Upcoming Race Info

Reminder - We have a race on Wednesday, January 2 at 3:30 at Pineland.  Exact details to follow, but the team should expect to be at Pineland around 2:30 that day.

Also, some team members have expressed interest in participating in the Telstar Relays this coming Saturday, January 5.  This race takes place at Telstar High School in Bethel at 11:00.  Final counts for who's interested and available will be settled after the Wednesday race, so please come to that race prepared to let John know if you want to race at Telstar.

Wax info will be posted tomorrow (January 1).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas Camp News....

Saturday....The team jumped out of bed this morning to go on an early morning run and then they enjoyed pancakes (and yogurt, and fruit, and eggs, and...). We made the trip to the outdoor center where they skied for about 2 hours, most of the time thinking about how much longer they had to wait to eat (according to Graham). Here they are resting up for the afternoon...

Sunday...Last night Ben, Fiona, and Graham spent quite a bit of time shoveling off the back deck. It was snowing as they were working, fortunately, so there will be more fun for the others tonight. I think everyone would have to admit that the kids hardly "jumped" out of bed this morning. Someone, who shall remain nameless, slithered to breakfast in his sleeping bag...After trying to keep the smoke alarm from waking the neighbors (bacon) and going for a brisk run, the team ate breakfast and packed up for the ODC again. They are all out right now, along with Sandy Pearson, and this afternoon we'll be going over to the Maine Huts and Trails trails for some variety. Tonight John has an after-dinner ski planned on the backcountry trails in the neighborhood. Update: Here is a picture from lunch time

Monday...We'll be leaving around 1:30 from the ODC to arrive back to Desert Rd. by 4 pm. If we are running early or late by more than 30 min. we'll give someone a call to start a phone tree. Check back here later, maybe tomorrow, for some great pictures of the kids pushing out the van and Susan's car. Both vehicles got stuck last night on a road that had been clear hours before, but had become almost totally drifted over with snow with high winds sweeping across an airfield. You might also see pictures here of the moonlight ski the kids took last night, but they won't begin to describe the scene. It was magical! Expect tired kids - 2 skis per day for the first two days and then three yesterday, on top of running in the AM. Today no one ran, but they did shovel and roof rake! See you soon...

Christmas Camp 2012 Last minutes notes...

• Please check the packing list carefully, especially the bedding requirements.

• Please bring a daypack in the van filled with your lunch and anything else you will need for skiing for the day separate from all of your other gear. You should probably also wear your ski clothes to make things easier upon arrival.

The van will go directly to Sugarloaf so you all can ski before lunch. Our Subaru will have some duffles, sleeping bags, pillows, etc. This car will NOT be going directly to Sugarloaf and if your lunch, ski pass money, etc. are in it, you will be missing them for some hours. (Jennifer's stopping at the house to get instructions from the owner.) 

• Also, anyone who can bring a check or cash for $23 per child to reimburse us for the camp food and $19.50 per child to reimburse for gas please do. This will be the total cost for the camp, other than trail passes of course, which skiers are paying for on their own. If there is anything left over we'll reimburse directly, or put the money towards team supplies, as people wish. If you are moved to put an extra couple of dollars towards a small gift for the Cashell family, feel free. (If you give us cash and want to put $ towards the gift, please make sure you let us know.)

Thank you and see you in the morning!!

10:20 AM Thursday update... DEPARTURE Friday 8am  - RETURN Monday afternoon (as long as we don't get snowed in!)

Please check the packing list - IT IS DIFFERENT FROM LAST YEAR.

A Christmas Camp Message from John...

I hope all enjoyed Xmas and are ready for a fun and productive ski camp. The camp marks the end of our dryland period and the start of actual "snow" skiing,no more roller skiing!

To get prepped please have your classic and skate skis waxed and ready to go. We will try to put more work on CL skiing if we have good tracks and we should based on the current conditions at the Outdoor Center and more snow on the way. For wax: glide for 25-30F should work, for CL skiing also have a base kick wax of Swix extra blue or equal. Having this done will save time and permit skiing right away.

For added items to bring if possible: Goggles, a real help if skiing in windy and or falling snow; water bottle and holder; glove liners; extra gloves and hat; headlamp, if we have a chance it could be fun to do a night ski on back country trails. 

