EVERYONE:

1. Attendance form do this every week!

2. Everyone, put your names on everything. Gloves, jackets, etc. - make sure things are labeled! You would not believe the quantity of stuff that ends up in the lost and found around here (tip: it’s in the Touring Center).

3. Sneak peek of the next 2 weeks: the training plan shows through 12/29. Note that some things (like technique) may change due to weather in that time, and not all practice details are in there, but practice times, etc., should not change.

4. Holiday break next week: reminder that there are not BKL/junior practices from Sunday, 12/22 through Thursday, 12/26. Biathletes and comp adults/masters have practices on Sunday 12/22, but nobody else does, and then nobody is practicing again until we resume normal practices on Friday, 12/27.

5. Eastern Cup at Craftsbury Saturday 12/21 and Sunday 12/22: this is a big ol’ set of races. We’re expecting several hundred people racing each day. These are super fun to watch, especially the sprint on Saturday, but the Center will be a total zoo and not super fun for recreational skiers that weekend. Learn more at the link below.

6. Important dates: Remember that you can see some useful dates at https://www.craftsbury.com/csc-event-calendar. Dates of note that are coming up pretty fast:

   • Saturday, December 21st - Sunday, December 22nd: Eastern Cup races at Craftsbury! More info here. We had been tentatively planning a BKL race on Sunday, but due to format changes related to snow coverage, we probably won’t have enough daylight for that.

   • Sunday, December 22nd @ 4:30pm: (NOTE the change of date! No longer on the 15th!) kickoff social/info session for all adult/masters programs (spouses, etc. welcome).

JUNIORS:

1. Timeliness to practice: this is getting problematic, particularly on weekdays. Weekday practices start at 3:30 for a host of reasons that range from daylight to coach childcare. We’re starting to have juniors show up to practice sometimes around 4:30. That is 2/3 through practice, sometimes more. We cannot coach you like this. We make the younger kids get here at 3:30 or do not allow them to participate. If you cannot get here reasonably close to 3:30, this may not be the program for you. Likewise, on Sundays, you should be on your skis, ready to go at 9:00am. That means coming early to get your skis ready. Talk to coaches with questions.

2. Waxing: you are expected to have your own waxboxes. There’s a list of suggestions here. There are also helpful videos linked at the bottom of that document. As junior program participants you can access 20% off wax in the Touring Center. We will start posting kickwax suggestions in Slack the night before classic practices.

3. Chores: you all have clubhouse chores. The list is posted in orange next to the whiteboard.

4. Eastern Cup this weekend: a few points:

   • Whole pile of info here. We’ll have docs like that for each Eastern Cup.

   • Registration closes at 7:30pm Wednesday. If you’re planning to race, just register already, please.

   • Note that the format has changed to classic sprint on Saturday; skate distance Sunday.

   • Team food table: see the race doc linked above. There’s a signup.

   • Getting your skis waxed by coaches: also see the doc.

   • If you’re not racing, there are no alternative practices.

5. Future Eastern Cup travel: we need to get a sense of how many of you want to travel to Eastern Cups. We do have capacity limits based on seats in the vans and number of hotel rooms. Please fill out this brief form to let us know how much you’re thinking of traveling. We don’t have price info assigned to every weekend yet, because depending on numbers of racers, that will influence how many bodies are squished into hotel rooms, numbers of vans, etc., and that all gets factored into trip cost. Most EC weekends last year were ~$200-$250, though that does NOT include race entry fees, NENSA/USS&S licensing costs (more info below), or wax fees for those who aren’t full-time.

6. More about Eastern Cups: Here are all the other details that exist so far re: the Eastern Cup schedule & Craftsbury’s team travel plans.

7. Racing licenses: speaking of racing, if you’re interested in doing Eastern Cups, you need to hop on purchasing US Ski & Snowboard and NENSA memberships ASAP. You can read more about what you need and for what kind of racing at this blog post. Holler with questions; it can be confusing.

U14s:

1. Racing: if some of you are eager to “test” an Eastern Cup, this weekend is a good one. Specifically Sunday. Note that the race schedule has changed for the weekend and Saturday is now a classic sprint, with Sunday being skate distance. For sprints at Eastern Cups, U14s are not allowed to “advance” for U16 heats, even if they qualify, so sprint days are pretty poor bang for your buck. If you registered before the format switch and do not, in fact, want to pay all the $ for a 3 minute race, and would like to switch or cancel your entry, email Ben Theryl from NENSA: ben@nensa.net. If you are thinking about racing this weekend but aren’t sure, just talk to coaches before the deadline on Wednesday.

2. No U14 practice on Sunday 12/22 due to racing mania.

3. Waxing: you are expected to have your own waxboxes. There’s a list of suggestions here. There are also helpful videos linked at the bottom of that document. As junior program participants you can access 20% off wax in the Touring Center. We will start posting kickwax suggestions in Slack the night before classic practices.

BKL:

1. Reminder to email BKL@craftsbury.com with questions. That hits more coaches, which means your odds of getting a response are better than if you just email a single coach.

2. Equipment rentals: any lingering equipment needs must be wrapped up this week.

BIATHLETES:

1. Sunday practice- All groups meet in the Multi Purpose Room of Cedar Lodge this week only. (Map here; enter Cedar from basement level on maintenance parking lot side). We will do some indoor stuff to avoid the race craziness and because it is very cold.

2. Racing: great job in the “Dust off the Cobwebs” TT!

3. Always: Bring hat, dry gloves (mittens don’t work for shooting a rifle), poles, dry shirt (U14s and up- plan to ALWAYS change into dry stuff after ski practice).

4. USBA Basic Rifle Safety Course: Everyone needs to take this 20 minute online course.

   JRs/U14s your deadline is past. You need to complete the online portion before your next practice.

   BKLers complete the online portion by Jan 1. If your child is 12 or under, you will need to do this under a parent’s account. In that case, please email susand@craftsbury.com to let us know your child has completed this.

5. Interested in Racing? Read this: Biathlon race opportunities 2024-25.

6. Club Kick Off Meeting Summary: Lots of helpful info and overview about the winter here.

ADULTS/MASTERS:

1. Comp adults practice this Sunday is pushed to the afternoon. We’re gonna have it at 3:00pm (yes, even a whisker later than usual late practice) to reduce interference with the Eastern Cup as much as possible and then follow it up with the kickoff potluck/social.

2. Social for all Adult/Masters groups: is at 4:30pm on Sunday, 12/22! Location likely in the Touring Center, but keep an eye on Slack.

3. The intermediate and beginner groups can check their start dates here.