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I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all the parents who came and helped at Spirit Mt on Thursday. Your willingness to work the race made a good impression with the race organizer and others from the northern conference. In fact, the Hibbing coach would like us to race in the Hibbing Invitational next year when we are at Giants Ridge over winter break again. Our athletes also had a very good day on the hill. The Southwest girls took first place and the Washburn boys took third. Last week I told you that the coaches had seen a lot of breakthroughs in practice. Those breakthroughs were on display at both the Cloquet Invitational on Thursday and the JV race on Friday. Keep up the hard work. And THANK YOU to all the athletes who got up very early to race that day and to all the coaches who supported you. THANK YOU.
We also had fantastic early morning training sessions on both Friday and Saturday. Athletes had to contend with warm temps, soft snow and ruts on Friday and then rock-hard snow on Saturday. A nice contrast. Lift lines were short, so everyone made a lot of runs. We have two Saturday morning training sessions remaining. If you are not going to Wild Mt for Supplemental Training on February 3, you should be at morning training at Hyland. And I want EVERYONE to attend on February 10 since there will not be any supplemental training that day. We do not get a lot of opportunities to train in daylight. Take advantage of it. Plus, these morning sessions are really fun. If you don’t believe me, ask Blaise Noble-Schueller. He has some very profound thoughts about Saturday morning training. I. Race Vs Hastings, Rochester and Northfield: Thursday, February 1 Our last DUAL MEET of the year is Thursday at Welch Village. Here are the details.
Supper Plans: I believe we have a plan in the works to provide some nourishment to athletes on Thursday during the race. Details to come. A list of athletes who have stated their race intentions for Thursday, Feb 1 was emailed. Please look it over to see if the information is accurate. If you are not on this list, please state your intentions TODAY. State Your Welch Race Intentions HERE Parents: we could use race workers. If you are available to help work the race, please send me an email. And feel free to indicate your job preference(s). I will plug you in when the Chief of Race lets me know what he needs from us. I’m certain we will need gate judges, but also course workers, bib collectors, and scoreboard recorders. markrobertconway58@gmail.com Athletes: talk with your teachers on Monday. Ask for Thursday’s homework in advance. Do Thursday’s homework in advance. You will not have much time on Thursday for homework since we are getting back late that evening. So, use your time well on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get it done. You will race better on Thursday if you do not have homework hanging over your head that evening. II. Hyland JV Race: Friday, February 2 MAST will support athletes who want to race in the JV race at Hyland on Friday, February 2. State Your Intentions Here: February 2 JV RACE Intentions 3:45PM: Inspection Opens 4:30PM: Race Start Time ATHLETES: Please stay after the race to slip in the courses and help with tear down. Early release: This week, I will request a 2:45PM early release for athletes who are pre-registered for the February 2 JV race. Given that you are running the same course twice in the JV races, you don’t need as much time for inspection as you do for dual meet races. III. February 3 Wild Mountain Supplemental Training The last Supplemental Training session of the year will be held on Saturday. Sign up is now available at Sport Illustrated Play. If you have an account credit, it will show up at check out. Everyone who signed up for the Jan 27 Supplemental Training session at Welch has been issued an account credit. Feb 3 Wild Supplemental Training Sign UP IV.Section IV Championships The Section IV Championships will be held on Wednesday, February 7 at Wild Mountain. This is a day-long event. We will depart early in the morning by bus from Washburn. The coaches will announce the Section IV Championships squads Thursday night after the race at Welch. Once again, we have some tough decisions to make. Each school can only enter six boys and six girls at Wild. Many of our seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth seed skiers are good enough to ski in the third, fourth and fifth seeds for most other schools. So, I want to thank everyone for working hard in