Holiday Schedule

Please remember the entire season long competition and training schedule is posted on the right column of the Blog Spot a bit down the page.
It is also posted as a paper copy on the wall of the Team Room. If there are other ways that help disseminate information please let me know and I will work towards that goal.
I will try to get any schedule changes (and there may be some due to weather or other influences) out by email and/or on the other schedules as soon as I can.

Sunday Dec 26th. RACE TEAM MEMBERS 10-1:00
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training

Monday Dec 27th: All Groups (RACE TEAM and JR RACE TEAM) Meet at 9:00
RACE TEAM meets OUTSIDE; JR RACE TEAM meets INSIDE (TV Room)
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Tuesday, Dec 28th: All groups meet at 9:00 am (outside)
ALL TEAM PHOTO
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30


Wednesday, Dec 29th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30


Thursday, Dec 30th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30


Friday, Dec 31th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30


Saturday, Jan 1: No Training

Sunday, Jan 2: RACE TEAM training
USSA: SL
YSL: GS

This is Basketball not skiing, but....

But; it says some really cool things; ask some really hard questions and speaks about many great athletes! Very worth sharing!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22uconn.html

Lindsey Vonn Wins Again!

VAL d'ISERE, France (Dec. 19) – Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) regained the overall lead over German Maria Riesch, winning the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super combined to sweep the weekend in Val d'Isere.

Read more here:
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3169

Ligety wins 3rd World Cup GS in a Row

ALTA BADIA, Italy (Dec. 19) – Two-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) mastered the icy Alta Badia slope to capture his third consecutive GS victory Sunday and take the first World Cup overall lead of his career. The last time a World Cup male won three consecutive GS races was Austrian great Hermann Maier during the 2001 season.
Read more here:
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3164

Lindsay Vonn Wins at VAL d'ISERE

Vonn Wins, Regains Downhill Lead
VAL d'ISERE, France (Dec. 18) – Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) captured a stunning victory Saturday to regain the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhill standings lead as German Maria Riesch finished 24th. Teammate Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) was 8th with five Americans finishing inside the top 30.
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3148

Video of World Cup Stars displaying Fundamental Skills

As we start the season working on our fundamentals, I happened on this video clip that shows some World Cup stars skiing some pretty good turns. We saw a couple of these guys at the World Cup at Lake Louise this Thanksgiving. (THAT was an exciting race!) I am always amazed at how easy these guys make it look. But then when breaking it down, it really comes to mastering some pretty easy fundamental skills and doing them VERY well. It DOES TAKE discipline and practice to polish those skills to the level that we will see in the Video clips.

To begin with, you see very little body movement in any of these skiers. Using a balanced athletic stance with good hand/arm position, ankles flexed forward and knees flexed; their turns begin at/with their feet. The turns start with a subtle (and hardly noticeable, but still very dynamic) rolling of the ankles. Then the legs become more involved and you can see the rolling of the ankles and knees as the turn develops. The feet and legs are allowed to move outside the body to promote lateral balance, but the body remains quite(and still in that balanced athletic stance), with the majority of the work done with the feet and legs. In all cases a strong pole plant is used. Didier Cuche uses a somewhat unusual style of arm movement, but it works well for his body type. The other clips show a more usual pole planting mechanism.

You will also notice the balance change from one foot to the new foot at the beginning of the new turn. This is especially seen in Thomas Grandi's second clip. In each turn the inside foot will work to mimic the movements of the outside foot, but the outside foot of the turn IS the more dominent in order to best control the turn shape and maintain balance throughout the "ARC" and be prepared to easily move into the next arc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTboYL8CjaU

Banff Fall Camp 2010

What a Week! The weather was wild as the Canadian Wilderness! 3 days of Below zero Temps! Wow, but look at the photo and note that the Base Lodge was so close we were able to duck in from time to time and warm-up quite nicely...and no wind made it work quite well in our favor...(or favour, if you're in Canada...)Even with the cold temps we had a very favorable camp experience. The lane had man-made snow and was an excellent pitch for getting the season started. Great lunches were included and served at the base lodge, a bus delivered us to and from and we had a really cool place to stay complete with pool, hot tub and a very good waxing area. The Banff restaurant, The Elk and Oarsman served our group a very nice traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. We trained some with the Rocky Mountain College Team and saw Thomas Grandi as well as many other teams from all about. We had a great hike mid-week and finished the program by viewing a VERY exciting Men's World Cup Downhill Race. Our game sighting inventory included: Hundreds of Elk, many deer, a lynx, a wolf (we think) a hundred or more mountain sheep and some brave chipmunks that kept darting across our lane...Even though the season is only starting, I am looking forward to next year's trip to Banff! See our Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam
Cut and paste to your browser if this does not work as a link.

A Prosperous Evening of Cuisine, Beverage, Good Company, Auction and Poker

The Showcase of the Chefs

A Prosperous Evening of Cuisine, Beverage, Good Company, Auction and Poker

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation and I would like to invite you to attend and support the “Showcase of the Chefs” here in Whitefish on Dec 2nd at 6:00 pm. The Showcase is a longstanding tradition and one of the premier social functions here in the Valley. Held at the well-known Lodge at Whitefish Lake on Wisconsin Avenue; the event enjoys a pleasant and innovative dining set-up that actually does showcase 8 chefs from the best restaurants in the Whitefish area. Each Chef and their representative establishment, set up a station that serves their own trademark menu item, complete with complimentary wine matching their represented cuisine. Imagine a Chef’s version of a “Battle of the Bands”… Dinner guests may ‘roam the room’ and graze from one or all the buffet tables as they wish. It creates an especially fun atmosphere that provides some great food and an ambiance that promotes mingling and fun social interaction with the whole attendance. Tickets are $75.00 per person. Where else can you have dinner from 8 of the best chefs in the valley, wine and all the fun you can have for $75 a person? Because of the popularity of the event, tickets may not be available for sale at the door.

