Thanks to all who participated in any way in the 2017 running of the Mollyockett 1 and 5 mile races!  Results.

The Bethel Outing Club is pleased to announce that it will be offering its 4^th annual summer programming for junior Nordic skiers ages 12 & up. The seven week program runs from June 22nd to August 10th. This youth program is designed to help cross country skiers of all abilities develop skills to improve their winter skiing.  Our knowledgeable coaching team is led by Fred Bailey and Brad Clarke, with guest appearances from other local coaches, including former US Ski Team coach Dick Taylor.  We strive to create a fun environment and a good peer group for the participants to have a variety of training partners and enjoy the social aspects of skiing.  We have a new structure this year to allow participants to tailor their summer training to best fit their individual needs.  Participants can now choose between one, two, or three evening sessions per week, with supplemental strength training available two mornings per week for older high school students.  Further details, registration and scholarship forms can be found under the programs tab on the BOC website (http://bethelouting.org/page-18079).  Forms should be mailed to the BOC at P.O. Box 637 Bethel, ME 04217.  If you have further questions, please contact Fred Bailey at fredbaileytraildesign@gmail.com.

From the Bill Koch Festival chairs:

We have had a couple organizations (Bancroft Construction and the Sunday River Ski Club) sponsor the festival by specifically donating money in support of local area kids to participate in the Bill Koch Festival hosted by Bethel Outing Club and sponsored by the New England Nordic Ski Association. 

Please, if you have a child or know a child who cannot afford to be part of this event, feel free to have them contact me at BKLfest2017info@gmail.com, and I will make sure we get them a NENSA license and an entry into the weekends festivities!

The intention of this ‘fund’ is to encourage kids in the after school Ski Programs at CPS and Woodstock who may otherwise not participate in such a program - they do NOT have to compete.  They can join the “adventure” category and still enjoy all of the benefits and festivities over the 2 days.  

If anyone has any questions or suggestions on this, please feel free to email Tracyn or call/text 207-357-1442

Thanks so much!  http://bklfestival2017.com/

Tracyn & Wade 

• When; Sat, January 07, 2017
• Location: Telstar High School, Bethel, Maine

From Coach Sarah Southam:

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for the help already offered! We are getting closer to the date and I am looking for several more spots to fill. With the snow coming in tomorrow, we should have amazing conditions this year. The Telstar team did some great trail work yesterday to prepare the trails for more snow.

On January 7th, 300-400 high school skiers will be arriving to participate in the relays. I think the numbers will be big this year since the race does not fall over vacation. 

Here is the link  to the google sign-up and a volunteer list pdf is attached.

Thank you so much. I know there has been a large demand on your spirit of volunteerism. We really appreciate it!

Sarah (Email Sarah)

For Immediate Release                    December 15, 2016        Bethel Outing Club Contact: Norm Greenberg, ngreenberg17@gmail.com

The cross-country ski center based at the Bethel Inn Resort will be operated by a team of non-profit groups this winter. Mahoosuc Pathways and Bethel Outing Club plan to open the ski center on December 23rd, according to Bethel Inn Resort General Manager, Allen Connors. The center will continue to offer skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking on the Inn’s scenic trails. Said Connors, “We have enjoyed offering top notch trails and service to our guests for years, but this partnership with these dedicated, local organizations will create noticeable improvement this year.”

“The groups saw the ski center as a chance to save a critical recreational amenity for the community, and there is huge excitement among all of the partners,” said Gabe Perkins, Executive Director of Mahoosuc Pathways, which will orchestrate the collaboration. Perkins stated that the initiative is part of a broader vision to expand to a network of year-round, multi-use trails encompassing venues like Sunday River and Mt. Abram.

The Bethel Outing Club (BOC) will provide programming, including ski lessons, clinics, special events, and presentations for locals and visitors. Major events include the New England Nordic Ski Association Women’s Ski Day on January 22nd, Flying Moose Classic February 4th, and the New England Bill Koch League Ski Festival March 3-5. “The Bethel area has built a reputation in the Northeast for hosting successful Nordic events”, said BOC board member Carlie Casey. Casey, a veteran technical delegate for the International Ski Federation, cited the 2012 USCSA National Collegiate Championships held at the Bethel Inn and organized by former Nordic Center director Mike Cooper.

BOC members recently tested snow guns that BOC and Gould Academy purchased two years ago, which increases reliability of adequate snow cover for events and for recreational skiers.   BOC and dozens of volunteer shovelers came out in force at the eleventh hour when the regionwide U16 championships was moved to Bethel in March 2016, thanks to a heroic volunteer effort during a year with scarce natural snow. 

The groups realize the enormity of the challenge, given that they were not approached until Thanksgiving, leaving less than a month to organize a collaborative plan, raise start-up funds, and tap local skiers and trail supporters for a largely volunteer project. “We think the nonprofit model gives the Nordic operation the best chance for long-term sustainability, and so far, the community is jumping in with both feet,” said BOC Community Coach Wade Kavanagh.

