Training week of 12/4
EVERYONE:
Pineapple cheer squad = 🔥. We love to see it!
Attendance form: do this EVERY week that your program is running!
Training plan: you can see details for each practice here on the club updates (back one page; below the blog post) and also in the same place as the last 5 years in googleland
Slack: PLEASE join our Slack workspace if you haven’t already. Pretty please. If you want you can opt to only use it in a browser (you don’t need the app) AND you can set it up so it just emails you. There’s SO MUCH flexibility—please give it a go. When you join you’re automatically part of the “All-Programs” channel, but then you need to put yourselves in the right channel for your/your kid’s program. Go to “add channel” and then “browse” and then you’ll see a list pop up. Then you’ll be on top of the news for your group.
Rental fittings: we’re getting closer to wrapping these up. More fittings are happening this week. Scroll down to the bottom of the club updates (back one page) to sign up. If none of these times work, reach out to us. And order rentals if you haven’t and you need to! That’s step one to the whole rental process.
Waxing skis: head on over to this blog post to learn more.
JUNIORS:
Darkness: good job to many of you for bringing these this week! Usually only useful if you put it in your pocket at the start of practice, though
Waxing: y’all need to have some basic wax boxes and bring them to classic days. See our post linked above about what you need to have if you don’t already know. Today we used a whole lotta club klister, wax remover, and shop towels.
Bring your rollerski gear back: gah do it already yeesh!
Racin’ this week: Dec. 9 & 10 is Craftsbury’s official season opener, and the last opportunity to get the racing cobwebs out before the first Eastern Cup. You can read all about it and register here. Registering early is a quick way to Ollie’s heart.
LICENSING: if you plan on doing Eastern Cups, you’re gonna need racing licenses. We made a separate blog post about what licenses you need and when so it’s easier to find this info later.
Eastern Cup #1 is around the corner! OMG. You should have gotten an email from Anna last week with a whole bunch of details about team travel and a request to confirm your plans with her. THIS WEEK is the time to sort out whether you still have questions, or equipment/uniform needs.
U14s:
Darkness: got a headlamp? Bring it!
Waxing: y’all need to have some basic wax boxes and bring them to classic days. See our post linked above about what you need to have if you don’t already know.
Racing this week: the Craftsbury season openers this weekend are mainly geared towards juniors and older, but if any of you are chomping at the bit to try either the Saturday sprint or Sunday 5k (both freestyle), ask us about it, and/or register here.
BKL races next Saturday, Dec. 16: MNC is organizing the first BKL races of the year at Craftsbury! Read all about ‘em. As U14s, you are still in BKL! Our coaches will all be gone at junior races for this, but we’ll try to round up a parent volunteer or two to help direct kids where to go (parents: let us know if you’re interested in helping with course previews, etc).
BKL:
BKL races next Saturday, Dec. 16: MNC is organizing the first BKL races of the year at Craftsbury! Read all about ‘em. Our coaches will all be gone at junior races for this, but we’ll try to round up a parent volunteer or two to help direct kids where to go (parents: let us know if you’re interested in helping with course previews, etc).
Groups: we tested out sub-groupings at practice this Sunday, and the Ewoks, Wookies, Jedis, and Rebels had a grand old time (to all you kids who didn’t understand our Star Wars references, tell your parents you have some homework to do). Group assignments will likely shuffle around a bit as we continue to figure out the best fit for everyone.
MASTERS:
Racing: Y’all should think about doing the Kendall Memorial on Sunday! Registration is here.
Classic skiing: It’s back. We’re doing it again on Thursday. Hooray for dry wax skiing in early December!
Sunday’s practice: Currently TBD. Be patient. Check Slack.
Slack: You’re doing a great job. If you have not joined yet, please email Ollie for details. You’re actually hands down the BEST group at using Slack despite your initial grumbling about it.
BIATHLON:
Special note for Jr/U14 Thursday biathlon: We will integrate biathlon combos into your normal (classic!) ski practice. Once you have your wax situation figured out, grab your rifle and report to the range for a quick zero. Then you'll be able to circle through the range throughout ski practice for combo shooting.
Dry clothes for biathlon: Great work to those of you training in the rain this Sunday! It's not easy managing wet conditions in this sport and we are proud of you all and your positive energy. Sunday was a good reminder of the importance of always bringing extra dry clothes to practice — a second pair of dry gloves (not mittens), dry socks and a dry shirt can make it a lot more fun.
Upcoming Races: don't forget to sign up for our home biathlon race opportunities Dec 16/17 (interested juniors and U14s). If you are U13 who is hungry to race, please check with coaching staff first to gauge if these early season races would be a good fit.
BKL Beginner Wednesday group starts this week: We look forward to welcoming our Wednesday BKL Beginners for their first session this week. We'll work on safety rules first and then go into shooting basics.
“Which skis do I wear to biathlon practice?” In general, you can come to biathlon practice wearing whatever ski equipment (classic or skate) that you used for ski practice that day, unless you hear otherwise. The big exception is klister—please swap into skate stuff if you classic skied with klister. Klister and shooting mats do not mix.
CATAMOUNTS
You start next week! The first Catamounts practice is Tuesday, Dec. 12. Woooohooo!
-coaches