As you might guess, we see and visit with a lot of old friends. We all think you would enjoy the occasion.

Tied to the event are a Silent Auction and a Live Auction that always has terrific items available. As always there is a great representation of both Silent and Live Auction items. Additionally live poker tables will be on-site for your enjoyment!

Of course the Showcase is a fundraiser to help the Foundation with its mission of supporting our athletes in their competitive endeavors. As you know our program gives our children a quality program that helps them set healthy goals and make good lifestyle choices.

If you are unable to attend there are other ways that you can support the Showcase of the Chefs. Of course you can buy tickets even if you are unable to attend. Our ticket sales are very important to our outcome. Additionally our auction can always use items for both the silent and live auctions and donations are tax deductable. If a company or a large group would like to reserve a table we are able to reserve that table and a group of 10 tickets for a total of $750.

We know you will consider your evening at the Showcase to be a wonderful social outing, but also know that your support of our programs will be even more lasting by helping to support quality programs for our children.

Rooms for the evening are available at special pricing. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake will offer “take the elevator home” rate. In the lodge it is $129 and in the Viking Lodge the rate is $99 for Showcase guests.

We appreciate the help and we hope to see you at the Showcase.

You may contact any FVSEF board member or Richard Kramer at rk@redcaboosediner.com or (406) 250-9786

Thanks!


Roy

Fall Ski Camp in Banff!

We will travel to Banff on Sunday for a 5 day gate camp, Monday through Friday. Manmade snow, a private lane, great terrain and lift turnaround, a Super Thanksgiving Dinner, and the Men's World Cup Downhill on Saturday...what is not to "Like"?

FVSEF Meeting this Wed Nov 3rd

Come one, come all. Everyone is invited to attend Foundation Board of Directors meetings and fundraising planning sessions. Our regular meetings are open and we value participation from all.

Board of Directors meeting and Fundraising Planning Session this Wednesday November 3 at the Crush Wine Bar is Whitefish. 6:15 PM



 Review/approve minutes 3/02/10
 Financial Report-Alpine & Freestyle-Heidi
 Program Director
o Roy Loman-Alpine
 Program updates
 Trophy Display
o Bill Cubbage-Freestyle
 Program updates
 Discussion (we will limit this discussion to 20 minutes for this meeting)
o Foundations future relationship with WSI
1. Alpine & Freestyle programs
 Fundraising
o Warren Miller Film--Kent Taylor
o NxGen—Tim Hinderman
o Corporate Sponsors
o Showcase work session

 Next Meeting Date November 10
 Adjourn

Snow on the "Hill"

I can't lie...seeing the snow on our hill today, all the way to the base area, really toggled the switch for me! OK! Now I can align with the calenday and be way ready for winter, a lot of snow, some great training, skiing and some terrificlly good times shared among all of us!

David Chodunsky Blog Page

David's blog page has some good reading for all of us. It clearly shows the values of goal setting, evaluation of our progress towards our goals and how we might most positively respond to and modify that plan according to our evaluation… His persistance is mighty. David is working to make the US Ski Team and ultimately score well on the World Cup. His path, having gone through college first, is not the most normal of paths to the US Ski Team. I personally think that many college programs are very capable of preparing athletes for this level of competition. David’s experience and that of many of his teammates tends to prove to me that possibility is very viable.

I had had the good fortune to meet David in the East when he was skiing with the Dartmouth College Team. I think you will enjoy this reading and find some interesting insights in his web-site. I especially enjoyed his “Bio” page and particularly his comments about his college years!

Enjoy: http://www.davidchodounsky.com/biography/

Parents Meeting

Hi Ski Racing Families,

Don’t forget that Monday October 25th is our parents meeting. The time and location are now set at: 6:00 pm at the Whitefish Library.

Please do try to attend as this will be instrumental in kicking off our season in many ways. I will talk about our plans for our programs and try to quickly outline our plans and expectations for the coming season. FVSEF will also spend some time with their early season items. This is an important meeting and I urge you to have at least one family member present.

Thanks and I hope to see you all there!

Let's Ride This Wednesday 10/20

The weather looks great: Let's celebrate with another crushing ride at the Lion Mountain Trailhead: 4:15 pm...see you there.

Whitefish Alpine Officials Training

Hey all of you Race Officials;

I just wanted to send along a short thank you for participating in our Officials training this week-end. It was a beautiful week-end and I know you all have a lot to get ready for winter.

But I also know that you recognize the importance of what you have just done and how strongly it will impact the children involved in our chosen sport!

We all know what a great sport it is, but without all of you to keep it going strong, alpine skiing would suffer greatly…

Also want to be sure to thank our staunch supporters Bob Petitt from Bozeman and Sherri Hale for coming to lead our training programs!

Thanks again and I will see you on the hill SOON!

Bike Raffle Results! Thank you very much for all your help! We did the Raffle at the Farmer's Market tonight...nice so see that the Bike was won by our old friend Geoff Callaway! Thanks to Cowboy Gerald for helping us to draw the winning ticket. Frank Tabish (our raffle chairperson) reports success for the raffle with the final accounting to come. This would be one sweet bike to win!!! Can't wait till next year's opportunity...

Bike Raffle Results

Bike Raffle Results! Thank you very much for all your help! We did the Raffle at the Farmer's Market tonight...nice so see that the Bike was won by our old friend Geoff Callaway! Thanks to Cowboy Gerald for helping us to draw the winning ticket. Frank Tabish (our raffle chairperson) reports success for the raffle with the final accounting to come.

Ski Swap

It was a great get together today with the Swap! It was really nice to see everybody.