practice and pushing each other to improve. If you make the team, you are better because you had someone pushing you all season long. If you don’t make the team, I know it will sting, but please know that you are an integral part of that section team even though your name will not be on the run order. Without you, that team would not be as good as it is today. V. Week 12 Schedule Monday, January 29 6:30PM (Varsity/JV) Directed Free Skiing South Chair 7:15-8:45PM Gate Training Lanes 7 and 8 (Wear Rope Tow Gloves) Tuesday, January 30 5:00-7:15PM Session I (Varsity): Gate Training Lane A 6:30PM Session II (JV): Directed Free Skiing South Chair 7:15-8:45PM Gate Training Lanes A Wednesday, January 24 NO PRACTICE …tune your skis, get your homework done, go to bed early, tell your folks how much you love them for supporting your ski racing adventures... Thursday, February 1 Race at Welch VS Hastings, Rochester, Northfield Friday, February 2 3:45PM Hyland JV RACE: Inspection Opens 4:30PM First Run Starts 5-7:15PM Gate Training Lanes 4, 7 and 8 (wear rope tow gloves) Saturday, February 3 7:45AM-10:30AM Gate Training Lanes A, B, and C 2:45PM-10:30PM Supplemental Training at Wild Mt It sure is fun for all of us coaches to watch you train and race. We are really proud of you for your strong work ethic, positive attitudes, and graciousness. And there is nothing that makes my heart leap with joy than the sight of you in the FLYING REVERSE V at the end of practice. You are good stewards of the hill. Keep all of those good things going. And thank you. Mark 612-275-8392 We are already in Week 11 of our season. Week 10 was a breakthrough week for many of our athletes. The hard work is paying dividends now. Athletes are starting to bring the strong technical skills they possess in their free skiing into the race course. They are utilizing better tactics. They are becoming accustomed to the higher speeds that good technique and tactics create for a racer.
I. Announcing a TEAM GOAL for WEEK 11 While everyone is working on their personal technical and tactical goals in week eleven, I want everyone to also focus on one TEAM goal this week: proper pole usage. I challenge all of you to MASTER the pole plant THIS WEEK. A quick review … The coaching staff has been drilling all of you to master the six fundamentals of ski racing technique. These six fundamental skills form a pyramid that lead to FAST SKI RACING. If a racer fails to develop one of these skills, improved racing performance is markedly hindered. What are the six fundamentals? Hopefully you have this memorized, but here they are:
I would like you to watch the video linked below of Marcel Hirscher at age 14. He is now the best male skier on the World Cup. At age 14, he possessed all six fundamentals of the pyramid and they are all on display in this video. The video includes both slalom and gs runs at The Topolino games in Italy. Watch and study his skiing in both disciplines. Utilize the like “gear box icon” in the lower right corner to run the video in slow-motion. Topolino is considered the Childrens’ World Championships. In particular, examine Marcel’s pole plant. Notice his hand/arm position: 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock; chest high; disciplined to help maintain balance; hands forward and outside elbows; elbows forward and outside shoulders. Notice the direction of his pole plant (down the fall line). Notice the timing of the pole plant (immediately following the gate clearing motion). I want you to have Marcel’s image firmly planted in your brain this week. Once you do, then begin to visualize yourself skiing the same way. It works. Try it. You can use this video to help you master any of the other fundamentals that might be your personal focus this week. Marcel Hirscher at 14 Years Old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpR0VyCarmQ&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs II.Cloquet Invitational Update—PLEASE READ AND ACT IF YOU/YOUR ATHLETE IS ATTENDING Attached is a list of MAST Athletes attending the Cloquet Invitational on Thursday, Jan 25th. If your name is NOT on this list and you would like to attend, email me today: markrobertconway58@gmail.com Thursday’s Schedule 6AM Bus Departs Washburn HS 8:30AM Lifts Open 9:15AM Inspection Opens 10AM 1st Run Starts 12:15PM 2nd Run Inspection Opens 1:15PM 2nd Run Starts 3PM? Awards in the Chalet (ASAP after the race) 6PM? Bus returns to Washburn? Spirit Mountain Waiver Attached is a Waiver that Spirit Mtn requires all parents to sign for children under age 18. Please print and sign