Here we go!!!

Hello, Sleepy Hollow Bill Koch Junior Racers!

Our first meeting time is just around the corner - 3:45pm at Sleepy Hollow on Tuesday January 5th!

In lieu of a parent meeting I am going to use this as a forum to provide you with the basics of what you need to know for the start of the season.

PRACTICES:
Yes, the first day is Tuesday January 5th - This is the last day to get in payment/registration for the program, but in looking at the roster, I think we are in good shape with this group. I am going to plan on the first day being classic. We will be trying to alternate skating and classic practices, but may also change up according to races and, if necessary, weather conditions. I will notify of changes to the schedule via the blog and e-mail, other less crucial things, I'll just put on the blog so as to not clog your e-mail inbox.

Skiers should make sure they have all the necessities. Layers! Hats! Gloves or mittens! Skis! Boots! Poles! Snack! WATER! We will be moving, but may also be stopping to work on technique or may be doing drills where there is both active time and some down time, so layers are important. Skiers will probably want to change into street clothes before leaving practice and Sleepy Hollow has changing areas to do this so bring extra clothing. If your skier has any special health conditions - allergies, asthma, diabetes, etc. please remember that we are out in the elements, being active, and they should be bringing medications like inhalers, epi pens, glucose tabs, etc. for use if appropriate. Please contact me if there are any concerns.

On some Fridays, which are yet to be determined, but will be announced in advance, we will be having special guests or clinics where our session will go later. With only one hour and then accounting for time for everyone to get organized or waxed if it's a classic day, we will be pretty crunched for time if we want to do anything besides ski so I am planning for extra time so we can really address important topics properly - waxing, race prep, nutrition, training principles, etc. If this is a problem for people, please let me know. You can see our current guest list on the blog.

RACES:
As you know, we will be meeting twice a week - Tuesdays and Fridays. We will also have several races that are optional and that skiers may travel to and participate in as part of our team. Most are races that are put on by local high school ski teams so they are a high school race, but they have added middle school categories/races as well. I will have more information about these races as it becomes available and will get it out to you. From what I have heard, registration info is sent out about a week in advance, but certainly mark your calendars for races your skier would like to attend. At a race, I will be there for support and coaching - for classic races we will be waxing and this is something that I will do in conjunction with skiers and we are very fortunate to have access to race wax for those days.

THE BLOG:
I have never been a blogger before, but have known people who have been able to utilize blogs to track progress and share experiences from races and training with others. It is my hope that we can use the blog as a form of communication and to share what is going on in practices and races. It will also be a place for you to check if there is a question about scheduling, etc. as I will post there with updates. I will be looking for a note or permission slip from parents that allow their skier to be featured in the blog - I expect that we'll have pictures from practices, with special guests, and at races and that we'll have some race reports posted. I imagine that if parents have pictures they want to share of other skiers in the group, I can post those, too, and they can be distributed in that format. If there are questions about or problems with this, please let me know.

THE SCHEDULE:
This is our schedule thus far. As skiing can be determined by weather conditions, this schedule is subject to change as far as races and technique for the day goes. I do expect that we will practice in all weather, though, so our Tuesdays and Fridays most likely will not change unless driving conditions limit us.

Tuesday Jan 5 - classic
Friday Jan 8 - classic
*Saturday Jan 9, classic, SB at Sleepy Hollow
Tuesday Jan 12 - freestyle
Friday Jan 15 - freestyle
*Saturday Jan 16, freestyle, U32
Tuesday Jan 19 - classic
Friday Jan 22 - freestyle
Tuesday Jan 26 - classic
Friday Jan 29 - freestyle

Tuesday Feb 2 - classic
Friday Feb 5 - freestyle
*Sat/Sun Feb 6/7 NENSA at Trapps, J2 – some skiers may be of age to race, others encouraged to go watch! Most likely, I will not be providing race support and coaching at these races.
*Tuesday Feb 9, Colchester, freestyle
Friday Feb 12 -classic
*Sunday Feb 14, Ichabods Revenge, classic at Sleepy Hollow
Tuesday Feb 16 - freestyle
Friday Feb 19 - classic
*Saturday Feb 20, classic at the Range
Tuesday Feb 23 - freestyle
Friday Feb 26 - classic or freestyle choice

