Wednesday, January 29, 2014

CLC Waxing update

With photos and a race prep ski today our waxing time is limited.
We will wax at 7am in the Tech Wax room. We have a small window between 7-8:30. Not everyone is expected to wax. The skiers who do need to wax know who they are.
Everyone needs to be sharp and focused we have a small window of time.
JH High Skiers have the option to ski in the JV Race. I've signed up all Jr. High students up.

Bus pick-up at South is 8:45am
Bus departs Tech at 9!

See everyone in a few hours;-)

Lets defend our CLC Title!!!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

CLC Schedule & Photo Day

CLC Nordic Ski Championships 1/30/2014
Host: Alexandria
Site: Andes Tower Hills

Schedule:
12 V Boys Classic
12:10 JV Boys Classic
12:45 V Girls Classic
12:55 JV Girls Classic
1:30 V Boys Skate
1:40 JV Boys Skate
2:15 V Girls Skate
2:25 JV Girls Skate
3 Awards

(All races mass start)

Bus departs at 9am.
You won't have school Thursday. Make sure and talk with your teachers tomorrow about upcoming work and assignments!! Start the new semester right.

PHOTOS WEDNESDAY
All students will have individual photos taken. Parents then can go on-line to place an order or students can pick up an order pamphlet in the Activities Office. Pictures can be ordered at any time.

Along with photos we will look to get a race prep ski in so the body is primed for CLC.  We may try and get a few skis waxed as well. Right now it looks like we may do waxing Wednesday night for those who can along with Thursday morning for others. Will discuss further tomorrow.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

This Coming Week, and Maplelag in Review

We're approaching the final stretch. Here's a blow-by-blow of what's ahead:

-Monday, 1/27: School is Canceled. Take the time to rest and recover. Do everything you can to eat well,  drink enough water, and get ahead on school.
-Tuesday, 1/28: Regular practice: be prepared to skate and classic (if you have classic).
-Wednesday, 1/29: Practice at Riverside, Team Photos: bring your team jackets (extras would be nice), or else a black jacket/top.
-Thursday, 1/30: Conference Championships at Andes Tower Hills[map] (postponed from Tuesday, more details forthcoming). No busing or shelter for people not racing at this meet this day.
-Friday, 1/31: Same as Tuesday

Also:
-Monday, 2/3: The section team will leave for Maplelag[map] after school.  There will not be a regular practice for other members of the team, but everyone's encouraged to ski if they are able to. There will not be a bus to Riverside; students may have to take their regular bus home both Monday and...
-Tuesday, 2/4: Section races will take place at Maplelag. Section skiers should expect to help pay for the extra expenses for this trip.
-Thursday, 2/6: Junior High championships (this includes 9th graders not racing at sections) will be racing at Riverside. Other skiers will have a regular practice at Graystone or the North Loop.
-After the Jr. High Championships, practices will be optional for skiers who did not qualify to compete at the state meet.

Maplelag in Review:
This past Saturday, two vans full of skiers left for Maplelag to preview the section course. About three hours later, two vans full of skiers fell in love with Maplelag resort in northern Minnesota. Bottomless cookie jars and endless supplies of hot cider and chocolate contributed, but the most important factors were the gorgeous wooded trails and the authentic northwoods ambiance and decor of the lodge (there's a library with towers featuring stained glass and panoramic views).

The trails weren't built for racing - they're narrow and winding. But this makes knowledge of the race courses even more valuable. I hope everyone spends a little time thinking their way through the different courses in the time leading up to sections. Here's a breakdown from what I remember:

The skate course starts gradually uphill, but quickly sends you down "Kamikaze Hill" a steep downhill that takes a sharp left. Expect the inside line to be pretty glazed over by snowplowers, and try to drop into it from the outside. Stay on your feet, and step turn as much as you can to carry speed through the rolling section before you make the left turn to head up "Suicide Hill". Wide enough for 3-4 skiers, this will be prime passing real estate. Ski hard and keep your head up so you don't get stuck behind someone who's struggling. There's a right turn back onto the single track, where the climbing continues for another 500 meters or so. After this climb, the course is rolling, but mostly downhill. Take the inside of corners, but remember that the snow will often be softer at the edges and your poles can punch through. Draft skiers down hills and slingshot past them. There are a number of opportunities to develop a lot of speed by staying in a tuck and skating in the second half of the course.

