Happy Halloween from the Williams Nordic Team!

The Team with their pumpkins

Caleb: not afraid of getting his hands dirty

Blair is a force to be reckoned with when shes armed with a pumpkin scooper

Ian, absorbed in his art

Erik and Dimitri work across the table

Alice and Barb dish out some of Barb's homemade pumpkin pie with real whip cream. Mmmmmmmmmmm. . . . .

An Interval A Day.. . . .

. . . . .brings out the best in the purple cows. . . . .


Blair, Maddy, Sarah, Alice


Day 3 of intensity block was 30-40 x 30 second intervals into the apple orchards, followed by a cooldown run, just as the dusk set in and the rain started.

Day 2 of Intensity Block: bounding intervals on Sheep Hill

Our week of Intensity started Sunday, with 5x4 minute skate roll intervals in Savoy. Yesterday was moose-hoof and bounding intervals on Sheep Hill just outside of town, and today we will be back on the rollers with classic 30:30's into the apple orchards. Wednesday we will have a day "off", or easy short run, before finishing the block with 3 more days of interval sessions.
The bounding intervals yesterday on Sheep HIll really showed off the team's fitness: everyone looked strong and fit. So far so good!


Keith and Erik finish the intervals as the sun sets over the hills.

The ladies' team, feeling good and tired after a hard session. Beautiful Greylock backdrop.

Phil

And the training Rolls On. . . .

Keith, Evan, Erik, Ian on top of Petersburg Pass

Evan, one-poling after breaking his pole during warm-up, and Erik during a skate interval up Petersburg Pass

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB AND ROBBY!!!!!!!!!! 21 YEARS!


Hannah, Alice, and Maddy completing 4x4's on the steepest uphill in Savoy

Atay, Phil on rollers and Dimitri on foot - up the hill in Savoy

"Siberian" Mountain Day, Apple Picking, Rollerski Race up Greylock in "Wintery Mix" conditions

Ian, Hannah, Maddy, Blair, Sarah in the apple orchards

A fun weekend! Friday was the annual Mountain Day at Williams College, where classes get cancelled and the students get together in the hills for festivities, singing, cider, and donuts. Because of the horrible weather forcasted for the day the interim president decided to call it "Siberian" Mountain Day. Well, the day turned out Blue Skies and Sunny and most of the team gathered on Stone Hill to watch and participate in the holiday.

Saturday was gorgeous as well and the team took advantage of the weather by going to the apple orchards and picking bags to take back to the dorms and turn to apple crisp.

The forcasted wintry mix hit Williamstown on Sunday morning, when the annual Greylock rollerski race was scheduled to take place (reinstated this fall after a couple years on hold because of road construction). It was raining before the start and snowing during the first half of the race, but the rollerskiers took the challenge and the mountain as they raced an amended course to the top of Jones' Nose. Both Sarah Tory and Keith Kantack took a commanding lead off the start and ended up winning the overall divisions for the day. Ian Nesbitt and Hannah Hausman won the 18 and Under Categories. Results are as follows:
Women: 1. Sarah Tory 34:28
2. Alice Nelson 37:35
3. Holly Whitney 37:36
4. Hannah Hausman 39:38
5. Maddy Wendt 40:00
6. Blair Robinson 41:40
Men:
1. Keith Kantack 28:22
2. Ian Nesbitt 28:26
3. Evan Dethier 29:47
4. Topher Sabot 30;14
5. Caleb Lucy 30:47
6. Dimitri Luthi 31:15
7. Nat Lucy 31:22
8. Robby Cuthbert 32:45
9. Phil Tosteson 35:38
10. Casey Jones 38:10

Ian sharpens his pole tips in preparation for a second place finish

Bud gives Hannah some very serious advice

Rollerskiers sprint for position off the start line

Caleb and Topher: into the snow

Maddy gets into the hill

Alice and Holly battle toward the finish line

Phil nears the finish

the winners, Sarah and Keith, with coach Fisher

Evan and Keith take a cooldown run

Alice and Sarah on top of Stone Hill

Robbie, Dmitri, Keith, Erik, Caleb, Ian enjoy the sunshine and picnic lunch on Siberian Mountain Day

Christina calls students into the hills on Mountain Day

New pavement, new adventures, new color on the trees

We've had some excellent training this past week, including epic tours of Greylock both on foot and rollerskis over Columbus Day weekend. On Sunday the team started out on foot over Greylock and the surrounding ridgelines. For some who became a little lost along the way this 2.5 hour run turned into a 4.5 hour exploration of the hills, with a couple members of the team actually hoofing it from Greylock all the way back to campus. . . .
The next day the team completed a double Greylock: skating up one side, getting a ride down to the bottom and classic skiing up the other side.
Yesterday, as an easy classic rollerski we decided to check out some new pavement at the top of Route 2. The pavement was excellent. . . .while it lasted! A couple team members found "where the pavement ends" as they rounded a very steep downhill corner. Unfortunately, I did not have my video camera at that moment. . . .

Hannah and Maddy ski past some blazing foliage at the end of their rollerski

The boys team starts their classic portion of the "Double Greylock"

Alice leads the girls team up Greylock on a beautiful Columbus Day morning

Ian slows down - very momentarily - to check out the view of the hills.

The girls get ready for a distance rollerski - Blair wins "best dressed" award for the day

Official Practice Begins for 2009!!

For our second day of practice the team took advantage of the newly paved Greylock Mountain and did a block of continuous skate speeds to the top. It turned out to be a gorgeous fall evening and the view at the top was spectacular!


The women's team starts their workout.


Phil Tosteson, Maddy Wendt and Blair Robinson warm-up before the big climb

Keith Kantack and Evan Dethier stride their way up the road through the evening light

Alex Taylor and Ian Nesbitt near the top of Greylock, with a beautiful Berkshire backdrop

Some of the team pauses in their cooldown to get a view of the valley

Freshman Casey Jones makes Coach Smith happy by knowing how to re-hydrate.

Erik Anderson shows how hard-core he is