I am hoping to ski each day in the morning and again in the afternoon. We will keep the pace easy for the most part with a mix of short speed sessions. If we have time it would be fun to have a low key Time Trial to get ready for the first race on 1-2-13 at the end of camp. I would also suggest at least some "retro" entertainment for quiet time. BOOKS are still used for enjoyable reading - how about a challenge to all to at least do some reading and share what they like or dislike about their book! 

Here is a sample 24hr plan and each day may vary a bit:

wake up 7 - 7:30, 

dress for 20 min run for those w/o duty, 

breakfast and cleanup till 9 - 9:30

travel to ODC ,Ski am 10:30 - 12:30

lunch and rest till 2:30 *if we chose to stay at the ODC for lunch

PM ski till 4pm

change and prep for dinner till 5:30 - 6:00

dinner and cleanup till 7:00 - 7:30

free time,till 10pm

quite time till 11 - then lights out. Remember you should be aiming for good recovery of at least 8 hours and better 9 hours of sleep for best performance. This will make a difference. 

Remember, our first race is on January 2nd!

WEATHER UPDATE......

Due to the amount of snow predicted over the route we'll take to Sugarloaf, we will NOT be leaving on Thursday morning.

We do hope to leave Thursday afternoon or early evening if at all possible.  If we don't leave Thursday afternoon, we plan to leave Friday morning at 8. (No matter the day or time, we will be departing from Desert Rd.)

We will keep a close eye on weather and decide on a departure day/time by around noon time tomorrow.

A last minute packing list addition...HEAD LAMP. There are lots of trails around the house and John thinks it will be fun to go out skiing at night.

One more thing...Please email me, Jennifer, to let me know whether you can stay over Sunday night and return home to Desert Rd. by 3 PM on Monday. Some kids will be staying anyway, and if the group as a whole can do that, it would mean the team would not lose a day on snow due to a snow storm!

CHRISTMAS CAMP 2012 PACKING LIST...

Plan to bring classic and skate skiing, hiking, and running gear.

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

• Lunch for the first day

• Snacks for the four days that can be stashed in our water bottle belt. Bars are ideal. We'll have fruit.

• Sleeping bag, pillowcase and pillow, towel (not everyone will need a pillow, but we'll need some.)

• Workout clothes for 4 days for the activities listed above. Multiple pairs of socks. Layers.

• Hats, gloves, etc. - John stresses that you'll need WARM gloves

• Warm snow boots

• Apres-ski clothes for evenings + indoor shoes or slippers if you want something on your feet inside

• Sleepwear

• Toiletries

• Books, games, etc. - If you have a good group game, please bring it!

• 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 - a cork,a few basic waxes, high temps expected to be 15-28F

• $60 for trail passes and $20 for dinner out on Sunday. We may stop for dinner on the way home on Sunday depending on how long we are able to ski for, how long it takes to drive, etc. We'll let parents know in the early afternoon morning what our ETA will be.

• Please... leave your bags of Christmas candy and electronics, other than ipods, at home. (There is no wifi at the house.)

***** Christmas Camp Menu Planning *****

(Check back for a packing list early next week.)

Please choose one of the available items below:

Burritos/Enchiladas for 15 - Neveu

Greens and veggies for 3 salads - Phillips/Roeber

Chicken or tuna salad for 20 - Tupper

Lasagna for 15 - Pierce
Chili for 15 - Gundersen

Bacon for 15 - Burgess

sliced turkey for 25 - Sonntag-Tindall

Cornbread for 15 plus 2 pounds of butter - Chace-Donahue

sliced cheddar or monterey jack cheese for 10 sandwiches - Burgess

5 dozen eggs - Chace-Donahue

4 dozen cookies plus 1 jar of natural p.b.- Sonntag-Tindall

5 packages of cream cheese - Chace-Donahue

Thursday- 

• bring your own lunch and snack

• Chili, salad, cornbread and butter, cookies

Friday -

• french toast and bacon, fruit and yogurt

• Chicken/tuna salad sandwiches, fruit, carrot sticks

• Burritos or Enchiladas, chips and salsa, salad, cookies

Saturday - 

• Pancakes and eggs, fruit and yogurt

• Turkey and cheese sandwiches, fruit, carrot sticks

• Lasagna, salad, bread and butter, cookies

Sunday - 

• Bagels, cream cheese, hard boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt

• Turkey/Chicken Salad sandwiches, carrot sticks, fruit

Anything on the menu and not on list list will be purchased by me and the cost will be

split after the camp.

