If my athlete is hurt, has allergies, special medications, etc?

If an athlete is hurt, a member of the coaching staff will stay with your athlete until a parent or designated person is there to take care of the athlete.  This includes accompanying the athlete to 1^st aid, and filling out an accident report etc.

If your athlete has special diet or medication, please talk with the coaching staff and provide written instructions.  We do sometimes share, candy, gum, cookies etc and need your input to know of any special limitations or issues.

Does it matter if I skip a few days of training or a few races?

Of course it does, we will miss your athlete and we will be really sad.  Other than that, skiing is like any sport, you get out what you put in.  If you miss to much time, your athlete will feel like he/she is being “passed” by their peers and they will be more likely to want to skip practices or drop out entirely (it becomes a cycle). 

In general, a few days of training or a missed race is no big deal.   If you have questions or want to talk through a scenario, ask any coach and they can help you out. 

If my athlete needs to leave early?

Make sure that a parent of designated person tells a coach so that we are all on the same page. 

Do other kids tired or burned out?

Yes.  Any sport that takes up your entire weekend and vacation time, including Saturday morning cartoons will eventually create a minor twinge of fatigue.  Feel free to let you athlete take the occasional rest/recovery day.  Trust us, it doesn’t change their odds of making to the Olympics. 

What about car pooling?

Coaches don’t generally carpool with kids (unless they are acting as parents in that capacity).  However, lots of parent’s carpool together and you just need to ask around.

What if my athlete is having a difficult time?

We understand that young athletes are complex and things can go wrong, including:

- Clicks form and your athlete feels like he/she is outside the “circle”

- A coach’s style makes an athlete feel neglected, pressured or hurts feelings

- One or more kids are not getting along, this can be bullying, name calling, exclusive friendships etc

- An athlete feels like they are not keeping pace with their peers, had a bad fall or something else happens that undermines confidence

Please help us understand what is going so we can create a better environment.  Some kids are really good at hiding their feelings.  Others act out and make trouble masking the root issues.  It varies based on each person circumstances and unique characteristics.  We will work really hard to make things positive, but we can’t do much if we are in the dark. 

What if I have a recommendation or question?

Please reach out to us.  The coach’s room is not a “private club”.  It provides place to decompress, but parents and athletes are always welcome to knock if they a suggestion or a question.  We are also available after hours, via phone and e-mail.

How are kids “split” into groups?

Coaches really try to create a positive environment.  We will have 30+ athletes in J-5's.  We don't formally group them but work with different segments on different skills.  We try to have the athletes think of the whole staff as "their" coaches, as we also view the athletes.

We often train with J-4's in courses.  Occasionally some J-6 skiers join us.  Our staffs are familiar with most of the athletes and it provides good role-modeling.  On any given day a number of factors influence groupings, including:

Age

Natural groupings (which athletes seem to enjoy being together)

Ability

Coach preferences (which coaches seem to connect better with a given group of athletes)

We try and mix things up, but we also need some consistency for kids to have continuity that promotes learning.  We don’t always split by ability, but sometimes it is necessary to focus on tasks that fit better based on the stage of ski racing development.  Sometimes this means separating kids who might like skiing together. 

In general, all the coaches work hard to coordinate so that we are on the same page.  We understand that “groupings” have a lot to do with individual dynamics and how happy your athlete is on any given day.  With that understanding, let us know if you see an issue and we will take that feedback into consideration.

Tuning seems like weird science to me, how do I learn?

The best way is to watch someone that knows and then try it yourself in “real time”.  Find a friend or reach out to a coach.  We are happy to share and if there is enough interest, can schedule group sessions (but 1:1 is better). 

Basics

Good hands, pole plant, solid stance, well balanced and a clean “arc”.  That’s what we work on 90% of the time. 

What is an arc?  You ski arcs or carves if it “slices” through the snow with minimal skid.  This is fast.  The basics help you do that.

Building on the basics

Once the basics start to take shape, we work on getting a “higher” edge angle by moving further into the turns, long leg/short leg, and parallel angles from the ankles up through the hip and other extensions of the basics.

With J5’s in particular, we try and use “show me” to demonstrate and create setting that allow them to experience new skills and techniques without a lot of talking or complex narrative.  This means going to the right (often gentle) terrain and using guided experiences (drills) to help them learn something new. 

We then back this up be repetition in increasing more aggressive settings until it becomes habit.  There are tons of articles that describe this in more detail.  If you are curious, a few good sites include:

Tactics

The world’s greatest skier will be faster than your average Joe or Jane if they execute using poor tactics.  Tactics is all about the “line” or path you ski around the gates and timing.  The right line is as straight as possible while allowing the athlete to “arc”.  The right timing means you maximize skeletal strength, muscles and technique in combination with the right “line”. 

If this sounds confusing, it is.  However, there are drills and simple instructions that help an athlete improve both line and timing without understanding the physics and biomechanics.  Once we get in gates, we work on tactics as much or more than we do basic techniques.  It is also hard to learn “skiing” in gates where tactics require a lot of thought.  That is why we don’t spend to much time in gates and why we work on repetition the athletes take what they learn and make it a habit that comes naturally.

Cross blocking/gate contact

Hitting gates is great fun and a lot kids want to do it there first time in gates, even J6’s!!!

However, until have good technique and tactics, hitting gates can do more harm than good.  It can slow you down and introduce new bad habits (leaning in or “reaching” to hit the gates).  We will try and pick the “best time” to introduce your athlete to gate contact, but it is not a science.  If we think your athlete is ready, but doesn’t have or bring the gear, we will give you a heads up in advance.

What about my athlete?

Although the group is working on the “same things”, our athlete should have a particular focus based on their individual needs.  If you ask your athlete, what are coaches having you work on and you get no answer, we are not doing our job.  Let us know.  If your athlete says “lots of stuff”, but they really don’t understand or each coach says something different, we are not doing our job.  Let us know.

Can/should I coach my athlete?

That is up to you.  If you decide to do some 1:1 skiing and coaching with your athlete, start by asking “what are coaches working on with you?”. 

Another option is watching ski races and videos together.  It’s fun and like any sport, watching the pro’s is a great way to connect to the sport and the role models competing on the word cup circuit. 

What if my child wants/needs extra 1:1 time?

If you feel your athlete has a special need that requires extra focus, let us know and we can try and help in that space.  There are also alumni and others folks who might support 1:1 sessions.  If that is important to you and your athlete, we can try and help make that happen.

What is really important?

That your athlete has a good time, that he/she feels good about themselves and that they continue to enjoy the sport and their time together.