WMC Championship Race on Saturday!

Details about the last race of the season have been determined. Please note this is the last week of ski team this year, so we'll have practices every day (as long as conditions/weather permit) and a race on Saturday. Here's what we've got to look forward to on Saturday:

Who:

All MCWS skiers are eligible to ski in this event.

This will be a question on the ParentSquare ski team questionnaire on Monday morning to find out who wants to participate in this race.

When & Where:

Saturday, March 6

Stark’s Mountain, Fryeburg - Click HERE for map to Stark's
10:00am - Boys start
11:15am - Girls start

Race info:

SKATE ONLY

15 second interval individual starts
5.7k – 2 lap course

Transportation:

As per usual this year, we can take some skiers in a van but believe that many skiers will have their own transportation, either via driving themselves or being driven by a parent.

There will be a question on the ParentSquare ski team questionnaire on Monday morning to find out who has their own transportation and who needs a ride.

Those of you who have been on the team in previous years will recall that this final WMC Championship event is usually two days, where one day is a classic race and the other a skate race. This year due to a variety of covid related reasons, it will be one day only, one race only. The reasons for Skate only are:

• Many teams have had limited time classic skiing and don’t feel comfortable putting kids on a championship level race course.
• Only 2 coaches per team will be allowed which will make waxing more difficult, particularly for larger teams and the likelihood of klister conditions.
• Low or no snow around Portland venues would mean 2 races at Stark’s. This additional travel during COVID is not wanted by many teams.

All schools felt it was important that we allow all kids to race that want to (with no limits on number of entries/team). Therefore a plan was developed to split Stark’s into 2 venues, which is valid per state event guidelines. This will allow us to race all kids in each gender on the same day in the same location.

Venue #1 will be the race course and Venue #2 will be a separate loop for skiing/warm-up/entertainment for the other gender not racing. Click HERE to see course/site map.

No outside spectators will be allowed but they are looking into setting up a streaming option (which might or might not pan out). They will also have live timing available on the web.

Girls will have a 25 minute window for race course preview prior to their race – from 10:50 to 11:15. (remember it is a 2 lap course so they only need to preview about 2.7k).

Awards will be given, but distributed through individual schools – there will not be the usual group ceremony.

Although this race won't look exactly like what it has been in other years, this is still all good news! Us having a safe nine team Championship event to end the season is a very good thing, something which many other sports have had to forgo this year. Fryeburg has plenty of snow so we will hope for a nice day.

Wednesday race info

The particulars for Wednesday's race are:

Date - Wednesday, February 24
Time - Boys start at 3:30, girls to start after boys finish
Location - Pineland, Oak Hill trails
Technique - Skate race
Start - Individual starts, 15 second intervals

Skiers should arrive at the race venue by 2:30.

We are planning on providing rides from school for Seamus, Maeve, Wyatt and Leah.

The van will be leaving school at 2:00, so skiers need to be ready to go by then.

This week ...

Week of February 22 - 26:

We will have practice Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week with a skate race at Pineland on Wednesday. 

Just like before vacation, with only half the students in school on any given day, it's hard to know who to expect at practice each day, as well as who needs a ride on the van. We will again have a daily questionnaire on ParentSquare for parents of skiers, asking about attendance at practice and about van rides. Also, on Monday only, there will be questions related to the weekly race (will your skier be racing? will they need a ride?). Thank you for getting this taken care of!

Also, to be clear, we do hope all skiers will be at practice every day, but realize there is the occasional conflict/injury/etc. that prevents a skier from attending.

Info about the tomorrow's race at Riverside

The following skiers are racing in tomorrow's (Saturday, February 20) skate race at Riverside Golf Course in Portland.

Boys - Seamus, Conrad, Nate, Will and Noah K
Girls - Emma, Lydia, Sierra, Ruth

Remember that ParentSquare health screenings must be done prior to arrival at the race site.

Boys start at 1:30 (note this updated start time), girls to follow. All skiers should arrive at Riverside at 12:30 (and not any earlier, as there are other races taking place in the morning). Note that the original start time was 1:00, but is now 1:30.