this waiver for your athlete and turn it into me at practice this week. Athletes: if you are 18 years of age, you need to complete and sign the waiver. Meals Bring your own lunch or money for lunch. We will NOT stop for breakfast or dinner. So… eat breakfast before arriving to meet the bus or bring a breakfast on the bus. I suggest that you bring a couple of lunches or enough money to stayed properly nourished all day. I was at Spirit a few weeks ago and their menu selection is not as robust as it used to be, so I suggest bringing your own food as much as possible. Parents-- Race Workers Needed I am really excited for the opportunity to race in this meet. The northern schools race in invitationals on Thursdays during the winter. Each school appears to sponsor its own invitational, just like the NCAA ski teams do with their winter carnival circuit. It is nice to get invited to participate and it especially works great for us since our athletes are out of school. If the race goes well, I would like to earn another invitation for MAST to join one of these invites in the future. If we can provide a supply of race workers for this race on Thursday, there is a good chance we will get invited back next year. So... PARENTS: If there is anyway you can join us on Thursday and offer your help on the hill, I would be most grateful. I know they need course workers and gate judges. If you have not been trained as a gate judge, please know that this is something I can teach you the day of the race. I can also send you educational materials in advance. There may be other roles to fill but for now I know the race is in desperate need of gate judges and course workers. A FREE Spirit Mountain lift ticket is your reward. You can either drive yourself, car pool with other kind-hearted parents, or ride the bus. IF YOU CAN WORK THE RACE, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL: markrobertconway58@gmail.com III.Hyland JV Race: Friday, January 26 MAST will support JV athletes who want to race in the JV race at Hyland on Friday, January 26. State Your Intentions Here: Jan 26 JV RACE Intentions 3:45PM: Inspection Opens 4:30PM: Race Start Time Please stay after the race to slip in the courses and help with tear down. IV. Welch Race vs Hastings, Northfield, and Rochester: Thursday, February 1 Our last DUAL MEET of the season is scheduled for Thursday, February 1 at Welch Village. This race is open to ALL MAST athletes. It will require an early release from school on the 1st. Transportation: If we have enough athletes to warrant two buses, one bus will depart from SW and the other from Washburn. I will request a 2PM early release for SW and Washburn students to meet the bus at 2:15 and a 1:45PM early release for South and Roosevelt students who will need to car pool to meet the bus at Washburn. State Your Welch Race Intentions HERE Many of you have already stated your intentions to race at Welch. If you have not stated your intentions, please do so by Wednesday, January 24th. I need to know YOUR intentions so that I have time to create run orders and plan transportation and the other race day logistics. Tentative Schedule: 2:15PM Load Buses at SW and Washburn 3:30PM Arrival 3:45PM Warm Ups 4:15PM Inspection Opens 5PM First Run Starts Meals Bring your own sack supper (recommended) or money to purchase a light supper. There will not be a lot of time to eat a meal which is why I recommend bringing a couple of sandwiches—you can eat them on the fly. V. Week 11 Schedule Monday, January 22 5:00-7:15PM Session I: Gate Training Lane 8 (Wear Rope Tow Gloves) 6:30PM Session II: Directed Free Skiing South Chair 7:15-8:45PM Gate Training Lanes 7 and 8 (Wear Rope Tow Gloves) Tuesday, January 23 6:30PM Directed Free Skiing South Chair 7:15-8:45PM Gate Training Lanes 7 and 8 (Wear Rope Tow Gloves) Wednesday, January 24 *5:00-6:30PM Gate Training Lane 1 FOR Cloquet Invite Athletes Only 6:30PM-8:45PM Gate Training Lanes 1 *If you are skiing at Spirit on Thursday, you may attend the 5PM training session until 6:30 at which point you need to head home, tune your skis, pack your lunch and go to bed. Thursday, January 25 6AM-6PM Cloquet Invitational at Spirit Mountain 9:15AM-Noon Gate Training Lanes A and B Friday, January 26 9:15AM-Noon Gate Training Lanes 1, 2 and 3 3:45PM Hyland JV RACE Saturday, January 27 7:45AM-10:30AM Gate Training Lanes 4, 5, and 6 That’s all folks…. Keep working hard everyone. You are getting better every week. Mark 612-275-8392 Next week is finals week. Your first priority is to study hard and finish the semester with top grades.
