The fight for our sport

Avid readers of this blog know that this forum is not a place for particularly serious commentary.  More often, it is a place for....

a) reading about NYSSRA ski news that you already know about because we are often days late on race reporting and sharing pictures (all of which you have already seen on other peoples tweet-o-gram accounts and facebook pages)

b) quasi-parodic reports mimicking our favorite fasterskier articles and contributors.

c) a place to amp up the Peru vs. HURT rivalry so that on the ranking of "greatest sports rivalries" of all time we can fall somewhere between the great minor league hockey rivalry between the Fort Wayne Komets and the Quad-City Mallards, and say....Bills vs. Jets.

However, for just a moment I would like to talk some serious.

This has been a tough winter.  It is clear that the future of our earth's climate presents boom or bust winters for most of our country.  Last year, we give slight sympathetic sighs as we looked at headlines showing dry peaks of the West and then clipped into our skis for our 100th day on snow and 1000th kilometer.  This year we see and feel the struggle.  Ski businesses are struggling, livelihoods are threatened and for some our skis have been barely scraped.  It is easy to give up on nordic skiing and racing in a season like this.  Nobody would blame you for an instant. But that is giving up on the fight.

This past weekend (and during the past couple weeks) I had a chance to see what makes our nordic ski community amazing.  There are a lot of people who are fighting for our sport.  While the pictures below may be focused on the spandex-clad performers, the true champions are as follows:

-Mike Pratt, Sam Allison and every single groomer and Gore Mountain staff members at the Ski Bowl in North Creek who are committed to helping support the high school nordic skiers and citizen racers in NY.  They are committed to providing a venue for skiing.  They blew snow, pushed it, shoveled it, groomed it, adapted the course, flagged the stadium, listened to feedback, and helped make the last two weekends of racing happen and made many other high school training and racing opportunities possible....at a loss.  This is a group of folks committed to our community and I want to thank them.  I thought that when I drove over last Saturday from Vermont at 5am I would be the first one there....I was wrong. Champions.

-Steve Tomb is a guy who has an endless vat of enthusiasm and creativity.  He wants to make great opportunities for kids on snow and he doesn't know the meaning of "no."  I am proud to be able to work with him from time to time, Section 2 is so lucky to have him lead that core of coaches, and HURT is lucky to have him on our team. Champion.

-Bob Underwood.  The guy is hobbled (not for long!) and supposedly retired and yet he has dedicated himself to timing, organizing, and running the best possible events for the nordic community.  His persistent drive cannot be understated and should not go under-appreciated. And he is still going to beat you in a ski race this winter. Champion.

-The high school coaches.  It is hard to coach a group of high school students in nordic skiing without snow.  It is hard.  They are endlessly creative and flexible and willing to go to the greatest lengths to help their kids succeed and to get them to ski races.  Champions.

-Parents and volunteers.  At this past Queensbury invitational I was witness to a host of capable and enthusiastic parents who stepped up to time, guide, record and start the racers throughout the day.  And those that weren't working were doing everything they could to create an amazing nordic ski environment for the kids. They are all-in for nordic skiing.  Champions.

It is because of these people that I believe in the fight for our sport and for our community.  I just need to work on setting up my "go-fund-a-rally-me" page so I can trade my hybrid-but-not-quite-there Prius in for a Nissan Leaf so I don't continue to be part of the problem. (Oh, and another go-kick-a-start-me page for R&D to make environmentally friendly high fluoro wax. Oh, the priorities...)

 #winterpleasecomeback


Yes.....we did include some pics from the Queensbury Invy....'cause it still is a ski blog.  Results are here too....but you've already seen those.

HURT's Eliza Blood skiing to a podium spot in the JNQ.

Talk about parent support! One of the best!  (and she snaps good photos too)

The race set-up was world-class. 

HURT's B. Beyerbach skis along a spectator-lined course.  

We made it happen! Mega Relay survives rough winter

The winter gods have been unkind to the NYSSRA race schedule. But in the wake of nature's bad behavior came a whole lot of elbow-grease and can-do spirit.  Thanks to the folks at Gore Mountain and the hard work of Steve Tomb, Sam Allison and others in the North Creek area we were able to pull of a great 6 hour Mega-Relay.  The race brought 60+ skiers together, on a challenging 2K loop in relatively balmy weather.   It ended up being a great event for all....and as always...the margins of victory were tiny in all race fields.

Thanks to everyone who brought the amazing food to the potluck.

Full results can be found here: http://nyssranordic.org/results/

Great day at Ski bowl for xc racing!

Only 5:59 to go!

Chris Y storming up the climbs

Snow guns on full blast to make the ski bowl THE place to be for skiing so far

HURT's newest batch of young guns preparing to battle with reigning Peru champs

The winning group of boys with their coach (from Peru no less...)

With or Without Snow

Even though the disappointing weather pattern and news of the Season Opener cancellation HURT nordic is finding ways to keep skiing and preparing for another great season.

