Skiing on Sidewalks

Rollerskiing: the act of hurdling yourself down a rock-strewn sidewalk in a rain storm on 2-foot long skis with wheels on the bottom and no brakes. Notable dangers include hitting pebbles, tripping on cracks in the pavement, being ambushed by dogs on leashes, and skinned knees. Notable benefits include having the most fun on the bike path you will ever have, learning how to ski, and getting funny looks from cars driving by.

Yesterday, a rollerskiing workout just south of Carbondale. What a life we lead. Right now, I'm looking out the window and snow clouds have wrapped up Sopris. Perhaps we shall soon get to try out our REAL skis.

Things are going awesome. A huge thanks to the kids who continue to believe in the plan despite being confined to dirt and pavement.

Love it!

Thanksgiving Break

Pretty nice to have a week off of school here in Carbondale. Still no snow, though! (It's getting close: the mountains are getting a little whiter.) So we'll keep on truckin along through some more dryland. Above is a picture of Mo and Molly and Hannes at the top of Buttermilk Mountain. We did some ski walking up the hill on a beautiful day last week as part of a short dryland camp. Love it! Tomorrow, we will watch the Rocky 4 training sequence. Love it!

Rocky IV

MORE IMPORTANTLY: I have decided to bring in a very special and age-old training tool: Rocky IV. This movie highlights Rocky's attmept to beat the giant Russian, Ivan Drago, in a bout to avenge national honor and the death of his friend, Apollo. But above all, it shows how to train like you've never trained before--in the middle of Siberia with big logs and rocks. We will be watching the movie next week for inspiration

Here is a description of his training plan: "Rocky, on the other hand, uses only whatever material is available. He climbs rope, does pull-ups on wooden beams, jogs past Russian peasants, chopping wood, running up snowy embankments, and lifting huge rocks; and struggles mightily with a rock-filled sled, dragging it up the side of a mountain. KGB agents also follow Rocky's movements wherever he goes. He is almost ready, but he's missing one thing. When Adrian shows up unexpectedly, to support him emotionally, providing more reason to succeed, Rocky begins to train harder than ever before. His heart is restored, and he is once again at his physical and emotional best."

Turkey Time

Thanksgiving Break is upon us. Tomorrow, a dryland camp starts for those of us who are around Carbondale. Lots of running, strength, peach cobbler, and maybe going out for a breakfast or two. Should be a good break from school.

Training plan to follow! Love it!

RED HILL TIME TRIAL

What a killer day we had yesterday! The weather was awesome and we had skiers from the nordic team, the telemark team and the alpine team doing the time trial all at once. It was great to see some grimaces at the top. Love the training.
Results are on the way. Meanwhile, check out Kayo's pictures on his CRMS Telemark Team blog.

(this is a beautiful picture by Kayo--click to make it bigger)

Dryland equals smiles (but where's the snow??)

Another day in paradise. Red Hill Time Trial Tomorrow! WOO HOO!

Wednesday Practice

A beautiful afternoon in Carbondale. We had a short practice day today because of Greg Mortenson's presentation over at Roaring Fork High School. The kids showed up with smiles on their faces so we went on a nice little jog on the new Tick Ridge trails. The snowboard team was out there too, and with the sun setting on Sopris things felt pretty good.



Ross and Jin-Yeop living the dream.














Hilary under the shadow of Sopris.














Action shot! This is hard to do while running. (Zoe and Jin-Yeop).

Week Two: In the books

This week was disrupted a little by all of our fine actors (the play is Hello Dolly, by the way, and a fine musical. It is pretty fun to watch these kids on stage) spending a lot of time trying to go to rehearsals and get their homework done, but we still got some good training in. And had fun!

The Daylight Savings switch means that the sun has begun to set by the end of practice, and it's usually pretty cold jogging back to campus. We are working on bringing a warm jacket...it's flu season after all.

Thursday's intervals up Red Hill were awesome. The four athletes who showed up dug deep and really pushed themselves. It was great to see them working hard.

This weekend: get out the door a couple times, stretch those legs out, and get ready for a good week of training before Thanksgiving Break. Camp is up in the air right now, as we don't have snow. Either way, we'll find a good plan to stay in shape over the holidays and hopefully there will be some snow by the end of November here in the valley.

AWESOME!

(I'll work on getting some pictures posted next week)

Red Hill Time Trial: rain check

Well it seems our team also doubles as a thespian troupe. Lots of skiers in the school play this week. We'll do the TT next week. Today: epic mud bog run in the tradition of the Swedes. Location: Marion Creek!

Week 2 Dryland Schedule

Every day is a day closer to snow.

Monday Nov 5
Swedish Mud Bog Run followed by strength circuits in the ski room

Tuesday Nov 6
Yoga day. Work on our core strength, hone balance and efficiency, take a break from hectic school days.

Wednesday Nov 7
Red Hill Time Trial. Start at the bottom, end at the top! We will record the times you get today and try to beat them later in the season. Goal setting--it's a beautiful thing.