It seemed as though we made progress in helping to get everyone outfitted. October 6th many of the ski company reps will be here at the Base Lodge (at the resort) 6-8 pm. Skis boots and bindings can be ordered from them at reduced prices.

I tried to note any equipment that didn’t sell today. If you have not contacted me with equipment that you have or need please do let me know. Getting the best fitting and most suitable gear for our group is an important task for us.

I know of a few Jackets that are up for resale as well, so let me know of your needs…

Thanks for a great day!

Another Fun Mountain Bike Ride Last Wednesday

That was a great ride. Everyone has really improved their skills and fittness level, our pace has gone way up.
We had a great turn-out and were able to support two groups on the trails, Thanks Philip for splitting the group with me.
Tentatively I am planning to ride again this Wed, 9/22 again at 4:15 at Lion Mountain.
That trail system offers us so much and is quite easy for us to access.
Hope to see you there!

What a good ride today, lets do it again nex Wednesday!

We had a terrific ride at the Lion Mountain section of the Whitefish Trails today. The Whitefish Trails group has done a truely remarkable job with their project. We see so many happy users each time we come here! More and more each time.
Our group really had a great time and my thanks to Geoff and Philip for their leadership!

We plan to ride here again next Wednesday!

Bike Raffle Ticket Sales Were Great Today!

Hi sports fans,

I just wanted to report that I had a good day today with Bike Raffle ticket sales: 31 tickets…the challenge is on!

Remember, These dollars go directly to saving you money for traveling expenses.

The bike is such a great bike and the cause is a great one as well! It is helpful to have two such large selling points available. People enjoy helping to keep our children active and involved in healthy activities, and they are definitely interested in winning the bike. It looks awesome and at a $3,000 retail value it would be a big win. Let me know if you would like to see it, it is a killer bike.

Thanks for all your support along the way!

THESE GIRLS ROCK! "RIDE LIKE A GIRL!!"

An excellant ride at Lion Mountian with Pixie, Kristin, and Piper...I somehow managed to photo them behind the trees...See some more photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam/THESEGIRLSROCKRIDELIKEAGIRL#

2010 Huckleberry Hike...We Had "Berry" Much Fun

We got out and about on the Mountain for a bit of exercise and some picking...also some great views and a fun opportunity to visit with Rosie who is visiting from Minnisota for a few days.

A great Mountain Bike Ride at Haskil Basin:

Thanks to Oliver for showing us some GREAT riding. Nice roads leading to some double track, then to some KILLER (really FUN) single track; then some quite pleasant back country roads, with views (including going right under an Eagles nest) and on up to the resort.

The single track (an option) is SUPER riding. Tight turns, technical terrain, (banks, roots and rock) really rivals eastern style technical single track. What is special about it is that is also quite flowing and maintains momentum through the whole length. My hat is off to who-ever laid out this trail!!!

Hope to ride with you!

Great Northern Hike Fall 2010

Hi there multi-sport families.

I want to confirm that we are planning a Great Northern Mountain hike for Sunday, Sept 19. This is an epic hike! It is a difficult hike and some may want to consider hiking only ½ or so. BUT, do come along for at least a portion of it. You won’t regret the experience. Once having done it, you will only look forward to doing it again. The views are astounding and the summit is a wonderful achievement. Coach Tom Pacheco is our tour leader, having hiked this peak multiple times. Preparation is key. The first part of the trail is pretty steep; once you reach the ridge the grade is consistent and moderate, with a couple of spots that are quite narrow. The return is similar, understanding that the steeper descent at the end is demanding.
I do recommend this hike it is a very special experience. We are after all, a group that revels in accomplishing difficult tasks!

Here are photos from our last hike of GN: http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam/GreatNorthernHike2008#

And here is info on the web about the hike: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1W1ADBF_en&q=Hike+Great+Northern+Mountain++montana&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g-p1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=



Let me know if you have questions, More information is to follow...


Roy

Getting Ready for Winter

August Greetings Ski Racing Families,

Some great cool nights and the beginnings of some change in the vegetation tell me the summer season is beginning to wane slightly. The early and late day color of the sunlight are also telling me the sun is moving lower on the horizon. I am not about to stop having summer fun yet, but I do see that a new season is on the way and skiing close behind that.

FIS Membership
For those athletes who will be 15 or older and will wish to compete at the elite FIS level, the August 15 deadline is approaching, so you will want to take care of that membership. USSA membership will need to be done at the same time. For those who will not compete in FIS races, but will compete in USSA events, we have until October 15 to register USSA memberships.
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Bike Raffle
The Bike Raffle drawing is scheduled for September 28, so we have a bit of time to sell more tickets. That drawing will sneak-up on us so stay with the ticket sales as best you can. Remember the raffle proceeds directly influence (lower) your costs, so be as active with your sales as you can. If you need more tickets contact either Frank Tabish (406) 250-9450 or Bill Kahle (406) 270-9467.

Winter Preparations
We all consider skiing to be an athletic event and that means good athletes make good skiers. Being a goal driven group, most of us would like to be great skiers and that means a need to be great athletes. Of course a side benefit of being a great (and life-long) athlete is the physical health and mental benefits that come with that fitness level.

Fitness is a long-term process that places fitness activities in the right time frame for each individual. If we consider development on a continuum from younger to more mature, things like agility, co-ordination, balance timing, anticipation and similar skills are learned most-easily at younger ages. Games, gymnastics, dance, team sports, biking and others are all great development tools. For athletes in pre-puberty; stamina, good movements , basic strength, flexibility and continuation of the above skills are important.