Any questions - send me an email!

CHRISTMAS CAMP MAY HAVE SNOW WITHIN A 30 MIN DRIVE... for a change!

This what Sugarloaf's Outdoor Center is saying...

Finally, what we have all been waiting for!! Snow, snow & more snow!

We plan to start grooming this afternoon and evening. By tomorrow, we will be fully open for skiing and snowshoeing.
3-4 inches have already fallen already and our local forecast is calling for 2 more inches today, 1-3" for tonight, 3-5" for Tuesday and 3-5" for Tuesday night and into Wednesday!!
Just in time for the holidays!

***** CHRISTMAS CAMP *****

Dates: December 27 - December 30

Leave Desert Rd. Thursday Morning

Return to Desert Rd. Sunday Evening

LOCATION: Maine!

We will be staying at the Cashell Family Camp in New Portland. 

The camp is about 25 minutes from Sugarloaf, 50 minutes from Rangeley, and 75 minutes from Black Mountain. One of those places has got to have snow...and all have good courses to ski.

The house is plenty big enough for all of us, with a wood stove and a fireplace.

AND...the Cashell Family is donating the house!

So, the cost of the camp will be less than in previous years. 

We'll do something for the family as a special thank you while we are there. 

(The Cashells have twin boys in the 5th grade at MWS.)

Look for more information the weekend before Christmas. We will do food similarly to last year with families sending some cooked food and us purchasing some food to cook and then dividing up the cost afterwards.

Any questions, call Jennifer

Ski Walking/Bounding

Here are a few videos John showed us during practice:

Practice begins Monday, November 26

Check the Practice Schedule tab for practice info.

2012-2013 Season Info

MERRICONEAG NORDIC SKI TEAM 2012 - 2013

COACHING and TEAM PHILOSOPHY:

The Ski Team welcomes any student who is willing to work hard to improve, regularly participate in practices, and commit to racing. Team members are expected to attend every practice and race unless they have made other arrangements with Coach Tarling.

FEES:

The cost to participate is $200. The fee covers coaching; race uniforms and entries; and some ski wax at races. It does not cover equipment, wax for practices, and costs to attend the Christmas Camp and the State Meet. Please see below for more information on the extra costs.

PRACTICE and RACE SCHEDULE:

The team will meet Monday through Friday beginning Monday, November 26 and ending Friday, February 15. Races are held mostly on Wednesdays, with some Monday and Saturday races. The race and practice schedules will be posted on the Nordic Team blog: http://mwsnordicskiing.blogspot.com/.

Race times, places, and style (classic or skate) are subject to change and often do change right up to the day of the race based on weather and snow conditions. Please check the blog the night before every race! If a change is made on the day of a race, it will be posted on the blog and Susan will notify parents via email.

NORDIC TEAM BLOG:

Skiers should check the blog regularly for updates on practice and race times and locations, wax recommendations for practices and races, and other inspiring information! The blog is THE place for pretty much anything you’ll need to know about the team or its activities. There will be pictures, results, and directions to races too.

EQUIPMENT AND APPAREL:

Skis:    Each skier will need either a pair of “combi” skis for both skate and classic skiing, or one pair for skate and one for classic. Two pairs of poles, one for each discipline, are needed as well as either “combi” boots or dedicated skate and classic boots. A less expensive pair of skis for warming up or for training on poor snow conditions are useful, but not necessary. Please talk with John if you have any questions about purchasing equipment.

Other useful equipment items are:

·       water bottle and holder (to be worn around the waist)

·       ski ties

·       ski bag

·       duffle or other bag to hold boots, hats, gloves, lip balm, etc.

Apparel:

·       socks, wicking type underwear, top and bottom

·       tights or active pants

·       warm up jacket and pants

·       vest

·       jacket for training – not too heavy

·       dry change of clothes – for after practices and races

·       hat and spare hat

·       gloves, light and medium weight

·       warm mittens for sensitive hands

·       buff, adds protection in extreme wind and cold

·       running shoes for dryland training

·       race suit – one is included in the fee - NOTE: THE UNIFORM IS TO BE USED FOR RACING ONLY, NOT AS AN UNDERLAYER FOR PRACTICE OR ANYTHING ELSE - these are very expensive race suits and we need them to last

Team Jackets:

We may do a group purchase of MWHS Nordic Team jackets.  If we put this together, the purchase is definitely optional.  More information to follow if we move forward.

