Cruising into the New Years!

Hello there!

I wanted to start out by wishing everyone a happy New Year! Welcome to 2012! Last year was a great one, but I have to say that my expectations are pretty high for the year to come!

The Crew making their way out for run number 1

For those of you who do not already know, the MMSC J3 crew ended 2011 with a fun, club race held on SL Hill on Dec. 31st. Coaches set two identical GS courses across the flats and down the pitch into the finish so that athletes (and coaches) could race against one another side by side down the slope. Spectators witnessed many magnificent crashes and speedy runs as athletes took advantage of the opportunity to show how far their abilities have come since the beginning of the season.

It was really great to be able to see everyone finish the day grinning ear to ear as they made their way back over to the club for a delicious lunch. As you can see from the pictures, there were plenty of hot dogs and burgers to refuel our athletes and parents as the crowd was rather large!

It is a little crowded in there!

What a lunch!

One new years day, athletes reconvened in the afternoon for some more GS training on SL Hill for some quality runs. While the group was quite small, each individual athlete worked on their line very successfully in a course that took full advantage of the whole trail. Coaches set up the timing system so that athletes could make adjustments in their line selection to see which would provide the fastest route down the course. Coach Jack Marhefka set up an outside focus drill consisting of a brush located outside of each turning gate. The point of the drill is to have the athletes aim the tips of their skis at the brush rather than the base of the gate allowing them to make a smooth and round arc around the gate. This proved to be a very valuable drill as everyone began to successfully complete the drill with times that continued to be faster through the course.

Today consisted of some slalom training in the morning on SL Hill which yielded a very firm surface- perfect for gate training. The surface held up very well throughout the morning and barely showed a scratch as coaches pulled the course from the snow. The initial plan was to allow athletes to have the afternoon to go out and ski however they pleased around the mountain, but everyone was pretty tired so we decided to take the afternoon off. We have tomorrow off, So be sure to rest up and eat well so that you will be recharged when we get back into training on Wednesday!

Left to right: Katelyn, Sandra, and Meghan

Left to right: Alex, Grant, and Lucas

Great job everyone! See you on Wednesday!