Strength is one component of fitness and is very important for skiing. For pre-puberty athletes, strength gains usually do not come from the building of muscle mass, but more often from the development of the neurology that control the muscles. That neurology “learns” to recruit more muscle fibers and typically better co-ordinates the efforts of muscle groups to provide some pretty significant strength gains. Activities like games, team sports, gymnastics, biking, in-line skating, rock climbing and others help and should be continued. Resistance training can also be incorporated. At the pre-puberty age, body weight activities will usually be the safest and most productive. Body weight activities are exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and other calisthenics. Excessive weight training when the young bones and connective tissues are not mature enough may be injurious. However, a safe introduction to weight room exercise can be productive for pre-puberty athletes. Emphasis should be on technical proficiency of the exercises, not on accumulating a lot of weight on the bar. Usually, a broom-stick or similar bar is substituted for a weight bar until the correct movement patterns can be satisfied. The correctly done movements will train the athlete’s neurology and provide strength gain while ensuring the correct (and more safe) movement patterns are reinforced for post-puberty training loads.

Our post-puberty athletes should be continuing this process and adding more elements as well. At this time of year, these athletes should have a sound aerobic base for stamina and have built up a solid component of over-all strength. This is the time of the year to begin the process of converting that strength to power. Strength means you can move heavy resistance. Power means you can do so very quickly. Skiing well at an aggressive level requires great power. A routine at this time of year should have some long aerobic maintenance, but also should be shifting to more sprinting kind of activities and intensity. Weight room exercise can contain strength gain exercises (higher weight, lower repetitions) but should have workouts that are structured with less weight and higher velocity movements. Remember, always do the exercises with quality (and safer) movement patterns.
Plyometric (jumping) exercises are very good for power development, but must be structured for the fitness level of the athlete. Many of these activities (ladder drills, low hurdles and others) can help develop agility and co-ordination as well) The jump-rope is a form of plyometrics that also helps to develop co-ordination, timing, anticipation and rhythm.
Core strength (front, sides and back of the torso) should be trained 5-6 days a week. Many muscle groups require a day of rest after an work-out. The core muscles are structured with an energy system that allows them to work more continuously. They can and should be trained more frequently.
Flexibility (stretching) should be done daily.

Good athletes make good skiers…

Equipment
Having the right equipment is also extremely important for our success. We should be making some general assumptions about some of our gear at this point. What will we need for skis, boots, helmets, etc. It is a bit early to know exactly what sizes we will need for winter, but keep this all in mind.
Those of you who have gear you will want to move to another family, this is a good time to formulate that list. You can use me as a clearing house for those lists, but I need to know model, size and how much you would like for your gear.
I will set up an equipment swap for the fall and will let you know the dates and location for that as I can.
We will also work to have a system for acquiring new equipment at a discount and I will keep you informed about that process as it comes along.

Next year’s team
I have been told that our team training prices will continue at the same price level for next year. The only increase is the daily rate for the Holiday Camp. All of our season long Team prices include the Holiday Camp. The daily rate is for those who may be visiting. That is great news and I will let you know when the registration forms come available on the internet. I hope you will choose to do as many training days as possible. More time on snow equals more improvement. If you have interest in the Academy program let me know. Our Academy skiers have found it to be very productive.

If you know of new families who are interested in participating with the team, let me know. I would like to add them to our communication process as quickly as possible.

That should be plenty to digest for now, but I will add more soon…see you then!

Physical Conditioning

I think we all know and consider skiing and especially ski racing to be an athletic event. Realizing that, we understand how important physical conditioning is to our sport. Strength, power, agility, stamina, flexibility and other components of fitness are all important factors in both the performance and enjoyment of skiing.

Below are some very general thoughts for our group about conditioning.

Staying fit can and should be a lifetime process. It is also a process of building. More complex and intense functions of fitness are layered over base and preparation layers. The fitness of a World Cup athlete has been a process of many years. Fitness can be looked at a game of cycles/periods. Some cycles are longer (a lifetime) some more intermediate (perhaps 6-8 weeks) and some short. (An individual workout should have a cycle of warm-up, the work itself, and a cool-down.)

If we consider the cycle of a lifetime, we would think of what might be proper for a particular age group. Age groups can contain quite a bit of overlap. Some 14 year olds are physically more mature than some 16 year olds. Ages listed below are quite general and would be most accurately considered as an attempt to list general physical maturity. Also it is important to consider that girls at the general age group of 10-14, are typically more physically mature than boys of the same age group. In ski racing it is not uncommon to see girls of this age beating the boys.

For our younger athletes it is important to build general athleticism. To be a great skier at any age, you must be first a great athlete. At the younger ages, (6-13) motor-skill development is quite important. Access to many different sports/games with an emphasis on variety and fun helps to build adaptability. Agility, balance and coordination are good focus points. Rehearsal of proper ski technique with lots of repetition fits well here.

Aerobic capacity and development of base strength is a good focus for ages 10-15 or so. Strength workouts are primarily body weight exercises and if weight training is used, technique and form are stressed. Multi-sport participation continues to be important in the development of general athleticism.

As the athletes mature (14-15 and up) training can become more specific to a chosen sport and more intense. Anaerobic capacity can and should be trained and it becomes more appropriate to work to increase muscle mass. As age and commitment to a given sport develop, outside sports might tend to take on more of an aspect of cross-training, and chosen to fit into the seasonal cycle of preparation for the favored sport.

A seasonal cycle for skiing might be constructed with a period of active rest immediately following the previous ski season. Active rest could be considered fun relativity low intensity activities. May and June would contain aerobic and general strength gain focus. The remaining time flowing to the ski season gradually shifts to the gain of muscle mass, a shift to anaerobic gain and power increases. These later principles are dependent on the base gained in the early part of the cycle or the physical age of the particular athlete. Core strength, flexibility and agility can be practiced all year-long.

