MMSC U16 Program: Another Great Weekend

Hello Everyone!

Sorry it has been a couple of days since our last post, but I figured I would be able to summarize the weekend with one entry and a few new photos. This weekend finally offered us some conditions that have begun to resemble those commonly associated with winter. Yes, it is true that we even experienced some snow flurries on Saturday! Today provided some rather cold temperatures but there was not a cloud in the sky- it was pretty sweet! Snow conditions continue to improve steadily as the mountain has been able to make snow for a while now. We have started training on the slalom hill over on the Spruce side of the resort and while we cannot use the whole trail just yet, MMSC teams have been able to get two courses going at a time allowing for about 10 runs per athlete through their course. The J3 program has had a training slot on both Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 to 12:30 allowing for a well scheduled morning with some focused free skiing in the afternoon.

Coaches have noticed vast improvements in the skiing abilities of each individual athlete on many different fronts. Balance will definitely be a strength for each of the athletes involved in our program as an unpredictable surface has demanded some very attentive skiing. Throughout the process of a turn, athletes must be prepared to slide out without warning as they make their way onto some bulletproof snow. The crowds have also provided a pretty unique challenge for our athletes as they are forced to keep their heads on a swivel when making their way down the trail. Coaches witnessed athletes weaving through the crowds en route to the base in a rather impressive manner on a regular basis.

This weekend can be looked back on as a great success on all fronts as everyone showed signs of significant improvement. Coaches have been stressing the importance of maximizing free skiing as it provides the best possible source of training. As I have said before, free skiing allows athletes to develop their abilities on all different types of surfaces so that they will be prepared for everything that they will see in a course. As we continue to follow our training progression, it will be interesting to see how athletes respond when we begin to expose them to full sized gates and the challenges offered by a race course. I will keep you updated on our progress as a team!