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Alpine Varsity Report
Report #2, January 16, 2007

Bogus Basin Ski Racing Alpine Varsity report 2006/2007 No. 1

Dear racers and parents!

Here is the Alpine Varsity team report for the first and second period of the ski season 2006/2007.

BBSRA alpine varsity team 2006/2007

Physical condition training:
For the first period (May – Sep) we were focused on bringing the athletes’ physical condition to a high aerobic ability, relaxation and regeneration before the winter season. Training in May and June 2006 with Dave Bryan worked great. For the summer 2006 I supplied them with “Individual Programs” for July and August. Some of the athletes worked by program; some were in some other sports. Also Mark was training with them in October, but not everybody  attended regularly.
When I came back in November 2006, Matt and I start worked with the athletes. We were focused on increasing the level of physical conditioning to a high level and increasing the training and lifting intensity and capacity. I have to say that we were not happy with some athletes and their physical condition, coordination and strength. Others showed and improved through the spring and summer. Here I would like to say that Matthew Wyman, Tim Hiatt, R.J. Klotz, Sam Schwartz and Allison Howe did great work. It is not enough to just show up occasionally if you really want to “ski like you mean it.”
 
As I have said before, fitness and strength are a huge part of ski racing, Good physical condition prevents most of the injuries and also has big influence for faster and better skiing in the winter season. We need to work on this for next year and the athletes who need to put out more effort know who they are.

Skiing:
Spring and summer 2006:
Most of the athletes did more ski training in the spring, summer and fall than during the last few summers. Weekend camps in Brundage, ID (GS, SG) in May 2006 worked well. Also most kids attended a  2 week ski camp (SL, GS) with Uros Pavlovcic in the summer in Mt. Hood, Oregon. Uros did a great job and the kids showed a lot of effort and improvement. Camp was perfect also for trying new equipment (boots and skis) for this ski season 2006/2007. I was in Government Camp to suggest what they should try. Except for Will Stewart’s equipment problems with Salomon, we were ready for the ski season early enough, which is great. All the athletes are set with good boots and good skis and correct sizes, which is really important.  Some of them went also for 2 weeks ski camp (SL, GS) in Switzerland in August 2006 with Uros. Except for a few days they had really good conditions. Some of the athletes attended some other ski camps in Mt. Hood. From reports from parents, coaches and athletes, I could say that this worked also well.

Fall 2006:
Mark and Matt did a  short 3 day ski camp (SL) in October 2006, Mt. Hood. Weather was not good, Mt. Hood is Mt,. Hood. It was great, that Matt was there, that he got some idea about BBSRA athletes skiing.

In November Matt and I went with some racers for 5 days ski camp (SL, GS) in Winter Park, Colorado. Weather and snow were great. Probably the best training what we have had so far. We had a double session (technical free skiing and gates session) each day. Also I was really happy that Matt could go with us, so I could show him, how we train and what all the athletes expect from him.

December 2006 - 15. January 2007
First period of ski racing:
The weeks were somewhat of a hunt for snow.  We found ourselves getting up rather early and traveling to Sun Valley and Tamarack (thanks to Black family, Barry Young and Wyman family for helping with housing).  Sun Valley had two runs open but the snow was smooth and hard.  Tamarack was on the other side of the spectrum, but we were able to train some gates before the much anticipated Eric Hays Memorial in Park City.
In this period and after up to end of last week, we tried to change some things in technique of skiing and worked on things we won’t have time for in the second period of ski racing (Jan 15th – end of March). We  had  great training through Christmas and New Year holidays at Bogus Basin. Each day we had double sessions (technical free skiing and gates training – SL and GS). Racers were showing a lot of effort and they are wiling to learn and improved their skiing. The younger J3 athletes especially are learning and picking up changes faster then the older kids. But this is normal human process, because teaching new body movement and motions is the most efficient up to age 14.
We worked with each athlete individually on old mistakes which are most of the times cause for not being better in some turns, getting used to new ski equipment, getting used to all possible course setting latest ski technique. We are trying to get a variety of terrain. We are pretty much able to do this when we free-ski, but going in the season with good snow on Bogus, we are planning to do same terrain changes with gates training also.

Athletes were willing to work hard and they are changing their skiing which is good. With all the athletes we are working also more on mental preparation for training and racing, tactics of ski racing and how important it is being focus for every run that they are taking in training and at  races.

Races:
As I said, the entire all team went to Park City for Eric Hays Memorial in mid-December 2006. Most of the athletes improved their USSA points in GS and SL, so they have better starting positions for all qualifiers.

During the first week of January (2nd – 5th) Will Stewart attended an FIS race in Mammoth, CA and girls (Kristin Stover, Allison Howe and Morgan Young) went to their first FIS race this season in Big Sky, MO.

Will skied around his FIS points in GS and SL. The girls had some good runs. Allison Howe improved her FIS points in GS and SL. Morgan Young did her first FIS race, so she improved her points to start next time with better start position. Kristin Stover showed some good runs in GS and improved her FIS points, SL she went out.

January 12th -14th most J3 athletes and some J2 athletes went to Jackson Hole, WY for SG races. We have to congratulate R.J. Klotz (second, first and fourth place) and Tim Hiatt (first and fifth place) in J3 category. All the other racers had some good runs and, most important, they got some speed experience which is going to benefit them in  SG and GS later in the season. Most of them also improved USSA points, so they are set for the qualifiers.

Now we are coming in the second part of ski racing season (Jan 15th – end March). This is part of the season when athletes have to squeeze out of themselves everything they have learned in training before the season. It is the time of lots of USSA racing and some training as well as FIS races for J1 and J2.

The J3’s will be starting their qualifiers for the junior Olympics next weekend with a SL qualifier in Snowking, WY.

J1 and J2 also have their first Qualifier race this week in Snowbird, UT. Morgan Young is leaving this weekend for FIS speed series (SG, DH) week in Alyeska, Alaska.

We don’t have any injuries on the team and we hope that stays like this though all season. Matthew Wyman had some bad crashes in Park City and Jackson Hole, but he is doing well.

All the athletes are doing well in school, which is a big goal for us coaches also.

I would like to thank also Matt Sylvester for all his effort, work and learning that he has put in over the past two and half months with the BBSRA varsity team.

Athletes!
You guys showed great effort during the past two months and half. Keep working hard, enjoy and try to have fun every single day on snow.

Results: Follow www.ussa.org for USSA races and www.fis-ski.com for FIS races.

Gregor Druzina
BBSRA Head alpine varsity coach                                              Boise, Jan 15th 2007