Monday, December 31, 2018

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Upcoming races

We have two races on the schedule this week - a WMC race at Pineland on Wednesday, January 2 and the Telstar Relays in Bethel on Saturday.

Wednesday, January 2:
Due to the lack of snow, it is virtually assured that the WMC race scheduled for Wednesday, January 2 at Pineland will not happen.  There is a skate race at Black Mountain in Rumford that same day and we don't want to be held back by lack of local snow so, as of now, we are intending on joining that race.  We will be leaving school by 12:30 and vans will be returning back to school around 6:00-6:30.  Let Susan know asap (ideally by Monday, December 31) if you are unable to attend this race (sick, injured, doctor's appointment, etc.) as our registration is going in tomorrow (Monday) before 5:00pm.  If Susan doesn't hear from you, we will assume you are skiing in this race.

Saturday, January 5:
The Telstar Relays are always fun, with mixed (boys and girls) skate relay teams and possibly a few individuals if we don't divide up evenly, along with the crazy tights raffle at the end.  Vans will be leaving Desert Rd at 8:30 and returning around 4:00-5:00.  Since this is not a WMC race, Telstar is an optional race for our skiers, however we do hope many will attend.  In order to have accurate race registration and plan relay teams, as well as arrange transportation, every team member needs to drop Susan an email (highschool@mainecoastwaldorf.org) by Wednesday (January 2) morning, letting her know one way or the other whether they plan on racing on Saturday.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Ski Camp 2018-2019 season

SKI CAMP INFO 

Probably the most important thing to convey is that everyone should be sure to have the right gear for ski camp.  Having the right clothes (layers are super important) will make for a much more pleasant experience for the week.  If anyone thinks they are missing some critical piece of gear, do reach out to John ahead of time and he will help in getting/loaning you what you need.

Also, everyone should have received an email regarding help needed with food for camp.  Everyone will be needed to make and/or shop for something, so do check out that email and sign up as soon as possible.

On to the regular details ...

Camp will take place at the Sugarloaf Touring Center in Carrabassett Valley

• Wednesday, December 26 - Saturday, December 29
 Lodging is at the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center (AOEC), which is located on the access road to the touring center - https://www.adaptiveoutdooreducationcenter.org
The adults on this trip will be John Tarling, Megan Shore, Gina Quinn-Skillings and Jim Skillings.
Contact information:  If communication is necessary during camp: Megan 318-0961, Gina 210-0864, Jim 699-8713 and John 807-1919.
We will assess the cost per family after camp once all expenses are known.  Families will be billed at that time. Costs will include food, lodging, trail passes and gas.

Pre-Camp:
All skiers should prepare their skis prior to camp.

Classic skis:
Clean kick zone
Sand kick zone lightly with a 100g sand paper or scotchbrite
Wax tips and tails with green or green&blue glide wax
Brush
Skate skis
Clean and wax with same green or green&blue glide wax
Brush 

Having skis ready will save time. We will add kick wax at Sugarloaf before skiing.  Skiers should take responsibility for their skis, so everyone should bring a cold hard kick wax and glide wax along with scraper and cork.


Please bring only two pairs of skis.  There shouldn't be a need (and we won't have room) for more.

Trail Passes:
We will be purchasing trail passes for all skiers each day.  If you have a season pass to the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, please let Susan know via email (highschool@mainecoastwaldorf.org) this week.

Feeding the Team:
Chaperones will be preparing meals and feeding the team at our lodging, with pre-trip help from ALL the families. THANK YOU to all for contributing to this task.  Since the sign-up just went out today, everything is still needed. Here is the link to the spreadsheet with food info and shopping/cooking help - ***Link to Food Sign-Up***

Since everyone has their own preference for bars/snacks, all skiers should bring their own.  These should be small enough to be stashed in pockets/waistbelts.

Travel details:
The group will be taking one school van up to Sugarloaf. Departure time is 10:00 am on Wednesday, December 26, from the high school parking lot at Desert Rd.  Do check the blog Tuesday evening, in case for any reason the departure time is adjusted.

We will have lunch upon arrival and prior to heading out to ski, so everyone should wear their ski gear so they will be ready when it's time to ski.

***If you are already at Sugarloaf and will be meeting the team there instead, let Susan know asap.  Even if you think you already told her, please remind her again.
***If you will be staying at Sugarloaf with your family and not riding the van back to Freeport on Saturday, let Susan know asap.