It is hard to pin down an end time, especially since some skiers will participate in Part 2 while others will not, so best would be for kids to call/text parents when they're done (unless the parent is waiting/parked close by, in which case the skier can just go to the car). The earliest any boys might be done is likely not before 2:00, though those participating in Part 2 will obviously be later. The soonest any girls might be done is no earlier than 2:30 and again, those in Part 2 will be later. Since all skiers are already there, everyone is welcome to stay and cheer on the Part 2 skiers even if they are not skiing in that part of the race. We even hesitate to say these times of 2:00 and 2:30, since they are the absolute earliest that a skier might be finished and it could be an hour or more later than that. The best we can say to parents providing transportation is to bring a warm drink, a book, maybe a blanket and prepare to wait.

The most up-to-date information on race format is shown below. We will update this post if we receive new information.

Wax info was posted on the Wax Info tab this morning.

OVERVIEW:

Location: Riverside Golf Course Ski Track – North Course

The race will be on the “North” section of Riverside (closer to I-95). Come to the main parking area with the club house. Look for the Kiosk at the far right-hand side of the parking lot as you face at the course. This is our usual start area.

Parking: Parking will be tight since it is a Saturday afternoon. Please let me know if you'll be bringing a bus so I can reserve areas.

Toilets:

The only bathroom is a porta-potty at the far end of the parking lot opposite the trailhead. The club house is NOT open. Plan accordingly.

IMPORTANT:

Please be aware that Saturdays are very busy at Riverside and there will be a lot of recreational users occupying the spaces as well. Parking may be tight. Team members are asked to be mindful and respectful and stay as close to the edge of the “stadium” area as possible (below the maintenance building). Racers should keep to the designated racecourse for all skiing.

Covid-19:

Health screenings must be completed prior to arrival.

Masks are required at all times for skiers and coaches. Please remind your athletes to check that their mask fits well and works for them while skiing. Masks need to cover both the nose and mouth.

No spectators allowed.

Also please remind athletes to stay spaced apart and not gather. Please maintain physical distance guidelines at all times.

Course:  

Course will be open to ski warm up and cool down while races are going on. PLEASE SKI ONLY IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. And remind skiers to not ski too closely to a racer and to move off the trail when racers are coming. See race format below for more details about the course.

RACE FORMAT:

1)      Primary Plan (3k prologue followed by XCX sprints)

1:30 – Prologue

Boys’ 3k Skate Prologue – 2 laps around 1.5k loop

Girls to follow

 

2:30 – Heats begin (approximately 1k loop with XCX terrain features)

24 total racers max each gender.

Racers will keep their same bibs.

Boys’ and girls’ heats will alternate as follows:

 

Preliminary Heat – 24 races – 6 waves of 4 – top 2 from each heat move forward.

Quarterfinals – 3 waves of 4 – top 2 from each heat move forward plus 2 “lucky losers”.

Semifinals – 2 waves of 4 – top 2 from each heat move forward to finals (no “lucky losers”).

FINALS – top 4 for the cup!

 

2)      Alternative Plan A

Same format as above for a 1K sprint race without XCX features.

3)      Alternative Plan B

1:30 – Boys’ 4.5k race (3 times around loop).

2:15 – Girls 4.5k race (3 times around loop).

Wednesday through Saturday this week

See below for what's happening the rest of the week. Please note that in Wednesday's ParentSquare questionnaire, parents will be asked to weigh in on the following:

• Will your skier be at practice on Thursday this week?
• Will your skier be at practice on Friday this week?
• Does your skier want to participate in the race in Portland this Saturday, February 20?
• If yes, will they need transportation?

Wednesday:
Confirmed Classic race at Pineland. Teams will be Freeport, Waynflete, Greely, Brunswick, a few skiers from Falmouth and MCWS. Boys start at 11:00, girls will start 5 minutes after the last boy finishes (so probably close to 11:30). Boys should arrive to the Oak Hill parking lot by 9:00, girls arrive by 9:30. We've got the following skiers in this race:
Seamus, Conrad, Nate, Noah C, Noah K, Will
Maeve, Lydia, Leah, Nora

There will be NO spectators allowed at this race. Any parents dropping off/picking up are asked to stay in/near their cars.

Thursday:
Skate practice at Pineland - 3:00-4:30.

