- Final Decision for Thursday, 1-7-16 January 7, 2016Thanks to Head Coach, Jay Davis, who headed out in the middle of his work day to scope out the snow at Garipay Fields. Turns out the crust is still too icy for safe skiing of 100 kids, so… Practice today will be at OAK HILL! Although they ask us to call before noon, we will call RMS, Ray, Lyme and Crossroads now to inform them and hope they will post on their bulletin boards. Please try to text/notify/call your own child as well. Thanks for your flexibility as we do our best to find the safest and best places for your kids to ski. AshleyContinue reading →
- Plan for Thursday 1/7/15 January 6, 2016
INFORMATION FOR THE 2&3 DAY PROGRAM:
For Practice on: Thursday, 1/7/15 Location: ***Garipay, but there is a reasonable probability that the venue may change to the stadium at Oak Hill if the snow at Garipay does not soften enough for safe skiing. We will send out an email by 2pm tomorrow if we change the venue to Oak Hill…drivers and middle school walkers take note!!! Time: 3:30-4:30 Technique: Skate (YES on snow!!!) Wax Recommendation: NA Upcoming Event/Race: Bogburn POSTPONED NOTES:
Thanks to those who came to ask questions yesterday. We had several families work with coaches on finding the wax pocket, pole and ski sizing, and waxing. It was a nice, unhurried time to go over some of these topics. We also watched a bit of the Tour de Ski sprints! Thanks to Dorcas for the use of her classroom.
TOUR DE SKI WORTH WATCHING:
There have been some impressive, VERY impressive, USA results in the Tour de Ski, an event that takes place across Europe and includes 8 races in 10 days. Check out Tuesday’s women’s sprints for some seriously excellent racing. It streams beautifully from http://www.crosscountryski.us/
GEAR:
Some folks are still looking for gear and clothing. Please remember to post anything you HAVE OR NEED on our “Used gear Exchange” here:
http://leagueathletics.com/Exchange.asp?n=52737&org=fordsayre.org
Jen Frost is looking for a FS nordic jacket in size small. If you have one you aren’t using, would you let her know? You can email her at jpfrost2000@gmail.com From here on out, put your requests on the Gear Exchange. It is a great tool if we keep it up to date.
PARALYMPIC CONTINTAL CUP:
With the Bogburn postponed, are you looking for a destination this weekend? The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is hosting a NorAm event sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee. These races feature both Paralympic medalists and developing skiers from the US and Canada competing in biathlon and cross country. On Saturday there will be a biathlon race (currently scheduled for 10:00). The field size will be small and the race should have a bit of a local feel to it. Come out and cheer, then ski a few K to round out the day. For more info visit www.craftsbury.com or contact our own FS coach, Rob Walsh (robgwalsh@gmail.com, 643-1207)
Cheers,
Ashley & Peter
- Awesome First Day on Snow, “Ski for Ks” Program, and Vermont Skier wins World Cup January 6, 2016
Fun on Snow!
It is great to be on snow again ~ and so exciting to work with your children to build the fundamental skills of cross-country skiing. The magnitude of 140+ kids on skis is pretty impressive. Thank you to the great group of volunteers, children, family / caregivers, and others that support this program!
Ski for Ks: Encourage your child to track how far they ski this winter!
Encourage your children to keep track of how far they’ve skied this winter, and be eligible for a special patch or pin. The Ski for Ks program is intended to help kids set and reach attainable goals. The purpose is to motivate them to ski more kilometers than they thought they could! It also encourages families to ski together outside of ski club practices and for kids to set ski dates with their friends.
Nordic Rocks is a collaboration between Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC), New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA), Far West Nordic Ski Education Association (FWNSEA) and Rocky Mountain Nordic (RMN) to promote Nordic skiing between our four regions!
Download the 2015-16 Kids Training Log here, or link to Nordic Rocks to find more information and sign up for online tracking. Keep track of your distance… we’ll check back in at the end of the season to ask you for your total count of kilometers. Remember this should be fun, and is totally voluntary!
World Cup win for Vermont Skier, Sophie Caldwell!
Congratulations to Sophie Caldwell for her win in the World Cup Classic Sprint yesterday! Sophie is a Vermont native, Dartmouth alum, and the third American woman to win a World Cup race. Watch her exciting race here!
- Bogburn Race Postponed – No Race this Saturday January 5, 2016
All,
The Bogburn Classic, our first race of the season, has been postponed as a result of slick conditions on the trails. It has been rescheduled to February 20. More on that later, but we wanted to let everyone know for weekend planning purposes.
Cheers,
Ashley & Peter
Continue reading → - Plan for Tuesday, January 5, 2016 January 4, 2016
INFORMATION FOR THE 2&3 DAY PROGRAM:
Location: Richmond Middle School Room 708 Time: 3:30-4:30 Technique: OPTIONAL gear/wax Q&A for parents and skiers with coaches present Wax Recommendation: NA Upcoming Event/Race: Sat, Jan 9: The Bogburn Classic – later this week we will let you know if it is on or not NOTES:
TOMORROW:
Our Head Coaches have been out testing a variety of ski locations and have concluded that it is unwise to hold practice tomorrow. The areas that still have snow have frozen up into what we lovingly call “boiler plate,” and the resultant ice crust is not safe for kids that are going to be generating some speed on their skis. (The One Day program will have practice, as they have mainly younger kids who will all be on no-wax skis, getting used to the feel on their feet in the little bit of tracks that are set there.)
Instead, glass-half-full, please feel free to take this unexpected opportunity to come meet your children’s coaches and ask questions about ski gear or waxing. This is fully OPTIONAL. We will meet at RMS in room 708. Please leave winter boots in the RMS entry way. From the main doors, go straight, then through a slight zig-zag in the hall, and look for the room on the right. Bring skis, poles, boots, whatever, and we can help you figure out what you don’t know. Some ideas:
- Pole strap check/adjustment (this is more important that you can imagine)
- Kick zone measurement (paper test)
- Ski/boot sizing check
- Waxing help
Please do NOT send you child unattended. This is a chance for parents and children to have questions answered. If you and your child cannot come/do not have questions, please make other arrangements after school tomorrow.
THURSDAY:
The forecast for Thursday is for warmer temps which would suggest that we might be able to get a good day of skiing on Garipay that day, so we will look forward to that possibility! Look for the plan in Wednesday’s post by 6pm.
FRIDAY:
This Friday marks the first day for our 3-Day program. If your 5th-8th grader is registered to ski 3 days each week, we will see them this Friday. Look for a post with details on Thursday evening.
NORDIC COMMITTEE MEETING:
Open to all. Thursday, January 7, at 7:00pm in the offices of Tuckerman Capital, bottom floor of the Mascoma Bank building on Main St, Hanover. Interested in the long-term health of our program? Come join us!
RACES:
While racing is not a choice all of our skiers make, we do encourage kids to give it a shot. Many kids discover that they love the experience and we work hard to focus on the process, not the results.
Our first race is supposed to be this Saturday. As you can imagine, the conditions are making it highly unlikely, but we will keep you posted. The Thursday before each race we always send an email/post describing our plan for the race, reminding folks to register kids, and asking folks to sign kids up on a Google doc racing list. Once you see the email, if your child is new to racing and wants to participate, please let his/her Lead Coach know or email Heidi and Jay, our Head Coaches, at headcoachbkl@fordsayre.org so we can make sure to support your child and your family through the racing process. If your child is not interested in racing, no worries. Just delete the email when you see it.
Cheers,
Ashley & Peter
Continue reading →