The Classic Course was pretty featureless - no "Suicide Hill" or anything - just consistent rolling terrain with a lot of winding turns. The biggest considerations will be 1) staying upright through the turns, which will be more challenging during a faster, more tiring race, and 2) transitioning between techniques effectively. Because it is so rolling, you will switch between double poling, double-pole kick, and striding literally dozens of times. Keep your eyes up and anticipate hills; getting into a stride while carrying momentum is going to make a huge difference (and you will probably overtake a lot of racers if you do this well, so make sure you don't ski on top of someone). Every little bit of hesitation will cost you valuable time; every bit of momentum you can carry as you start to stride will get you hugely closer to the top of the hill.

Thanks to the people who were able to make it on this adventure for making it such a great day!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Mora/St. Johns Invite moved to Friday

The Mora meet has been moved to Friday!!

All of the times remain the same, just pushed back a day due to extreme cold.

South students will get picked up at 11:45. Tennis court doors.
Tech students will be dismissed at noon and bus departs at 12:15.

Please contact your teachers and take any end of semester tests scheduled for Friday afternoon on Thursday.





Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Wednesday Practice & Mora/St Johns Invite

Bring the warm mitts and lots of layers tomorrow. The cold has returned.

For those of you who have classic skis bring them tomorrow. Everyone else should plan on skating.
Our next meet is already this Thursday.  We will not wax because:
-We already have cold wax on our skis,
-The meet might be canceled from cold (illegal to compete below -4F)
-Time spent waxing is time not spent skiing

I hope everyone used this day off of school wisely, to study for semester finals and finish any assignments that may be coming due!!!!

Mora/St. Johns Invite Thursday, 1/23

RACES:       
5.5km Classic – Varsity / Junior Varsity - Mass Start
3km Skate – Junior High (7th-9th) – Mass Start
SCHEDULE:         
2:30 Boy’s JV Classic - Mass Start (5.5K)
2:55 Girl’s JV Classic - Mass Start (5.5K)
3:15 Girl’s Varsity Classic - Mass Start (5.5K)
                   3:30 Boy’s Varsity Classic - Mass Start (5.5K)
4:00 Junior High Boy’s 7-9th Skate - Mass St (3K)
4:05 Junior High Girl’s 7-9th Skate - Mass St(3K)
                   4:45 Awards

Be prepared to race hard to win some Johnny Bread. Mora's course is very flat: take some time to really think through and work on your double poling technique. (This video is worth watching, even if everything explained is hard to understand. Ask for clarification about the terms and technique, and carefully watch the skiers so you can emulate them).



The weeks ahead:

Conference Championships will take place next Tuesday (1/28) at Andes near Alexandria. And the Jr. High Championships will be two days later (1/30) at Riverside. I told some of you the opposite of this - the dates posted here are correct. The forecasts I've seen suggest Conference Championships (1/28) will also be illegally cold.

There's a(n outside) chance that the only competitions we have left this season are Junior High Championships, Sections, and State. The season will be over fast: just two months ago we were still doing dryland, and many of you had still never skied.


Deliberative Practice:

The season's nearing its end. For our skiers who are working to reach their physical "peak", the seed has been sown; it's almost harvest time. That is: when it comes to fitness, we're not going to make dramatic improvements over the next couple weeks. Less experienced skiers will still have a lot of potential for getting faster simply by improving technique and becoming more efficient (see the video above).

A long time ago, I made a post about SMART goal setting. Now is a good time to reevaluate any goals you set, and to make the commitment toward future goals. Talk to a coach about these goals, and we can help you understand what steps you'll need to take to accomplish it.

