Cold Weather, Great Snow, and Getting Lasered!

Hello Everyone!

I was very glad to hear that my weather warning at the end of the last post proved to be useful for some of our athletes yesterday! It was frigidly cold if any skin was left exposed to the brutal forces of mother nature- with a serious threat of frost bite. The surface however was rather icy as I heard on the chair numerous times, but I wasn't exactly sure what those people were talking about, it was perfect for us! The snow was very hard, but rather grippy compared to the man made slick patches that defy even the sharpest of edges.

Athletes and coach Mike Leach on Thursday morning

The J3 crew continued with some more slalom training on SL Hill from 11am-1pm and it proved to be a very valuable day as everyone continued to show signs of improvement. Our course was set in the same area that had been skied by older athletes and it barely showed a scratch after their course had been removed! Throughout the day, the solid surface took a few of our athletes for a ride and threw them down on a hip leaving what I have come to understand as some serious bruises. Combating the injuries suffered by a couple of our athletes was a rather high-tech and rare new procedure consisting of infrared laser treatment of the injured area. Lesli Bell, owner of Timberlane Physical Therapy located in Williston, VT was visiting with the Van Raalte family in Stowe when her services were requested. Prior to the treatment, athletes were having difficulty walking, but after a mere five minute treatment, both were up and walking around again without pain. The process decreases inflammation in the affected area and also stimulates ATP production, thus increasing the rate of the healing process. This is a revolutionary new procedure, and I know where I will be going should I suffer a similar injury! Anyone who is interested should contact Lesli at Timberlane Physical Therapy at (802) 864-7385. This could also be a useful addition to the equipment used at the club as were are sure to experience our fair share of bumps and bruises throughout the season.

Alex receiving some Laser TLC

Today was our first day on GS skis at the mountain in our post-Christmas week, and it was rather interesting to say the least! We began the day by free skiing over on the Mansfield side of the resort and enjoying some of the hard surface left over from the frigid day before. After a warm up run, athletes were guided through a five step progression designed to initiate the thought processes associated with GS skiing. Once athletes had completed the progression, we made our way over to the club for a quick lunch before heading out for some GS gate training on SL Hill on the Spruce side of the resort. It was great to be able to see each individual athlete incorporate the things that they had picked up in the mornings progression into their training runs. Everyone looked to be ready for the big Race into the New Year hosted tomorrow at Stowe!

On-hill instruction from coach Jamie Harlow

We are finally home! Skiing on Main Street!

Can't wait to see you all out on the hill tomorrow! Have fun, dress warm, and ski safely! Let's go MMSC J3 Team!