Update 17: Week Six, December 16, 2019

MAST Update #17
Week Six
Monday, December 16, 2019
 
Good Morning MAST:
We made it through a very busy week and have another busy one ahead of us.  I am sorry you had to wait out in the cold while the Hyland race crew tried to get their timing system working.   In the end, we used our team timing system and it worked flawlessly.   Once we got going, everything went very smoothly thanks to the volunteers who hung in there.   The parents in the timing building did a great job tracking racers and recording times. The gate judges, course workers, referees, starters, recorders, bib organizers, and coaches: THANK YOU.  You are my heroes.   I was very heartened to learn on Saturday morning that there was continuous cheering at the base of the start ramp for every athlete who made a start Friday night.  That is the kind of spirit I want you to have for one another.   Every racer is nervous in the start gate.  Every racer needs and deserves the support of his and her teammates.   Thanks for giving them the support on Friday night. Keep it up.  We can also use athletes at the finish line cheering as well.  Race results are attached.  Congratulations to Elsa Peterson and Luke Conway on your first-place finishes.  The Washburn boys were victorious over their SW rivals 31-24. And the SW girls defeated the Washburn girls by exactly the same score: 31-24.  We have another busy week ahead with practices Monday-Saturday this week and the Wild Mt Invitational on Friday.  First, the Week Six Schedule.
Week Six Schedule
Monday, December 16
On Snow @ Hyland
Varsity: 5:00-7:15pm (Lane 4)
Varsity/JV: 6:30-8:45pm (Lane 3 and 4—meet on South Chair at 6:30pm)

Tuesday, December 17
On Snow @ Hyland
Varsity: 3:30-5:45pm (Lanes 6,7) and 5:00-7:15pm (Lane 6)
JV: 6:30-8:45pm (Lanes 6, meet on South Chair at 6:30PM)

Wednesday, December 18
On Snow @ Hyland
Varsity: 5:00-7:30pm (Lanes B, C)
​JV: 6:30-8:45pm (Lanes B, C—meet on South Chair at 6:30pm)

Thursday, December 19
On Snow Training @ Hyland
Varsity: 3:30-5:30pm (Lanes 4, 5)
​JV: 5:00-7:15pm (Lanes, 4, 5)

Friday, December 20
RACE: Wild Mt Invitational
--AND--
On Snow Training @ Hyland
5:00pm-7:30pm (Lanes 2, 3)


​Saturday, December 21
On Snow Training @ Hyland
7:45-10:30am (Lanes 2, 3, 4)


 
Wild Mt Invitational: Friday, December 20, 2019
We can tell you have been working hard at practice.  The race times have improved tremendously for so many of you already.  Congratulations.   Consequently, you have made it very hard for the coaches to do our job: to select six boys and six girls to represent our three teams.   The coaches have carefully considered Friday’s race results and the times you have been putting down in practice. After pulling the athletes who have declined the invitation to race on Friday and those who did not rsvp to the race invitation, we have our teams:
 
MAST Boys

1. Ian MacKimm
2. Jaxson Moore
3. Simon Showalter-Loch
4. Calvin Lamosse
5. Callum White
6. Jonas Geere
7. Alternate: Kai Lamb

 
MAST Girls

1. Athelia MacKimm
2. Elise Legler
3. Sylvia Isensee
4. Anna Cordoso
5. Elizabeth Arbeiter
6. Katherine Moore
7. Alternate: Reese Kuehn

 
SW Boys

1. Ryan Arnold
2. Eli Showalter-Loch
3. Erik Arnold
4. Simon McMahon
5. Charles Smith II
6. Isaac Trockman
7. Alternate: Jonah Byron

 
SW Girls

1. Elsa Peterson
2. Addie Streble
3. Avery Taylor
4. Elli George
5. Alissa Conzemius
6. Eleanor Noble-Schueller
7. Alternate: Lucy Renz

 
Washburn Girls:

1. Vada Arbeiter
2. Quinn Jurek
3. Sonia Svedahl
4. Nahlah Mkaouri
5. Gabby Harritt
6. Chloe Bitney
7. Alternate: Eleanor Vap

 
Washburn Boys:

1. Augie Bent
2. Willem Robertson
3. Wilson Psotka
4. Emmet Sutton
5. Owen Hemer
6. Andreas Drekonja
7. Alternate: Levi Ehlers

 
This will be an early morning for you and a long day.  You need tune your skis and get to bed early.   Unless you can make to the early practice at 3:30 on Thursday, you should not train on Thursday.  Tune, eat dinner, pack your gear, and go to bed.  Parents: we will have bus transportation from Washburn Friday morning, but parents will need to car-pool to get the athletes home after the awards ceremony.  We also need parent help with tent set up and race day logistics (food prep, set up, clean up).  Look for a separate email to the Wild Mt families in the next 24 hours. Here is the schedule for the day.  
 