FOOD and WATER:

Skiers will need to bring their own snacks and water to every practice and race. John will give more specific information when the season begins, but skiers should plan to eat a good lunch before practices and to bring a sizable snack to be eaten after practice. Skiers will need to come to races having eaten well earlier in the day, something to keep in mind for those Saturday races when the team will leave in the morning. Skipping breakfast is not a good idea!

PARENT OPPORTUNITIES:

There are many ways for parents to get involved with the team:

·       Help your skier be prepared for practices and races – lists!

·       Come to races to cheer

·       Drive the van to local races

·       Help at the race Merriconeag hosts on  January 16

·       Bring or send extra healthy snacks, hot tea or cocoa for races, Christmas Camp, States, etc.

·       Take photographs and send for posting on the blog and/or keep them for an end of season slideshow

·       Assist with waxing the night before classical races. You can learn how if you don’t already know!

·       Lend or donate an item for the Wish/Needs List…

WISH / NEEDS LIST:

Merriconeag strives to keep the team fee as low as possible and so relies on parents to lend or donate equipment. Below is a “wish list” of items the team needs. If you can help by lending or through donation, please let Jennifer Chace or Susan Sonntag know.

·       Wax benches – double-sided

·       Waxing irons – two or three

·       Waxing tools – scrapers, brushes, etc.

XC Ski Team Christmas Camp 2013!!!

Christmas Camp will be December 27 through December 30 this year. The location is still TBD, but we are determined to find a spot that will require less daily time in cars than last year. The cost will be in the same range as last year (~$200). 

PLEASE email Jennifer Chace (jenchace@gmail.com) to secure your spot by November 16 - THIS FRIDAY.

STATE SKI MEET:

Merriconeag competes in Class C for Nordic Skiing. Our team races against other local teams, regardless of class, throughout the season as a part of the Western Maine Conference. Near the end of the season, all WMC teams compete in a two-day end-of-season competition. These highly competitive races are local, do not involve overnight travel, and include the whole ski team.

Following the WMC races, all Nordic ski teams travel to State Meets based on class. Unlike the WMC races, only 6 team members of each gender are allowed to compete in the State Meet. Coach Tarling will choose the States teams based first on race performance throughout the season. In the case of a “tie”, commitment to practices, attitude, and desire to attend the meet will be considered.  The team will, if possible, also bring an alternate for each gender.

The Class C State Meet will be at The Heritage Center in Presque Isle. The team will travel on Sunday, February 17 and return on Wednesday, February 20. We hope to keep the cost of attending States under $250 and will include transportation, lodging, and food. If your skier CANNOT attend States if chosen, please let Coach Tarling know.

COMMUNICATION:

Questions regarding coaching, practice attendance, philosophy, equipment and the like should be addressed to John Tarling.

Susan Sonntag is the Merriconeag athletic coordinator for the ski team. Questions about transportation, fees, practice and race schedules and the like should be addressed to Susan Sonntag.

Jennifer Chace will again be the “team parent” this year. (If you are interested in taking on this task for next year, please let Jennifer know. You can begin to learn the ropes this year!) Logistical questions about Christmas Camp and States, parent volunteering, wish list donations, the blog should be addressed to Jennifer. Feel free to contact Jennifer with general questions too.

John: johntarling@aol.com, (w) 846-3777, (h) 829-4235

Susan: highschool@merriconeag.org, (w) 688-8989, (h) 353-8800

Jennifer: jenchace@gmail.com, 865-9008

End of Season Celebration

Date: March 8

Time: 6 to 7:30

Place: Community Hall, Desert Road

Please bring a dinner or heavy appetizer to share. Dessert will be provided.

$ contributions can be left in the HS office with Susan. - Check your email if you don't know what this means!

Recap from John

The trip to Rumford for the Class C State Championships went very well, the Girls repeated as Class C champions while the Boys delivered their first State Hardware with a runner up 2nd place to the strongest Boy's team in Maine HS skiing, NYA.