Regardless of what your specific goal is, deliberative practice is one of the most effective tools to use in pursuing it. Deliberative practice means deeply focusing your mental energy to improve something. As a coach, I've taken on the role of being the observer and voice in the back of your head that identifies what needs work, and reminding you about it. One of the best things you can learn is to take this role on yourself. Identify what you can be doing better, and focus on improving it, one small piece at a time.

Your biggest responsibility at this point in your life is to make yourself better than the person you were yesterday. To do this, you will have to constantly remind yourself of how you can be better. You won't always have someone chasing you around nagging you - at least I hope not.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Little Falls Invite and wax night

Waxing with the Wiebers today, Saturday the 18th from 7-9pm:

4726 35th Avenue Southeast
Saint Cloud, MN 56304

Please try and make it, the forecast calls for cold temps and fresh snow. A good cold wax will make a difference.

Little Falls Flyers Invite
January 20, 2014
Schedule:
10:00 & 1:30 Varsity Boys Pursuit
10:45 & 2:15 Varsity Girls Pursuit
11:30 Mass Start JV Boys and Girls Freestyle
12:00 Mass Start Jr High Boys Freestyle
12:30 Mass Start Jr. High Girls Freestyle

Starting Procedure: Varsity races - Classic; 30sec intervals (3 @ a time)
                                                     Freestyle Pursuit

Bus Departs Tech, Door 6 at 6:45am!!

Directions for parents: enter Camp Ripley from hwy 371 on Hwy 115 to South Gate. Stop at entrance, driver must show I.D. Proceed 2 miles straight ahead to Range Control. Must stop there and pick up pass to go down range to F-Range. After going through Range Control Gate, veer left and proceed West until you see the sign for Biathlon Range (3-4miles) Turn right and go 2 miles North until you see the left turn into F-Range. Speed limit is 25mph downrange and in monitored closely. Will take close to 30 minutes once you arrive at the Main Gate of Ripley to get to F-Range.



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Mesabi Recap

Mesabi 2014


The mere name Mesabi raises the heart rate.  I check the forecast every hour the preceding days, not wanting to believe that the weather may actually hold true and provide gorgeous racing conditions for this coming Saturday the 11th. Mother Nature has has been rather unkind the previous two years. First withholding her white gold and then last year she tried raining on our manifest destiny.
Predawn on the 10th elicited a prompt cursing under my breath, it was drizzling, really! With a positive resolve I just hoped we would not be delayed due to poor road conditions, wish granted, Mesabi was on in full force!  Enter the Iron Ranges own Robert Zimmerman lyric of your choice; I’m going with “simple twist of fate.”
The bus drive north was uneventful. With each passing mile the drizzle remained, slowly crushing my kick waxing soul. I personally was preparing myself for the task of applying klister to all our classic skis. Not a horrible task but one that can become messy and a bit of a guessing game for skis that are not marked. As soon as we hit the 53 split out of Cloquet it feels like game on, we’ve entered the North Country. Coniferous and birch trees are the new road side norm. The framework that almost always leads to postcard skiing.
The atmosphere on the bus was typical of big race buzz and long hours on the road. Cory wins the award of asking “are we stopping to eat?” the most. The “are we there yet?” award goes to Zeb. As we enter the small Bavarian town of Biwabik it is noticed the drizzle has stopped! The Mesabi trail along side Embarrass Lake looks picture perfect, my heart flutters and I can’t wipe the smile from my face.
As quickly as I hand trail passes out to preski, skiers break for the doors; all wanting a taste of the sweet, sweet, skinny life only found in deep, firm tracks and a level deck of corduroy rolling through the hills of the Laurentian Divide. Sean went deep into the woods with the skate skiers, dissolving any thoughts of doubt that may enter the mind on this hilly course. I strapped on the classics, and with crew in tow headed for the ski hill trails with tempered glee knowing we would only get to preski for a short time. Post ski team enthusiasm was at an all time high. I mentioned to our skiers throughout the year that our time spent on glassy, uneven trails would pay dividends when we finally hit the good stuff. I think everyone felt amazing on these great trails. I know I was ready to send the coach bus home and make this a one way trip.   
The Sawmill was our choice for dinner, Virginia’s best log cabin grill. The staff was exceptional and I got my first ever waitress high five after our group was seated. I only look back now with regret that I didn’t snap a photo of the long wooden dining table framed by the smiles of our Tech Nordic Ski family, my race weekend was made and we’d only been on the range for a few hours.


