Broomhall Photos

Off to VT today for the UVM Carnival. Four inches of new snow at Trapps should set us up nicely for tomorrow's classic race. 10k mass start - fast and furious.

Some photos from the Broomhall Cup taken by Bowdoin student and ski team fan Lily Morse:

Matt

Nat

Nick

And a couple more from Steve Fuller (www.flyingpointroad.com):

Elissa

Forrest

Thanks Lily and Steve!

Chummy Broomhall Cup

Great day for our team yesterday at the Chummy Broomhall Cup. The Broomhall Cup is named for one of Maine's ski pioneers and serves as the Maine State Championship race for collegiate nordic skiing. Yesterday's race was a 10/15k skate, held in conjunction with a Junior National Qualifier - in other words, a huge field and a long day of racing. We saw some great individual efforts and a very encouraging overall team finish. As a team, we were third, same a last year, but we were in the mix. Our women are closing the gap on Bates and Colby - I'm looking forward to seeing how the team develops in the remaining carnivals. I'm kind of sad that this race wasn't a carnival - I think both teams would've scored really well.

Some of the highlights from a long day of racing: Courtney hammering the hills - best skiing I've seen from her all season. Sarah gaining 19 places on her second lap. Guys catching a ride from people who'd passed them, not letting go - Nick, Nat, Forrest. But the race of the day belonged to John B. Hall. He was ON FIRE yesterday - 17th place finish in a huge and deep field, ahead of Bates' 3rd skier, just seconds behind Walt. He was skiing so relaxed and smoothly that you might have thought he was just out for a cruise if you weren't paying attention to the splits - a pleasure to watch.

Hats off to Colby and coach Tracey Cote for their dominating win yesterday. Ten years ago, Bowdoin and Colby would fight it out for 8th or 9th place at carnivals. Now, they're challenging the best teams in the EISA every week. It's exciting to see a team make that kind of progress - for us, their success is part road map, part inspiration. I'm looking forward to the day when we beat Colby again - it'll take time, but I think that day's not so far off...

We do have Colby beaten in one important area, though - post-race tailgating. Our team parents put on another show yesterday - bagels, cakes, muffins, sloppy joes, soup, some ridiculously tasty cream puffy type things, and more. No other team can match the talent that our team parents bring to the table every weekend. Thanks to all of you!

Broomhall Cup results can be found here. Click the links to the left for overall results for both classic and skate.

Tour de Rumford Sprint

Classic sprint at Rumford yesterday. This was an Eastern Cup race and Jr. National Qualifier - no college points at stake - just a chance to do a fun race and get some experience. Deceptively tricky waxing today - the snow was cold but loose and sugary, and we had to wax quite a bit warmer than the temps indicated. Our skis weren't great - several people slipped on the course's one big climb. Some of our skiers probably could have been a few places higher with better kick. As it was, Colman and Elissa ended up qualifying for the demonstration heats - these were basically a consolation round for the top 4 of each age group who hadn't qualified for the official heats (top 30 overall). With better skis in the second round, they both had strong heats - Elissa beat a couple of UNH skiers to take 2nd in her heat, and Colman outstretched a Dartmouth and a Middlebury skier to win his. Not a bad way to end the day.

The real excitement came later that evening though - we went to a pizza place in Bethel, near the Sunday River ski resort. Shortly after sitting down at our table, a small card came flying out of nowhere and landed in front of Elissa. Turned out that it was a $20 gift card for the restaurant. Someone likes her. A while later, the restaurant owner raffled off several prizes, including a snowboard, won by Elissa. She ended up trading it to some guys who had won a Swix duffle bag with a pair of jackets. Quite a day for her. She was joking about going out and buying a lottery ticket - not a bad idea. Hopefully her good fortune carries over to all of us for today's 10/15k skate race.

Skiing on Campus

Finally, we have groomed trails on campus! It's been a long road getting our snowmobile up and running, but we're there. Ezra groomed a 2k loop around the athletic fields on Tuesday, and it's set up pretty nicely. It's flat as a pancake and the snow's a bit crunchy, but it's decent skiing practically out the front door, and that's pretty sweet. We're still doing almost all of our training at Pineland, but these trails are a great resource for us. People who can't make it to practice on any given day can still get in some quality training with just a short walk from the dorms, and there's enough lighting around the fields so that even people with late labs can ski after sunset. We've got the bases covered now - there are no more obstacles to good training. Now we just have to execute the plan and we should see some great results in February.