6:15AM: Load Bus at Washburn
9:30AM: 1st Run Start
1:15PM: 2nd Run Start
4:00PM: Awards Ceremony
 
 
Giants Ridge Camp
Dec 30-Jan 2
Sign Up For Giants Ridge Camp Here: https://www.mplsalpineski.org/giants-ridge-camp.html
 
 
Race Day Sign UP—State Your Race Intentions
I have been getting some questions about who gets selected for which races.  Our intention is to give every athlete every opportunity to race.    It is not possible to bring 132 athletes to a race, but not everyone is available to race every race anyway, so you should accept or decline the invitation to race for every race listed.  Even if you are not sure you will be picked to race that day, sign up anyway.  Assume you will improve enough to be selected.  And if you know you are unavailable that day, decline the invitation to race.  Going forward, if you have not stated your intention to race, your name will not be on the run order and you will not be able to race even if you show up that day.   Here is a link to state your race intentions:
https://www.mplsalpineski.org/race-day-sign-up.html
 
 
Giants Ridge Camp Update
If any boys would like to attend camp who are not registered, send me an email at the address listed below.   We still have room for 6-7 girls.   If you have registered online but have not yet mailed a check, please remember to do so.  Most of you have sent a check. Thank you for that.   Checks should be made payable to Mpls Alpine and mailed to MAST/4800 Harriet Ave/ 55419.
Girls, please register here: Giants Ridge Camp Registration.
 
The MAST Way
Finally, I want to remind each one of you that the coaches have very high expectations of you.   We expect you to attend practice regularly, to focus with intention on the development of your skills, to work hard, to compete fairly, and to support the efforts of your teammates.  We also have high expectations of our athletes as members of the larger community.   What does thing mean?  
It means that MAST athletes stand out as caring, responsible, courteous, generous, honest and grateful human beings.  Here are some of the behaviors that the coaches expect to see that will make you stand out as persons of the highest character: 

• Always pick up your trash, including the backing on your lift tickets and your used hand and toe warmers.   No one should ever have to pick up after a MAST athlete: not in a chalet, not on a bus, not on a hill.   
• Be courteous to the skiing public.  Don’t cut the lift line.    Give recreational skiers and young skiers plenty of room when you are passing them.  Stop and offer assistance to anyone who might look like they could use some help on the hill.
• Say thank you to lift operators, food vendors, race workers, bus drivers—anyone who is there to help you have a positive training and racing experience.
• Take care of your equipment.  Don’t leave your skis in the snow. Store them on the ski rack when you are in the chalet.   Dry off your skis after skiing.   Keep your skis tuned.
• Support all of your teammates.  If you don’t know someone, introduce yourself. Ride the lift with someone new every practice.  Experienced athletes should help the less experienced athletes with things like course inspection, learning a new drill, managing pre-race nerves, and the proper technique for clearing gates.   
• Help with post-race and post-practice hill clean up.  MAST prides itself on how smooth the hill looks after we slip in our ruts.  Every athlete needs to be on the hill 15 minutes before the end of practice to help with hill clean up. So, if you go in to warm up, be sure to come back out for the last 15 minutes of practice to help get the hill back in shape for the next group.  
• Commit to living a healthy lifestyle.  Eat healthy.  Drink water instead of sodas and sports drinks and juice drinks (too much sugar in those beverages).  Get plenty of sleep. Stay off your electronics and social media sites.   You do not need to LIKE the 726 people and groups you follow.  In fact, you really don’t need to follow anyone.    This just gives you a warped perspective on how other people live and how your life doesn’t measure up.  Ignore them.  All that matters is how you are using every hour and minute you have to make your life better by loving your family, embracing your friends and making new ones, learning new skills, setting new goals, doing something nice for someone else, and taking care of your responsibilities.  
• And don’t even think about consuming drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.  No matter how many late-night comedians, politicians, musicians and celebrities tell you that drugs and alcohol are fun and harmless, it doesn’t make it true.  Marijuana, alcohol, tobacco and any other illegal or controlled chemical you decide to smoke, eat, vape, or stick into your body is harmful to you.  You are an athlete.  You do not need any of that junk to feel good about yourself.  It will not make you successful as a ski racer and it certainly will not make you successful in life. 
• Be grateful for everyday that you get to ski.  Very few people in the world get the opportunity to ski, let alone race six days a week at a hill only 15 to 30 minutes away from where they live.  Enjoy every beautifully executed carved turn.   And dream about making those same turns someday on a 3000 vertical foot mountain in 18 inches of fresh powder.  

See you tonight...
Mark
612-275-8392
markrobertconway58@gmail.com