For this reason, I did not schedule any races next week while school is in session. On the calendar, you may have seen a race scheduled for Afton next Thursday when you are out of school. The AFTON race is cancelled. That is the bad news. Here is the good news. MAST has been invited to send athletes to the Cloquet Invitational at Spirit Mtn on Thursday, January 25. YOU ARE NOT IN SCHOOL. We cannot take the entire team, but we can send varsity squads of boys and girls from Southwest and Washburn and MAST and possibly a small contingent of racers to race as JV entries. I do not have all the details about the day, but I do know it will be an early start (6AM bus departure from Washburn) and a late afternoon return (not sure exactly when). You will need to bring money to purchase meals for yourself on the way up and back. MAST will not be providing any meals. If there is enough interest and if I can secure a coach bus for transportation, we may take a few extra skiers to enter as JV racers. Parents: let me know if you would be interested in attending. I know that the Cloquet coach is looking for race workers. A free lift ticket is your reward. Please email me if you can join us. Please consider helping. We can help make it a great race. We also need parent chaperones. So…. I need ALL MAST athletes to State Your Race Intentions for Thursday, January 25th here: https://www.mplsalpineski.org/cloquet-invitational-race.html Do this TODAY PLEASE!!! There will be practice at Hyland next week. Evenings Monday-Wednesday. Mornings Thursday-Saturday. There is also a Hyland JV race on Friday, January 26 for those who do not race at Spirit. Finally, we are CANCELLING Welch Supplemental Training on Saturday, January 27. If you already registered, you will be issued an account credit. There is still room to attend the Supplemental Training session at Wild Mt THIS Saturday, January 20. Sign up here: http://minneapolisalpineskiteam.siplay.com/site/ Thanks, Mark Dear MAST Athletes, Parents and Coaches:
This is a long one-- everything is IMPORTANT so read carefully and take action. We are in the heart of the competition season now. Giants Ridge Recap and Thank You! We had a fantastic four days of training at Giants Ridge this week. Here are some of my highlights….
I need to say THANK YOU to our coaches: Daniel and Matthew Polland, Jack Strand, Gary Griffin, Kelly Bent, Christine Smalley, and Charlie Smith. I need to say THANK YOU to our parents who kept us fed and fueled and organized: Michelle Smith, Dave Paulson, and Julie Flaskamp. I need to say THANK YOU to the coaches and volunteers who stayed in MPLS and offered training all week to those who could not attend camp. Finally, THANK YOU athletes for making camp a fantastic experience. You were terrific as athletes, as friends, and as teammates. I am very proud of you. Next year: We are booked into camp from Dec 31-Jan 4, 2019 for our 12th Annual Giants Ridge Camp. We are considering three options within this timeframe. a. Depart early morning Dec 31 and return later in the evening on Jan 3. b. Depart early morning Jan 1 and return later in the evening on Jan 4. c. Depart mid-afternoon on Dec 31 and return late afternoon on Jan 4. Please mark these dates in your 2019 calendar. We also need and seek more parent and family participation and involvement next year. Monday, January 8. Hyland Race vs MWT, Armstrong-Cooper, AHA If you haven’t done so already, please STATE YOUR INTENTIONS here: Hyland Race Intentions. If you can work the race, please sign up here: Jan 8 Race Worker Sign UP
Friday, January 12. Welch Invitational Our second race this week is the Welch Invitational on Friday, January 12, 2018. Attached is a list of MAST athletes entered in Friday’s Welch Village Invitational. If you are not listed but would like to race, please send me an email. I will put you on a substitution list. Schedule for the Day · 6:10AM Buses Load at Washburn HS · 8:00AM Warm Ups · 8:45AM Inspection Opens · 9:30AM Opening Ceremony · 9:40AM First Run Start Time · 12:45PM Second Run Start Time · 2:30PM Team Photos · 3:00PM Awards · 4:00-4:30PM Bus Departs Race Workers Needed We need to supply several race workers for the day. · Course Workers · Gate Judges You can sign up to help HERE: Welch Race Worker Sign UP Return Transportation Plan Okay… here is one more SIGN UP. For those attending the Welch Invitational, please let me know if you will be riding the bus home after the race or riding home with a parent. We are chartering two buses to bring all 76 athletes TO Welch. In the