Back to Reality

Classes started yesterday - business as usual. With everyone's varied schedules, we're running two sessions a day to allow almost everyone to ski every day. I took a group out for the morning session today. The skiing was great in spite of a warm spell and some rain last week - good coverage, and fast but not icy. We were skating, but the snow looked dry enough for hard wax. Hard to believe. Pineland is amazing - we're lucky to be so close. Couldn't ask for a better training situation.

No carnival this weekend - instead, we'll be racing the Chummy Broomhall Cup at Black Mountain. Most of the skiers will stay on campus for the weekend and drive up on Sunday for the race, which will serve as the Maine State Championships. With minimal travel on the horizon, we're taking the opportunity to put in a slightly higher volume week with some threshold workouts. The goal is to rebuild the fitness base a bit after several weeks of hard training and racing - just enough to get through the rest of the season.

SLU Carnival

Belated SLU Carnival recap - no internet access at our hotel in Placid these past few days. I was like Courtney without coffee. Friday's skate race was a tough slog - a couple inches of snow fell the night before, slowing things down considerably. Fast V2 alternate sections turned into grinding V2, and the limited climbing left skiers with limited rest opportunities. Everyone was exhausted by the time it was over. Walt gave a great effort and had our best finish, 18th - that would've been cause for celebration a couple years ago, but our expectations are higher now. Courtney was our top woman in 58th - not as many hills as she would've liked, but a good race nonetheless. Elissa raced for the first time this year - she's struggled with various health issues for the last few months. Aside from the camp time trial, she hadn't done any high-intensity training since November, so this weekend was a big jump for her. She'll get faster every week.

Saturday's classic was 15/20k, which meant 4 laps for women and 6 for men. There was just enough of Friday's snow over the icy base for hard wax with a binder - no klister, much to the coaches' relief. No big finishes on this day, but several good individual results. Sarah led the women in 59th, with Courtney close behind. Colman, John, and Niko were solid as our 2-3-4 skiers, all finishing in the mid-50s. Not our best weekend, but not bad. With a bit of a break before our next carnival, we can put in a couple weeks of solid training - we should be in a position to have some great races in February.

Thanks to Tim and Muriel Hall for setting up a tailgate lunch for us on Saturday - this was amazing. Not only was it great food, it also allowed us to get on the road much quicker, which was huge - time is precious when you're facing a 6+ hour drive home.

Nick was on the ball again with photos - here are a couple from Saturday's classic:

Another milestone for Grace - first 15k ever.

I hate to resort to stereotypes, but Sarah's from Alaska, which may explain the lack of gloves on a rather chilly day.

Placid

We left Brunswick and 10 inches of fresh snow for the long drive to Lake Placid. It's nice and cold here, but they didn't get much snow from Monday's storm, so the skiing is a bit limited. Barring a major storm tonight (there are a couple inches forecast), we'll be racing on a 3.3k loop near the biathlon range. Coverage is thin, and the snow's a bit dirty, but it's actually pretty good skiing - nice and fast. The course isn't too hilly, but I have a feeling that the climbs will seem a bit bigger by the 5th and 6th laps of Saturday's classic race. There are 90+ skiers in both races - lots of people to fit on a 3.3k loop. Should be spectator friendly, though, and our skiers will have lots of people to ski with. As always, it'll be fun.

Friends of Bowdoin

Friends of Bowdoin is a group of Brunswick community members who invite Bowdoin athletes to dinner over Winter Break. It's a nice gesture toward students who don't get to spend much time at home over break due to athletic commitments. A couple groups of our skiers had dinner with Friends of Bowdoin members - here's John, Nick, Walt, and Nat with hosts Helen Boynton and David Stuntz:


Thanks to all the Friends of Bowdoin for their thoughtfulness and hospitality!

Bates Photos

Some Bates Carnival photos by Nick:

Grace - first 10k ever? 10k will seem like a sprint by the time the season's over.

Maresa working the DP kick.