To the Coates: the rumor mill had been pumped to an all time high about our lodging destination. I’d been leaking legendary tales since the x-c running season. Sharing Google images and laying the hyperbole on extra thick in the days leading up to the race. I can say I don’t think there was a disappointed skier on the team. I think an episode of ghost hunters may have been filmed by a few skiers, others went seeking out the many nuances that make the Coates the Coates! Makeshift fridges were made with buckets of ice and coffee makers provided hot water for breakfast, what more could you ask for...? maybe a bottle a ClearEyes, to lessen the irritation and redness of dry eyes from the heavy chlorinated air.
I found Point Break playing on VH1, always a good omen and game changer for me, “you can’t just live to get radical all the time, you need to find the spiritual side of it.” Thank you Bohdi for your divine wisdom and tutelage.
The Tech Nordic Team was impeccable during our stay. The only true drama levied by anyone can go to Room 228’s door lock, a.k.a. the coaches room. The battery died in the locking mechanism post room inspection and lock down...really!! Two trips to the front desk, a hallway reflection session, followed by two more trips from the hotel boss and we were back in our room. Sleep came almost instantly with the help of local public access Channel 16 and it’s great selection of polka music, town events and mom and pop ads. Oh Coates, how I enjoy your quirks.


Race Day, too early: I doubled down on the java as Sean and I rallied the troops. Time to show what Tech Nordic is all about. The Mesabi meet this year had record attendance, 1250 skiers, everyone looking to show what a good snow year has done for their skiing fitness. Almost a duplicate of last year minus the rain. Blustery with temps dropping and a dusting of snow, an unsarcastic perfect! Kick waxing was like a dream and confidence the uphill battle would be won by the skier and not the wax this year. Isaac delivered an amazing early result with a 6th place classic ski. Katie stepped up in the late skate session shattering her old results and getting a personal best with a 21st place finish. Special recognition to all the rookies for their positive attitudes during the long layovers between racers and their late start times. It’s always tough harboring nervous energy all day, but they still showed eagerness to get out racing under this great arena for nordic skiing.
I’d love to go into more details, but each skier fought their own battle once again and have their own story. I only escorted their nervous energy to the start gate, sharing words of wisdom and resounding confidence in their ability and saw the joy, pain and elation at the finish line. Everything in between is for them to share.


All along the yellow and white classic track home I think, or hoped, minds wandered with renewed enthusiasm for what hard training has accomplished so far; along with self reflection as to what may be possible during the remainder of the season, and maybe the most pressing question of all, “when are we stopping to eat?”


Sean and I could not be prouder of the team for their mature and responsible behavior over the course of the weekend.


The family support was amazing, so many thanks as always!


Skinnyski.com has many great photos posted. Just go to the high school tab and select races.






Thursday Practice PM

We will be skiing at Riverside. We have the shelter if we get cold. The best training right now is skiing. Parents please plan on picking up your students at Riverside like normal. See you at practice.

Thursday Practice

Please pack shorts and running shoes along with your ski gear today. Depending on weather conditions we maybe working out inside today at Tech. The current forecast calls for 4 degrees and sustained 30+ mph winds at 3pm. The ski trails maybe blown in and wind chills to severe to ski outside.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Jamboree at Ripley Cancelled

Due to hazardous travel conditions tomorrow the Jamboree Race at Ripley has been  cancelled.
We will be practicing at Riverside as usual. Bring your skate skis.

Our next race is this Monday the 20th back at Camp Ripley for the Little Falls Invite. All skiers will be participating in this event. Varsity 10km pursuit, JV and JH 5km skate race.

More details to come.