1) HURT Youngins' - Hurt nation is looking to draft young and build for the future.  Chris Y is starting a BKYSL program in the Saratoga area.  So if you know of a little one looking to have fun on snow, check out the details here: http://www.hurtnordicskiing.com/hurt-laydzbkysl.html

2) Bolstered Roster - HURT had some big acquisitions in the last couple weeks that will help the retooled HURT team make another run at the points banner.  We are real excited to welcome John Salls, Maddie McGill, Sydney Herrick, Callie Flynn, Nino-Dan-Anna Manzella and Bill and Sue Blood to the competition roster.  Some solid youth talent in this bunch plus some highly coveted points in the Senior and Master categories

3) Junior Clinic - While most of NY was eating another round of cookies and contemplating going on a 40 degree bike ride, HURT was out hosting a junior skate clinic at the Ski Jump Complex in Lake Placid.  In partnership with Section 2 coaches and ORDA, HURT held a day clinic that had kids rollerskiing, bounding, skiing on snow and getting some solid technique instruction from some of the best coaches in the area.  With almost 60 kids in attendance it was a great day of ski training and community building.  We were pumped to see such enthusiasm in a winter that has started out so poorly.  Check out out facebook page for the full round of photos.  Here are some of our favorites. 

little warm-up before the action

straight chillin'

ripping the roller loop

technique and transitions

that's right....that is snow

"So....how does this white stuff work? what do we do?

body position is key

...and fast feet

Dave trying to look like things are organized

more body position

agility and games

 While racing doesn't look like it will happen too soon, we are pumped for nordic anyway!  Special Thanks to all the section 2 coaches and ORDA coaches that volunteered their time.  Thanks to ORDA for working with us to get our kids some on snow time and thanks to all the parents that got their kids to  Lake Placid for the day.

Fear Not

The end of October can be a tough time.  It is filled with cold-rain, early darkness, and to make matters worse snow seems tantalizingly close. Not to mention there are the hosts of walking dead...

Zombie hoard? or nordic team returning from an OD?

Here at the HRT newsroom, we have compiled a "Fear Not" list to get you excited for start of the season.  

1) Watch out for Wildcats - Over the past few seasons HURT has been able to run away with the first 20 points of the club championship points series.  Our membership has consistently carried the "first race" of the NYSSRA season for many seasons but this year we have a new challenger from the south. The Wilderness Wildcats are currently swarming the NYSSRA membership registration board and even a second place finish could spell the end for HURT Nordic's championship run. Remember how close it was last year?  So...HURT nation! start asking/cajoling/bribing/forcing/ your friends and family to signup and race for HURT. Fear not....we will be racing in force.

Pennsylvania Wildcats have joined NYSSRA - a game changer?

2) Scary-good Racing - In case you missed it, the NYSSRA race calendar has started to take shape.  While full race details has yet to fully be received from individual promoters, the race season is starting to take shape.  You can check out all the proposed races and start making your travel plans. Perhaps a highlight this year is that NYSSRA Championships will be held before our top juniors leave for Junior Nationals and after the close of their high school racing season.  For the first time in many years top juniors will be able to take the snow along side New York's top open/masters racers.  This should make for an especially dramatic Wilkinson Cup Series and Club Championship relay (our CCR drought is still the one monkey we can't get off our back...with top junior talent, will this be the year?)  Be sure you highlight the HURT mega-relay and the HURT-athon! 

3) Scared of Suffering? - We know you aren't.  So come on out to the annual rollerski race up Prospect Mtn. Highway.  It is the annual November invasion by our nemesis-from-the-north,  Peru Nordic and they will be down on November 1st at 11am for a rollerski race up the 5 mile highway.  Bring a bag with your shoes for a fun hike down and enjoy the great pre-season test.  

pretty scary looking logo....although don't they say visual symmetry is calming?  hmmm?

Have a great Halloween and Fear not.....winter is coming....and HURT ain't scared!

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!

HURT Camp 2015

July brings the real summer heat and the annual HURT nordic junior development ski camp.  Each year the camp seems to get better and this year was no exception.  Camp this year featured several new additions.  HURT brought in some very experienced coaching from Adam Terko (Mansfield Nordic), Callie Douglass (Vermont EHSC team and Colby assistant coach),  Ethan Townsend (SLU head coach), Steve Tomb (Johnsburg Nordic) and HURT's DPK and Bob Underwood.  Additionally, the new coaching internship program brought in Seth Mares (Michigan Tech, HURT) and Hilary Saucy (UMPI).  All this leadership meant juniors were treated to small group work and plenty of technical feedback over the week.  

