Saturday, August 29, 2015

September is Nigh

As Labor Day approaches and the unofficial end of summer arrives it is good time to think about how a summer of hard-work, quality training, and outdoor action is going to pay off in the coming months.  Ski training will be getting more focused and the cooler temps will get all the nordiques thinking of snow.  We sent our crack-team* at the HRT news room out to all corners** of hurt-nation to find out how the summer has been going and asked*** our team to share some of their favorite stories from the summer.

Below are some of our favorite quotes from our extensive summer interview process**** of how the HURT summer went.

*one poor sap who volunteered to write this post
**he didn't go very far
***he may have failed to actually "ask"
****"quotes" should be more like "paraphrased"... or "made up"


HRT: Amy Duclos! How did your summer training go? Are you excited to be entering the collegiate racing scene?

Amy: "AWESOME! It was a great summer with lots of hiking, rollerskiing, and running.  Sarah and I both set a goal of finishing our 46 high peaks and we knocked them out right before the end of summer! What a thrill!  I can't wait to tackle my next series of goals.  I was a little pissed that Sarah made me carry her watermelon up the final pitch...but at least I got to eat it....after the picture of course." 

HRT: Aaron Huneck! How has the summer training been? Any big adventures or stories to tell?

Aaron: "Yeah man! What a summer!  I went out with my family out West to hike some crazy-high mountains and hit some state high points in Idaho, Wyoming.... and other states that I forget the names of... in the U.S. I think... yeah... in the U.S.  Anyways...EPIC! I nearly fell into a massive crevasse on one of the hikes, but whatever...I totally had it under control...nbd....anyways, while I was sliding down this massive glacier I realized that I could totally use that in my rollerski technique.  You can see me perfecting the nuances in the picture below! I am totally ready for winter! And I am especially stoked to be starting my senior year.  I think I am most excited about my intense school schedule.  I think I have first period "crafts." 


HRT: Owen!  We saw that you were excited about some of the "Big Dayz" planned for HURT skiers. How did those go? Did you have a favorite?

Owen: "Totally! I did some real good training this summer.  Probably the best day was the day I drove Huneck to Jericho, VT for a TT with Coach Adam and Mansfield Nordic.  What a sweet place.  Despite the fact that I had to leave at 4am to get there and was pulled over by the state police for stealing ski tights from the NYSSRA president's garage, it was a great day.  Besides, my hair is looking so good now that the cops let me off the hook with a simple speeding ticket.... so Huneck and I got to rock the tights on a hot, muggy, summer morning in VT." 



HRT: Great to catch up with you DPK! We hear you have been doing some great training over here in VT.  How's it been? Can you tell us about a typical training day for you?

DPK: "Sure thing! Last Friday was a perfect example of what my training looks like... I was fully prepared for a great classic rollerski after school (yeah, we start the school year early here), but was caught in an impromptu meeting with a classroom teacher that ate into my training time.  So, only slightly dismayed, I decided to drive home and adapt the plan to a trail run.  On my way home, I stopped by the side of the road to pick some wildflowers to give my spouse, Kate, a surprise.  As I am shoulder deep in a field of goldenrod, who should ski by but (arguably) Southern Vermont's and U.S.A.'s finest nordic skier, Mr. A. Newell. I got a heavy dose of emasculation and 3 seconds of technique study on my way home.  I then had some ice cream and cried myself to sleep.  It was a pretty typical day." 
-picture of DPK pre A.N. encounter.

-post encounter


We hope all of hurt-nation, and all nordic skiers far and wide, have had a great summer of training.  We are excited about what the fall will bring.  Stay tuned for important news about changes to HURT, and news about NYSSRA and NENSA happenings.  Already, HURT has launched a new website (same address....www.hurtnordicskiing.com) so if you haven't visited us in a while, please do so.  The NYSSRA planning meeting is scheduled for September 27th and we will be letting you know full details as it is finalized. 

Ski on!