Burlington Athletics

Burlington, Vermont

Nordic Skiing

NORDIC SKIING

Start here: https://burlingtonathletics.com/forms-resources/online-registration/ to register and be sure your physical is up to date.

NOTE: All athletes need to have a physical on file, within the last 2 years. If you don’t have this up to date, try to schedule it right away - most doctors’ offices are very busy. Let them know you need a sports physical - this is not as long an appointment as a full physical. 

Skier/Parent/Family Information Night – Thursday, Nov 11th, 6 PM, BHS cafeteria - important meeting, lots of information will be covered. 

First day of practice: Monday, Dec 2nd

The first day of Practice: Monday, Dec 2, 3:30 PM. Meet by the trophy case by the gym. Bring shoes and clothes for running outside. All forms will need to be submitted before this date to start practice. 

Where to find things:

  • BHS Nordic Facebook Page: You need to request to join, much cool stuff there. 
  • The CALENDAR! (the last word on what happens when): Add it to your Google Calendar and always know what’s happening with BHS Nordic! The race schedule will be on the calendar as well as practice updates week by week. 

Tryouts

There are no tryouts for the Nordic Ski team. All skiers who commit to the season schedule are welcome on the team.

Practices

Practices will be held every school day from 3:30 to-5:30 pm. After the snow flies, we will travel to snow by bus twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Catamount Family Center, Sleepy Hollow Nordic Center, Bolton Nordic Center, or the Range in Jericho. On these bus-to-ski days, we will return to school between 6:30-7. The $100 trail pass fee covers the cost of skiing in these areas. There are trail fee scholarships available, please contact Kirsten

Races

The race season is a mix of Classic and Freestyle races, races are after school (early dismissal)or on Saturdays. See the Calendar for the race schedule, or you can view the season on one page here. Each race will have a Varsity race and Junior Varsity race (Varsity race is 3-5K, JV 1-3K). The coaches will decide who races Varsity and JV, based on when a skier is physically and mentally ready to race the longer varsity distance. By the end of the season, all races will be varsity distance. New skiers will work with coaches to determine when they are ready to start racing - usually, it’s within the first few races! 

For any weekday races, skiers will be given early dismissal. It is the skier’s responsibility to communicate with their respective teachers about his/her absence and make up the required work.

I register all skiers for all races a week in advance unless you tell me you can’t go. 

School Vacations

We do have practice over the week of Christmas, and there is often a race that week as well. These practices are optional but are an important training week for skiers. 

There are two state meets at the end of the season, a Classic State meet and a Freestyle State meet. Eight Varsity girls and eight varsity boys will compete in these events, as well as 2 alternates. The coaches will determine who competes in these events and we will use the season’s races to make this decision. Please note that the second state meet falls on the Monday of February vacation. All Varsity athletes should plan on being in Vermont for the start of February vacation!

Attendance

To reach our individual and team goals, attendance is important. Skiers who are late on a regular basis, or who miss a practice without a coach’s previous approval, will not be allowed to race for that week’s race. (This does not apply to skiers who are ill, have an unexpected emergency or any other excused absence.) If you have to miss practice, it is your responsibility to notify the coach. If unexcused absences are a pattern that persists, we will meet with the skier and their parents; if the problem continues, we may need to ask that person to leave the team. We do not expect this to happen but we would like to be sure that everyone understands the seriousness of attendance and the possible consequences.

We expect all skiers to attend at LEAST 4 practices per week and notify the coach of when you will be missing practice or races. 

Communication will be essential for avoiding any attendance issues!! Talk to a coach about any conflicts with academics or other extra-curricular activities, we can almost always work something out. On the coaches’ part, we will try to get a season schedule to you as soon as possible and stick to that schedule as closely as possible.

Academics

Always remember that you are ‘STUDENT-athletes’ and academic commitments take priority over athletic ones. We are willing to be flexible about altering training schedules when it comes to academic work. However, it is important to remember that being a student and an athlete requires efficient planning of time and an excellent work ethic. We expect all skiers to be at all ski functions and practices unless prior arrangements have been made. 

Communication

Communication is primarily through email. At the information session Nov 1, we will have an email sign up sheet. All scheduling is through Google Calendar. All practices and races will be on the calendar. If you’re not sure what to bring to practice, check the calendar!! It will be updated for the coming week no later than 7 pm on Sunday evening. 

Food

There is a good amount of standing in the cold, cheering on your teammates at races, and skiers should be prepared with ample amounts of clothing AND FOOD so that race days can be a success!

Skiers are responsible for their own food at all races and practices, though we are often supplemented by parent volunteer contributions! 

Fees and Costs

Trail fees: Check for $100 to BHS Nordic (cost increase as team prices have gone up)

Training camp: Check for $80 to Kirsten Berggren (I paid ahead)

Fundraiser: Check to BHS Nordic (any amount is appreciated!)

Send in with your student, or mail to Kirsten Berggren, 60 Beachcrest Drive, Burlington 05408

Financial aid available - please contact Kirsten. Our goal is that financial need is never a barrier to skiing. 

Equipment and Clothing

What you need before the season starts:

Before Thanksgiving, track down your EQUIPMENT – you will need the following for a successful season. And please, PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR STUFF!!!!

  • Running shoes
  • Ski lease packages - see below. 
  • Ski boots – Each skier should have classic boots and skate boots or one pair of combi boots, and having boots that fit well is probably the most important piece! Find the boots first and then be sure that the boots match the bindings on your skis.
  • Classic skis – Waxable (aka no fish scales) Fitting is weight dependent, have someone help you get the right pair.
  • Skate skis – Weight dependent, have someone help.
  • Classic poles – Length should hit at or near the top of the shoulder. Looking for light poles – stay away from the ones with the big baskets.
  • Skate poles – Length should hit between the chin and nose. Looking for light poles – stay away from the ones with the big baskets.
  • Ski bag (ski rack has a good bag at a team discount)
  • Headlamp – There is not much light for practice in November and December!
  • Water bottle.  A belt holder lets you keep it with you (we’ll have these for sale). Water bottle REQUIRED at every practice. Put your name on it. The “red bottle with the flowers on it” helps you know which one is yours, but doesn’t help the person who finds it know who to return it to. NAME, please. 
  • Synthetic or wool base layers, running/ski pants, jacket (one that keeps you warm but allows you to move, we will be selling team coats again this year), hat, wool socks and TWO pairs of gloves. Gloves should be lightweight insulated gloves. Check the vast selection at SkiRack to see the kind of thing I’m talking about. Some people wear very light gloves, others need a heavier glove, but you’ll want something that lets you have a good grip on the poles and isn’t too bulky to fit in straps. 

The team does have some skis, poles, and a very limited amount of ski boots to loan to skiers. We will assign team equipment in the first two weeks of practice to those who need it. There are lots of great ways to buy equipment (Ski Rack (new and lease package), ski swaps, from older skiers), please let Kirsten know if you need suggestions.

Lease Packages: SkiRack lease packages are a great deal for high school racers: Info is here. Ski rack is the only place with a good lease package. Other shops have better prices but the gear is not fitted well or appropriate for high school racing. 

Complete Skate and Classic Racing Package:  $219 (used) or $329 (new).

Single Set of Skate or Classic Racing Equipment:  $129 (used) or $199 (new).

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