December 9-15, 2024.

I was reviewing the very melancholy blog posts from last year and am SO grateful that despite the wonky temperatures, we're skiing and have lots of snow!! 

A couple of reminders:

1. Those athletes who owe me 45 burpees for not cleaning up the waxing gear- can give them to me at the beginning of practice. I only partially forgot....
2. Ski Club memberships are due. There is no discount now but this membership is mandatory. Please register here. 
3. Canmore Alberta Cup 1 & 2 race registration early bird prices close tonight and late registration closes on December 10th. Please register here. U16 athletes MUST purchase a Nordiq Canada Race License if you plan to race in any Alberta Cup races. This can be done here. 
4. An email was sent out last weekend about the Tawatinaw Ski Camp that was requested in our parent meeting. Please fill in the expression of interest document and email it to Claire.
5. Christmas TEAM PARTY! Will be at the lodge on Thursday, December 19th. Athletes decided an unhealthy potluck goodies and a $10 gift exchange. We will see you all there!
6. Hotels for races- which I booked on Expedia for the best prices:
1. Canmore: Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge
2. Days Inn Calgary Northwest -4420-16th ave
3. Towneplace Suites- Red Deer
4. Canmore: Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge- Nationals

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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 on our team! 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 a team meal after we're done waxing skis. 
• 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- 5-7pm, with a training session mixed in. Wax for the evening will be provided to the team- Rex Blue. For those not attending Canmore, you will ski for the entire practice time with Coach Doris. Classic skiing for everyone. We will meet inside the lodge prior to splitting up into 2 groups. Group 1: will go and get their skis waxed (you will have 40minutes); Group 2 will go and warm up for 20minutes and then do 20min of race prep. At 6:45 you will both swap and get skis done/ warmup. 

Athletes unable to join us in Canmore: There will be no supported practices on Thursday or Saturday. U14's and older, you are encouraged to do these workouts on your own! Please let me know how they go. U12's, if you do not have an adult to train with you, then enjoy the rest of the week off. :) 

• Thursday- U14 and older-20-30min ski wherever you want warmup. Ski 3 laps of the poplar loop + clawridge: lap 1- zone 2; lap 2- zone 3; lap 3- zone 1. U12 and under- a non-stop ski.
• Saturday- U14 and older- long sustained distance ski- tell me how many km you ski via text or email. U12's- same. I'd like to know if you were able to get out and how far you were able to ski. 

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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- we also need to purchase a Kananaskis Conservation 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 2:30pm. 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 5pm- all athletes are welcome to attend 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. 

Team supper will be happening TONIGHT (FRIDAY)! I apologize for the late notice, however I didn't call soon enough and could only get us in on Friday at 6:30pm. We will be eating at the Patrino's Restaurant: 1602 Bow Valley Trail; under Claire. Coaches will be a bit late, but please start and order your food. We will have the team meeting at the restaurant as we wait for our meals to come. 

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 and tagging zones. U8-U10 athletes will have a standard ladder race- all parents on deck for this, to ensure Harper doesn't miss her start!😀 

Team meeting will be via Zoom.  

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. We generally try to hang around after each other's races to cheer however, as we're all rushing back, once your racer(s) are done racing and have checked in with Coach Theresa, Coach Shannon, or Coach Claire0 cleaned up their gear and packed away their skis and poles, you can head on home.