These are some pretty general guidelines that can help to promote success for all of our participants. I will be out of the area until early August, but will stay in touch through email. When I return, I would look forward to mountain biking or taking part in any other activities that help us with our fitness and team building. Do let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts we can employ.

Some Thoughts from Park City...

I was looking through notes from my recent trip to Park City where I attended a bank of national meetings for USSA. Thumbing through the pages, I am finding many things. One thought pattern that began to develop in a discussion on Youth Development was of particular interest to me. It very much aligns with my own philosophies and I think all of our coaches share the same thoughts.

I will keep this brief, as I know it is coming on Summer…

The discussion pointed out that for our youth, well managed competition and training can and should be used to nurture physical skills, technical skills and preparation for the future. This all becomes very intertwined…Here at Whitefish we teach a lot; we spend time on skill development searching for improvement and mastery. While it is tempting to just ski, ski, ski (and skiing is very important), without the mastery of basic fundamental skills, true potential will be difficult to realize. As skills are cemented and mastered, free-skiing becomes the playground where the athlete learns to employ those skills in many different ways and in many different situations. However, without mastery of the skills, less productive habits can and will be patterned.

Much the same is true with gate training. Gate training for our younger skiers should be included in the teaching aspect, designed to help develop fundamental skills, then provide the right amount of challenge to promote accelerated learning. As skiers progress, we should never abandon an emphasis on fundamental skills, but gate training can also evolve to more difficult challenges and even race simulation.

Lots of skiing and race simulation (without teaching development) can lead to improvement, but without the work of developing the proper foundation that improvement is limited. Remember the Leaning Tower of Pisa; quite a building, but obviously lacking the proper foundation…The building is beautiful, but has taken a great deal of energy and modifications to try to make up for the lack of a proper foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa

Well managed racing and competition are an integral part of the process. Properly chosen and administered, it provides a goal structure and challenge that is a very effective growth/learning stimulus.

Our approach emphasizes long-term success. Time spent on the foundation of skill development and mastery will provide us with a much better long-term outcome.

Thanks for listening…hope you enjoy the program!

Roy

News from Park City Meetings

Whew! That was a long day...meetings today were scheduled from 7:45 am til 9:00 pm.
We were lucky and done at 7:30 pm. But the meetings were good and we got information on rules changes, alpine officials training and requirements, athlete training and testing, race course certification and more.

Some information that most of us will enjoy hearing about:
1) National USSA Membership prices will stay the same as last year.
2) On-line registration has been simplified/clarified
3) Audi, Sprint, High sierra and N'eve have become USSA partners and will give USSA registants access to special offers on the last page of the on-line registraion process.
4) Printing of the membership card has become more simple.

More is scheduled for tomorrow and I will update you soon...

USSA Congress/Spring Meetings

USSA is conducting its annual Congress (convention) in Park City, Utah this week.
Officials from the Northern Division are attending and include President, Rick Duncan (Deerlodge), Vice-President, Roy Loman (Whitefish), Sherri Hale, Whitefish (Division Manager), Officials Chair, Bob Petitt (Bozeman) and Alpine Competitions Commettiee Chairman, Jeremy Ueland (Big Sky).
The week-long sessions schedules meetings to review and make changes in rules, qualification procedures, competition schedules and other issues pertinant to next year. The Northern Division group is attending Alpine ski racing sessions, USSA is also conducting organizational meetings in Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing.
The busy schedule began Tuesday and concludes Saturday evening at 9:30.

Not a Tournament Golf Outing

Dear FVSEF Families and Supporters,

I wonder if anyone has contacted you about your firm participating in the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation’s “Not-A-Tournament" Golf Fundraiser.

Our Fundraisers are important to help us keep our program costs low and more importantly, our participation levels as high as possible. The Not-A-Tournament Golf fundraiser has some distinct advantages to both the foundation and to participating firms. Your participation would greatly help the Foundation in its fundraising efforts. Secondly, for a $ 150.00 tax deductable donation, your firm would be recognized by a prominent group of golfers at one of 3 prestigious golf courses in the Flathead Valley.

The event places distinctive and tasteful signs recognizing contributors near the tee boxes and other strategic areas for a 3 day period during the busy Memorial Day Week-end. All three courses are open to the public and typically fill their tee times for the week-end. The result is considerable recognition for your firm by a large public, as well as the tax deductable donation to the Foundation.

If you would like more information regarding the “Not-A-Tournament” outing please contact Richard Kramer at (406) 250 9706 or by email at: rk@redcaboosediner.com

Thanks for your participation.

Awards/Recognition Picnic Staves Off Weather

Our 2010 Awards/Recognition Picnic seemed to create its own "Eye" in the weather pattern. We were able to enjoy a great time outdoors visiting and sharing experiences from our last winter season. The turn-out was great, there was plenty of food, the company was fun and there were plenty of games be enjoyed. Click on the "Race Team Photo Album" link found on the right side of our blog page under "Usable Links" If any of you have photos of the day send them along and I will post them along with these.

Great Day, thanks to everybody whose help made this and our season so much fun!
Roy

Non-Winter Ski Camps

Some Answers to Questions About Summer or Fall Ski Camps

Many questions surround the value of non-winter ski camps. Questions like: Why is a non-winter camp important? When should I schedule a non-winter camp? How old should participants be?

Non-winter camps are valuable for a variety of reasons and the camp atmosphere provides multiple benefits. Typically camps allow athletes to focus on their skiing without other distractions. Also, the consecutive training sessions promote progressive and solid skill development from day to day. Typically this promotes skill retention.

