This past week marked the end of summer programming for the Ford Sayre Nordic chapter. Starting in June, 27 JNT and high school athletes and 12 middle school athletes took part in a variety of training opportunities around the Upper Valley and beyond. Solid summer training is a cornerstone to having success in the winter, and the coaches are very proud of the progress they saw over the past couple of months and can’t wait to see how it translates on snow this coming winter. In the meantime we’ll be cheering on the athletes as they compete in fall sports for their high schools, and we’ll also soon be starting up again with fall programming for both the JNT and BKL programs.
BKL
BKL summer programming consisted of a rollerski practice on Mondays, an on-foot practice on Thursdays, and an additional rollerski practice combined with JNT on Wednesdays for rising eighth grade athletes. These practices were led by Head Coach Hilary McNamee, current JNT Assistant Coach Izzy Seay, former JNT Assistant Coach Andy Rightmire, and BKL alum Zach Edson.
A highlight of the program was a visit from NENSA during which the athletes got to have fun skiing through their new youth rollerski agility kit. The course included a variety of obstacles such as a slalom to weave through, arches to tuck under, 360s to navigate, and a bean bag toss. It was a particularly hot day, so they even had to watch out for coaches waiting at the ready with fully loaded squirt guns. Check out NENSA’s reel from the practice!
The program concluded with an extra fun practice in which the athletes exercised their creativity to make a music video. Although practices always included a lot of laughs, it’s safe to say this one had an above average amount.
Outside of Ford Sayre programming, several BKL athletes also jumped at the opportunity to attend camps at GMVS and SMS where they were able to get to know some of their peers from around the region and learn from other coaches.
JNT and High School
JNT and high school programming consisted of rollerski or on-foot practices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and some weekends, strength sessions twice a week, and two multi-day camps. These practices were led primarily by Head Coach Hilary McNamee and current JNT Assistant Coach Izzy Seay with occasional help from former JNT Assistant Coach Andy Rightmire.
Home Camp
Summer programming for this group of athletes kicked off with Home Camp in late June. Camp started off on a Thursday evening with an ice cream social before three full days of training and classroom sessions around the Upper Valley. The overarching goal of the camp was to provide athletes with a focused start to their summer training while also giving them the space to bond with each other and learn about important aspects of skiing beyond the physical training.
On Friday morning, athletes met at the Dartmouth Skiway where they completed an uphill run test starting at the AT and going south to finish at Holt’s Ledge. They started on 15 second intervals and took around 15 to 20 minutes to complete the 1.25 mile climb with just over 1,000 feet of climbing. All the athletes put in great efforts, and several came away with personal records, which was great to see!
After lunch, the athletes sat through the first of three classroom sessions of camp in which Hilary presented on “Physiology 101”. They learned about training fundamentals and how training causes the body to adapt to become a better skier. The classroom session was followed by strength training at Thetford Academy.
On Saturday morning, the athletes met at Barrett Hall in South Strafford where they started the day by watching videos of professional skiers to examine their double pole technique. With their observations in mind, they then headed out for a long distance classic rollerski with an emphasis on double poling. After finishing the two plus hour session, they returned to Barrett Hall to examine videos of themselves that the coaches took during the workout.
Saturday afternoon started with the second classroom session in which Izzy presented on recovery and explained the importance of recovery in order to adapt to training and gave examples of what proper recovery looks like. Following the classroom session, the athletes went on a short trail run before doing a teambuilding activity and playing a game of handball.
On the final day of Home Camp, the athletes met in Woodstock for a point-to-point over distance run on the AT. Ten miles later, the team returned to the Howe Library for the third and final classroom session in which they got to do a Zoom call with current professional skier Erin Bianco. Erin spoke candidly to the athletes on her unconventional path to becoming a professional skier, gave them great advice on how to approach training and racing as a high schooler, and even told a story about being in an elevator with Klaebo.
