” that they told us we needed. For most of us, we didn't know we needed them until we got to the start line and the race volunteers began shouting at each other in Norwegian and putting them on our ankles. The “bricks” were simply timing chips they were testing out for a bigger race this weekend.
The race experience was like skiing in a tunnel. The lights had to be on and that meant you couldn't see the forest, only the trail. The start was individual and they were very casual about starting. There were so many little kids of all ages racing before us and there were all the older men racing as seniors. There was a very fun corner on the 3k loop that we all loved, and some steep uphills that forced us to herring bone. Paco won his age group and had the fastest overall time by 3 seconds.
Jack conversed with the organizers in Norwegian and translated the announcing for us. Throughout the race, the announcer talked about this Wednesday night race as being historic for two reasons: it was the first to include a biathlon race, and the club had visitors from the US!
Overall we had a great time at the night race and gained a lot of experience that we wouldn't have gotten from a domestic race.

the timing building

the race course - before dark!

start of the little kids' race

Sam R starting

Swix Factory Visit

2010-03-18T16:53:00.001-04:00

written by Sam R

Did you know that all of the Swix wax that you have ever bought was made in Lillehammer, Norway? Yesterday, we took a private tour of the one and only Swix wax factory. After a five-minute drive from our apartments to the outskirts of town, we were amazed to see how small the factory was. However, they can produce 20,000 cans of kick wax and 10,000 tubes of klister in 8 hours. First we talked with the Swix product manager and asked him questions. Then he brought us to the production room and showed us the 3 different machines that make the hard wax, klister and glide wax. As we left, the manager gave us each 2 cans of kick wax and a pair of ski ties. THANK YOU SWIX!

Pellestova Classic Tour

2010-03-16T17:03:00.000-04:00

Written by Rosalie, Emily, and Caitlin.

This morning we started our day early with a beauuuutiful classic tour to Pellestova, which is Scottie's dog's namesake. The tracks were firm and the snow was sparkling. The sky was blue and it wasn't too windy...we couldn't have asked for a nicer day for a long ski. We wound our way up for a while and then down, down, down through powder. We were skiing on a plateau, which is much different from any New England landscape...you could see 360 degrees of white with a few specks of evergreens.

(Philip, this map-studying is for you!)

Some members of the group were fortunate enough to ski to a cabin (the one that Dennis is photographed next to on the Ford Sayre website).
Eventually, we reached a café at Pellestova. Scottie and Dennis were SO happy, and even a wee bit nostalgic...this is one of their favorite places in the world. All of us enjoyed the lovely hot drinks and waffles that the café provided. We joked that more Americans would probably ski if it included a stop like this one.

We broke up into two groups for the second half of the ski. One group opted for a slightly longer ski around a lake and the other went back a different way. The terrain was mostly down hill and the tracks were blazing fast, so we accomplished our 8/12k in about an hour.
When we got back to our starting point, most of us chose to ski the 14k back to our apartments. It took us quite a long time to find the trail, but once we did, we were well on our way for more downhills. The trail included a bullet-proof narrow section where we prayed that we would make it around every corner. Our ski also included the last 7km of the Birkebeiner trail. We then returned to the Olympic Stadium and skied a few more kilometers downhill to the apartments. Five hours later, we were exhausted, but in a very good way. What a ski!

Grocery Store Adventure

2010-03-16T16:57:00.002-04:00

written by Sam M

this evening we (Sam M, Kate, Helen, and George) went to the grocery store KIWI Mini Pris. We were sent on a mission for bread, eggs, spinach, flour and molasses. We were successful, for the most part. All items were found and purchased excluding molasses. We asked the KIWI employees, who were dressed all in green and resembled leprechauns, where we might find molasses. Instead, we discovered the lovely Norwegian product Lys Syrup or Light Syrup, the Norwegian version of a very thick corn syrup. Afterwards we walked back to the Birkebeineren apartments and showed off our new finding.

shout out to the Norway alums

2010-03-16T16:43:00.005-04:00

Jack, Dennis and I were quite surprised to find the old hut-like cafeteria in Pellestova (that was all boarded up on our last trip) has been replaced with a very upscale hotel - and apartments for sale!

The hot chocolate/coffee/waffles/cake were excellent, and we had fun reminiscing about our tours on the plateau with all of you!

Lillehammer!

2010-03-15T17:15:00.002-04:00

written by Rosalie

Yesterday we arrived in Lillehammer, a ski town about 3 hours north of Oslo. Today we enjoyed a skate ski at the Olympic Park, where Norwegians claim "the best Olympics ever" were held. The stadium was an ongoing flat surface that made the stadium at Oak Hill seem tiny. The trails were extremely steep and technical that made for very little rest. Some of us skied longer than others...those who felt fatigue kicking in from the past few days went back to the stadium to practice some V2. Dennis and I headed over to the biathlon range where we watched a practice relay that the junior national team was doing. Then we skied back to our apartments...it was all downhill!

the crew in Birkebeiner Stadium

We had lots of free time this afternoon so we headed into town in small groups and wandered through the pedestrian street. Helen, Caitlin, Emily, and Kate enjoyed a typical Norwegian waffle and some of us bought ski gear. You parents will be happy to know that laundry was part of our afternoon agenda as well...

This evening we ate a Ford Sayre dinner that beat all Ford Sayre dinners: Norwegian salmon, rice, stir-fry veggies, and Scottie's famous cookies.

We look forward to a long classic tour tomorrow...

Frogner Park

2010-03-15T16:51:00.008-04:00

written by Kate and George

Yesterday, before we left Oslo, We did some historical sight-seeing. Our first stop was Vigeland Sculpture Park, a park famous for its central attraction, a series of scupltures that depict the stages of life and death. These scupltures were scuplted by Gustav Vigeland, there are 212 bronze, granite, and wraught iron sculptures in the 80 acre park. All of the sculptures werre crafted by Gustav. When we arrived coach Dennis posed a trivia question that we would have to discover while in the park. Which of the 212 sculptures was his favorite? We spent quite a while wandering the paths and terraces of the park, we had an educational moment when coach DeFrancis explained the workings of a sun dial located just in front of the monolithic sculpture of hundreds of bodies. In the end we found out that Dennis's favorite sculpture was the one of a child having a temper tantrum. When we left the park we had a great tour of Oslo that included the royal palace, and the opera house near the harbor. We then proceded to leave Oslo behind for Lillehammer, which for those of us who weren't born yet was the host to the “best Olympics ever” and the 1994 winter olympics. We had pesto pasta for dinner which was a new twist on the traditional, “red” pasta sauce.

This is a picture of Coach Dennis's favorite sculpture in the whole park.

another sculpture in frogner park

opera house