Camps are normally scheduled outside the competition season. This most typically allows their focus to be developmental in nature and promotes a stronger learning base. There are some exceptions and we will address those later. Non-winter camps may be scheduled in the spring, summer or fall. Spring and fall are often difficult to schedule around school schedules. Even the summer season has scheduling questions. When is the best time to attend? Early summer typically offers more snow and terrain options that help set up productive training situations. Late summer is closer to the coming ski season, but snow and terrain options are far more limited.

For most athletes and families one to two camps can be considered. One camp is great, offers terrific experiences and builds fundamental skills in a cost effective manner. One camp also still allows our families plenty of summer fun for themselves while providing a strong skiing experience. If considering two camps, the first typically would be scheduled in early summer and be fundamentally oriented. The second most usually would be scheduled in the fall and build on the progression from the first camp. Fall camps are typically still fundamentals oriented, but usually contain more gate time and are considered a part of the build-up for the winter competition season. The most elite of athletes might consider 3 camps: a fundamentals camp in early summer, a gate camp late summer/early fall and a late fall gate camp as a tune-up to the early December competition season.

Camps can be productive for many age groups depending on the attitude of the particular skier. Special considerations should be made for the youngest of athletes to make their experience most productive. Camps usually ski for the first half of the day, and then do other activities, including dryland training in the afternoon. Evenings can be educational sessions or free time depending on the particular schedule. Younger athletes may choose to forgo afternoon activities with the older athletes and likely require family support for the evening. Combinations of this can be made, depending on the maturity, stamina of the athlete and the wishes of the family. Usually with younger athletes families will schedule a family trip around the ski camp to manage these needs and options.

Our plan for the coming summer and fall is to offer two camps, one the second half of June at Mt Hood, Oregon. We are investigating a second camp during Thanksgiving vacation in Canada that will give us a training opportunity and access to viewing the World Cup races scheduled at Lake Louise Nov 27-28 2010.

Summer Ski Camp Schedule

Hey Ski Racing Families,

I have a few things I wanted to pass along. If you won't be using your skis for summer skiing try to put the skis away for the summer with a coat of wax on them. Even if you will ski on them this summer they should have wax on them for now. Also, it is best to buckle your boots when you store them as it helps them keep their shape. Prior to summer skiing do try on the boots to be sure you have not outgrown them.

For next year do let me know if you have equipment that you will want to pass along, or if you will be looking for equipment. Remember we will likely have some access to equipment from selected companies in the fall. We will also organize our fall equipment swap at the Saddle Club and I will let you know of that date when the time nears. And do let me know what you may have, or need, so I can help facilitate any appropriate exchanges.

I also have Summer Ski Camp information. We have been notified that the Red Lodge Camp has been cancelled due to lack of snow.

We will again partner with the Mt Hood Academy and the Mt Bachelor group for camps in June that will be held on Mt. Hood. The schedule will look like this:

Camp 1: Jr. 3s and older
Arrive June 19- ski June 20-24; depart after skiing on the 24th.
5 days on snow GS and SL
Cost estimate is $955.00

Camp 2: J4/J5 –
Arrive June 26, ski June 27 –30; depart after skiing on the 30th.
4 Days on Snow GS and SL
Cost estimated is $685

These camps have been very productive and we are looking forward to them this summer. Both groups utilize the Academy House for housing and meals and the price is inclusive of that. I am sure arrangements could be made if families wanted to make other plans. Also last year we had a few athletes use the train to travel from Whitefish to White Salmon, near Hood River. I was able to pick them up at the train station there.

We are also working on a late fall camp in Canada. This camp would likely occur during the Thanksgiving Vacation and finish by watching the World Cup races. I will let you know more as this progresses.

Please let me know what your interest is so I can plan the camp season.

2010 Alpine Race Team Picnic

When: Sunday, May 2- 3:30-6:00 PM
Where: The Saddle Club 605 Wisconson Ave
What: A social event to mix, mingle, eat, play some games and award/acknowledge our program participants.

Please join us for a picnic and enjoy some time together off the ski hill. The Foundation will provide grilled food and drinks. Please bring the following if your name begins with:
A-G: Hors d'oeuvres and 1 bag of chips
H-M: Side dish
N-Z: Dessert

You may want to bring your favorite outdoor chairs or blankets.
Our schedule:
3:30 EAT AND SOCIALIZE
4:30 GAMES AND RELAYS
5:15 RECOGITION AWARDS

Please RSVP to: mpwelch@centurytel.net Please let us know what you intend to bring so we don't end up w/40 lbs of great potatoe salad!

We will also discuss the coming Bike Raffle and a t-shirt plan for our team. Remember the Bike Raffle proceeds do directly towards lowering our event travel costs and have been very effective in the past.

See you all there!

You may have seen the Team Suburban at the ski area or around town and been curious about the vehicles history.
The trusty steed has been the transportation for quite a few coaches and older athletes when traveling to a variety of race series throughout the Western US. The vehicle is owned and maintained by the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation. The FVSEF also subsidies some of the travel costs incurred when the vehicle transports athletes or coaches to events. Athletes and families share in the remaining transportation costs. In its many treks around the countryside the suburban proudly displays the badges of the many sponsors who contribute to offsetting the expenses of the suburban, and other program operational costs through the non-profit Foundation.
The 1995 Suburban was donated by Shelly and Tim Geiszler of Missoula. Shelly (Olsson) Geiszler, her children and many other Olsson children are Whitefish Race Team Alumni.
Many hands go into making the 200,000 + mile vehicle a workable transportation source for our Team. We would like to thank the Geiszlers for supplying the vehicle; Don K Chevrolet who helps to maintain the vehicle; Summit Signs for keeping the badges current; and the sponsors: North Valley Hospital and the Base Lodge Clinic, Hammer Nutrition, Joseph Eve Accounting, Karl Tyler Chevrolet, The Red Caboose Diner and Conductors Row.
If you are aware of any businesses that would benefit from the recognition of a badge on the Suburban, please let us know. We also know the current Suburban has a limited life ahead of us and would be very interested in discussing the benefits of donation of a suburban (or like vehicle) to the Foundation. Contact Richard Kramer, 406 250 9786 or Bill Kahle, 406 270 9467.