Ezra was on his deathbed a couple days before the races, but he willed himself healthy and was pretty much the man all weekend.

Courtney thoughtfully agreed to pace me while I was out on my morning run.

First ski race for Finley - gotta start them young.

Also, yesterday I was remiss in failing to acknowledge the great support from team parents last weekend. We had several parents at the carnival who cheered, took pictures, and set up a great tailgate lunch after the races. Having fans at the races means a lot - we're lucky to have such supportive team parents. It was a pleasure meeting so many people who care about our team.

Bates Carnival

Great start to the season at the Bates Carnival this weekend. We headed up to Rumford on a beautiful Thursday afternoon - almost warm enough for t-shirts. The January thaw has been hammering us all week, but there was still more than enough snow for the Chisholm Ski Club to put on a great event up at Black Mountain.

A "wintery mix" was coming down on Friday morning before the skate race. Apparently, our team likes wintery mixes, because we posted some historic (not historical) results. Our men finished 4th - best finish ever since Bowdoin became a member of EISA in 1994. Walt was 5th - best finish ever for a Bowdoin skier - with Forrest just 3 seconds back in 8th, giving us two skiers in the top 10 for the first time ever. These were huge results - top 30 finishes have generally been a benchmark of success for the Bowdoin team, yet suddenly we have two skiers in the top 10. Niko finished 52nd in a large and deep field (94 finishers), just 90 seconds behind Walt, to round out the team scoring. Our women put up a solid race as well, ending up in 9th. Courtney led the team in 58th, with Sarah in 66th - both were within striking distance of some outstanding skiers. Those margins will shrink in the next few weeks. Maresa completed the scoring in 79th and looked pretty lively - not bad for someone who spent the last several months in Botswana training on a treadmill.

Today's classic race was a bit less exciting for us. Lots of folks seemed to be a bit under the weather, perhaps trying to fight off illness, and our team score reflected this. Still, we saw some great individual highlights - Colman hammered the course for a 45th place finish, less than 40 seconds from the top 30; Jeff had his best college race ever; Shem looked springy and smooth; Courtney showed as much pop on the steep hills as anyone out there. Good efforts all around.

I'm very happy with this start to the season. We've just come off of a training camp and some travel, and most people have had very few race starts up to this point. As good as yesterday was, I know that this crew is capable of skiing even better. With some rest and a couple more races under our belts, we'll get faster every week. Our best races are still ahead of us, and I can't wait to see them.

Nick took some good photos today, which I'll post tomorrow. For now, here are a couple shots by Steve Fuller, a ski coach from Freeport who also happens to be a great photographer. Check out more of his stuff here - photos from today will probably show up on his site soon.

Maresa with game face.

Jeff - the summer training is paying off.

Back Home

We left Fort Kent today after a morning ski, a day earlier than planned. The skiing is still good in spite of the warm weather, but we're dealing with some kind of stomach bug that's making it's way through the team. Last night we finally decided to come back to campus for a reset - the close quarters at camp probably helped the bug spread. With a little separation and a day off tomorrow, we stand a good chance at having most of our team healthy for the Bates Carnival this weekend. In spite of the sudden change of plans, I'm not seeing any low spirits - the team has handled this bump in the road very well. I've been really happy with how well this team functions - people are having fun together and taking care of each other. It's been a good camp with some quality training, and with a little rest we'll be ready to race. Can't wait.

TT Photos

Another good day of training - OD classic today. Folks are making good progress with striding technique - I think there are a few breakthroughs on the horizon. Another great dinner, too - Courtney made pesto-marinated chicken with spaghetti and a fruit salad - oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert (Niko also served as a consultant, although he wasn't allowed to actually help prepare the meal because he's sick). Perhaps a contender for the title?

Some photos from yesterday:

Grace first out of the gate - her striding is getting better every day.

Elissa representing RMD (she forgot her Bowdoin top - hope that Marty's not reading this).

Niko started the classic race feeling healthy and found out that he was sick by the end of it. Great effort, though.

Matt's classic boots are in a bag somewhere in Chicago - thanks, United Airlines! No excuse for the suit, though - that was by choice.

Waltuh - skiing with a lot of snap right now.

