Ride and Glide Newsletter
Week 7Thursday, December 18, 20039 Weeks to the Birkie
If This Van’s a Rockin,
Don’t Come a Knockin
Coach Ken Tobacman, rubbing on
some kick before Tuesday night’s class.
Quote of the Week
“Don’t love your skis too much”
-- Brian, Gear West
The Zen of X-C Skiing
(copied without permission)
By DEBBI WALDEAR
Contributing Editor for The Master Skier
A time to leave the rational mind behind for awhile. Let go of the hustle and bustle of daily life and allow yourself to experience the joys of gliding on snow. That wonderful slippery substance we take such pleasure from. Become part of the movement of the winter environment.
Concentrate on the motions of skiing. Feel yourself pushing hard to glide those extra few feet.
Be aware of the economy of using your body weight to glide throughout each stride.
Become aware of your lungs expanding and contracting, creating a rhythm.
Appreciate the variety of speed and force you can use to move forword on your skis. Relax and glide during the recovery stage.
Remember that at least 90% of your ski training should be moderate, at a level where you can talk easily while skiing (your heart rate should be around 110 to 140 beats per minute).
This is the time to think about your technique.
Where is your body positioned in relation to your skis? Are you balanced over the ski?
Are your ankles flexed forward and driving in the direction of travel?
Are your arms, shoulders and upper body leading you down the track? Let the arms push all the way through and float back up in a relaxed motion.
This is also a time to luxuriate in the serene surroundings. After all, didn’t we seek cross country skiing because we love the snow and the outdoors?
Let yourself discover the shapes, colors and dimensions of winter.
Most likely the views are outstanding; allow yourself time to ponder on the vistas.
Winter brings cool winds, great moving clouds and falling snow—relish them as you ski.
Become part of the winter drama.
Check out the wildlife tracks in the snow. Pay close attention; maybe you will see a thick, shinny coyote or a weasel already turned white.
Yet another zone is leaving the rational mind behind to totally concentrate on driving yourself to your limits.
This occurs during a race or during those short windows of time in your training when you go all-out. All your focus goes to skiing as hard as you can.
Don’t lose that point of convergence, not for a second. This form of meditation is very intense; there is nothing else but you moving on your skis.
Spend some time spinning out on your skis this winter. Derive joy from another level of skiing and from your thoughts.
Pocket Guide to Skiing by
The Subaru Factory Team
Members Only
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Name: Kelly Williams
Occupation: Producer, Photographer
Other Sports: Triathlons, marathons
Classic or Skate: Skate Level: Beginner Skis: Fischer
Favorite Race:
Favorite Athlete: Natasha Badmann
Favorite Junk Food: Anything with cream cheese, Cheetos, raised glazed donuts (Krispy Kreme)
Favorite Movie: The Matrix
Most Memorable R&G Moment: Learning to put skis on.
How did you hear about R&G? Cindi Fritsch (5)
What do you do when you’re not skiing or working? Read a lot of books
Name: Neil Hailstone
Occupation: Realtor, Coldwell Banker Burnet
Other Sports: Triathlons, swimming, biking, running
Classic or Skate: Skate Level: Falling-down beginner Skis: Fischer
Favorite Race: Wisconsin Ironman
Favorite Skier: Eddie the Eagle
Favorite Junk Food: Pizza
Favorite Movie: Breaking Away
Most Memorable R&G Moment: Not being able to get skis on
How did you hear about R&G? Cindi (4) and Joe Fritsch
What do you do when you’re not skiing or working? Teach Spin Classes, sell real estate
Name: Beth Shedd
Occupation: Office Manager for investment fund
Other Sports: Inline, tennis
Classic or Skate: Both Level: Skate (beginner) Classic (Intermediate) Skis: Fischer
Favorite Race: North Shore Inline
Favorite Skier: None
Favorite Junk Food: Cheetos
Favorite Movie: Princess Bride
Most Memorable R&G Moment: Don't have one yet
How did you hear about R&G? Jodi Foster
What do you do when you’re not skiing or working? Crocheting, knitting
Name: Heidi Douglas
Occupation: Alumni and Events Manager at Minnehaha Academy
Other Sports: Cycling, hiking, frisbee, kayaking… just about anything!
Classic or Skate: Classic Level: Beginner Skis: Atomic
Favorite Athlete: Lance
Favorite Junk Food: Chips or French Fries
Favorite Movie: Out of Africa
How did you hear about R&G? Annie Lux, a fellow GP rider
What do you do when you’re not skiing or working? Biking, spending time with friends, traveling
Coaches’ Corner
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Intermediate Skate
By Steve Thatcher
Dave Gorringe and I had about 12 people show up in blustery conditions, 20 degrees and somewhat icy in places and quite dark due to the lack of cloud cover. We found a good sheltered place over by Lexington Ave. Check out the Como Map and Guide link on the web site. There is a new picture showing the Como ski trails with area names labeled. Like the Glacier and the Back Bowl, I made up names for the areas that we usually talk about. We stayed on the Lexington Flats and the Lexington Hill and worked on V1 hill climbing. It was a bit cold so we just had the students ski a loop up Lexington Hill and then coast back down to the bottom while Dave and I watched and pulled people out for personal help. We harp a lot about proper V1 technique and until you get to a hill you can get away with just about anything. Lexington Hill was fast enough, such that it still didn't penalize poor technique that much, but the students began to see the short comings of bad timing and lack of weight shift. Next week we'll move to a bigger hill and it will really be evident. The problems we generally see are:
1) Lack of weight shift to either side,
2) Dropping of the strong side shoulder and thus
forming a "C" shape on the strong side where the shoulder is over the ski but the hips are still in the middle
3) Late pole plant on the strong side.