The team warmed up for the States at the Western Maine Conference Championships on 2-8-12 at Pineland for the FS 5k,and at Starks Hill Fryeburg on 2-11-12 for the CL 5k. The WMC has proven to be the top class of skiing in Maine and the MWHS girls team finished a strong second to Yarmouth, the Boys were 4th after the FS race but due to a difficult wax day in the CL race ended up 5th, a strong finish against the States top teams. Highlights for Girls were ZCD winning the CL race and 3rd in the FS, ECD 4th in FS and 6th in CL, Samantha 6th in FS and 10th in CL, Teagan also made the top 10 with a 8th in the FS race. Jesse, Lily and Carlin also had fine finishes in a very deep field. For the boys Jack had a top ten (8th) in FS, Eli was in the top 20 both races, Graham had a fine FS 22nd, and Ben Tindall a solid 27th in the CL race. John, Zach and Lars were fighting hard for good finishes as well. On Saturday at Starks the team was treated to grilled cheese sandwiches and other goodies, thanks for the support from all the parents.

The trip to Rumford started on Sunday morning, after a light lunch and quick wax job the team previewed the 5k CL course. Most had skied the course earlier this year at the Sassi race and were getting to know the course well and dialing in the best lines and waxes. The efforts worked as ZCD blistered the CL course in a very fast 16:05 for the win by 56s over ECD, Samantha continued her late season break out with a 7th followed by Teagan in 9th, Carlin in 13th and Jesse in 14th to take a commanding lead in the Girls team results. For the Boys Jack lead the way in 5th followed by Eli in 7th, Ben was just outside the top 10 in 11th, Graham 12th, John 15th and Lars 38th. The Boys after day one were second to NYA with a good cushion over 3rd place Freeport. The CL race conditions were about perfect as the temperatures stayed cold enough to provide good glide and allowed the wax team to find a good grip wax, this was a big improvement over the WMC CL wax result. A large thanks to Henry, Ben and Jason for help in the wax room. The FS race on Tuesday was late in the day so it was challenging to keep the team busy but not too busy during the day. We contested an impromptu scavenger walk, splitting the group in boys and girls teams. The boys used  a creative and  liberal interpretation of the rules and appeared to win, however special consideration was given to the intrepid Girls who walked almost to West Paris to find the school on the search list and were awarded the win. The FS 5k race was on the traditional Rumford HS course and included a single one lap course. ZCD again finished 1st for her fifth Class C Championship!! ECD was close in 2nd -17s, Samantha 3rd -24s, giving the girls a rare podium sweep. Teagan improved to a fine 7th and another top ten finish followed closely by Jesse in 12th and Lily in 15th as the Girls ran away with the Championships. The boys closed the States racing with great skiing, Jack had another top result in 5th in 12:19 for 5K-do the math, this is FAST! Eli continued his late season surge with a 6th -13s after Jack, Graham was next in in 12th followed by Ben in 14th, John 15th and Zach 34th. Congratulations to the Boys State Class C Runner ups and the Girls repeat Class C Champions. A special thanks to the parents for supporting the Christmas Camp and the WMC as well as the State Championships. Susan and Jennifer especially did the hard advance work planning the food, transportation and lodging all year and Carol kept us well fed at States - THANKS.

JOHN

We're back...

• Check out Maine High School Skiing and/or Chisholm Ski Club websites for final results and photos for both the skate and classic races.

• Apparently we left some things in the house. Carol and I looked through every room, yet somehow we left a "whole bag of things" according to the owner. So, look carefully through your bags and note what you are missing. I'll retrieve the bag of items and send it to school next Monday. If there is something you are in need of immediately, give me a call.

Thanks to everyone!!

Update from Bryant Pond

By now you've all see the results - congratulations to both teams! The girls took first again, and the boys (35) are much closer to leader NYA (18) than to the third place team, Freeport (85).

Thanks to a train (or two) some didn't sleep as well as they could have last night, but the skiers generally seem a happy bunch this morning. Breakfast was spent perusing the many photographs taken yesterday (check out the Chisolm Ski Club website for photos) and planning for the races today. Now the skiers are readying themselves for a morning walk along the river.

