We have a race today.   I sent a request to the high school athletic directors asking for an early release of 2:45 for students at Washburn and SW and the middle schools that feed these schools.  I also asked for a 2:30 release for students from South, Roosevelt and Sanford.  Again, if you son or daughter is in middle school, send a note to school with your child requesting the early release.   Some athletic directors get these notices out to the middle schools and others don’t seem to get them in the correct hands.  Everyone who indicated that they wanted to race today should be on the attached roster I sent to the ADs today.
 
We still need race workers for today's race—especially gate judges.  My goal is to have six gate judges and use only three at a time so no one has to stand on the hill for both runs.  Please sign up here: Jan 21 Race Worker Sign Up.  The race begins at 4:30PM.  Hopefully we will be cleaned up and off the hill by 7 or before.  
 
We also have a big race at Afton on Friday. Here is the schedule for the day.
 
Afton Invitational Schedule
7:30AM          Parking lot volunteers begin parking trailers and cars
9:30                 Lifts open - Courses set
10:30               Workers’ meeting outside timing building
10:45               Welcome and racer meeting in finish area of Inga’s Run
10:55-11:25    Course Inspection
11:25               National Anthem 
11:28               Forerunners
11:30               First Runs
course reset as soon as first runs are complete
1:25-1:55        Second Run Inspection
1:58                 Forerunners
2:00                 Second Runs (reverse order within each seed)
5:00pm            Awards in front of timing building 
 
I would like all athletes to arrive no later than 8:15am at Washburn High School.   I strongly suggest that you arrive WEARING your gs suit.  We have a lot to do when we arrive—boot up, bib up, warm-up.  I want you to get a good warm up in before the race meeting at 10:45.  
 
Week Eleven Schedule
Tuesday, January 21
Hyland Race (Varsity and JV) 
vs Wayzata, Mound West Tonka, Holy Angels, Lake Crystal Valley
3:45pm Inspection
4:30pm First Run Start
 
Wednesday, January 22
5:00-7:30pm Varsity/JV (Lanes 6, 7)
6:30-8:45pm JV (Meet on South Chair for directed free skiing; Lanes 6, 7 at 7:15pm)
 
Thursday, January 23
3:30-5:15PM Varsity (Lanes 7, 8)
5:00-7:15PM JV (Lanes 7, 8)
 
Friday, January 24
Afton Invitational (Varsity and JV)
8:15am – 6:00pm
Hyland JV Race
3:30pm Inspection
4:15pm First Run Start
 
Saturday, Jan 25
7:45-10:30AM (Lanes A, B, C)
2:30-10:30PM Supplemental Training at Wild Mt
 
For those not going to Afton, we have a JV race at Hyland on Friday, January 24.  The First Run will start at 4:15PM.  I will ask for an early release of 2:30 for South/Roosevelt athletes and 2:45 for everyone else.  Parents, we need a few workers: gate judges, bib distributors and collectors, announcers.  Please send me an email if you can help.  Be sure you are signed up to race at Hyland if you are not going to Afton.  Here is a link to state your intentions for the Hyland JV Race.
 
Wild Mt Supplemental Training
The next Supplemental Training is Saturday, January 25 at Wild Mt.  Please sign up early if you would like to attend.  Depart Washburn HS at 2:30pm.  Return at 10:30pm.  Bring a sack supper or money for supper.  Soup is awesome at Wild.
Here is a link to register for Wild Mt: Jan 25 Supplemental Training Registration.
 
See you on the hill.
 
Mark Conway
612-275-8392

We are very busy.... so busy in fact that I forgot to ask PARENTS to sign up to work our upcoming races.   So.... I need to ask parents to sign up to work the upcoming races, including the one this Friday at Wild Mt.  Hopefully some of you were planning on joining us anyway.  The race at Wild Mt will be a wonderful opportunity to race against several strong teams who are in our Section.   Pressure is on.  However, we need race workers.   I know.  It’s a big ask to ask you to drive to Wild on a workday.  But, if you can make it work, we really need the help.   Gate judges, course workers, assistant starters, etc.     

• Parents: Please Sign Up To Work The Following Races
  • Jan 17 at Wild Mt (4PM-8PM)
  • Jan 21 at Hyland (4PM-6:30PM)
  • Jan 25 at Afton (Noon-6PM)
  • Jan 30 at Gitchi Gummi Invite (9AM-4PM)

We also have a couple of JV races coming up at Hyland.  I will let you know via email what race worker positions we need to fill when we have our assignments.
 
Some Information on the Upcoming Races

Friday, Jan 17 at Wild Mt
Meet the bus at 12:45pm at Washburn.  We will depart at 1pm.  Bring money for a QUICK supper.   There is good soup and chili in the bar area.   Better yet, bring a sack supper so you can eat throughout the afternoon.  Be sure to eat lunch before you come to the bus.  We hope to be back to Washburn around 9:30pm.   Attached is a list of Mpls Athletes entered in the race.  If your plans have changed, please send me an email at [email protected].

