The New Year

A quick look ahead.
We will not be attending the Alexandria Invite Scheduled for this Saturday, January the 4th.
All formats are classic skiing only and we won't have enough participants.
I have however added another event to the schedule the 16th of January. This event will take place in Camp Ripley north of Little Falls. It gives more skiers on the team a chance to participate. It's a three event race and and maybe a preview for future State Meet formats. More details to come!!

Our next race is in Mora, Tuesday the 7th. This is also a classic event with the exception of Junior High who will be doing a skate race.

January 10th is our departure day for the Mesabi Meet. We will travel north Friday the 10th and pre-ski the coarse for the race January 11th.
This race has a limit on team participants, so only 20 members of the team will be going.
I will have the expenses calculated this Thursday for students.

Team Wax Day, Dinner & Brainerd Invite

Quick reminder:

Team ski waxing and dinner at the Wieber's, Thursday December 26th 4 to 7ish.
Check e-mails for more details.

 Brainerd Invite December 27th

Location: Northland Arboretum

Format: Varsity-Continuous pursuit 3k/3k Mass Start, JV 5k Skate, JH 3K wave start

Schedule:

10:00 Varsity Boys

11:00 Varsity Girls

12:00 JV Boys

12:30 JV Girls

1 JH Boys

1:30 JH Girls

2:15 Awards

Awards 1st-10th in each race.

BUS DEPARTS TECH AT 7:30 FROM DOOR 6.

The Solstice

The first full day of this break marks the winter solstice. Sol, the Latin and astronomical (and Spanish) name for the sun, is angled as far away from us as it will be this year circa 11:11 a.m. From this point on, our days get longer. Gradually, we may start realizing once more that there is such a thing as a "Minnesota summer".

But for now, the coldest and snowiest days are probably still to come. We can brace ourselves against them and decry the idea of venturing into the elements, or we can embrace the cold and the snow and defy them. When we are given the opportunity to cower or to stand tall, I'd prefer we do the latter, because when the going gets tough, that's when the Minnesotans get going.

So keep skiing over the break. Because it's not a break from school, it's a break for skiing, and the best way to enjoy something is to get good at it, and the best way to get good at something is to do it (again and again).

Because the days will only get longer and brighter from here.

sirskow@gmail.com

Change of Venue

Tomorrow (Thursday 12/19), we will meet at the Graystone Trails. This is near the North Loop trail mentioned yesterday, but skiers will need to be picked up across the road from the St. Cloud Correctional Facility (prison). This map shows directions between Riverside and Graystone; simply take the dirt road south and follow the signs straight ahead and past the few buildings.

We don't have the warming shelter like at Riverside, so bring extra layers.

Practice will be shorter and more intense, so plan to have a ride at around 5:00 p.m.

We're just about wrapping up our official team practices for the year 2013, so let's go into the break on a high note!

sirskow@gmail.com

12/18/13

Great skiing by everyone today! I truly enjoy the week to week growth that is being shown. I appreciate each skier's willingness to continue pushing themselves outside their comfort zones. It was great to see all the enthusiasm and cheering along the trail this afternoon for each race. Thanks for being super supporters of all skiers on the team! I see great potential in you guys and I am excited for the races to come. Continue to push yourself at practice, ask questions about technique, challenge yourself by skiing with different peers and follow the lead of your captains.

Tomorrow we will be back at Riverside fine-tuning technique from observations during today's race, with a touch of volume to boost endurance.

Thursday we will be at the North Loop Graystone. Please inform your parents of this. They will need to pick you up there. Bring plenty of warm layers for when you wait for your parent pick-up. Practice will be over at 5! This will be a welcome change of venue, new scenery and energy found on these new trails.

An address for the parents:  North of the St. Benedicts Sr. Center on 15th Ave SE a 1/2 mile past Riverside. There will be coach and skier vehicles along the road. E-mail or call with any questions.

Friday will be back at Riverside...did somebody say ski party??

Race #3

Nice job with the waxing tonight. Thanks to all those who stayed and made sure to clean up. 

Looks like the race conditions tomorrow will be warm once again but also blustery. 