We hope to see everyone at the races later today: girls at 3, boys at 4. After the races, and the awards, we'll return home to have a delicious meal of chicken enchiladas (thanks to Sarah Pierce!) and to celebrate a great season.

Thanks to the parents who made such delicious meals. We've really appreciated them all.

Tomorrow we will leave the house at 8:00 AM to arrive at Desert Rd. by 9:30 AM.

See you there and then!

Results!

See Race Results tab for Day 1 of Class C State Championship Classic race ...

Girls 1st ~ Boys 2!

Late breaking news...

10:00 depart

11:45 or so arrive at Black Mountain

12:00 - eat lunch

12:30 - ski

mid-afternoon - arrive at the house, choose beds/rooms (lottery system), dinner, etc.

So, come in the AM prepared to ski for the afternoon. Ski clothes shouldn't be at the bottom of your bag.

And, don't forget your bag lunch!

Ski Prep for States

I hope every one is pumped for the Races this week!  The team has had a great year so let's finish strong. I plan to recap the last races including WMC soon ,it was great seeing Zoe win the CL race and the girls have a strong 2nd place along with the boy's fine result among the states top teams.

For States please prep CL and FS skis with a base layer of graphite.  The CL skis should get a layer of LF or CH 7 or equal for temps expected to be 25-30F. The FS race will be LF or CH 8 on same base prep. Be sure to clean tops and sidewalls and mark kick zones. We will do a final glide wax before each race in Rumford. Also we will plan to ski after a light lunch Sunday at 12:30 or so, please have practice skis cleaned so we can do a quick klister job and test waxes.

Thanks,

John

MENU FOR THE STATES TRIP...Please see below for sign ups

Sunday

Lunch – bring your own to eat at Black Mtn. or buy it there

Snack – popcorn, crudites and dip, trail mix

Dinner – Soup or stew with lots of pasta in it, bread, salad, and dessert

Monday

Breakfast – pancakes and eggs with yogurt and fruit

Lunch – make your own sandwiches (turkey/PBJ) and apple/banana

Snack – crudites, chips, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Dinner – Pasta (wheat / quinoa), bread, salad, dessert

Tuesday

Breakfast – oatmeal, eggs and toast, yogurt and fruit

Lunch – make your own sandwiches (PBJ/turkey) and apple/banana

Snack – crudites, chips, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Dinner – Enchiladas / chili, cornbread, salad, dessert

Wednesday

Breakfast – bagels, fruit, and yogurt

PLEASE SIGN UP (by emailing Jen) FOR 1 ITEM FOR EACH STUDENT COMING FROM YOUR FAMILY:

1 large pot of chili for 10 (or 1 batch of enchiladas for 10) (2 total) - PIERCE

1 large pot of soup/stew with pasta in it - no beans - TUPPER AND...

2 batches cornbread + 1 pound of butter (1) - WU

6 boxes wheat pasta + 4 boxes quinoa pasta (1) – CHACE-DONAHUE

Pasta sauce for 20 (1) - SONNTAG

Three salads for 20 (About two big bins of lettuce plus veggies)(1) - WU

5 dozen cookies/bars/etc. (2) SAFFEIR AND NEVEU

2 boxes of clementines +1 large bag of apples (1) - SONNTAG

5 bunches of bananas + 2 large loaves of dinner bread (1) - ROEBER

sliced natural turkey for 10+ sandwiches (2) - SONNTAG AND BURGESS

4 dozen natural eggs (1) – CHACE-DONAHUE

2 dozen bagels, 4-5 packages cream cheese (1) – CHACE-DONAHUE

2 jars nat. peanut butter, 1 jar honey, 2 jars jelly (1) - GUNDERSEN

Crudite for 3 group snacks plus dip (2) - SAFFEIR AND NEVEU

STATES TRIP 2012...RUMFORD HERE WE COME!!!

Departure: 10 am from Desert Rd. on Sunday the 19th. We will all go over together, taking one van and two other cars as well.

Return: We will leave by 10 am on Wednesday to arrive back by noon to Desert Rd. (Anyone may leave immediately following the 4 pm race on Tuesday.)

Lodging: We will be staying at the Maine Farm House, which is about 30-40 minutes from the venue. You can find it online if you'd like to take a look.

