The Past:
We've spent the last couple of days really feeling our way into race season, while simultaneously praying for snow. It hasn't snowed, but I at least am feeling pretty comfortable with where I'm at ski-wise, and I think most of the team is in the same boat.
We did our usual race week routine, with intervals on Wednesday instead of Tuesday because the carnival is a day late. We did repeats of a 3 minute piece, where the first minute was L3/L4, the second was L4/L5, and the last minute was lower L4. Men did 6 or 7 while the women did 5. The idea was to simulate attacking in races, where you have to hop out of zone for a while before relaxing again. With the chaos of a mass start this weekend, it's going to be helpful.
The Future:
Speaking of this weekend, it's looking like it'll be a super fun set of races at Colby Carnvial, with both the men and women skiing 15k Classic mass starts on Saturday, followed by sprint relays on Sunday. I don't think anyone on the team has done a sprint relay before, so we are both excited and maybe a little nervous. James sent out an example video of the 2013 US women's World Championship win as an example. I'm afraid I don't have the ponytail required to quite mimic their performance, but hopefully Connor Gray can make up for it.
In other news: my wax pick of the weekend is Rode Blue Multigrade, and our current Men's team MVP is Parker Mcdonald, for his awesome showing in the 10k and all-around good looks.
The wax of champions
Parker skied on Blue Multigrade in a skate race and still won MVP
And Finally, our sophomore biographies:
Henry Colt
Hometown: Whately, MA
Spirit Animal: Bluefish
Major: English
Favorite Song: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss by Rising Appalachia
Dream Date: Cooking steaks on the grill.
Hailing from the wilderness of Western Massachusetts, Henry spent his childhood skiing from snowbound town to snowbound town. Years of standing in the freezing cold and watching the slow decline of the integrity of the Patriots football program led him to choose to go to school in sunny Southern California. There he spent many months running on the beach and surfing. But something was missing. He longed for the ice and wind of the Northeast, and missed the joy of skiing.
And so Henry left the beach and came to the heart of New England- Lewiston. Although he has only been with the team for a few weeks, Henry has quickly gained a reputation for his dour and taciturn demeanor, which hides a deeply sensitive personality.
Hailing from the wilderness of Western Massachusetts, Henry spent his childhood skiing from snowbound town to snowbound town. Years of standing in the freezing cold and watching the slow decline of the integrity of the Patriots football program led him to choose to go to school in sunny Southern California. There he spent many months running on the beach and surfing. But something was missing. He longed for the ice and wind of the Northeast, and missed the joy of skiing.
And so Henry left the beach and came to the heart of New England- Lewiston. Although he has only been with the team for a few weeks, Henry has quickly gained a reputation for his dour and taciturn demeanor, which hides a deeply sensitive personality.
Parker McDonald
Class of 2018, age 20.
Hometown: Vail, CO
Spirit Animal: Salmon
Major: Sociology
Favorite Song: My Humps by Fergie
Dream Date: Picnic on a tropical beach followed (45 minutes later of course) by swimming in the clear water below a beautiful waterfall.
From a young age, Parker was raised with olympic dreams. But when a tragic crash in the 2007 doubles figure skating championships left his partner with a crippling fear of ice, he was forced to fall back on nordic skiing. Despite his initial reservations at participating in an individual sport, Parker soon excelled and found himself with a one-way ticket to Bates. There, he soon gained a reputation as a dangerous skier, willing to risk it all on inside-line passes and aggressive downhill lines. His actions in the first mass start of his collegiate career left him with the nickname "The Heartbreak Kid."
Outside the course, Parker is reserved and shy, attributes that have left him unaware as his status as Bates' most eligible bachelor. When not studying, training, or practicing zen yoga, Parker can be found playing frisbee in the quad, enthusiastically cheering on the other Bates athletic teams, and other activities meant to get him a place in the next Bates marketing video.
Dylan Thombs
Hometown: Monmouth, ME
Spirit Animal: American Badger
Major: Biology and Environmental Science (Ecology)
Favorite Song: Ashokan Farewell by Jay Unger
Dream Date: Fishing for dinner and then cooking it and eating it on the banks of a stream.
Known by his self-given nickname of "The D-Train," Dylan epitomizes the essence of Maine. He proudly wakes every morning and downs a bottle of Moxie, followed by a breakfast of potatoes and lobster. Known around campus for his lumberjack-esque flannels, collection of Bean Boots (bought at thrift shops, not in that commercialized strip mall called Freeport), and for sneezing at the mere mention of any spice stronger than black pepper. This is not to say that Dylan is not well traveled, as he is keen to point out that he visits Northern Massachusetts every time he drives through Portland, ME.
On the race course, Dylan can be picked out by his signature curls, which according to him he shampoos every third day, but conditions daily to "maintain luster." Of all of the men's team, Dylan proudly holds the record for biggest bench press (210lbs), biggest bicep curl (55lbs), and largest power clean (no one else has had the guts to try).
Known by his self-given nickname of "The D-Train," Dylan epitomizes the essence of Maine. He proudly wakes every morning and downs a bottle of Moxie, followed by a breakfast of potatoes and lobster. Known around campus for his lumberjack-esque flannels, collection of Bean Boots (bought at thrift shops, not in that commercialized strip mall called Freeport), and for sneezing at the mere mention of any spice stronger than black pepper. This is not to say that Dylan is not well traveled, as he is keen to point out that he visits Northern Massachusetts every time he drives through Portland, ME.
On the race course, Dylan can be picked out by his signature curls, which according to him he shampoos every third day, but conditions daily to "maintain luster." Of all of the men's team, Dylan proudly holds the record for biggest bench press (210lbs), biggest bicep curl (55lbs), and largest power clean (no one else has had the guts to try).
Connor Gray
Class of 2018, age 20.
Hometown: Whitefish, MT
Spirit Animal:
Major: Environmental Economics
Favorite Song: Pimps by 2 Chainz
Dream Date: Back country skiing followed by dinner at a fancy steakhouse.
Known throughout Bates for his trademark long locks of hair and signature laid back style, Connor is much more than his carefully cultivated ski-bum persona. A purveyor of classical music, Connor owns a 1943 Crosley Cruiser record player, which can be heard playing a selection Handel and Bach at all hours. In addition, he is an aficionado of the elite sport of horse polo, an although he has never played, he describes it as quote: "Super underground," and "Totally accessible." While some have accused him of adopting a hipster lifestyle, Connor ignores them and rides into the sunlight on his restored '88 All-Aluminum Schwinn Speedster fixie.
Although he originally got into Nordic skiing as an alternative to the overly "corporate" running scene, Connor soon excelled in his chosen fields of sprinting and 20k classic mass starts. Today he is a staunch supporter of the use of Klister binders, brightly colored boots, and a return to the gracefully upswept tips of the 1980s.
Known throughout Bates for his trademark long locks of hair and signature laid back style, Connor is much more than his carefully cultivated ski-bum persona. A purveyor of classical music, Connor owns a 1943 Crosley Cruiser record player, which can be heard playing a selection Handel and Bach at all hours. In addition, he is an aficionado of the elite sport of horse polo, an although he has never played, he describes it as quote: "Super underground," and "Totally accessible." While some have accused him of adopting a hipster lifestyle, Connor ignores them and rides into the sunlight on his restored '88 All-Aluminum Schwinn Speedster fixie.
Although he originally got into Nordic skiing as an alternative to the overly "corporate" running scene, Connor soon excelled in his chosen fields of sprinting and 20k classic mass starts. Today he is a staunch supporter of the use of Klister binders, brightly colored boots, and a return to the gracefully upswept tips of the 1980s.
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