Whitefish Skiers earn Academic Awards

Five Whitefish Alpine competitors were tapped with top Academic Awards by the Northern Division of USSA. To be eligible for these awards the alpine racers must have at least a 3.65 grade point average and qualify for either the Junior Olympics (age 13-14) or the Western Region Championships (ages 15-19).
The Academic Awards were presented at the Northern Division’s Championship Series races, the OHG Series, held at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman March 2nd-4th.

Receiving the award from the Whitefish Team was: Annie Jobe, Erin Tabish, Michela Millette and Nevada Kramer. Nick Becker received an Honorable Mention award for his high level of achievement athletically and scholastically.

Whitefish coach Roy Loman added: “This is a great award to receive and the award congratulates those skiers who epitomize the mind/body connection that true sportsmanship promotes. This group really deserves this award and I am so proud of them for earning it. But, we also had other skiers in our Academy Program who just missed this award from an athletic point of view. The athletics are important as well, but they are so hard to judge, as they point to specific race results that may or may not go your way. There is always some luck involved in race results, but the academic side is tried and true earned long-term results. Scott Kahle’s grade point was way up there, but he missed on the athletic component by a whisker.”

This season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

OHG Divisional Championships

Skiers from the Whitefish Mountain Resort Alpine Race Team competed in the Northern Division Alpine Championship event held at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman April 2nd and 3rd. The Championship events concluded a season long series that included races at the Whitefish Mountain, Snow Bowl in Missoula, Big Sky, and an earlier series at Bridger.



In Friday’s Giant Slalom the Whitefish team finished strong with podium results and other scoring finishes.

Anna Job led the group with a 2nd place finish in the 13-14 age class. Madeline Williams was 3rd in the 15-16 age group. Erin Tabish finished just off the podium of the 13-14 group in 4th place. Nevada Kramer and Nick Becker were 7th and 8th respectively in the 13-14 age group.



Saturday’s Slalom was challenging with new snow falling throughout the contest. The Bridger course crew worked extremely hard to provide a very fair and safe race despite the challenging conditions.

Anna Jobe and Madeline Williams were strong in the Slalom and each finished 2nd in their respective age groups. Erin Tabish posted the fasted first run in her age group and was 4th overall in that run which included girls from the MSU Ski Team. Kramer and Becker, skiing consistently, were 6th and 7th in the 13-14 age class. Both Kramer and Becker will ski another year in their age class.



The Northern Division Series is used to determine qualifications for the Junior Olympics and the Western Region Championship races. Whitefish Team members Anna Jobe and Erin Tabish qualified for and competed in the Junior Olympics held in Bend Oregon. Michela Millette competed in the Western Regional Championships held in Schweitzer Basin, ID.



The Whitefish Team was awarded the 3rd place team trophy for its accomplishment throughout the series.



This season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

Whitefish Skiers do well in Big Sky Downhill

Whitefish Resort Race Team skiers, Madeline Williams and Nick Becker competed in 3 days of Downhill racing and training at the Big Sky Ski Area March 26-28. A day of training was followed by two days of racing. Speeds over 70 mph were posted on the Big Horn course which drops nearly 1500 feet and runs well over a mile in length.

Williams, racing in the 15-16 year-old age category placed third in both races. Becker competed in the 13-14 year-old category and posted seventh and eighth respectively.

Whitefish coach, Roy Loman said: “Madeline was awesome; she left the starting gate aggressively each run and was looking for more speed where-ever she could find it… and Becker really proved his affinity for speed in his first downhill appearance. He is in the first year of his age group and he showed that he will be right there in front of the group in his next outing.”

Throughout the season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

Whitefish Elite Skiers Excell

2010 Whitefish Mountain Race Team Academy and Race Team members excell!
With the recent excitement created by the U.S. Olympic Ski Team’s success in the Vancouver Olympics, we now turn our attention to our own Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team. They too, are fun and exciting to watch and support. Among the 51 member team, are the 13 and 14 year old J3 kids. Meet Annie, Erin, Scott, Nick, Jacob, Luke and Nevada. No, they’re not Olympic level yet but boy can they ever go fast on a pair of skis.

They are all part of the Race Team Academy, a 4 day a week program for intensive ski race training and competition. It includes early dismissal from school on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, so they have to be good students to participate. In fact, one parent recently remarked, “I don’t think there is a B among them.” Head Coach Roy Loman says they are a pretty special bunch and that “they are all driven to perform but have healthy outlooks at the same time”. They are very supportive of one another.

They are great friends, on and off the mountain. Roy believes skiing is helping to shape who they are. The first day of my 7 year old’s experience on the team, one of the J3 kids openly(and without prompting) walked up to him, greeted him by name and helped him to feel comfortable. I didn’t know 13 year old boys did that sort of thing. Another time I was riding up the chair with a different one of these kids and he unselfishly told me about how good one of his teammates is. And it was genuine.

Perhaps this young Whitefish Mountain Race Team embodies one of our recent alpine Olympic stars’ words: “ It's cool to have a gold medal and to have a full set of medals from here. It's good for my team and it's going to make a cool collection. But besides
that, they are just medals. Those performances that we put down as a team
Sunday -- that's what is really going to carry on. That's what was special
to be a part of." -Bode Miller.