Monday, January 13, 2014

JamborSki

In a world where everyone thought all ski meets were the same...
One day of racing showed everyone just how different it could be.
Enter: the Ski Jamboree.

This Thursday, 1/16, we'll be going to Camp Ripley near Little Falls for a meet that breaks the mold. It's a format that more closely imitates the range of races seen in the Olympics or World Cup: it includes sprints (about 1.5km/1 mile/3-4 minutes for fast skiers), continuous pursuit (3-4km classic + 3-4km skate, non-stop), and team relays (about 3km for each racer).

You will miss all of school on Thursday. Plan ahead! In fact, we will leave Tech between 6:45-7:00a.m., because we're really hard core (thanks, parents, for also being hardcore and providing rides at such an early hour).

This meet format is proposed to replace the current State Meet, in the hopes that a wider range of people will have the opportunity to be successful in skiing. This meet is long, but also fun and exciting, and it will provide you with a lot of opportunities to cheer on your teammates, race hard, and fill idle time with skiing. If you're not sure where you're racing, talk to Lance or myself.

This is Thursday's race schedule:

10:00 AM Girls Sprint qualifying 40 skiers - 15 second intervals

10:15 Boys Sprint qualifying 40 skiers – 15 second intervals

10:45 Girls Continuous Pursuit 40 skiers -Mass start. Classic 3-4k then skate 3-4k.

11:35 Boys Continuous Pursuit 40 skiers - Mass start. Classic first then skate

12:25 Girls Sprint Quarter-Finals (top 24 qualifiers) 4 heats of six – top 3 in heats move on to Semi-Finals

12:45 Boys Sprint Quarter-Finals (top 24 qualifiers) 4 heats of six – top 3 in heats move on to Semi-Finals

1:05 Girls Sprint Semi-Finals (top 12) 2 heats of six. Top 3 go to Finals. Last 3 – Consolation.

1:20 Boys Sprint Semi-Finals (top 12) 2 heats of six. Top 3 go to Finals. Last 3 - Consolation.

1:35 Girls Sprint Consolation Finals (7-12 place) - one heat

1:45 Boys Sprint Consolation Finals (7-12 place)- one heat

1:55 Girls Sprint Finals (top 6)

2:05 Boys Sprint Finals (top 6)

2:15 Girls 4 X 3 km Relay (2 Classic-2 Freestyle) Mass start

3:00 Boys 4 X 3 km Relay (2 Classic-2 Freestyle) Mass start

4:00 Awards

Edit: We will also be back in time for the 7:00 p.m. band concert. Our apologies to Mr. Zwack if any of his musicians are exhausted from having an amazing meet.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Things you need for Mesabi

Last minute tip/reminder: Try to pack a smaller "carry-on" with things you'll need on the bus, large bags are usually stowed. (Think: water, food, homework, entertainment, clothes for skiing as soon as we arrive...)

Please remember these items, in roughly decreasing order of importance:

-Yourself, at door 6, at 9:30 a.m.-Medications (e.g. asthma inhalers)
-Food
-Skis/boots/poles/hat/gloves
-Dry socks
-Water bottle
-Toothbrush/paste
-Money

This list is not comprehensive.

You will be responsible for all of your snacks and meals beside lunch on Saturday (thanks so much for our helpful and supportive parents for putting lunch together!). Most skiers also find a restaurant for dinner on Friday because people like hot food.

The Run-down

If you're not sure what to expect, here's a quick synopsis:
On Friday, we'll take the bus straight to Giant's Ridge and spend time skiing. After we ride to the hotel and settle in we'll make dinner plans. We'll eat, and make last minute race preparations, relax at the hotel.

Bright and early Saturday morning, we'll check out and head back to the Ridge. Skiers from dozens of teams will be racing continuously all day: two skiers, every thirty seconds, for hours. You can find your start time here.

There will be a lot of downtime, and a lot of snacking. Once you've finished your race, you get to fill the entire rest of the day with as much skiing as you possibly can.

The trails are beautiful, the event is remarkable, and the fun is unforgettable.