Return travel info:
We plan to ski on Saturday morning and head home after lunch, unless weather and conditions dictate otherwise. We should know by Friday evening what the plans are for the return on Saturday.  Either way, the kids will be home by dinnertime on Saturday and could be home as early as 3:00. Please check the blog on Friday evening in case of updates.

Packing List:

*LABEL ALL THE GEAR AND CLOTHES YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE.

Must have:
• Your own SNACK for the van ride
• Your own LUNCH (or $ to purchase) for the first day
• Sleeping bag + pillow
• Towel
• Snacks for the 4 days (to be stashed in your water bottle belt). Bars are ideal.
• Workout clothes for 4 days for skiing AND running, including multiple sets of base layers (wool or synthetic long underwear)
• Outer layers: warm jacket parka, wind layer jacket, xc ski pants, etc.
• Warm mid-layers:  vest, sweater or fleece
• Multiple pairs of socks
• Hats, gloves, mittens, etc. - you will need WARM gloves
• Neck warmer / buff
• Plan on layers!
• Warm snow boots
• Apres-ski clothes for evenings + indoor shoes or slippers if you want something on your feet inside
• Pajamas
• Toiletries (including sunscreen)
• Headlamp
• Sunglasses
• Classic AND skate skis, poles, boots - packed as compactly as possible.
• Water-bottle holder with a water bottle - ideally the kind that you can wear around your waist that also has a pocket for a snack
• Basic wax equip
     o   Scraper
     o   Cork
     o   Small amounts of cold, hard kick wax and glide wax

Optional:
• Cash for snacks/hot chocolate at the Outdoor Center
• Books, games, etc. - If you have a good group game, please bring it!

*Please leave CANDY at home.

A note about electronics ... 
-       Cell phones/ipods may come on this trip
-       Leave your laptops/ipads at home
-       We ask that the athletes keep electronic use to a minimum. Using them from time to time should not be a problem, but it will be in the purview of chaperones to assign rest time to the gadgets as they deem necessary.

Practice expectations

A reminder that all team members are expected to attend all practices, with rare exceptions and/or in the case of a regular arrangement (e.g. a music lesson every Tuesday, etc.).  If something compelling comes up such that you can't attend practice on a given day, skiers must communicate that as far in advance as possible to both John and Susan.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Monday, November 19, 2018

L.L. Bean Nordic Team Night

Check your email for info about the upcoming L.L. Bean Team Night.  Ideally this info would be posted here on the blog, but with the two attachments, it is much easier to send via email :)

Monday, November 12, 2018

Upcoming ski swaps

Anyone needing new equipment should consider one (or more) of the upcoming ski swaps.  In the next few weeks, ski swaps can be found at:

November 17th - The Yarmouth Ski Swap takes place Saturday, November 17th from 9:00am to 12:00pm at the Yarmouth Elementary School. More info at the Maine High School Skiing Website.

November 24th - Downeast Ski Club ski sale is held annually the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the Portland Expo. More info here.

December 1st - The Greely Ski Swap & Sale will be held December 1st 9:00am to 1:00pm at Greely High School in Cumberland. More info at Maine High School Skiing website.

December 2nd - The Falmouth Ski Swap will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm at the Falmouth Middle School. 

Monday, March 5, 2018

Slight change to the schedule on Tuesday night

We have a potential snow storm brewing this week and the high school has some important evening events as well.

Due to the potential storm, we will be trying to blend two of the events on Tuesday night.

The One Act Play Preview Performance, originally scheduled for 7:00 on Wednesday night the 7th, will be at 6:30 tomorrow, Tuesday, the 6th.

The play is approximately 25 minutes in length.

The Nordic ski team celebration, scheduled for Tuesday night, will take place immediately following the One-Act play. 

Skiers and their families are of course welcome (and encouraged!) to come and watch the One Act Play preview. Students in the One-Act Play are welcome to stay and celebrate the accomplishments of this year's Nordic Ski Teams.

Set-up for the Nordic Ski Celebration will be 6:00-6:30.


Thank you everyone for your incredible flexibility.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Photos and Dessert

Louise and Olivia have graciously agreed to put together the slideshow for our end of season appreciation evening (Tuesday, March 6). To do that, they will need your pictures from this season's ski team. These could be photos of racers, but also photos from ski camp, the states meet, practices, on the van and general shots of skiers hanging around doing whatever. As long as it's from this ski season and involves our skiers/coaches, then we want it. Please send pics to Louise at weezeewuu@gmail.com and connect directly with Louise or Olivia if you need to discuss how to get files to them if it's something other than email (flash drive, file sharing, etc.). It would be good for them to have all pics by Thursday of this week.