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation which helps to underwrite ski racing and freestyle on Big Mountain, is a non-profit entity and donations are accepted to make it easier for our athletes to compete at the highest level possible, and to achieve their goals. Corporate sponsors this year include North Valley Hospital Base Lodge Clinic, Hammer Nutrition, Joseph Eve Certified Public Accountants, and Karl Tyler Chevrolet. Please contact Bill Kahle (270-9467) or Richard Kramer (250-9786) if you would like to donate or become a sponsor.

Our J3 thru J1 athletes (13-18 year olds) compete in the Northern Division of USSA where competitors include college level racers up to age 25. Top 20 finishes this year include the following:
January 8th Whitefish Mountain Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Erin Tabish 15th, Michela Millette 17th, Madeline Williams 18th. Men: Wes Beougher 8th, Aaron Oberlitner 13th.
January 10th Whitefish Mountain Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 7th, Michela Millette 11th, Erin Tabish 13th, Maddie Williams 14th. Men: Scott Kahle 17th, Nevada Kramer 18th.
January 23rd Red Lodge Mountain Slalom Ladies: Madeline Williams 13th, Michela Millette 14th. Men: Nevada Kramer 19th.
January 24th Red Mountain Lodge Slalom Ladies: Michela Millette 17th, Madeline Williams 19th.
February 13th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 5th, Annie Jobe 8th. Men: Wes Beougher 5th.
February 14th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 3rd, Madeline Williams 14th, Michela Millette 16th.
February 15th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Madeline Williams 14th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 15th.
February 20th Big Sky Resort Super G Race 1 Ladies: Annie Jobe 2nd, Michela Millette 5th, Madeline Williams 13th, Erin Tabish 14th. Men: Nevada Kramer 15th, Nick Becker 17th, Scott Kahle 19th.
February 20th Big Sky Resort Super G Race 2 Ladies: Annie Jobe 6th, Michela Millette 7th, Madeline Williams 9th, Erin Tabish 13th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 14th.
February 21st Big Sky Resort Super G Ladies: Annie Jobe 4th, Michela Millette 5th, Madeline Williams 6th, Erin Tabish 15th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 13th.
February 27th Bridger Bowl Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Michela Millette 9th, Madeline Williams 16th. Men: Wes Beougher 9th, Aaron Oberlitner 19th.
February 28th Bridger Bowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 7th, Michela Millette 14th. Men: Nick Becker 16th, Nevada Kramer 19th.

In addition, Annie Jobe and Erin Tabish competed in the invitation-only, prestigious Topolino shootout in Park City, Utah on January 23rd-24th, where they gained valuable experience against top competitors from the U.S.

Our J1 and J2 athletes (ages 15-18) Michela Millette, Madeline Williams, Aaron Oberlitner, and Wes Beogher are all excelling on and off the race course this year. Michela Millette qualified for the Western Region Championships this year, held at Schweitzer Mountain March 6-9th. Maddie Williams was chosen as an alternate.

Three members of the Whitefish team have qualified for the upcoming J3 Junior Olympics to be held at Mount Bachelor near Bend, Oregon. Wish the best of luck to Annie Jobe, Erin Tabish, and Nevada Kramer.

Our new Junior Race Team is a Smashing Success...

Youth Ski Racers Find Success

With a strong contingent of young ski racers, the Whitefish Mountain Race Team has had success on and off the race course this year. The race team, which now includes a new Junior Program, consists of 40 racers age 6-18. This is by far the most racers Whitefish has sported in recent years. Head Coach Roy Loman and his superb staff of 6 coaches are thrilled and energized by this group of young kids.

The Junior Program emphasizes fun, participation and learning. Early season highlights included a 5-day Holiday Camp where skiers had tremendous results in pursuing a strong skiing foundation and had lots of fun along the way. Parent quote. The Tommy Moe Race Series, a low key season-long racing venue at Big Mountain, has enjoyed unprecedented numbers of skiers this year.

The USSA’s Northern Division Youth Ski League(YSL) offers young Montana skiers the opportunity to compete around the state and gain competitive experience, build teamwork, and make new friends. Whitefish skiers have made their mark this year at WMR, Bridger Bowl, and Showdown and will soon have opportunities at SnowBowl and Red Lodge. These kids are making remarkable progress each time they travel. Not only are they developing a lifetime love for skiing but are also learning valuable life skills.

Top YSL results this year in the Whitefish Giant Slalom on Jan. 16-17th include: Cameron Kahle (J7)1st place Sat/Sun, Grant Kahle (J6) 2nd place Sat and 1st place Sunday, Colter Upton 5th Sat and 7th Sunday.

Bridger Bowl held YSL Giant Slalom (GS) and Slalom races on Jan. 30-31st with top Whitefish racers: Colter Upton (J6) 2nd place GS Sat and 1st place Slalom Sunday, Jacques Eve (J5) 2nd place GS Sat and 2nd place Slalom Sunday, Keegan Wold (J5) 5th Slalom, Piper Howeth (J4) 6th Slalom, Alexis Hughson (J4) 8th GS, Piper Howeth (J4) 9th GS, Brittain Walton (J4) 4th GS, Oliver Van Everen (J4) 5th Slalom and 9th GS, Zander Wold (J4) 9th Slalom, Jacob Welch (J3) 1st Slalom and 3rd GS, Luke Hughson (J3) 2nd GS.

What a Great Holiday Camp!

We had a great Holiday Camp. As always, when we have consecutive days to work on our progression, we really enjoy tremendous results. This week was no exception and I think it was perhaps our best Holiday Camp in recent memory. Our training conditions were awesome early in the week and the powder for our final day was the frosting on the cake and the cherry on top of a really fun and prouctive week.
I really want to thank the familys for making the commitment to getting their children here each day and I truely want to want to thank each of the athletes for their work and improvement during the week.
I also want to mention how much fun it is to have athletes from outside our program join our Holiday Camp. It is so much fun to ski, train with and enjoy our time with athletes from all over the country.