EVERYONE:

1. Attendance form do this every week!

2. Holiday break week: reminder that there are not BKL/junior practices from today through Thursday, 12/26.

3. Communication with coaches: we’re launching into the time of year when coaches scatter across the continent to support athletes at races, which means your odds of reaching any one coach could be limited. Juniors/U14s and adults should email jrskiing@craftsbury.com with questions; BKLers should reach out to BKL@craftsbury.com; biathletes should reach out to biathlon@craftsbury.com.

JUNIORS:

1. Big shoutout to all who raced the Eastern Cup(s) this weekend!

2. Jrs + coaches —> AK soon: Anna and Audrey are taking a handful of juniors to Alaska 12/30 - 1/6 for Senior Nationals alongside the GRP. Jake, Rick, and Ollie will be running the show back here, so please be sure to be extra organized as they try to wrangle you while down a few coaches.

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.

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

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.

U14s:

1. Racing: check out the BKL section below

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.

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. Racing: at the end of every season, we wish we had organized more group attendance to some regional BKL races. This year will be different! Below is a list of races to which we intend to send a coach for wax, logistical, costume, and cheering support if there is enough interest. Transportation would be up to parents. These are OPTIONAL! More details to come as the relevant dates approach. If you’re interested in other races around New England, check out the complete NENSA list.

   • Jan. 4 (Saturday): Bogburn Classic at Rikert in Ripton, Vt. *Not yet sure if we can actually provide coach/wax support for this one! Stay tuned.*

   • Jan. 12 (Sunday): MNC Skiathlon (classic + skate) at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington, Vt.

   • Feb. 1 (Saturday): Silver Fox Trot (skate) at Oak Hill in Hanover, NH

   • Feb. 23 (Sunday): Stowe Derby (skate) in Stowe, VT.

   • March 1-2 (Sat-Sun): BKL Fest at Quarry Rd. in Waterville, ME (families figure out lodging - lot more info to come on this one later in the season)

BIATHLETES:

1. Stay tuned for more info about possibly racing (for Jrs/U14s) in Quebec in January!

2. 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).

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

   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.

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

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

ADULTS/MASTERS:

1. Y’all are the best at Slack of any of our groups. And to think you were grumbling about the technology shift. Thanks for being so on top of it!

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