On New Year’s Day, Mike Cain passed away unexpectedly in his home. Mike was a tremendous advocate and steward for numerous local trail networks. He was also the main groomer for the nordic ski trails at Hard’ack. He put in thousands of volunteer hours to improve our local trail networks, and worked with youth of all backgrounds and abilities to get them outside on the trails for work and for recreation. Mike was an incredible asset to our community, and he will be greatly missed. Below is a collection of remarks from members of the community to honor Mike’s memory.
You can find the obituary from the family here.
If you would like to add your own comments, please email admin@stalbansnordic.org
Submitted by Tyler Magnan: Although Mike and I have both been involved in the local ski community for 20 years or more, we were mostly just passing acquaintances until recently. In the past 3 years, I have become more involved, and consequently, I have gotten to work a lot with Mike, gotten to know him personally, and learned how much he does for this community and what a great man he was. Mike liked to fly under the radar a bit. He preferred to be out in the woods doing the hard, dirty work rather than sit in planning meetings. He was the main steward of the Fairfax town forest trails, and contributed a lot of work to the St. Albans town forest and the Hard’ack trails. He was also the main groomer for the nordic trails at Hard’ack, and helped out the BFA St. Albans nordic team. That’s just the stuff I know about. The amount of volunteer work he put in rivals what many do at their full time jobs. Mike was not just devoted to supporting the development of outdoor activities like nordic skiing and mountain biking. He was devoted to making the community a better place for all of us, and he always practiced his devotion with grace, honesty, and humility. I’m incredibly grateful that I got to know a man with such great character and generosity. Mike embodied everything about the good side of humanity, and he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace Mike. Your spirit will live on inside all of us and make us stronger.
Submitted by Mike Mashtare: Where does one begin to reminisce about a man who had such a lasting impact on so many people. Mike Cain lived to help all, two of his greatest loves were working with kids and teaching them how to cross country ski.
Mike and I coached the BFA Nordic program together for 13 years. Mike came on board when the Skating Technique was new. At the time we had no home course to train on, and we spent way too much time skiing up and down the ski hill at Hard’ack. Mike struggled to pick up the technique himself, but he managed to encourage and get the team to pick it up. His positive, laid back approach was exactly what first year skiers needed. When we finally were able to ski on a flatter surface, Mike was able to pick up the technique, but Classic skiing was always his go-to technique.
We had the time of our lives coaching together. Mike would often say, “ Can not believe they pay us to ski and share our passion with kids!” We were both new coaches, neither of us skied in high school or college – here’s some of our stories:
Early on in our coaching days our bus broke down on the way to the Northern District Ski Championships. We had some strong skiers who should qualify for the State Championship race. So as we got there, the race had already started, we made a quick decision to change the bibs around to give our top skiers a chance to qualify. Of course this was against the rules and we got our skiers disqualified……lesson learned.
In our early days at BFA, coaches drove the buses. One snowy day on our way to a race at Craftsbury, the bus slid off an unplowed dirt road. We were about 2.5 miles from the race site. It looked like we were going to miss the race. Mike quickly suggested that I stay with the bus, I was the driver, and he take the team and ski to the race on the snow covered roads. They made it, they were plenty tired, but they made the race.
Mike and I always enjoyed skiing in the Craftsbury Marathon. We would take our top skiers and have them ski the half marathon, 25K, while we skied the 50K. One year it was so cold our blow torch, to apply Klister wax, froze on us. We used the tailpipe of our car, to heat up our Klister, and unthaw the blow torch. It was a long cold ski that day!
We have skied in ditches at Champlain Country Club, enough snow had drifted in so we could ski back and forth and get a workout in. Skied on the Rail Trail with limited snow, but plenty of strong winds. Finally, after years of having no home course, the Wolf Run Golf Course opened in Bakersfield and had trails in the winter for skiing. It was a haul each day, but groomed trails were too good to pass up.
Hot waxing skis took forever the day before races. We would use Mike’s woodshop in Diversified Occupations. The kids would clamp their skis in the woodshop vises, use a hand iron with a blow torch to heat it up, to melt the wax into the skis.
Submitted by Perry Bland: The most remarkable thing was his consistent enthusiasm for the sport , the team and the whole outdoor lifestyle. He ALWAYS thought the weather was perfect and wasn’t it great that we would be skiing in it.
Submitted by Erynn Ferraro: Coach Cain was an amazing man. He was always there to support me and give advice. Coach Cain was such an inspiration to everyone on the Nordic team and it was always a good practice when he was there. He was the one who didn’t let anything you do go unnoticed and he made sure everything and everyone was recognized. Coach Cain has definitely made a positive impact on my life and that will always be remembered.
Submitted by Olivia Ferraro: Coach Cain was always the man behind the curtain, he did so much for our team day after day and never took any credit. Without him out grooming trails or helping wax skis, no one’s success on the team would have been made possible. In regards to my technique and lengthening my stride he always told me to “look at Perry so I can look like Perry”. He shaped me into the skier I am today with his constant advice and support. He was a great coach and I’m sure everyone he came into contact with can agree, when I say his commitment to the sport was undeniable. He will be missed by so many, and I’m grateful for the impact he had on my passion for Nordic skiing.