What to do and think about to fix these problems:
1) On easy hills make sure you line up your shoulder, your knee and your toes right over the ski. Line up the strong side forearm right down the pole shaft. This promotes getting your body over the ski. I said shoulder instead of nose because you are climbing a hill and you don't really have time to get over as far as you would if you were loafing on the flats. But if Toe, Knee, and Nose helps you, by all means use it as your mantra.
2) Keep you hips square to the trail and your shoulders level to the ground. The poling action starts with the abs and then the arms kick in later. I think the dropping of the shoulder is a direct result of pushing too soon with the arm. You can also try setting your ski down on the outside edge. If you do this it's almost impossible to get in the "C" position because it forces your hips out to the side.
3) This is basic V1 timing and usually isn't caused by climbing a hill. That's to say that if you're late on a hill you're probably also late on the flats. This is a short coming in your technique and requires work with a coach to get it straightened out. You won't be able to climb a big hill without killing yourself until you get this timing correct. So if you have this problem on both sides seek out a coach and have them check you out. If you have this problem on one side only then all it takes is practice and forcing yourself to use your off side. You already know what is required, now it just a matter of executing. Hopefully we'll be doing a video session soon. That should help everyone.
To finish off the night we skied with only one pole (The weak side) to let people feel what it's like to push with the weak side pole. A lot of people just drag the weak side pole along for balance instead of using it for propulsion. This single pole drill and the no poles drill while mimicking poling action are very good drills for everyone. If you find yourself not able to master the weight shift required for skating you need to spend more time skating without poles and concentrating on lining your body up with each ski as you glide.
Advanced Skate Group
By Byron Adams
It was a cold, dark, windy night as 9 intrepid skiers and 2 ski facilitators braved the icy wind swept trails of the Como golf course. All who ventured forth into the dark abyss knew not what lay ahead, following the substitute coaches to places unknown.
The advanced group skied off with Tom Harris and I over the north section of the course to warm up stopping at the partially lit downhill area to find it was unpacked and covered with ice encrusted snow. We then barged onto the hill the intermediate group was using did 3 or 4 repeats then skied over to a flat section of trail near the downhill area to run technique relays. We split into 2 groups of 5 with each participant skiing roughly 100 yards of V1 left, V1 right, V2, and field skate. The end result was a tie and a new found appreciation for the difficulty in performing proper ski technique at race pace. After this we all practiced field skate or V2 alternate, then V2 to remind ourselves of the timing and weight transfer required for these techniques. It was a difficult night to practice technique because of the icy conditions, cold and lack of back lighting from city lights off cloud cover. Let’s hope they regroom and we get a couple more inches of snow.
Follow-up comments: being a sub I don’t know if this group has discussed their training goals with the coaches. But I think this would be a good idea so on snow sessions can be tailored to your interests. Do you want to improve your hill climbing or your open field techniques (field skate and V2)? Or would it be beneficial to split into groups of equal pace and do laps, sharing the lead with others similar to a bike pace line.
Classic Group
By Jyneen Thatcher
Arvid and I took the novice classic group out to the Glacier, where we found one slick, shallow track off the main trail, and a bunch of human-set tracks in the crust-covered old snow. The intermediate classic group was also out there, and I think we did some student transfers between groups. Oh well, not a big deal, we’ll do more of that as the year goes on. What I noticed from watching both groups, is that there is not a clear distinction between group skill levels. We have a few rockets, a few strugglers, and a whole bunch of in-betweens. I would encourage sticking with the same instructor if you are benefiting from that experience. But if you are hitting a plateau, don’t be shy about asking for advice from one of the other instructors. Oftentimes a fresh eye will detect a subtle fault or be able to explain a motion differently. Either way, it was nice to work with a smaller group, especially for Arvid and I, who have soft voices and aren’t very effective in shouting comments against the wind, towards a skier’s back.
We did see some strong improvement in some of our skiers. And yes, kick-double-pole is the toughest classic maneuver to pick up. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t get it right away. Just think of it as a way to maintain momentum on flats or slight downhills.
Test Question:
What is this skier doing right?
What is wrong?
Right- Pretty decent forward lean; good knee-flex in anticipation of the kick; correct arm-leg coordination
Wrong-pole basket should be back by foot (not straight up & down); need better follow-through with the left arm; the next glide (with the other foot) is going to be real painful unless he puts another ski on.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, December 18, 2003
January 1-4, 2004
New Year’s Road Trip Jan 1-4
January 24, 2004
Noquemanon Ski Marathon
January 31, 2004
City of Lakes Loppet
February 7, 2004
Hayward Lions Pre-Birkie
February 8, 2004
Mora Vasaloppet
February 21, 2004
American Birkebeiner