Mountain Camp
At the end of July, fifteen athletes made their way to Maine for Mountain Camp. The focus of the camp was on getting in lots of training hours and quality time together. On Thursday, after arriving at Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA), which is ideally located at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, the athletes went for a run before enjoying a summer cookout around the campfire for dinner.
Friday morning started with mobility and breakfast before driving to Long Falls Dam Road for a point-to-point classic rollerski. Double pole technique has been a central focus this summer, and the long gradual uphill provided a great opportunity for the athletes to practice what they’ve been working on. After lunch and some downtime, the team headed out from CVA for a run on the nordic ski trails at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center followed by a game of volleyball. Let’s just say there’s a reason these kids ski and don’t play volleyball!
On Saturday morning, the athletes did a continuous threshold ski walking session on the access road to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. From the top, they were able to look out and see the Bigelow Range on which they would run the next day. After making their way back down the mountain, the team enjoyed a refreshing swim in the river. For the afternoon session, the team did a skate rollerski with some specific technique drills from CVA through the neighborhoods at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Safir and Caleb ski walking up the access road (left). The team at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain after finishing a threshold ski walking session up the access road (middle). Izzy, Maya, and Annie cooling off in the river after the session (right).
Mountain Camp wrapped up on Sunday with a big over distance run in the Bigelow Range. The older athletes did a 14 mile loop with over 4,500 feet of climbing in which they got to summit Mount Bigelow and Mount Avery and experience some fantastic views. The younger athletes did a slightly shorter loop, also with some great views, and got to spend some time at Horns Pond.
In between training sessions, the athletes enjoyed spending quality time together at CVA. Between the game room, puzzles, watching the Olympics, and a great outdoor space, there was not a shortage of fun activities. Overall, the team could not have asked for a better weekend!
Running in the Presidential Range and Rollins Roll
The final week of summer programming included two particularly exciting days. On Wednesday, the team left bright and early to spend the day running in the Presidential Range. Older athletes completed the entire Presidential Traverse, a well-known almost 20 mile route with over 8,500 feet of climbing that runs north to south to span the Presidential Range and summits some of the highest peaks in the White Mountains, including Mount Washington. Younger athletes stayed with the group until Mount Washington, where they then backtracked to descend off of Mount Jefferson to complete a slightly shorter route. Clear weather provided some spectacular views, and everyone was still smiling after the eight hour day!
The team completing the Presidential Traverse (left). John, Olin, and Ollie with Mount Washington in the background (right).
On Sunday, some of the athletes headed to Mount Kearsarge to compete in the Rollins Roll. The uphill classic rollerski race starts at the base of Rollins State Park and climbs 1,500 feet over the course of 3.5 miles to the summit of Mount Kearsarge. Ford Sayre athletes successfully strided their way through the clouds that were encompassing the mountain. Lea Perrard was the overall winner of the women’s race with a time of 30:30. Annie Hanna followed closely behind and finished third overall with a time of 31:27. Izzy Cellini and Ingrid Groff also put in strong efforts to finish in eighth and eleventh overall, respectively. On the men’s side, Noah Branchflower finished in a time of 27:30 to claim third overall and second junior. Isaac Novosad and Tomas Masterson followed in ninth and tenth overall, respectively. After a strong start, James Underwood unfortunately experienced an equipment malfunction but still managed to make it to the summit on one rollerski with a smile on his face.
Isaac striding his way up Mount Kearsarge (left). Noah crossing the finish line to finish in third overall and second junior (middle). Lea and Annie being recognized for their first and third place overall finishes (right).
Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field
Outside of training, the team hosted the second annual Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field. For the event, the athletes worked together to cook and serve guests a locally sourced, family-style meal in the flower fields of Cloca Mora Floral. 29 tickets were sold and $2,500 was raised for the JNT Athlete Travel Fund, which offsets qualification-based championship race trip expenses for members of the team. Thanks to all who played a part in making the event a success!
Scenes from a successful Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Flower field at Cloca Mora Floral.