Friday:
Skate practice at Pineland - 3:00-4:30.

Saturday:
Skate race at Riverside Golf Course in Portland, 1:00 1:30 start. The proposed format, conditions permitting, is as follows, although subject to change based on what Thursday's storm brings.

PART 1: 3K skate race for all skiers. Boys race followed by girls.

PART 2: An XCX sprint race on Riverside's Nordic terrain park course (this is what may or may not happen - will depend on the conditions).
Top 24 Boys and Girls from their respective Part 1 will compete in heats of 4 with 2 "lucky losers" from the second heat to make numbers work.

The XCX course will have up and down hill challenges and other features. It will be less than 1K in length... final course TBD.

Sounds like fun!

Update on the next couple days

~ Updated Monday, February 15 @ 6:00pm ~

We are NOT going to Fryeburg on Wednesday. Instead we will be in a classic race at Pineland. Boys start at 11:00, girls will start 5 minutes after the last boy finishes (so probably close to 11:30). Boys should arrive by 9:00, girls arrive by 9:30. As of today, we are thinking the following skiers will be racing in this race:

Seamus, Conrad, Nate, Noah C, Noah K, Will

Maeve, Lydia, Leah, Nora

There will be NO spectators allowed at this race. We will send out an email from the Freeport Athletic Director (Freeport is hosting this race) with specific instructions re: spectators.

Also, practice is cancelled for Tuesday, February 16. The weather on Tuesday will make for messy driving and Pineland likely won't want us on the trails given the expected freezing rain and sleet.

We are awaiting word from the Portland organizers with more info re: Saturday's race (skate vs. classic, race time, etc.). We will share that info once we have it and will then ask for a commitment re: what skiers want to ski in this race.

We also want to thank everyone, skiers and parents alike, for their flexibility in this "more changes than usual" ski year. Between covid and weather, let's just acknowledge that things can change frequently and that the best laid plans can and do get switched up. Again, everyone's understanding is much appreciated.

The most important thing to remember ... have fun!

Week of February 15

~ UPDATED MONDAY, February 14 @ 10:30am ~

***Monday update*** We are NOT going to Fryeburg on Wednesday. Instead we are awaiting word on whether we can join a Wednesday race at either Pineland or Libby Hill (in Gray).

Also, I mistakenly attached a non-updated questionnaire on today's ParentSquare - sorry! Please answer the question as posed re: participation in the Wednesday race. We'll have to catch up on participation in the Saturday race with tomorrow's questionnaire. Again, sorry for the confusion.

Happy vacation! We've got a lot going on this week, with practices, a race Wednesday and a possible race on Saturday. Last week we gauged interest for the Wednesday and Saturday races via the ParentSquare questionnaire. Tomorrow, Monday, February 15, is commitment time. In addition to asking about who will be attending Monday's practice via the ParentSquare questionnaire, we need everyone to make a final decision as to whether or not they will be racing on Wednesday in the classic race at either Pineland or Libby Hill (Gray) and also to decide whether they will race in the skate race on Saturday at Riverside. We must submit a roster for the Wednesday race by Monday evening and, while we don't yet have a lot of race details on the Saturday race, Portland does need a headcount from us in order to proceed with their planning.

Also, a friendly reminder that everyone must have their daily ParentSquare health screening completed each day they attend practice or a race.

We also want to say again that even though there is a lot going on this week, we hope everyone can enjoy being out skiing as a healthy respite, especially in these pandemic times, and revel in just being outside in the winter in Maine. No stress - just fun!

Vacation week things to think about and know

First, happy vacation! We hope everyone finds time to relax, enjoy the week off, and get outside to make the most of winter in Maine. Usually at this time of year, we are at the end of ski season with just the states races happening over vacation. This year, with our delayed start to the season (because of covid and lack of snow), we really are just midway though our shortened winter sports season, so there is a lot going on, even over vacation week.

The overall message regarding practices and races is that we hope ski team members are excited to ski and will make themselves available to participate in these activities over vacation. That said, we understand that it may not be possible for everyone to make it work every day. It is always more fun when everyone is on hand to ski and your teammates will miss you if you're not there! If you are just being lazy at home, come to practice, and if you are off adventuring, enjoy your adventure!