On a semi-related note, we would like 7-8 folks to contribute a dessert-y something for our March 6 evening. This could be cake, cookies, pie, bars, etc. We will provide drinks, napkins, plates, etc., and hope a few of you can provide a tasty treat. Please let Susan know by this coming Friday, March 2, if you will be bringing something.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Congrats and looking ahead

Results from Class B States in Fort Kent are now posted on the Race Results tab.

Congratulations to the girls and boys teams, both earning the Class B Runners Up title, and a hearty congratulations to the coaches too!

Here's what there is to know about the nordic team for the next week or so.

End of Season Gathering:
Please be sure you're free for our team appreciation night on Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00pm in the Community Hall.  This is the evening for our end of season gathering, where we will look back at the season, say many thank-yous, and enjoy dessert.  Skiers, parents and interested siblings are most welcome.

Photos:
In the next day or two, we will post where to send any photos from the season, to be included in the slideshow.  Please look through your photos now and get prepared to send.

Optional Races:
With states behind us, the regular high school race season is now complete.  Coming up next weekend (Saturday, March 3) is the U16/Eastern High School Qualifier, which is scheduled to take place at Black Mountain in Rumford.  For those that don't know what this is, the qualifier is a "two race in one day format" (classic in the morning, skate pursuit in the afternoon) to determine who is eligible to represent Maine in both the U16 festival and the Eastern High School festival.  Each of these festivals is a 3 day/2 night event of skiing and racing.  U16s are for younger skiers (born in 2002 or 2003) and EHSs are for any high school skiers.  Each state in New England (and nearby) will field a similar team of 24 skiers and they all race against each other on the festival weekends.  Note that if you make either of these teams and choose to attend the festival weekend, there is a not insignificant fee to be paid by the skier/family (probably ~ $300 plus NENSA membership).  Click here for a post on mainehighschoolskiing.com re: the qualifier.

Anyone is welcome to participate in the qualifier.  In addition to the link posted just above, interested skiers should keep an eye on www.mainehighschoolskiing.com for any new info and updates that may be added.  Do note that this is not a MCWS team event, so the registration fee ($20 early or $23 day of) is not covered by your MCWS team fee.  All skiers participating in the qualifier will need to submit their own registration (online registration form found on the qualifier info page on mainehighschoolskiing.com).

John Tarling has graciously agreed to wax for our skiers participating in the qualifier, so please extend an extra thank you to John for his help.  Good luck to all that elect to ski in this race!  Remember that if you make one (or both) of these teams and intend on participating in the festival weekend(s), you must have a check in hand and be prepared to pay for the festival weekend(s) on March 3, the qualifier day.

For those that do make either the U16 or Maine EHS team - those festival weekends are:
U16 - March 9-11 at Gore Mt, North Creek, NY
EHS - March 16-18 at Black Mt, Rumford, ME

Scholarship:
There are scholarship funds for attending these festival weekends.  Check out the post here for more info - Nordic Scholarship - taking careful note of the application deadline.

Practices:
Since the regular high school season is over, there will not be any more official after school practices.  As long as Pineland is open (it's currently closed), skiers are welcome to arrange their own transportation and ski on their own (passes are still good).

It's possible that John may come out to ski a couple afternoons a week.  If/when this happens, Susan will let let skiers know at school and/or post on the blog.  If John does this, he will be volunteering his time because he is really nice, so be sure to thank him :)

Uniforms:
Everyone should return their CLEAN uniform to Susan this week.  Kids skiing in the qualifier next weekend may keep their uniforms until after that race.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

IMPORTANT

* * * NEWS FLASH * * *

Due to expected very warm weather on Wednesday, all races have been pushed back a day, with the same schedule each day. Races will now take place:


Thursday, February 15, 2018

Additional States Info

The following info re: the next few days is from John ...

Friday, February 16 - CANCELLED Practice @ 3:15 skate or classic at Pineland (if open), only attend if you are 100% healthy

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Monday, February 12, 2018

Hot box opportunity

In anticipation of the upcoming states races, BNS in Portland is offering discounted hot box

Valentine's Day race

There WILL be a fun VALENTINE'S DAY race this Wednesday, February 14, at Pineland.