Volunteer opportunities, season pass purchase options, wish list and information regarding tax-deductible donations can be found at www.mahoosucpathways.org and by contacting Mahoosuc Pathways at 207-200-8240 or info@mahoosucpathways.org.

Field report from Bruce Pierce: Jeremy and I fired up the snowmaking guns after I disassembled, cleaned up and re-gooped the Hale H2Opump from a failed attempt last week.  Today with success we flowed H2O through 2 SnowGuns and the pump help, 160lbs. PSI, up for the short duration of testing. We are on the way to getting this system up and running in preparation for colder weather.

YAY! :)  

Mark your calendars for Fri Oct 28 and Sat the 29th for the ski sale in Bethel, Maine.  Volunteers: keep your eyes peeled for meeting notices and volunteer opportunities to be part of the fun team that does the magic each year.

Always the last weekend in October, the Ski Sale has provided a community service for thirty-five years by bringing new and used equipment from major ski shops and local and visiting skiers, with any proceeds benefitting the charitable purposes of the BOC. The club keeps 20% of the sale price for items that sell.

How to Get Items in the Sale 

Each item must have a signed & completed ski sale tag.  BEAT THE RUSH AND TAG YOUR GEAR IN ADVANCE SO ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DROP IT OFF AT THE SALE!  Tags purchased and fully completed in advance are free for up to four items & 25 cents each after the 4th item.  They will be available at the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce (824-2282, located at Bethel Station & on the web at www.bethelmaine.com) and True North Adventure Ware (824-2201) during business hours.  This offer ends at 3:00 p.m. on the Friday of the sale.

Equipment may also be tagged at the ski sale beginning  after 3:00 p.m. on Friday of the sale but subject to a .50/item tag fee for items that aren’t tagged in advance.  Look for signs designating the entrance for “WALK-IN SALES” at the sale venue.

Master  coach Dick Taylor recently talked with Telstar Middle School track runners about their shin splints, strains or jams. In Dick's talking points below, he explains their experience to them in light of their mysterious and often chaotic phases of growth. Says Dick, "I was also trying to teach them how to avoid some of those shocks by more accurately understanding how their bodies create the best movement."

Body change sequences when kids start growing:

Bones grow (lengthen) first, extending your levers.

Muscles follow, lagging behind a little, so for a while they’re stretched extra by the bones they’re hitched to. They’ll feel less flexible because of that. Easy running and gentle stretching help them out.

Ligaments and tendons are last in line to grow. They’re the cushions and finer spring works around the joints where the muscles also attach.

The extra leverage possible with greater limb length can produce greater force and speed of movement, but it’s too soon to attempt it. The muscles, ligaments and tendons are too tender for full speed or length. Things can too easily be shocked or jammed, running too hard or jumping.

So how do you approach running as fast as you’d like? Focus on technique – the big circle underneath your hip joints – springing up from your toes, feathery, as your knees lift nicely. You may be oddly upright doing this, and tall, as if looking down from the shed roof, barely connecting with the ground, just brushing the ground passing beneath you.

But just focusing on the springy movement creates its own speed, without your having to press for it, and allows the leg/foot springs to cushion each landing. Relying on the natural “let go” and avoiding any jamming or shock to muscles and joints. It’s how you maintain your own growth and steady progress, the way your body likes best to move.

And there will always be up’s and down’s. Expect both, discover both, both have useful information for you. Be patient, love the details.

Coaches, here’s an instructive story about American Pharoah’s development into a Triple Crown winner. (New York Times, April 18, 2016), “An Early Glimpse of Magic.”

I’ll quote just a couple of things.

“The first time the McKathan brothers let the colt sample what an open gallop felt like, it was at once breathtaking and terrifying. He burst into a stride that had him skipping over the ground like a hovercraft. He went way too fast and way too far. When the rider finally pulled him up, J.B. McKathan told him, ‘If you let that horse run again, I’m going to break your arm’….. the brothers did everything in their power not to tax the colt. He was still growing, still getting fit, and they were afraid he would get hurt…..None of his riders were allowed to use a whip on him….”

Some of the best training books I’ve read are about working with horses, million dollar horses, which is what our youngsters are.

rt 5/19/16

From Wade Kavanaugh, BOC Club Coach:

The BOC has won the bid to host the 2017 Bill Koch Festival March 3-5th, 2017!

Yes, it's going to be a ton of work.

But, it's going to be a lot of fun too and we hope it will give all of our local skiers a chance to participate in this great event.

The theme for the Festival will be "Protect Our Winters."  Yes, it's more political than most festivals, but in addition to just appreciating winter, I think our Club is in agreement that it's important to advocate for winter.

If you have ideas about how to offer programming or activities around this theme, I would love to hear them.

More to come soon,

Wade wadekavanaugh@gmail.com

ps: Here's the link to the NENSA announcement:

https://www.nensa.net/news/index.php?id=7591

From the archives--the Festival Logo when BOC hosted in 2006:

BOC president Norm Greenberg accepting the 2016 BACC Special Recognition Award with BOC bookkeeper Julia Reuter.