- Ford Sayre Seeks Full-Time XC Ski Head Coach December 19, 2018
Ford Sayre, a growing ski club that supports nearly 300 Nordic skiers in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont, is seeking a full-time head coach to provide leadership and coaching continuity across the club’s cross-country skiing programs (Youth, Juniors, Masters). The head coach will have primary coaching responsibility for the club’s high school (U16/U18/U20) age group.
Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council is a 501(c3) established in 1950 to promote the sport of skiing in the Upper Valley. The Nordic Club has historically been run by a dedicated group of part-time coaches and volunteers. This new full-time position, reporting to the Ford Sayre Nordic Committee, creates an opportunity for the right individual to engage and leverage this group while establishing a unified, consistent coaching approach across the club’s offerings. Ford Sayre Nordic primarily skis at Oak Hill in Hanover, NH, the ski venue of Dartmouth College. The club includes members from a number of area towns and schools.
The main areas of responsibility include:
Coaching
Lead a team to oversee the delivery of quality coaching to each of Ford Sayre’s program offerings and to develop new and/or expanded offerings. Currently the program has three main components: Youth (Kindergarten through 8th grade; approximately 225 skiers and 55 volunteer coaches), JNT (Competitive High School Program; 14-20 skiers and 3-5 coaches), and Masters (50 registered skiers).
- Assume direct coaching responsibility of the JNT program
- Develop annual, period-based training plans for use by athletes and run training sessions throughout the year
- Demonstrate a strong knowledge of the physiological, technical, emotional and mental demands of Nordic skiing and the ability to incorporate this knowledge into individualized training planning, execution and assessment
- Run at least one summer and one fall training camp for club and out-of-town athletes
- Coordinate the plans and provisions for the team’s requirements for out-of-town competitions including transportation, accommodation, wax and equipment, and race entries
Management
- Train and recruit coaches to ensure that the club has sufficient high-quality coaching resources for each of its programs
- Work closely with Ford Sayre volunteers and two Ford Sayre employees (administrative and IT staff) to administer day-to-day operations of the club
- Plan and implement several dryland and on-snow coaching clinics
- Coordinate coaching plans with lead coaches of Youth and Masters programs to ensure Ford Sayre is providing a consistent experience across the spectrum of its programs
- During the offseason, develop an annual plan for each of the programs in collaboration with lead coaches and supported by members of the Ford Sayre Nordic Committee. This plan will include the development of a draft budget
Communication
- Keep the club’s various constituencies informed with regular verbal and written communications. Constituencies include athletes, coaches, the Ford Sayre Nordic Committee, non-coach volunteers, parents, and the local ski community
- In all communications within and outside the club, represent the club in a positive and professional manner
Implementing Vision & Strategic Direction
The full-time coach will collaborate with the Ford Sayre Nordic Committee to set the strategic direction of the overall program and implement programming in accordance with Ford Sayre Nordic’s Guiding Principles.
Skills & Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to create a positive, athlete-centered, team experience working with a dynamic group of part-time coaches, volunteers, Nordic Committee members, and community members
- Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to lead and motivate athletes, coaches, and volunteers
- Exceptional planning, organizational, and communication skills
- USSS (or equivalent) coaching certification
- Extensive knowledge and passion for Nordic skiing and ski racing
- High level of ski waxing knowledge and proficiency
This is a full-time exempt, salaried position. Compensation range of $35,000-$45,000 annually based on experience with room for growth, with contribution toward healthcare benefits.
For more information please contact nordicjobs@fordsayre.org.
Continue reading → - Winter 2018-19 Registration is Open October 1, 2018
Registration for 2018/2019 Ford Sayre winter programs is now open.
To get more information, please check out our Registration page. To learn more about our various programs, please go to the home page, and select the desired program.
If you have any difficulties or questions, please send an email to info@FordSayre.org.
Continue reading → - Team East at Junior Nationals March 13, 2018
Team East was at the Junior Nationals for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined in Anchorage. This is a team of kids who don’t train at altitude, who in many cases have learned ski jumping without a home hill where jumps over K50 are available. They have been coached by a committee of various coaches from different clubs and a ton of traveling is required to train. It speaks to the drive of the athletes, flexibility of schools, committed parents, and most of all to a culture of community in jumping and nordic combined.
The team won U-16 Jumping, U-16 Nordic Combined, Team Jumping, U-20 Nordic Combined, silver in U-16 team Nordic Combined, and a bronze in U-20 team Nordic Combined.
Evan Nichols from Ford Sayre was first in U-16 Nordic Combined individual, second in team U-16 team Nordic Combined, and won gold with his U-20 team jumping team of four. He was disappointed by his fourth in U-16 individual special jumping. He flew further than some who made the podium, but he lost a spot due to style. He missed bronze by 0.3 points.
- Jumping Program in Kid Stuff Magazine December 6, 2017
Please check out this great article on the Ford Sayre Ski Jumping program from our local Kid Stuff magazine:
Continue reading → - There’s History In These Here Hills September 30, 2017
by Dick Nelson [in 1975?]
Though most people don’t realize it, the Upper Valley is the birthplace of modern skiing in the United States.
Sure, the biggest areas in New England now are in central Vermont or north central New Hampshire. And the biggest areas of all are out in the Rockies. But it all started here.
To wit:
– The first ski tow of any kind in the United States was installed in Woodstock, Vermont, near the present site of the Mt. Tom and Suicide Six ski area, in January, 1934.
– The original ski “lift” in the country was built at Hanover’s Oak Hill in the fall of 1935. That J-bar, which is still in operation, was the first device constructed in the United States which “lifted” skiers with power from the rear instead of traction from the front as provided by rope tows.
– Although one of the first chair lifts in the country was built (and is still operating) at the Gunstock Ski Area in Gilford, N.H., parts of that lift were purchased by Ernie Dion for his Snowcrest Ski Area in Enfield and are still being used in the lift in what is now Whaleback.
Yep, there’s a lot of skiing history in the Upper Valley.
In Woodstock, the era of the rope tow is being left far behind these days. The name of the two areas has been updated this year to Woodstock’s Tom and Six and a spanking new chair lift installed at what was Suicide Six.
But a reminder of skiing’s past still remains in the form of his historic site marker presented in 1964 by Vermont Gov. Philip Hoff to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tow’s installation.
The marker sits at the foot of Clinton Gilbert’s pasture on Rt. 12 in Woodstock, midway between the two areas. It reads:
“In January 1934, on this pasture hill of Clinton Gilbert’s farm, an endless rope tow powered by a Model T Ford engine hauled skiers uphill for the first time. This ingenious contraption launched a new era in winter sports.”
Banana Hauler?
The J-bar at Oak Hill is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month and its still getting people up the hill just like it did back during that first winter, when more than 40,000 skiers rode uphill on it. But to indicate how times have changed, the construction price of that original left was only $3,300 – or about enough to buy one chair on today’s lifts. In addition, the surroundings of the J-bar have altered over time.