Remember tonight to reflect on your last race at Riverside and pick one or two things you could improve on. Look for personal growth, even if it doesn't reflect in the results. Think about the small things; tucking on a downhill, carrying momentum, smooth step turns on the corners, best line, and of course technique. Lets make our last race at Riverside a great one. 

The details:

Dismissed from class at 12:24.

Bus departs at 12:40, South 12:45.

Parents can pick up students 4:45ish.

This will be our last home race! Hope to see lots of parents and friends out on course cheering.

Cathedral/Sartell Nordic Ski Invite Relay Race

Date:         Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Time:        1:45 Coaches Meeting

Location:  Riverside Park Saint Cloud, Mn

Invited Teams:   Alexandria, Apollo/Sauk Rapids, Brainerd, Cathedral/Sartell, Little Falls, Mora, St. John’s Prep, Tech, Willmar

Races:  Boys/Girls-  Varsity Relay- up to 2 teams per school

                                  4 skiers per team- each  skier skis a 4 k race

              Boys/Girls-  JV                       4 k race- mass start

              Boys/Girls- Jr. High /First Yr. Skiers    2 k race- mass             

                                                                                                         start

NOTE:  Distance in Kilometers is approximate

Schedule:   1:45 Coaches meet

                     2:00 Boys 7-9^th  gr.  plus first year skiers -mass  start

                     2:02 Girls 7-9^th gr. plus first year skiers- mass start  

                     2:30 Boys JV- mass start

                     2:32 Girls JV- mass start

                     3:15 Boys Varsity Relay

                     3:17 Girls Varsity Relay

                     Awards will follow last race

Wax Day

I found a little paradise below zero on the skinnies this weekend and hope you did too. However, with the forecast showing temps in the upper 20's for our race Tuesday, Monday will be a wax day. 

BRING YOUR PARTICULATE MASK!!

Race #2 Apollo Invite

Nice work on the wax front today. Everyone has now dabbled in the craft of ski preparation. The work and time you put into your skis pays direct dividends to you. I know everyone wants to go when finished waxing their own skis but this is a team activity. When you leave early your fellow peers are forced to clean up your mess. Make an effort to do your part during clean up.

Race Notes:

You will be released from class at 12:20.

Bus departs Tech at 12:35. South pick-up 12:40.

Parents can plan on picking students up at 4:30.

For many of you this will be your first 5km race. Have a goal in mind for yourself. Concentrate on your technique, best line, tucking on the down hills, chasing down the skier in front of you etc...I've seen great improvements in everyone this last week. Have confidence in your ability and have a great race!

Apollo Nordic Invitational

Thursday December 12th

Location:        Riverside Park

                     1725  Killian Blvd SE

                     St.  Cloud

Invited Schools: Alexandria, Tech, Brainerd, Buffalo, Cathedral, Fergus Falls, Little Falls, Mora, St. John’s Prep, Willmar

 

Rookie Race- 2 laps flat on top

Junior High – 1 loop regular course

Varsity/ JV- 2 loops Wave Start (waves depart on 30 sec intervals, each skier is individually timed)

Schedule:

1:45 Rookie Race

2:00 Junior High Race 1 loop, Girls Mass Start, then Boys

2:30 Girls Varsity, Wave start, 1 skier per school per wave. Maximum of 6 skiers per school

2:40 Boys Varsity, Wave start, 1 skier per school per wave. Maximum of 6 skiers per school

3:15 Girls JV, Wave start, 1 skier per school per wave.

3:25 Boys JV, Wave start, 1 skier per school per wave.

Awards will be after the last race.

First, business:
-To avoid the extreme cold, our meet this week will take place on Thursday, December 12 instead of Tuesday December 10. It will still take place at Riverside Park.
-The bus schedule will remain unchanged for Monday and Tuesday
-We'll be waxing on Wednesday

Second, thoughts:

The good news is that everyone seemed to think skiing was at least sort of fun, and I'm really impressed with what I saw on the snow. Some of the veterans thought it was a funny prank to tell me it was their first or second time skiing, but I'm no fool.

For anyone who didn't have fun in their first week: don't be discouraged. Usually, the first step to being really good at something is being really bad at it. No one should feel self-conscious about how good they are at something the first time they do it. I've put a small amount of thought into it and have found that the second most important skill you can have is not caring what other people think about you (but instead caring what you think about you).