Tuesday, Jan 21 at Hyland
This is a dual meet against Wayzata, MoundWestTonka, Holy Angels, and Lake Crystal.  4:30 start.  Given that it is the first day of the new quarter, I would like the high school students to stay in school for the full day.  The middle school students will need an early release.  

Friday, Jan 24 at Afton for the Afton Invite
You will miss school for this race.  Load the bus at Washburn at 9am.   We will be selecting the squads to race in the Afton Invite on Saturday.   We are bringing an 8 person varsity squad of boys and girls from Washburn and SW and a 6 person JV squad of boys and girls from Washburn and SW.  We are also bringing all the South/Roosevelt athletes who want to race in this race.  Be sure you have stated your intentions by Friday evening (Jan 17).

Thursday, Jan 30 at Mt Du Lac (Gitchi Gummi Invite).
Again, racers will miss a day of school to participate in this race.  We haven’t received the schedule for the day but it is a long drive so we know we need to leave early.  We will load the bus at Washburn at 6am.  We will return around 8pm.   Bring money for lunch and dinner.  We will stop on the trip home to grab a quick supper, most likely in Hinkley.   Eat breakfast before you load the bus.   

Friday, Jan 24 and Friday, Jan 31 at Hyland JV 
Both JV races will start at 4:15. I will ask for an early release of 2:30 or 2:45 for those participating.   If you are racing in the Afton Invite or the Gitchi Gummi Invite, I will NOT enter you in the Hyland  JV race unless there is ample room in the race for all of our racers.   
 
Athlete Race Intentions
It is very important that ALL athletes state your race intentions for all races.  Attached is a spreadsheet of the athletes who have stated their intentions for the races on Jan 21, Jan 25, Jan 30 and Jan 31.  Please review these lists and if your name is NOT on every list, click on the link below and state your intentions to race or not race for the missing dates.
ATHLETES: STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS 
 
The coaches are seeing wonderful improvement in training.  I want to commend all of you who have been coming to practice on your strong work ethic and your eagerness to absorb the advice from your coaches.  It is a blast to watch you ski and get better both technically and tactically.   Keep up the hard work and thanks for making it so fun to be on the hill with you.   We have lots of video on Sprongo.  I hope you are utilizing this great tool.  Watch yourself.  Watch your teammates.  Analyze your skiing.  Become a student of the sport and coach yourself.
 
See you at practice.
 
Mark Conway
612-275-8392

The race results from tonight's race are posted. I want to thank the coaches and parents who worked the race as well as those who came out and cheered on our athletes.  It was a joy to watch you ski tonight.   You carved your turns, kept the turn shape above the gate, attacked the courses with confidence and aggressiveness, and you cheered for your teammates.    The results are impressive.  Jaxson Moore had the lead after the first run on the boys side but had some equipment issues on the second run that derailed his plans for a victory.   But his Washburn teammate Andreas Drekonja skied beautifully to win the second run and the race.  Congratulations Andreas.   Other boys in the top ten: Alex Graff (6th), Lewis Bent (7th) and Braeden Dahmes (9th).  And I have to give a shout out to Levi Ehlers who had the 8th fastest time on the second run to finish 12th overall.   That second run was a head turner.  All that hard work has paid off.   ON the girls' course, the Washburn girls put down the gauntlet.   Gabby Harritt took the top honors, followed by Ellie Arbeiter, Kate Moore, Reese Kuehn and Chloe Bitney.   Wow!    Also skiing very fast tonight were Amelia Moertel who finished 8th and Sierra Krueger-Wolfe who landed in 9th place.   Great performances all.    

Practice at 7:45am tomorrow and at Wild tomorrow afternoon and evening. The bus is full for Saturday's trip to Wild Mt, so if you aren't signed up I hope to see you early in the morning.  

Congratulations to all of you.  Your skiing was brilliant tonight.   So much improved from the beginning of the season. Let's keep working hard.  
​
Mark

Happy New Year!
 
Thank you to all the athletes, coaches and parents who attended our 14th Annual Giants Ridge Camp this week.   I am so grateful to our coaching staff and the parents who joined us and helped keep camp safe, on schedule, and organized.  The athletes worked very hard, which showed on day three and four when they handled the long runs and steeper pitches of Innsbrook and Helsinki with noticeable improvement.   The afternoon race on Thursday was very fun.   Attached are pictures of the boys' and girls' scoreboards.  I will assemble a more formal presentation of race results and post these on the website over the weekend.  Congratulations to Luke and Elsa for posting some impressive times.   
 
Races This Week
With eight intense weeks of (mostly) training behind us, we now ramp up our racing schedule.   We have two races this week.  Both are at Hyland.
 