Race venue and timing: Black Mountain of Maine. The same place the Sassi Classical was held in January. Monday (classic) 1:30 girls and 3:00 boys. Tuesday (freestyle) 3:00 girls and 4:00 boys.

Chaperones: Jennifer, Jason, Carol, and Susan

What to bring:

• All of your race gear - suit, hat, buff, boots, skis, poles, and warm up skis and boots for both classic and skate

• Underlayers - we don't know the weather yet. Be prepared and bring layers.

• Coats - same.

• Shoes/slippers for inside the house, regular snow boots, AND running shoes.

• Many pairs of socks!

• Sleeping clothes and toiletries

• Your own pre- and post-race bar/snack. We'll have lots of food, but we won't have "bars". Everyone has their own favorites and should bring them.

• Water bottle with holder if you have it.

• Bag lunch to eat upon arrival at Black Mountain

• The food you signed up to bring

• Games - of the non-electronic kind please.**

• A PG or PG-13 movie to add to the pile of possibilities for Tuesday night. The movie should be appropriate for ages 14 to 18. Chaperones will have the final say on whether a movie will be shown.

** This trip is a school, not parent, sponsored event. The regular school field trip rules apply. Electronic stuff that is used inappropriately will be wrapped in an organic rainbow silk scarf and allowed to rest for the remainder of the trip.

Food:

Check the posting from Feb. 16.

Expectations:

We expect that you'll have fun. We expect that you'll do your best. We expect that you'll pitch in with dishes and clean up. We expect that you'll already know the rules and will follow them. We expect that YOU expect to be treated as a young adult. We expect the boys to be excited about all having their own beds! We expect everyone will have a great time!

Any questions about the logistics of the trip, food, timing, etc. call Jennifer, Carol, or Jason.

Any questions about the races, the team, etc. call John.

WMC Classic Recap

I want to complement all the team for working hard in today's Classic race.  The Girls continued their top performances with a second place finish  The Boy's had a harder time today, no help from the wax, but this happens. Still 4th in Skate and 5th in Classic and overall is a good finish.  I have looked at the boy's results and have a few observations that explain or make sense of our finishers.  First I compared each skier's place and time back from the Skate race and assigned a somewhat arbitrary target finish time for the CL race.  I note that the majority of the field had a wider spread in the Classic race than the Skate race due to course profile and wax variables, still the numbers are interesting.

       FS                                                            Cl                      Target     Dif       

JP   8pl +43s                                            21pl +2:19             +1min        -1:19  notes:rock skis enough said

EM  18pl +1:34                                       14pl +1:37              +2:17        +  40              skis worked well

GR  22pl +1:48                                        46pl +3:55              +2:20       -1:35               skis too grabby!

BT  27pl +2:06                                         25pl +2:33              +2:50       +17                 skis worked

JB  32pl +2:33                                         40pl +3:27              +2:55        -32                  skis fair

ZN  45pl +3:14                                        50pl +4:01              +3:45        -16                   skis fair

LG  94pl +5:21                                        81Pl +5:48             +6:21        +43                  not sure why,better result

This is very unscientific however it shows (proves) the variables in classic skiing, the target assumption was based on FS results time back by place very roughly rounded off. For Jack and Graham your negative dif is explainable! PS do not try checking my math I have not.

I will look at the Girls and give comments, a quick thought is the conditions for the girls were more stable so I expect the girls are going to be closer to target.  Of course some will favor one technique over the other this also contributes to different relative results.

John

WAX UPDATE

As one might expect, weather in Maine changes fast.  I had waxed my own test skis with two different combos from yesterday and the forecast has changed.  The temperature looks warmer as the cold air will arrive later on Saturday so a warmer glide is called for, additionally it is likely to snow a small amount.  For Glide if you have Ski GO Violet another layer on top would help.  BNS is recommending HF ORANGE 23-34F, LF or XC will also work, Swix HF or LF 8 is in the same range.

John

Practice Today

Please review the course map and start list. I will be at Pineland Outdoor Center today at 3pm for practice.  We will classic in the man made track. I will do a base wax prep on everyone's race skis.  The weather temp will be around 30F Saturday a little under of the girls, for the boy's a little over. A small mount of new snow is likely Saturday however it is not likely to be enough to change the wax however it may require a hard wax cover on top of klister.


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