Keep asking questions and keep working on technique

Thanks for the great first week on snow!

sirskow@gmail.com

Race #1

I want to thank everyone for doing such a great job with waxing today!!! It was great seeing everyone help each other out, true teamwork. I know I was a little distracted with getting uniforms out but from what I saw skis were looking fast. 

RACE DAY

This is really just a race in name. We are going to concentrate on a positive skiing experience tomorrow and use it as a measuring stick for setting goals for the remainder of the month.

Positive experience#1 will start by STAYING WARM! I want to stress layers tomorrow, temps will be around 5! You will want a base layer under your race uniform, then your uniform. You will have warm bulky layers over the top for warm up and cool down post race. Vaseline on the cheeks wouldn't be a bad option tomorrow. 

RACE DETAILS

Released from class at 12:24. Bus departs door 6 12:40. All Jr. High and rookie racers should try to get dressed prior to departure with the early races.

Souths students will be picked up at 12:45 by the doors nearest the tennis courts. See me immediately upon arrival for uniforms.

Arrive at Riverside by 1:00.

Parents can expect to pick students up between 4:15 & 4:30.

I don't expect everyone to race. I'll leave this up to your judgement. If you want to just practice ski between races and experience the first race as a fan of Tech I completely understand. We have only had two days on the snow.

CATHEDRAL Dec 5^th SKI RACE   2013

DATE:  Thursday December 5th, 2013

TIME:   1:30 PM 1^st race

LOCATION: Riverside Park, St Cloud

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Alexandria, Apollo/Sauk Rapids, Brainerd, Buffalo, Cathedral/Sartell, Little Falls ,Mora, Tech, St Johns Prep, Willmar,

                                               

RACES: Skate- mass start

SCHEDULE:        1:00 Coach’s meeting in Riverside shelter

                        1:30 Junior High Girl’s 7-9^th-  and rookies skate mass start (2.5k) 1 loops

                       2:00 Junior High Boy’s 7-9^th and rookies skate-mass start   (2.5k) 1 loops

                       2:30 Girls  Varsity skate-mass start   (5K) 2 loops

                       2:33 Boy’s JV skate-mass start   (5K) 2 loops

                        3:00 Boy’s Varsity skate -mass start (5K) 2 loops

                       3:03  Girls JV skate -mass start (5K) 2 loops

                       3:45 Awards

Wax Day

Wednesday will be a wax day!
We will meet in the small engines room just outside door 8, down the hall from door 6.

I want to thank everyone for being so positive while out skiing on this make shift snow loop the past two days. I just want to reiterate this doesn't represent what skiing is truly like! It does provide us with a beginning experience though, a small place to work out the kinks and get a feel for the skis under your feet. This transition actually helps ease the muscles and tendons involved in the skating motion. You don't have a chance to over cook yourself the first few days.

Cross your fingers for snow tonight!

  

Bus

The bus to Riverside will depart from door 6 at 3:40. The same door we go out everyday for practice that faces Lake George Park. Make sure and get dressed so you will be ready to go as soon as we arrive at Riverside.

Back At It

I hope everyone had a great holiday break!

The snow making efforts fell short of expectations, but enough snow was made to allow us the opportunity to get the rust off and learn basic ski technique. BRING your skis Monday. South students can leave their skis in the office during the day and will bus over to Tech. Then everyone who isn't driving will take a bus to Riverside from Tech for the remainder of practice. The school hasn't informed me of the bus number yet or the location of pick-up at Tech so make sure to listen to the announcements and check this blog again tomorrow if possible before 8:30am to get an update.

Parents you will be picking your students up at Riverside Park after all practices from now on.

As of now the scheduled race for Thursday December 5th is going to happen. We will be racing at Powder Ridge. Students will likely be missing the second half of the day, so I urge you now to check in with your teachers for upcoming assignments that may be missed. Progress reports need to be handed in by Wednesday! If you didn't grab a sheet last week they can be found in the Athletics office across from the Shack.

This is an exciting week for the team.  We have snow to ski on and our first meet of the year!  Let's practice hard this week and have a blast on the skis!