past, many athletes have opted to ride home with a parent. If enough athletes plan to ride home with a parent this year, I would like to save money and have one bus return home after dropping us off in the morning. Week Nine Training Schedule and Saturday Supplemental Training at Welch Tuesday, January 9: Hyland Training 6:30-8:45PM Meet on Center Chair for Directed Free Skiing. Gate Training on Lanes 3 and 4 at 7:15. Wednesday, January 10 5:00-7:15PM Varsity/JV-- Gate Training Lane 7 6:30-8:45PM Varsity/JV-- Directed Free Skiing on Center Chair at 6:30. Gate Training Lanes 7 and 8 at 7:15PM. Thursday, January 11: NO PRACTICE. Tune Your Skis. Go To Bed Early. Friday, January 12: Welch Invitational. Load Bus at 6:10 at Washburn. Saturday, January 13 Hyland Training 7:45-10:30AM: Hyland Training on Lanes 4, 5, and 6. 2:45-10:30PM: Supplemental Training at Welch Village. Supplemental Training Sign UP Here. MLK Day MAST Team Fundraiser—Dine Out For MAST at The Lowbrow Join us for “Dine Out/Give Back Mondays” at The Lowbrow When: Monday, January 15, 2018—4PM-10PM Where: The Lowbrow, 4244 Nicollet Ave. South, Minneapolis What: MAST will receive 10% of ALL sales from 4-10PM on Monday Jan 15—including sales on “TO GO” ORDERS! There is one caveat… sales must exceed $3000 for the day. Why: Our team fees and MPS subsidy do not come close to covering the expenses we incur to run MAST for a season. Fundraising helps close this financial gap and allows us to bring more Minneapolis students into the sport who might otherwise find the sport unaffordable. The owners of Lowbrow tell us that we have a good shot at setting a record for money raised given the size of our organization. Tell your friends and family or come enjoy a burger yourself. Let’s get that number 1 spot! Reservations: If you have a party of 6 or more, you can make a reservation, otherwise it is first come, first served. You can also call ahead before you arrive to be placed on a wait list. This is a very family friendly place and has some great burgers and atmosphere. Optimal times (with less waiting) are before 6 p.m. or after 8 p.m. Lowbrow Phone: (612) 208-0720 Here is a link to the menu: http://thelowbrowmpls.com/menu/ Refreshed MAST Web Site With the new year comes a new look for the MAST web site! The change-over will take place TONIGHT, Sunday, January 7, 2018. We hope you like the contemporary design and find the navigation intuitive. As part of the new site launch, we would appreciate it if you can do some additional testing for us. Please take a moment to do some familiar tasks on the site, as well as explore other areas that aren't familiar to you. (And please do this on both laptop and phone, if that's how you typically use the MAST site.) If you encounter any challenges, or have any suggestions for us, please share your feedback using the feedback form highlighted on the home page To-Dos and under About MAST and reference the page names or addresses. We will continue to evolve the design, so your input is valuable and welcome! www.mplsalpineski.org Let’s all keep working hard, supporting each other, and having fun. Be sure to talk to your teachers about your absence from school on Friday. See you Monday afternoon. Mark Conway 612-275-8392 Happy New Year! Big week ahead. Camp and Hyland Training—2 venues at once.
Hyland Training Schedule: Week Eight Monday, January 1, 2018, 7:45-10:30AM, Lanes 1, 2, 3 Tuesday, January 2, 2018 6:30-8:45PM, Lanes 7, 8 Wear Rope Tow Gloves, Meet on Lane 7 at 6:30PM Wednesday, January 3, 2018 6:30-8:45, Lanes B, C, Meet on Center Chair for Directed Free Skiing at 6:30PM Thursday, January 4, 2018 NO TRAINING AT HYLAND. Friday, January 5, 2018 5:00-7:30PM, Lanes 4, 7 Wear Rope Tow Gloves Saturday, January 6, 2018 9:30AM-12:30PM, Lanes 1, 2 Daniel Haberman will be the lead coach all week at Hyland. He will have one or two assistants each day but will also need the help of athletes to set up, tear down, slip ruts, etc. Please note that Saturday’s practice begins at 9:30AM. Race: January 8, 2018 Our next race is NEXT Monday, January 8th. Please State Your Intentions Here: January 8, 2018 Hyland Race Parents: Once again we will need your help to run this race. Thanks to everyone who helped with the first race. Please sign up to work the Jan 8 Hyland Race Here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/1993660/false - /invitation I will send out an email regarding Giants Ridge Camp this afternoon. Please look for this. Mark 612-275-8392 |
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