December 4-10th, 2023.

IT SNOWED!!! YAY! 7 weeks ago I got my hopes up thinking that we were going to have an early start... sorry I was so hopeful. You guys have done amazingly well and now we prep to race!

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1. Registration for the races in Canmore can be found on Zone4 and in last week's blog. Please register if you're planning on trying out for the Arctic Winter Games. 

2. I AM MISSING 18 ROLLER SKIING VEST STILL!!! Please return these to Claire ASAP.

3. Weather reminder! U10- when the temperature at 4pm or 9am on Saturday, on Environment Canada is -20c or colder, practice is cancelled. U12 and older is -25c. Windchill does NOT get factored into this or any other weird weather issues- As the trails are so protected from the wind, it's a non-issue unless there's a wind storm.

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Race Prep reminders:

• scrape and clean off whatever wax is currently on your race skis. If you don't know what's on them, I most certainly don't. Scrape them off and you will be waxing with Rex Blue given to you by coach Claire. 
• Clean off your classic skis- there should be NO grip wax anywhere on your skis!! I mean anywhere!
• Race skis and poles will travel together with coach Claire or another vehicle going down. 
• If you own warm-up skis- please bring your classic skis only. You will wax these with your own ch6 equivalent wax please. If you have a place to wax skis at home- please do these pairs at home. Make sure they're marked with your name and warm-up on them too please. 
• Remember! I haven't waxed your new skis- which means I don't have a clue what your skis look like- ALL skis need to be labeled with your name. I also recommend poles being labeled- it helps when gear is left behind.
• I'm not your mom, nor is any other coach! You are expected to ensure that your classic and skate poles and classic and skate skis are put in the correct bags before you leave at the end of the evening. 
• Print off the Race Plan document that in the TeamSnap files section BEFORE leaving for Canmore. It helps parents and athletes keep on track!! 
• Packing night is always a bit chaotic- parents, please expect a bit of chaos and help ensure that all gear is packed and areas are cleaned up BEFORE leaving for the night.
• There is NO team meal- we will not be eating as a team, for this race only.
• Packing list: pack your race suit, your team jacket, buff, headbands etc, your boots (classic and skate if you own 2 pairs), extra mitts and gloves, sunglasses, chocolate milk x2 (after race recovery drink), deodorant, 2 pre-race snacks (gummies, waffles, guu, bars, banana... or whatever your pre-race energy snack is), toothbrush etc. :)

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Tuesday: We are waxing skis- 5-6:30pm. I unfortunately have to leave early, but parents will be there to help with the process. If you are going to Canmore you will have bench priority. If you have never waxed your skis before you will be paired with a team member who knows what they're doing and then you will work on skis together. Wax for the evening will be provided to the team- Rex Blue. For those not attending Canmore, it's still important to wax your skis. Work with your partner (race skis first please so that they're packed asap) and get your skis ready for the first few practices.

Athletes unable to join us in Canmore: There will be no supported practices on Thursday or Saturday. Seniors, you are encouraged to do these workouts on your own though. Please let me know how they go. Juniors, if you 

have an adult to train with you, then enjoy the rest of the week off. :) 

• Thursday- Seniors- Muskoseepi-20-30min running warmup. Run 3 laps of the reservoir: lap 1- zone 2; lap 2- zone 3; lap 3- zone 1. Juniors- a non-stop run for the entire loop of zone 1 and the second lap you can walk on the hills only. Text me how many km (or laps) you run please. I'll be keeping track!!
• Saturday- Seniors- long sustained distance run- tell me how many km you run via text or email. Juniors- same. I'd like to know if you were able to get out and how far you were able to run. If you're running with an older sibling- keep track for them and NO stopping!!

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Canmore information: 

Parents: if you plan to ski, please purchase your own day licenses at the day lodge. I believe they will tell you where you can ski and see the races- but I'm not entirely sure about this- we also need to purchase a Kananaskis parking pass- these can be done ahead of time, or when you're there. Team Snap will be used to communicate with the team while in Canmore. Updates, alerts, messages etc. 

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Friday:  meet at the wax room for a training ski at 1:30pm. I will send out a team snap when I get there of which wax room to meet in. You can leave your ski gear in the lodge- please make a Wapiti spot at one of the tables. There is an athlete social in the Bill Warren Training Centre- the Haig Room at 4pm- all athletes are welcome to attend this. The team meeting will most likely be via Zoom at 7:30pm, unless things change and a team snap will be sent out about this. The goal of training day is to know your race course. Skiing the entire distance is a bit excessive- so focusing on challenging parts of the course will be beneficial. Coaches will be there to help athletes out with technique, course identification, challenging spots etc. Parents, if you're skiing please ensure that you purchase your own day passes. 

Saturday: Race times will be identified the evening before. Please ensure that you're at the wax room with 1.5hours to spare. You will test your skis for race wax approval (or disapproval) and then do your warm-up, and then race. You are in charge of your gear and your race. Coaches will try to be out on course, but sometimes we're caught up in the stadium helping run the sprint races. U8-U10 athletes will have a race obstacle course this day. I'm guessing we're all going to want to do that!

There will a team supper at 6:45- Ken will send out a form for us to pre-fill in. Details to come in TeamSnap.  

There will be an Arctic Winter Games meeting at 3:00pm- for all U14-U18 athletes. This will be in our wax room. And the time is subject to change- basically, when awards are done for the day, we will meet in the wax room. If you're trying out for the games, you need to attend this meeting please.

Team meeting will be most likely via Zoom again- but TBD for certain, once in Canmore. 

Sunday: We will all be seasoned racers by this time. As it's a classic ski day, I'm asking that you show up at the wax room 2 hours before your race so that you can test your wax and give us time to fix it up. I'm certain that we will have a routine figured out by then, however we need time to monitor the races and get your skis done. 

We generally try to hang around after each other's races to cheer however, as we're all rushing back,

once your racers are done racing and have checked in with Coach Claire or Coach Shannon, cleaned up their gear and packed away their skis and poles, you can head on home.