Operation Dinner Domination in progress. They were beating those egg whites for at least a half hour - driving me crazy - click-click-click-click-click....

Time Trial & ODD

A time trial at last. Great conditions for a race - firm tracks and cold snow. Walt took the win on the men's side, with the top time in both classic and skate. For the women, Sarah jumped out in front in the classic race, but Courtney smoked the skate leg for the overall win. There were a lot of solid performances today - Colman challenged Forrest in the classic race, and Forrest gained on Walt in the skate before fading; Grace was right on Elissa's heels after the classic leg; Matt and Jeff had a close battle; Niko put up an impressive classic leg in spite of feeling horrible. Overall, a good effort by our team, and people were in good spirits afterward. The fitness is there - the only thing we really need right now is a couple more race starts (and for a few folks to get healthy).

Women	CL Time	CL Rank	SK Time	SK Rank	Combined Time
Courtney	20:56	2	18:26	1	39:22
Sarah	20:34	1	19:38	2	40:12
Elissa	22:06	3	19:49	3	41:55
Grace	22:07	4	21:01	4	43:08
Maresa	24:06	5	22:37	5	46:43
Men	CL Time	CL Rank	SK Time	SK Rank	Combined Time
Walt	15:14	1	13:46	1	29:00
Forrest	15:42	2	14:15	2	29:57
Colman	15:47	3	14:57	3	30:44
John	16:47	5	15:52	4	32:39
Matt	17:33	7	15:58	5	33:31
Jeff	17:26	6	16:18	6	33:44
Shem	17:59	8	16:40	7	34:39
Niko	16:18	4	DNS

Nat took a lot of good photos today, some of which will eventually make their way onto this page.

The evening ended with a major production at dinner. We're having a contest for the best dinner of the week, and we've had some great food. We've been hearing a lot about Operation Dinner Dominance - a plan for victory by Jeff, Matt, and Walt. Tonight ODD went into effect - they served some kind of groovy rice/feta/chicken/basil/pine nuts, etc dish, complemented by a high-class salad with craisins, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds, and capped off with a chocolate cake that required roughly 500 man-hours of beating egg whites. Impressive - but was it truly the best meal so far? The jury's still out, and we still have three dinners left. Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion.

Camp Day 3

Good training today - skate sprints in the morning and an easy classic ski in the afternoon. A pure speed workout is always fun - in this case, we did timed "drop in" sprints. For drop in sprints, the skier starts at the top of a short hill, double poles once or twice, and then drops into a tuck. As the hill flattens out, the skier crosses the start line, rises up out of the tuck, and starts sprinting at full speed. The downhill allows the skier to start the sprint at a fairly high speed rather than using a lot of energy to accelerate from zero. It's a less taxing and more efficient way to learn the coordination needed to ski at high speeds, and it's fun. Skiing fast is always fun.

We also got Sarah back today - she stayed home for a few extra days to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. With Nick and Maresa back from studying abroad, our whole team is together for the first time all year. Great.

Oh yeah - time trial tomorrow. 5k classic & 5k skate, pursuit style. Old school pursuit - none of that silly duathlon stuff. Finally, a time trial! Aside from Great Glen, we've had no opportunities to go head to head on snow - this will be good race prep for next week, and we'll learn a few things as well.

The County

We're in The County at last. I love it. I know very little about the area, but at first glance, what's not to love? Tons of snow, cold temps, few (and friendly) people, beautiful rolling hills and woodlands - great country for skiers. We got in early enough for a twilight ski yesterday, and now we're settled into our home at the Camel Brook Cabins. We'd originally planned to do two sessions today, but the temps were below zero all morning, so we decided to make the workout one long classic ski at midday instead. Great classic skiing - firm, cold snow - everything kicks. Things should warm up tomorrow - for now, we're enjoying a cold, starry night in a warm cabin. What could be better?

Happy New Year!

Good start to 2008. We're in the middle of a blizzard right now, on the heels of a big storm yesterday. Tons of snow in Brunswick right now. My lame photography doesn't do it justice, but here's what our back yard looked like before the current storm started:


Kind of ironic that we're leaving town for ski camp, but it'll be great to ski somewhere new. We leave for Fort Kent tomorrow morning!