Practices:

We will hold practices on Friday, February 12 and next week (all w 3:00 start time) as long as skiers will attend. We don't want the coaches to make time in their schedules if skiers won't be there. To that end, there will be a question in the daily questionnaire we send out tomorrow (Friday, February 12) asking about your expected availability over vacation.

Also, since it's vacation week, we are thinking school transportation won't be needed, but if that makes the difference between you attending or not attending practice, shoot Susan an email and we can definitely make it work.

Races:

We have a Western Maine Conference classic race scheduled for next Wednesday, February 17 (11:00 boys, girls to follow) at Fryeburg. This is one of only three regular season races this year, so we hope all skiers will participate. Again, knowing it's vacation week, we understand if some families have made other plans, but these races are really fun and since there aren't a lot of them this year, please try to be there. Ideally skiers/families will drive, but we can transport a few skiers if necessary. This race will also be on Friday's questionnaire to gauge availability, with a commitment needed by Monday morning.

There is a slight possibility of another race next week on Saturday, February 20 at Riverside in Portland. Yet another question on Friday's questionnaire to gauge possible interest. If skiers are interested, we will look for confirmation that there is room for us in the race.

Race details

~ Updated Wednesday, February 10 at 9:00am ~

THE RACE WILL BE ON THE CAMPUS LOOP at Pineland, not Oak Hill. START/FINISH IN THE GROVE (the open area in the woods "behind" the Y).

ARRIVAL: Skiers should arrive 1 hour prior to their race start, so boys arrive at 2:30, girls arrive by 3:00. There will be a van from school departing at 2:05. It will return to school after the girls finish, but it's hard to predict the exact return time (likely around 5:15/5:30?). Skiers on the van can call from the road.

START FORMAT: 15 second individual starts. Start lists found HERE.

What's happening this week February 8 - 12

Greetings skiers and parents! A few important things to note ...

With only half the students in school on any given day, it has been difficult to know who to expect at practice each day, as well as who needs a ride on the van. To help us capture this necessary information, starting Monday there will be a daily questionnaire on ParentSquare for parents of skiers, asking about attendance at practice and about van rides. Also, on Mondays only, there will be questions related to the weekly race (will your skier be racing? will they need a ride?). Sorry to throw another questionnaire your way parents, but since we don't see all the students every day, we need some way to get this info.

To be clear about practice expectations - all skiers are expected to be at practice every day. However, we do know there is the occasional day where a skier might have a doctor appointment, there might be a transportation issue, etc., hence the question.

The exciting news of the week is that we have our first race of the season this Wednesday, February 10 at Pineland! This will be a skate race. Because we have to get rosters in, all skiers on the team must decide by Monday morning whether or not they will be participating in this race, then make sure their parents know so parents can accurately answer the questionnaire. Usually we encourage everyone on the team to race, but this year being what it is and with the team not having a lot of practice under their belts, each race everyone should do what feels right for them. Do know that the focus for this race and the whole season is just getting out and having fun, not on results or performance.

A few things to note about general rules for ski season and especially at the races:

WAXES: NO Fluoro waxes at all, all year.

MASKS AND COVID: Masks are required at all times. Skiers should check that their mask fits well and works for them while skiing. Masks need to cover both the nose and mouth. We recommend a plastic or silicone insert to help give space to breathe. Skiers are also reminded to stay spaced apart and not gather. 

COURSE: Snow dependent, but the plan as of now:  Campus Loop at Pineland. Stadium will be "The Grove," which is the field at the top of campus loop. This will be a 5.2km, 2 lap course.

Course will be open to ski warm up and cool down while races are going on. PLEASE SKI ONLY IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. Skiers are reminded to not ski too closely to a racer and to move off the trail when racers are coming. 

START FORMAT: One skier every 15 seconds. Boys 3:30 and Girls 4:00. 

FINISH AREA: Finish zone will be wide and skiers must immediately disperse after finishing. This will be a major change! No hugs, handshakes, holding poles, etc. 

TOILETS: There will be two porta potties delivered near "The Grove." We are not yet sure of the exact location. Please do NOT go into The Market to use restrooms.

Race Schedule Posted

 We have a tentative race schedule, so check out the Race Schedule tab!