Sunday, November 16, 2014

November 17-23, 2014.

HEADLAMPS- Please don't forget these, it's a safety concern!!

As always, in the beginning of the season there's lots to cover as well as preparing for race season. I have advanced technique work to do with the older athletes, preparation for the races with the middle aged athletes and general technique to work on with the younger athletes… on top of this, we need to recap waxing and spend some time with EVERYONE recapping how we should wax our skis. Last year there was a lot of skis (senior and junior) that were not up to my (and should be your) standards. SO… things to go over and get done. I will need your patience and attention and a few adult bodies on Thursday to help me out this week please.

Tuesday: Waxing session- 5:15-6pm athletes only; On snow for 6:15-7pm skating.

Thursday: Skating practice- splitting up into 3 groups. Each group will be with me for 30 minutes and then skiing around in their group. I will need 2 other parents for this session please. The first 30 minutes will be technique work with Group 3 (Group 1: (BRING HEADLAMPS) will be doing fartleks around 1/2 moon for 1 hour; Group 2: will be doing zone 3 uphills and easy otherwise for the first 30 min around entire lit loop x 1 lap and laps of Claw Ridge until their 30 minutes is up). The second 30 minutes Group 2 will be with me and Group 3 will go and ski continuous laps of the lit loop for 1 hour working on their technique and skiing in zone 1. The last 30 minutes Group 3 will be with me, Group 2 will then go back to their zone 3 uphills and easy otherwise for the last 30 minutes around entire lit loop x 1 lap and then laps of Claw Ridge.

Saturday: Classic- practice sprints for the first part of practice then continuous skiing… bring a snack and water bottle. Parents- waxing session with Jim, Randy and Ken during this time 10-12.

Sunday: Our first 6 pac race. Show up around 12:30 to get your skis ready and get a warmup done (I'll talk more about this at practice on Saturday). Registration closes at 1:30, bring your $ and be ready to race!:) This is a great way to get ready for Canmore- practice going fast and faster and use the technique that we've been working on throughout the past few weeks. :)

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Junior Team

It's long- but please read all of it.

A few notes- I recognize that there's some concern over the cold weather policy. Unfortunately after -20oC there is not enough manpower/assistance to keep the kids moving outside and not get cold. I was just recently informed that jackrabbits has it's temperature set to a colder cutoff- however on Thursday's in particular, it's pitch black out, the team hasn't figured out how to be on snow on time (which has kids standing around outside before practice starts for up to 20 minutes past the start time) and we have just Davis out there. Especially on Thursday's, there are too many risks that I'm not willing to put the team at, at this point. Also, starting soon, we will not be the only users of the lodge on Thursday's which means that we wouldn't be able to use the lodge for programming on cold days for the younger kids. I also realize that an hour before 5:45 doesn't give some of you enough time to figure out if you're going to be training or not, but unfortunately it's a necessary evil as last week proved… at 4pm it was -13oC and at 6pm it was -23oC out at the lodge. If the temperature is close to cutoff (such as last week) some of the kids were out on snow for a bit just to get out skiing, parents you are encouraged to ski with your athletes or have them ski around candy cane lane if you feel comfortable with that, however Davis will not be there if at 4:45pm the temperature on Environment Canada is -20oC or colder. 

Saturday is a different story as the day is warming: I do not encourage skiing past -20oC for the junior race team due to concerns about going too fast for their little lungs and freezing them, which is very easy to do, or them getting too cold and discouraged. It is difficult for the younger kids to recognize when it's important to not work too hard, some, like Mika have to work hard all the time to keep up… I do encourage slow skis for fun, if the kids are dressed warmly, but again will need assistance out on the trails with the team. Davis will be out on Saturday's even if it's past -20oC but am leaving it up to your (the parent's) discretion if you want your athlete to be out skiing. This will be just a group ski and no other training will be provided on these days, they will also be shorter in time, again as the kids get cold quickly. 

Waxing skis needs to be helped by parents please. Hot waxing DOES NOT need to occur weekly with this group- Davis will be doing monthly hot waxing sessions with the team as time permits. Grip waxing classic skis needs to be done with assistance from parents. Davis will be available if you text her in advance to request some assistance in helping you and your athlete. Training starts on time as we can't have some kids waiting around/goofing around outside while others are inside. Parents please, please, please- help your athlete as much as you can to get them outside on time. It's all learning stages right now and things will run smoother as we all get used to the changes. However, please be aware that if your athlete is not ready for the start of practice, you will have to ask Davis where you and your athlete can meet her and the team as she cannot be late- this affects everyone on the team. I am available for comments/discussion as we iron out any other concerns that may arise this season. 

If you haven't done so already, please email me: clairerichter@me.com to let me know which Alberta Cup Race(s) you and your athlete plan on attending this season. Reminder- this is a requirement of the junior race team.

Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm. I am very encouraged as to how well the team is skiing currently and am looking forward to how the rest of the season will go. 

Thursday: Classic skiing. There will be a waxing session for parents/athletes beginning at 5pm in the lodge. If you cannot be there for 5, please show up as early as possible when dropping off your athlete and stick around to see how you can help get your athlete out on snow with skis that will be enjoyable for them.

Saturday: Skate skiing. 

Sunday: 6 Pac race- first of the season. Show up around 12:30 to get your skis ready and get a warmup done (Davis will talk more about this at practice on Saturday). Registration closes at 1:30, bring your $ and be ready to race!:) These races are great ways for the kids to get comfortable going fast and skiing against each other. 

March 18-24, 2024

Hi Team!! I'm sure looking forward to everyone being back together again and look forward to the stories from everyone. I cannot lie, I ...