Here we go...this is a long post so sit back and relax:
1) Race recap
2) Next week's events
3) Odds and ends
1)RACE RECAP!
I have emailed the results as an attachment to the group so please refer to them there. Apologies for not being able to get them directly connected to the blog. Pictures above are from Kort (Ben L's dad - many thanks for those!) What great conditions (and hats!) we had today!!!
Thanks to all who came out to u32 for a great first race. A cold morning, but some high spirits and fast skiing for all. It is great to see first time racers out there going head to head with some of the more experienced skiers! We saw some great tempo on the hills - nice quick steps, excellent V1 technique even on the hills (!!) and strong V2 on the flats which is really impressive as this is pretty new for many of you. To see you all really go for it was great.
Special thanks to those of you who stayed and cheered for your teammates, which really means a lot. I apologize I wasn't able to get up to the finish for you all as it is nice to check in after the race and to see how things went before everyone jets. Cool downs are also good for your body before you go sit in the car, so let's keep that in mind for next time. I would also like us to help each other to formulate a pre-race and post-race plan. I will come with ideas and I hope you guys will think about what does and doesn't work for you or what tips you might be able to offer each other. We will come up with a team warm up and cool down strategy to use at our races.
As you look at the results, keep in mind that sometimes it seems like there is a big gap between times but it's a little deceiving since the middle school races don't have very many participants. If you look at the JV race results (you guys did the SAME course as the JV skiers) you'll see that you are all right in the mix of things and that EVERYONE actually skied faster than some high school JV racers. Pretty impressive since we have had so few practices to build skills. It is clear that even our newest skiers have a very strong foundation already as far as making it around the course efficiently! Our more experienced skiers also had some great performances and I hope you are inspired to keep improving especially as we will be attending some Bill Koch racers with more competitive fields in the coming weeks. Also know that the race distance of 2.6 miles was pretty close to the length (5k or 3.1miles) that the high school races usually are, so you definitely have something to be proud of!!
2) NEXT WEEK'S EVENTS
Tuesday we will be CLASSIC SKIING. Get ready for some no pole and double pole skiing. I will have the wax of the day out for you to apply yourself. If you are still unsure of how to do this, you may come up to the meadow for assistance as I will have wax there, but this is a really important thing for you to know if you've decided to use waxable skis. You will learn a lot from waxing your own skis and then going and skiing on them! Go for 3-4 thin layers. Chalk/crayon a layer of wax on and then use the cork for primarily long strokes to heat the wax up.
Friday we will be skate skiing in anticipation for our skate race on Sunday. We will also be having Travis, a very talented and experienced biathlete, coming as our special guest. Travis skied for GMVS during high school, trained at the range in Jericho, and has gone to many national and international biathlon competitions. He is currently at UVM and we are very fortunate to have him joining us. He will bring his rifle, unloaded, and will be doing a presentation for us before heading out to ski with the group. ****Parents, by bringing your skier to practice on Friday January 21st, you are giving permission for him/her to be at Sleepy Hollow and to participate in a presentation where there will be an unloaded rifle. Please be aware of this and let me know if there are any concerns.****
Friday evening skiers will be able to stop by CVU to wax their skis in preparation for Sunday's race. We provide all wax and supplies.
Sunday we have a race at Mountain Top this is the paintball biathlon. Race info here.
Note that start time for your race is 12noon. The range opens for practice at 11:30. I would like us to get there at 11am. Registration is a little more expensive for this race (typically BKL races are less than $5) due to the extra labor and supplies involved. You need to register online here.
They will then have your info to put into the starting list and you will need to pay with cash or check at the race. Registration NEEDS TO BE DONE BY WEDNESDAY JANUARY 19th!!! Don't know where Mountain Top is? Look here. If you click larger map it'll take you right to googlemaps and you can put your address in for directions.
View Larger Map
3) ODDS AND ENDS
Oh, the email list!!
--I understand the inconvenience of receiving emails that are intended for me but are mistakenly sent out to the entire team. I assure you that nobody is doing this on purpose. The challenge here is for people to remember that if you receive an email that is not speaking individually to you, it is coming from the group email address which is associated with this blog. At the end of the blog emails you will see a hyperlink in blue to the blog - if you click it you will end up at the blog and the actual blog post. The email sent to you is simply a copy/notification of the actual blog post. IF YOU RESPOND TO A BLOG POST/GROUP EMAIL, YOUR EMAIL WILL GO TO ALL TEAM MEMBERS. Very rarely would this be appropriate (maybe for a carpool!?). If you are ever wanting to send me an email - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use my personal email address which is andreallarosa at gmail dot com. Just make sure that my address is the one in the "to:" field...
--The group email notification for blog posts was initiated due to parents expressing that it was difficult to remember to check the blog. If you would prefer NOT to get a notification when the blog is updated and would like to take on the responsibility of checking the blog yourself at whatever frequency you desire, I would be happy to take you off the group list. Just send me an email -- to my individual email address, of course :o) Really the whole purpose of the blog was to have everything in a central spot, where you could easily find previous announcements, see pictures, video, etc. and as a way to avoid sending out bunches of emails that clog inboxes, so I apologize that there has been difficulty with this for some.
Waxing
I strongly encourage you guys to wax your own skis. It is an important skill to know and something that will benefit you for your entire skiing life. It helps you to better understand how your skis work and to be fully involved in your racing experience. YOU are the one that makes your skis go fast, both by the efforts you personally put in through waxing and then when you are on snow. The opportunity for our group to wax at CVU is pretty amazing. Every skier can have their own bench and iron (note: an iron meant to be used for waxing skis, not the old clothes iron!). All the wax and supplies are there for you (brushes and scrapers of all kinds, wax remover, etc.) This is also a valuable opportunity for team building. While you are out in the woods, it can be a bit challenging to get to know each other, but while you're hanging in the wax room, it's easy to chat and learn from each other. So while it might be helpful for your parents to wax your skis if you've got lots of homework or you need to catch up on sleep, I hope that for at least a couple times this season you will come join us at CVU to wax with your teammates. I know it's an extra time commitment for parents, but I encourage you to carpool and remember the money you're saving on wax and the time you're saving on clean up!
Some more ideas for you all to ponder...
-handwarmers
-toe warmers
-clothes to change into after racing/practice so you don't get cold
-lobster gloves (great invention that's in between a mitten and a glove)
-bringing a snack to races - either pre race like a powerbar or gu type thing, banana, etc. and/or post race
-getting good sleep the night before the race AND the night before the night before
-having a balanced meal with carbs, protein, and you gotta have some fat the night before and for longer races, the night before the night before
-having a good breakfast that is once again some carbs, protein, fat...sometimes people come up with something that is always their pre-race meal - maybe it's oatmeal with milk, you can do a higher %milkfat to get a little fat in there, banana with peanut butter and toast, toast/english muffin with cheese , egg, and tomato, cottage cheese or yogurt with fruit and granola, just as some ideas...you don't want to be too full, but you want something for your body to put to use!
-stretching!!!
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