*Feb 27-28 Bill Koch Festival – Pineland Farms, ME

CARPOOLING:
While we have a much smaller group of skiers than the overarching Bill Koch program at Sleepy Hollow, carpooling may still be possible depending on where your skier is coming from and where they need to end up. If you are looking for carpooling, let me know - I can send an e-mail out and you can be contacted from that. Also, there are many more skiers who will be coming out to Sleepy Hollow after school on Fridays - carpooling with those skiers on Fridays is a good idea even if they aren't in the Junior Racer program as we will be ending at the same time (except for days where we are staying later for clinics/guests, etc. as mentioned above).

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? ISSUES?
I am available for you and your skier to contact via e-mail and by phone. Also - if your skier has any health requirements or conditions that I should be aware of - allergies, asthma, diabetes, please let me know. I would like to have a plan in place with you should any emergency arise or if your skier needs help administering any medication on a regular basis.

Free free free!

There's free rock skiing to be had at Sleepy Hollow!!! Woohooo -- check it out at: http://www.skisleepyhollow.com/skiing/conditions

New NENSA ski leasing program

Let me know if you are interested so I can help you with the process. Also, don't forget the lease program right at SLEEPY HOLLOW! Very easy! This is copied and pasted from a NENSA e-mail below:

"NENSA launches Skis for Kids ski lease program

I am thrilled to announce that yesterday the NENSA board of directors approved and today we are announcing the NENSA Skis for Kids program. With $10,000 from our generous supporters at TD Bank and $30,000 from two close friends of NENSA, we have the necessary funds to launch a permanent and sustainable NENSA-operated lease program to provide skis for kids throughout the region.

How does it work? Youth club leaders can work with NENSA to arrange leases for their skiers and especially as a tool to recruit new families to the sport. Time and again we have heard that the barrier of purchasing new equipment is too huge for a family that does not even know if their kids will like to ski. With this program, the cost is $50 per year to get well-maintained (brand new this year!) skis, boots, poles, and bindings to use from December through March plus a wax starter kit from TOKO for each child to keep for those who get on board first.

Individual skiers who are members of NENSA BKL but do not have a club participating in the program may also lease by contacting skis@nensa.net. These skis will be shipped via UPS or may be picked up at nearby club drop-off events.

What type of equipment is available? For the littlest kids top quality waxless skis with NNN bindings and boots and OneWay poles are available. For the bigger kids, through 8th grade, very good combi boots and waxable skis are used. The level of skis would take a skier from their very beginning in the sport up to a reasonable level of BKL and middle school racing. Our goal is to get people started in the sport with some great stuff; our sincere hope that skiers will turn to local ski shops when they reach the racing level to want separate skate and classic equipment and other high-performance gear.

How to I get started? For now, please email Skis@nensa.net and cc: abby@nensa.net if you think your family or club would like to take part in the program. Please include an estimated number of sets and general age range. By next week, we will have our order forms ready to distribute more widely and fully launch the program. We expect to make our first round of deliveries before Christmas!

We realize it is a late start... but we are just too excited to wait on this until next year. Please considering scrambling with us to make this program a success and get more kids on skis. How about an ad in your local paper welcoming new members to your club? Or an email to a family friend or neighbor letting them know that their kids can now get access to skis through NENSA.

We also realize that you need more details from us. We will have those for you shortly. This news was too good to sit on, however, so I wanted to let you know today!"

Another guest!

We are very fortunate that JAKE HOLLENBACH is also going to be involved with our program and offer his expertise to our skiers. Jake is a former CVU skier, who attended the University of Vermont, and has gone on to many athletic successes on his skis, on his bike, and on his feet. Jake has won the Stowe Derby and has been a top finisher at the Craftsbury Marathon and the Lake Placid Loppet. He has most recently been skiing for Alpina-Peltonen and the Northwest Vermont Nordic Ski Club. Jake is also a professional cyclist for Empire Cycling and, among many other great finishes, has won the downtown Burlington Criterium that is the grand finale of the Green Mountain Stage Race in our great state. Additionally, Jake is a talented runner who has run through college and continues to consistently impress with top results and fast running times.