See you tomorrow (or today, as the case may be)

Monday, January 6, 2014

Mesabi and a look ahead

Mesabi info: $60 fee needed by Thursday.

Before we move forward on this post, this is an A race, the biggest High School ski race in the country with skiers from 3 states. Do all the small things right this week!! This means eating, drinking and sleeping. We've gone over it all season you know what to do. Every second is a position in a race like this. Use the extra day off from school wisely Tuesday! Catch up and get ahead on your school work. More to come...looking forward to our practice Wednesday:-)

Travel Day: Friday, January 10th
Depart Tech: 9:30 pick up Apollo 10:00.
Arrive at Giants Ridge 2 p.m.
Pre-ski to 4 p.m.
Back to Hotel and dinner 4:30-??
Staying at the Coates Plaza Hotel, Virginia, MN

Mesabi East X-C Invitational
Saturday, January 11th
Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Resort

Approx. Start Time:
10:00 5K Classic Varsity/JV Boys
12:00 5K Classic Varsity/JV Girls
1:30   5K Freestyle Varsity/JV Boys
3:00   5K Freestyle Varsity/JV Girls

Depart at 5 p.m.
Stop for dinner at some point.
Arrive back at Tech 10ish.

Line up: B Varsity Freestyle: Cory, Jason, Jack
             B JV Freestyle: Tom, Ricky
             B Varsity Classic: Isaac, Zeb, Carter
             B JV Classic: Noah, Connor
             G Varsity Freestyle: Katie, Kaethe, Miriam
             G JV Freestyle: Mary, Aubrie
             G Varsity Classic: Shannon M, Shannon C, Bethany

They will post individual start times later this week:-)

The rest of this week...
Tuesday: if temps allow, optional easy individual ski in discipline you're racing.
Wednesday: plan on some solid ski time!
Thursday: Wax day
Friday: Pre-ski
Saturday: Race

Mora Invite Cancelled:-(

Despite my best efforts to will temps upward a degree or two with optimism the forecast is borderline and I'm sorry to say the Mora Invite has been cancelled!
We will still have our regularly scheduled practice on Tuesday.

It looks like races are really going to pile up in the second half of the season. Please, please, use today and the upcoming week to get ahead with your studies.

Mesabi updates tonight!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Can you Camus?

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
-Albert Camus

Which is easy for him to say, since French winters are much milder than Minnesota winters.

News:
-The next scheduled meet in Mora, on Tuesday, 1/14... is uncertain. Since the MSHSL rules forbids competition at -4F, it seems unlikely they will host despite Lance's optimism.
-If you're coming to Mesabi, we need a check for $60. If you bring it on Tuesday, you will be rewarded with a high-five and an enthusiastic grin. We absolutely need it from you no later than Thursday, but you will be met with a reproachful look. You will miss almost the entire day of school on Friday. Tell your teachers.



Since I do what I can to keep these posts as hep, up-to-speed, and culturally relevant as possible, it's about time we had a numbered list:"

The top ten variations of Camus' "In the depth of winter..." quote elucidating possible pastimes or musings for statewide school closings due to cold

1. "In the depth of winter, I melted wax onto the bottoms of all of my skis."

2. "In the depth of winter, I made every effort to stay inside."

3. "In the depth of winter, I finally learned chemistry."

4. "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay within me a digestive tract, which is pretty cool if you think about it."

5. "In the depth of winter, I checked my weather app and then ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes."

6. "In the depth of winter, I remembered to brush my teeth at least twice daily."

7. "In the depth of winter, I did fifty pull-ups in one day because my lats were hankering for a workout."

8. "In the depth of winter, I forgot to finish writing my top-ten list."

9. "In the depth of winter, I referenced the Okee-Dokee Brothers in the title of a blog post that aggressively stretched a French philosopher's relevance to Nordic skiing."

Thursday, January 2, 2014

1/2/14

Bring your classics if you have them, all others will be skating.
Pack the warm clothes for today!!
Jackets are in! Bring your money.
Plan on shaking off a little rust if you haven't been able to get out and ski over break:-)
Think of new goals for this New Year.