Macalester AOYTBN* Race at Elk River

Mark your calendars: March 7 at Woodland Trails in Elk River the Macalester Nordic Ski Team will host the As-of-yet-to-be-named (*AOYTBN) race on the wonderful trails at Elk River. The races will be 10k and 20k freestyle events and start at 11 a.m. using the outer trail (10k per lap) at Woodland Trails in Elk River with the Prairie Loop start. Conditions there are excellent, and the trails generally hold snow longer than anywhere else in the area.

Registration, on-site, will be $30, and $15 for high school-and-younger racers. Cash, or checks made payable to "Macalester College." All proceeds from the race will go to the Woodlands Trails grooming crew and to support the Macalester Nordic Ski Team.

We can make no guarantees, but we're ordering up good grooming and, hopefully, sunny skies under a bright, March sun.

Questions? Leave a comment here or email ari.ofsevit [at] gmail.

Email list this year

Mass emails seem to work better than blogs for organizing, so please check your email for frequent ski team updates.

Thanks!

Friday, Saturday, Moraday

Friday: I'll attend 3:30 practice--I'm getting up early for work so I'll skip out early. We should ski 60-100 minutes, with some short intervals (45 to at most 90 seconds, without full recovery) and make sure to have a nice, long cool down.

Also, I need to get Mora information in tomorrow. Please email me with your exact requests.

Saturday: Let's plan to have a practice at some point, and we'll wax skis, too.

Sunday: Race folks will depart early, around 6:30 a.m. Others, if you can find a driver, can go skiing when we get back.

Monday: will be a day off for me, anyway.

This week

Tuesday: 4:30, leave ASAP, 1.5 hours at Wirth most likely, back by dinner.

Wednesday: 4:30, leave ASAP, 1.5 hours most likely at Wirth, back by dinner.

Thursday: 6:45 to Wirth or Battle Creek, back by 9:15. There may be another session in the afternoon around 3:30.

Friday: 4:30, back by dinner.

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Mora—if there is interest.

If you are interested in skiing at Mora please decide by Thursday and let me know.

Also, if you have time to kill, you can watch the entire Vasaloppet—in Swedish!—which is beyond amazing. 13,000 skier mass start. 90k. Yeah, I have to get over there one of these years.

Saturday

I will be going for a short, easy ski somewhere Saturday around 10, probably not at Wirth (Battle Creek most likely). If you are interested in coming, email me. We won't have a van so the first three people to confirm attendance get to go. Call (7817101558) or email to confirm.

We'll be back by the end of brunchtime.

Monday Jan 26

Here's the deal:

Please come to a meeting at 4:30, whether you plan on skiing or not. We'll meet in the foyer of the athletic center. If you have class and are a few minutes late, no worries. If you can't make it, also no worries. If you plan to ski, bring skate or classic skis, whatever you fancy. Both should be good.

I'm not sure exactly about transportation for tomorrow. I'll try to arrange for a van by the time we are going somewhere. This may or may not work. If it doesn't, I can take people in my car (might be cramped) and perhaps grab an HOURCAR for us as a last resort. We'll take a rather easy day tomorrow, maybe just a couple laps of Como, depending on traffic. We'll be back by 6:30 most likely, 7:00 if no one skiing has evening class.

To answer a few more questions which have popped up:

• We do have a place to wax. I'll try to get it set up this week. If someone has some free time during the day I'm sure that you can be of help doing this.
• It sounds like there is interest in some morning skiing. MWF mornings sound the most plausible. Plan this week on 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday to Wirth or Battle Creek. If there is a van driver amongst you who comes along and we go to Battle Creek and you can drop me at work on the way back I will love you forever.
• There should be a van driver training at some point in the next couple weeks. If you are 19 and have a relatively clean driving record, please do this. It makes everyone's life easier.
• It'll be pretty warm tomorrow (for those of you who have been in Minnesota) and pretty cold for others. Dress in layers if you aren't adapted to it.

See you tomorrow.

Thanks,

--ari

Welcome back. Dress warm. Bring skis.

We'll hit the trails on Monday. Skiing is outstanding—it hasn't been above freezing since December. I'd dare to say I've never seen it better.

Sunday: Long ski At 10:00 or 11:00 or noon or so. Somewhere fun (Murphy is calling). Call/email me if interested.
Monday: 4:45 departure from field house for ski trails. Bring skis.