The week started with a focus on goal setting, teamwork and new physical challenges.  ACC opened up their challenge and high ropes course to HURT campers and it created a nice illustration of the way athletes set lofty goals, calculate mini-process goals, work as a team, adapt to challenges and overcome obstacles.  Many of the challenges high level nordic skiers face are mental and this gave our athletes a chance to face their own fears and get after it!  There is nothing quite like jumping off that pamper-pole!  

 taking a page out of old-school Norwegian ski training

keeping the team all on the wires

vertical playpen

In between morning and afternoon training sessions, coaches took an opportunity to talk about many aspects of being a nordic athlete.  USA development biathlete Brian Halligan shared valuable knowledge on periodization, Callie and Ethan talked about NCAA skiing, DPK talked about club skiing and opportunities of NY high school skiers and Coach Tomb talked through pre-race mental preparations, positive self-talk, recovery and rest.  So much valuable information for athletes at EVERY LEVEL! 

While much of the week was spent rollerskiing, doing technique drills, getting long easy distance on rollerskis, and building a strong base; the week featured a fast and furious uphill time trial and skate TT.  For the first time ever, EVERY SINGLE hurt camper broke 30 minutes on the uphill run up West Mountain.  While the Ben Anderson course record remains intact, it was the most competitive at the front of the race as well.  Campers were joined by MWSC standout Austin Huneck and Clarkson sophomore Brian Chrzan.  Check out the solid results below:

Austin Huneck* 15:28

Nino Manzella   15:31

DPK*   16:04

Adam Terko*   16:13

Seamus Tomb   16:17

Eric Houck   16:31

Brian Chrzan*   16:41

Seth Mares*   16:53

Aaron Huneck   17:40

Casey T.   17:47

Owen P.   18:28

Adam C.   18:32

Justin   18:39

Joe    18:42

Sarah D.   18:59

Tyler   19:20

Dan M.   19:50

Dowon L.   19:51

Adam M.   19:54

Hilary Saucy*   20:03

Ben   20:20

Sullivan   20:41

Amy D.   20:47

Eliza Blood   21:16

James C.   22:20

Brendan T.   22:29

Claire L.   23:25

Sophie   25:50

Nick   27:14

Sarah M.   27:59

Anna   28:04

Emily   28:10

Allison   28:25

Group shot at the summit

Special Thanks to Rudy Project, Stewarts Shops, Price Chopper and The Sportspage in Queensbury for their continued support of the junior ski camp.  The new Rudy's were the coveted prizes and the new race poles from Sportspage will be great on the snow.  And the Stewart's ice cream....what a great treat! 

It is awesome to have such great support from such fine business and supporters of youth camps. 

It wasn't all work and no play....the HURT ladies saw to that.  When asked by HURT nordic "HOW WILL YOU BRING IT?".....they answered........"with whips".  Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhRyPUFZhP8&feature=youtu.be

Like us on facebook or visit our photo gallery at http://www.hurtnordicskiing.com/pictures.html to see more pictures from the 2015 camp.  Technique videos for campers will be posted on the site in a few days. 

Keep your eyes on all HURT social media outlets for upcoming August "Big Dayz".  Seth is already setting up something for August 1st and DPK is looking to set up another assault on on the Green Mountains.  

Big Dayz Series

The HRT newsroom is excited to report on the newest brain-child of the HURT sadistic-over-distance-training-committee.... also known as the H.U.R.T.S.O.D.T.C.

Despite being investigated for crimes against humanity and overuse of letters in an acronym, the HURTSODTC team has unveiled a new "Big Dayz" series designed to inspire big off-season training sessions and an overall "hardening" of the HURT race team.

You too can play along at home....You do not need to be a HURT member to play along....so here is how it works.  Visit our facebook page and post a picture from an epic day of training. In your post you should include time, distance and any other details that make your training day the most amazing.

On September 1st the "Big Dayz" training session with the most "likes" will win a HURT nordic prize pack*

*prize pack is valued at slightly more than "meh" but slightly under "AWESOME-SAUCE!"

Rules:
-Your training day should be more than 4 hours
-It should include more than 1 feat of athleticism (multi-sport)
-It should include more than 1 person. (race events are included in training sessions and multi-person activities)


There have already been two opening shots fired in the "Big Dayz" competition.

1) Heidi Underwood rocks Ironman Quebec.   'Nuff said....she is badass and she rocks her guns on the podium.  Boom.

2) SMS invasion.   The O.P. and DPK get together with Peru's newest recruit for 5,000+ ft of road bike climbing and a foot assault on Stratton VT and Stratton Peak. The bike/climb/bike combo was a big day for all.  Operating with the attitude of "There is still good in him" the two HURT speedsters felt that a full day with Chris might turn away from the "Cystic Fibrosis fighting menace from the north".  Alas the connection with CF is strong in that one.

necessary summit selfie

great day for a big day

post-ride bro pic

Chris preparing for the morning bike ride (Manchester-Londonerry-Stratton loop)

So get after it!  Share your big dayz. If you want to plan one and get some company just let the H.U.R.T.S.O.D.T.C know.  We will help spread the word!