Thursday Nov 8
A little community service moving tables around campus for warm-up. Then strength tests! Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and dips. Again, we will record your results and try to beat them later on.

Friday Nov 9
Fun run? If people are up for it, an adventure run somewhere in the valley.

Weekend
Get out the door. Take your dog for a walk, go for a big hike (still no snow...enjoy it!), ride your bike. Get out the door! Do some stretching too.

Snow?

Thanksgiving camp is rapidly approaching. But where's the snow? If we don't get any huge snowstorms, we can still find some good adventures to keep our dryland momentum going.

Old man winter, what a schlock!
He's got a tick, but not a tock.
Late in coming, he's senile,
for any season worth it's while,
should remember to wind it's clock!

Dryland: Week 1

Dryland started off in great style. The weather has been great and the sun was shining on the campus and on our skiers-to-be as we tied on our running shoes and began the process. On Tuesday, we spent a day scrambling up and down Tick Ridge and finding a long-abandoned old shack. Who knows what proud explorers once called this rustic cabin home? The rest of the week we worked on some ski balance drills and finished it all off with a tough run up to the top of Red Hill. And, of course, we have already started watching old videos from nordic skiing history. The 1994 Olympic relay was highlighted.

Intro Letter To Parents

CRMS Nordic Ski Team 2007-8

Intro Meeting October 27

Coaches:

Hannes Thum

Email: jthum@crms.org

Cell: (208) 720-1879

Mark Clark

Email: mclark@crms.org

Cell: (970) 379-6960

Kathleen Jones

Email: kjones@crms.org

The Nordic Ski Team at CRMS has a history as long as the school itself. From the first days of the school, students have been taking to the hills in the winter time with their skis in order to test their fitness and dedication against themselves and against other young athletes from Colorado and from around the country. I whole-heartedly believe that few other sports exist that so develop a young person’s commitment, mindfulness, or perseverance. We will work hard, but it is not your average “hard work”. The training and racing that make up a ski racer’s lifestyle have daily rewards that you can’t find anywhere else.

The “ski season” starts this week! Dryland is an integral part of the nordic skiing experience and we will start right up with the second academic quarter. We will meet four times a week during dryland period for aerobic and strength workouts and get as much fitness under our belts as we can before the snow reaches Spring Gulch and we can start getting out on our skis.

During the race season, we will pick and choose races from the high school league (CHSSA) and from the Junior Olympic Qualifying races (JOQs) based on the progress we’ve made and where we think the athletes will get the most benefit (see attached schedule). More info on all that, and the specifics of the races, when the snow begins to fly. We’ll be in touch.

For now, there are two pertinent conversations I look forward to having with the athletes and their family’s. First, the ski team traditionally spends a few days at the beginning of Thanksgiving Break skiing at Grand Mesa, CO for a short training camp. It is often the first opportunity to get on snow, and there is no finer life than having a few days off of school to just ski, relax, and get in some quality practice sessions. We don’t want to miss turkey dinner, though, so we will plan to end camp with plenty of time for travel plans to get everybody home to their families. We need to get an idea ASAP about whether or not you can attend. Please consider it as a very important part of the ski team commitment.

Secondly, the kiddos will need some gear to get them around the ski trails. Skis, boots, and poles are the core of any skier’s list of possessions. We should work on that soon as well, and it will involve some communication between coaches and parents about how we should purchase/lease/borrow gear for each individual skier.

Ski racing and coaching mean a lot to us. With proper preparation and commitment on the part of the athletes and the coaches, wonderful things can happen. Please don’t hesitate to call or write with and questions or comments or concerns. This is a special team and we see it as our job to convey our passion effectively to the boys and girls who chose to see what skiing is all about.

CRMS Nordic Ski Team Schedule 2007-8

CRMS Nordic Ski Team Schedule 2007-8

October

30 Tu Start Second Quarter

30 Tu Dryland Starts

November

17 Sa Thanksgiving Break begins

17 Sa Thanksgiving Camp departs for Grand Mesa

20 Tu Thanksgiving Camp returns to Carbondale – Travel home this afternoon?

27 Tu Classes Resume

December

14 Fr-15 Sa JOQ#1-2: Vail, CO

15 Sa CHSSA#1: Vail, CO

17 Mo-19 We Exams, and End Second Quarter

20 Th Christmas Break begins

January

8 Tu Begin Third Quarter

10 Th CHSSA#2: Summit, CO

18 Fr-19 Sa JOQ#3-4 (Super JOQ): Soldier Hollow, UT

26 Sa CHSSA#3-4: Leadville, CO (Duathlon)

February

2 Sa CHSSA#5: Middlepark, CO

5 Tu CHSSA#6: Nederland, CO

7 Th-9 Sa Aspen Nordic Festival

9 Sa Owl Creek Chase (also JOQ#6)

16 Sa-17 Su JOQ #7-8: Durango, CO

20 We-22 Fr CHSSA Championships: Steamboat, CO

March

7 Fr End Third Quarter

7 Fr End of Ski Team season (only officially)