Race info:
     SKATE race
     3:45 - BOYS start
     4:00 - GIRLS start

This is meant to be a fun afternoon, not serious at all, and everybody should wear Valentine attire and costumes really - everyone will! The team LOVED this race last year, so we're very happy Falmouth is doing it again :)

HELP NEEDED:
Every attending team is asked to bring one or two batches of baked goods (nut-free).  Please let Susan know asap if you are able to provide a tasty treat.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Saturday at Stark's Hill

~ Updated Friday, February 9 ~
Saturday: Skate pursuit race at Stark's Hill in Fryeburg.  Things to know are:
Race info:
     11:00 - Girls start
     12:00 - Boys start
     Pursuit start times based on Day 1 results

Monday, February 5, 2018

Waxing at school

We now have the ability to wax at school (outside), so skiers can wax their skis at break, lunch or during free periods.  Wax, brushes and iron are in Susan's office.  If you need help knowing what to do, see your team captains, as they are happy to help.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Things to know for this week ...

  • We have two races this week - Friday and Saturday.  These races are run in a 'pursuit' format, which means that on day two, the skiers start out in the order of their finish of the day one race,

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Things to remember for tomorrow's race in Fryeburg

Transportation:
  • All skiers will be taking the vans from Desert Rd.
  • It's hard to pinpoint an exact return time, but our best guess at this point is 6:15ish.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

This week

A few things to note for this upcoming week (January 29 - February 2) ...
  • Since it stays lighter so much later these days, the team will stay on snow at Pineland until 5:00.  This means the van will be returning to Desert Rd around 5:20+.
  • On Wednesday we have a classic race in Fryeburg.  The team will be leaving school around noon.  All skiers should:
  • Check the bulletin board for the adjusted Wednesday schedule for this week and be sure to check in with the teachers of the classes they'll be missing.
  • Bring lunch, to be eaten in the van on the way to the race.
  • It's difficult to predict an exact return time to Desert Rd, but at this time our best guess is 6:15ish.  Kids can call from the road once we actually depart.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Pasta/Wax party at Louise's house on Friday

Check your email for info about a pasta and wax help party at Louise's house on Friday (tomorrow) evening.  Let Louise know what you can bring.

Also, remember to tell Susan by 12:00 on Friday if you need a ride on the van to the Sassi race on Saturday.

Hope everyone can make it!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

2018 Sassi Race Info

The Sassi race is this Saturday, January 27.  Here's what's what ...

Transportation:
  • Vans will be leaving Desert Rd at 7:15 AM, so skiers should arrive by 7:05.  Anyone wanting a ride on a van MUST let Susan know by noon on Friday.  If you don't request a ride on the van, don't count on a seat on the van.
  • The vans will return to Desert Rd after the race, best guess is arriving back to Desert Rd around 4:30ish.  Kids can call from the van with a more exact arrival time.

Today's race is ON!

We have the green light for today's race.  It will take place at Libby Hill in Gray.  Girls start at 3:30, boys will follow.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Waiting for news about tomorrow's race

We are awaiting word from this week's race organizers about whether or not Libby Hill will be skiable tomorrow (Wednesday).  In the meantime, we are moving ahead with race plans, so wax your skis, bring your gear to school tomorrow, and whenever we have news to share about the race, we will share it.

Remember to tell Susan by 12:00 on Wednesday if you need transportation back to Desert Rd after the race.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Coming up this week

As a heads up, here's what's happening this week ...

Wednesday, January 24 - WMC skate race at Libby Hill in Gray

Thursday, January 25 - High school team helps out at the middle school race at Pineland (hosted by MCWS), being out on the course, directing traffic and encouraging all skiers.  The van will most likely return to Desert Rd slightly later than usual (5:15+).

Saturday, January 27 - Sassi classic race at Black Mt in Rumford.  This is a long standing, extremely well run race and is great preparation for the upcoming WMC conference championships and states races.  We are counting on all team members to attend this race, but anyone with a compelling reason for not being able to be there needs to let Susan know by Wednesday at 3:00pm, which is when our entries are due.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Maranacook Waves Info

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2018

Location:
Maranacook Community School
2250 Millard Harrison Dr (Route 17)
Readfield

Race Info:
Freestyle, 5K. Wave start by grade (seniors first, then juniors, etc.). There will be 6 to 8 skiers per

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

We ARE attending the Maranacook Waves this coming Saturday, January 20

Since Telstar was cancelled, we are definitely skiing in the Maracook Waves this coming Saturday, January 20.  This is a fun race with a different format - skiers set off by grade (seniors, then juniors, sophomores, and finally freshman) with waves of 6-8 skiers/wave.  This is a 5K skate race.

Any skier not available must let Susan know asap, and definitely by Wednesday morning at 9:00am.  If we don't have school on Wednesday, send her an email letting her know.