Submitted by Tim Smith: The passing of Mike is a huge loss for Franklin County, he was such an asset to our community. In Mike’s non-retirement years he was a mentor to many high school students who may have struggled to find a place within BFA. Mike was compassionate and knowledgeable when dealing with these youths. In his free time, he was one hell of an athlete. What I enjoyed most about Mike was his sense of humor and how he was always interested in making our community a better place to live. Mike was, in my mind, a big picture type of guy who was not afraid to dig in and complete that picture. Mike always went about his work in such a quiet manner but made a huge difference for those who came in contact with him and those who enjoyed the fruits of his labor i.e. trail making, grooming, coaching etc. The passing of Mike Cain hits home on a lot of people and I am one of those that will not forget. A couple of years ago I bought a bike from Mike and I will think of Mike Cain every time I ride it. Rest in peace Mike Cain.
Submitted by Jessica Frost: I met Mike through my work with RiseVT. When it came to the outdoors, nature, and youth, he was the biggest advocate. What made Mike special is that he truly gave from the heart, giving his time and knowledge without the expectation of recognition or compensation. He was always offering to lead a hike, do trail work or talk. Many of the largest turn out events that RiseVT sponsored he led. He just loved being outside and with our community. His easy-going personality and words of encouragement fueled me and my work, making me think about what else can be done, who else I can talk to and where is there potential to get more kids outside and loving nature the way that he did. The loss of Mike leaves a huge hole in our community. I did not get the chance to tell him, but RiseVT selected him for our “Rockstar” award this year, because that is what he was, someone who unselfishly gives above and beyond for the greater good. Someone with a heart for the community, trying every day to make it a little bit better.
Submitted by David Hutchinson: What a wonderful guy Mike was, a great friend and ally of so many of us. He made so many contributions to this community, perhaps particularly to the young people he mentored. His loss is huge. The days ahead will be a bit darker without his good humor, gentle wit, and generous spirit.
Submitted by John Holzscheiter: Mike’s passion, enthusiasm, spirit and commitment to the trails at Hard’ack/Aldis Hill and throughout our area was unrivaled and will be irreplaceable. I always enjoyed my conversations with him and always knew what ever he was doing it was being done with great care, expertise and thoroughness. He was one of the “Good Guys,” we will miss him dearly.
Submitted by Matthew Allen: My interactions with Mike were limited but always appreciated. He was always so kind and was sincere in his caring for others. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that, almost every time I saw Mike, he was volunteering his time. For a while, he was helping lead one of the St. Albans City School walking school bus groups. He had no ties to City School that I’m aware of, but that didn’t matter to him. He saw an opportunity to help out and he took it. That’s the kind of guy he was. He was the kind of person we should all strive to be. A world full of people trying to be like Mike would be a better world for all.
Submitted by Preston Fuller: I have only recently joined the Hard’Ack team when I designed the new disc golf course. However, My family and I have enjoyed the fruits of Mike’s volunteer labor and spirit as we love to XC ski there. I never met Mike, but I was always surprised (and boasting to family who do not live in the area) that we have the most amazing groomed XC ski trails I have ever seen in a public and honestly, private trail system. I would hit the trails shortly after a storm and sure enough they were already beautifully groomed to my skiing delight. It truly is the volunteers of a community that make the magic happen and bring a town from being average to being a destination. While I never knew him, he brought my family joy. I know as pastor of St Paul’s UMC many did know him and he brought them joy and light as well.
Submitted by Cipperly Good: I have been skiing some Ks for Coach Cain since hearing of his passing. He was always an advocate for putting in our kilometers (or K’s as he called them) to build up our endurance. I remember him saying how he preferred the classic technique over skating because of his old hips- I totally agree with him. I could go for hours with the classic technique, but the skating technique is for those young folks. His advocacy of those with developmentally differently-abled ensured that we trained with, and in turn, advocated for our fellow human beings. Waxing in my basement will never compare to the time spent waxing in his workshop at BFA. We may have overused the wax as novices, but by the end of our first year, we knew what to do and we had skills to sustain us as master’s skiiers when no one else is going to wax our skis for us.
Submitted by Scott Magnan: My relationship with Mike Cain goes back pretty far, I joined the Nordic team in 1990 and quickly earned the title boss, which even though I shared the title with several of Coach Cain’s students, it still had a special meaning and with it some increased self confidence. There are many memories to share but a few stick out that i’d like to share. I remember very clearly challenging Coach to a race at Wolf run my freshmen year. I had started the season with a rough result and low confidence. I am not sure how the challenge happened, but we went head to head early and I was able to gain ground on the flats after a hard climb and never looked back, the rest is pretty much history, my confidence grew into a lifetime of racing and coaching. A few years back, I tasked Coach Cain with grooming for the impossible. We had received about 2 inches of rain on top of our snow base, followed by freezing cold weather which turned the race course into a skating rink. My determination to host would have turned most away, but he and my diligent if not partially crazy crew, acquired a Harley rake used to smooth out dirt and driveways, hooked it to a tractor with chains and he spent the good part of a day Harley raking snow for a race held later that day. Mike always rounded out our coaching staff with a leave no one behind attitude, he always managed to find a new boss each season, and I watched those bosses grow each and every time they acquired the title. In my last conversation with him, we were gearing up to build a canoe trailer to assist in helping kids who would not have otherwise had access to lessons of outdoor activity. Mike was a tremendous person and we should all be proud to carry on what we will miss most.