Tuesday, Jan. 7:  Varsity and JV @ Hyland
vs: SW, WHS, MAST, AHA, Wayzata, Armstrong-Cooper, and Mound-West-Tonka
3:45PM Inspection Opens
4:30PM First Run Start
 
Friday, Jan 10: Hyland JV Race—JV Only.
3:45PM Inspection Opens
4:30PM First Run Start
 
ALL Racers: PLEAE STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR BOTH RACES -- even varsity racers should do this.  This will just make it easier for me to keep track who is available and who is not.  Please do so by Sunday evening AT 8PM. You are encouraged to also state your race intentions for all the races on the January calendar provided you know your schedule.   
 
All JV racers are guaranteed one start this week.  If you would like to race in both races, feel free to accept the invitation to race in both races. However, with our large numbers, we may need to limit JV racers to one race start this week.   If there is not enough room to race everyone who wants to race, I will let you know on Monday morning.  
Accept or Decline Your Race Invitation Here
 
You will want to be on the hill ready to ski before 3:45. For those skiers who state their intention to race, I will ask the schools to grant you an early release of 2:45 on Tuesday and Friday.  
 
Race Workers Needed
Parents: we need your help on the hill as race workers.  Race worker sign up is ready to go for January 7.   We will also need a few gate judges and scoreboard recorders for the JV race on Friday.   Please send me an email if you can help on Friday: [email protected].
 
Race Worker Sign Up Here
 
Looking ahead, we have some big races in January that will require a rather large core of MAST parent volunteers.  Please consider helping.  Our athletes have worked hard.  They deserve well run races and the only way races run smoothly is if we have ample volunteers. These are the positions we need to fill:
·      Assistant Starter
·      Starter
·      Gate Judges (6)
·      Scoreboard Recorders (2)
·      Course Workers (3)
·      Assistant Timer (2)
·      Announcer (1)
And these are the races:
·      Wild Mt on Friday, January 17
·      Hyland (Varsity and JV) on Tuesday, January 21 (4:30pm Race Start)
·      Afton Invite (Varsity and JV) on Friday, January 24 (12:30pm Race Start)
·      Gitchi Gummi Invite (Varsity Only –10 per squad) on Thursday, January 30 @ Spirit
Mt or Mt du Lac (9:30am Race Start) 
 
I will let you know as soon as we have a race worker sign up ready for the remaining races in January.  For now, please sign up to help at the January 7th race.
 
Supplemental Training: Saturday, January 11 at Wild Mt.
Continue to make big breakthroughs and gain valuable experience on the race venue of our Section IV Championship.  Our next supplemental training session at Wild Mt is on Saturday, January 11.  Cost: $55 for lift ticket, coaching, and transportation.   We will load the bus at 2:30pm from the Washburn parking lot.  Return at 10:30pm.   
Register for Supplemental Training Here.   
 
Galaxy Cup: A US Ski and Snowboard Race Series For High School Racers
Attached is a flyer announcing a new race series designed specifically for high school racers who would like to get additional race experience both during and after our high school season ends.   Racers must be 14 years or older as of January 1, 2020.   The Galaxy Cup consists of six slalom races held over three days in January and February.   These races are sanctioned by US Ski and Snowboard and require that you obtain a membership license with US Ski and Snowboard.    You can purchase either a Competitor U16 and Older License for $170 or a Non-Scored Athlete License for $100.  (See the attached USSS Membership Levels pdf for more information about the different membership levels is USSS.)   The race entry fee for the three days of racing is $72.   The entry fee does not cover the cost of the lift ticket, so that is an additional expense.  The Galaxy Cup participants will be racing alongside US Ski and Snowboard racers from Central Division Region I of US Ski and Snowboard.  This will allow you to test your skills against some of the best racers in the State.   In addition, Galaxy Cup racers will earn points for each race result.  Points will be tallied through the six races.  After the last race on February 27, an awards ceremony will be held for Galaxy Cup participants and awards will be given to the top ten boys and girls based on total points earned for the race series.   The first race is coming up soon.  Many of you are ready to test your skills on the US Ski and Snowboard circuit.  I encourage you to give it a try.  MAST will not, however, be sending coaches to these races so you will need to find your own transportation and work with other MAST teammates to create a team atmosphere.   Feel free to call me with questions.  I helped create this race series so I will be glad to answer your questions. 

Here is a link for more information about Galaxy Cup, how to obtain a US Ski and Snowboard Membership, and how to register to race in the Galaxy Cup slalom race series: Galaxy Cup
 
And here is a link to obtain a US Ski and Snowboard Membership: USSS Membership

I want to end by saying thank you again to our coaches who are so committed to helping you acquire the skills you need to become an outstanding skier and to the parents who have been working behind the scenes to make MAST happen this year.  Without our fantastic parents and coaches, we would not exist.  I want to especially thank Eleanor and Becca and the volunteer coaches who led practice at Hyland this week while we were luxuriating at Camp Chicagami and Giants Ridge.  And thank you to all of you athletes who have been working hard each night to become better skiers, racers and, without even knowing it, better human beings.   Keep up the hard work. Keep smiling.   It is a joy to watch you improve on a daily and weekly basis.
 
See you on the hill.
Mark