Race start times are 11:00 girls, 12:30 boys.

More detailed info (transportation, etc.) will be posted later this week.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Updated - MLK Day race in Fryeburg

~ Updated on Sunday, January 15 at 6:45pm ~

We have a fun relay race at Fryeburg on Monday, January 15.  Here's what there is to know:

Race Format:
Each school may field two 4-person girls teams and two 4-person boys teams. Those not 'fitting' onto a relay team will be in the girls or boys mass start race after the relays are complete. This is a skate race. Due to the recent weather, the course is quite fast. For safety reasons, big downhills have been removed and therefore some distance has been added. Everyone will now ski two laps for a total of 5.57K per skier.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Tuesday practice and race update

Tomorrow's practice will include wax help for those that need it after skiing is done.  That means the van won't return to Desert Rd until 5:20-5:30.

Thanks to everyone that weighed in on Saturday race availability.  It looks like we will not be doing the Hornet Classic this coming Saturday, January 13.  We are still determining plans for the following Saturday Maranacook Waves, so stay tuned to the blog.

Also, remember that we have a WMC race this coming Monday (MLK day) in Fryeburg. Race and transportation info will be posted in the next few days.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Asking all skiers to weigh in

As everyone knows, this weekend's Telstar relays were cancelled due to the weather.  We are therefore looking to add another weekend race to the season, which one will be determined by the race where the most skiers are available.  The possibilities are:

Saturday, January 13 - Hornet Classic, held at Leavitt Area High School in Turner.  This is a 5K classic race, with individual starts at 15 second intervals.  Note that this is next weekend, which is the same weekend that we have a race in Fryeburg on Monday (MLK day).
-OR-
Saturday, January 20 - Maranacook Waves, held at Maranacook High School in Readfield (NW of Augusta).  This is a skate race, with a modified relay format.

EVERY SKIER SHOULD COME TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, JANUARY 8, PREPARED TO TELL SUSAN THEIR AVAILABILITY FOR THESE RACES.  You can also email Susan over the weekend.

We only plan on doing one of these races and would like to choose the one with the highest number of our team members.


Thursday, January 4, 2018

Telstar cancelled and looking ahead

Due to the predicted ridiculously cold weather (high of -5 with winds of 15mph = wind chill of -30!), the organizers of the Telstar relays have cancelled Saturday's race.  That means our next race is next Wednesday, where we are cohosting a classic race at Pineland.

Parents - we will need a number of people on hand to help out at the race on Wednesday, January 10.  Jobs will include collecting bibs, writing finishing bib numbers on a clipboard, and being generally helpful.  Please let Susan know if you will be there to help out.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Transportation info

To ensure all skiers and parents are on the same page, here are the general guidelines re: transportation for the ski team.
  • The school drives skiers from Desert Rd to Pineland for daily practice and returns them back to Desert Rd after practice.  There are also a number of student drivers that regularly drive themselves.  If any of these regular drivers changes plans on any given day and need a ride on the school van, they must let Susan know by 12:00 of that day so plans can be put into play.
  • The school provides rides for skiers to all races, and ...
  • For nearby weekday races (Pineland and Libby Hill), we assume that student drivers will drive themselves.  If a student driver needs a ride to a nearby race, they must let Susan know by 12:00 of race day, and earlier would be nice.
  • For nearby races, many/most parents come to the races, so we don't plan on providing transportation back to Desert Rd after a race, however if there are skiers that need a ride back to Desert Rd after a nearby race, either the skier or a parent must let Susan know by 12:00 on race day that a ride is needed.
  • For weekday races that are farther away (Fryeburg), Susan needs to hear driving plans from every student driver by 3:00 the day before the race.
  • Many parents attend weekend races (to Fryeburg, Black Mt in Rumford, etc.), so anyone that wants a ride on the school van must tell Susan by 5:00pm the day before the race.  Don't assume that you will just show up on race morning and have a seat on the van - you must reserve a seat on the van for weekend races.
  • If you ride the van to a weekend race but will be getting your own ride home, please tell Susan when making your van reservation.
Susan is happy to talk about these arrangements with anyone that wants more info or wants to hear why we need to be so nit-picky on who's riding where.

Thanks to everyone for clearly communicating their transportation plans.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Beets!

Want to ski faster and with less effort?  Eat beets!

Wax info

Remember that wax info for upcoming races can always be found on, you guessed it, the WAX INFO tab.

Also, a reminder that all skiers should refrain from using HF and pure fluoro waxes and top-coats for all regular season races.  This policy was agreed to by the coaches this fall.