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MAST Update #6 Saturday, October 3, 2020 Dear MAST Athletes, Families, Coaches: I. MSHSL Update We have mostly good news from the MN State High School League. The MSHSL Board voted Thursday to delay the start of Alpine Skiing until November 30th. The season will run fourteen weeks with no State Alpine Championship to conclude the season this year. By my count, we will be able to ski together until March 6, which I really appreciate. I feel badly for the seniors who have been gunning for a chance to ski in the State Champs for the past five, six years. Do not let this deter you from pursuing your goals with all your energy. We will train and race (when possible) as though there is a State Championship in 2021. In fact, with the season extending into March, you have the opportunity to get more training in this year than any MAST team in history. Take advantage of this. II. New Athlete/Family Orientation Webinar Tuesday, October 6, 7-8:30PM Who should attend? New athletes and families and returning athletes/families who missed our orientation in 2019 or who want to better understand our program and the sport of alpine skiing in general Tonight’s goal is to provide athletes and families an introduction to alpine ski racing and an orientation to all things MAST—coaching staff and philosophy, training and racing schedule and protocols, communication methods, transportation, parent roles, athlete outcomes, and much, much more. Please sign onto the webinar using your athlete’s MPS email address. I will send a link to the webinar on Tuesday. If you have not provided MAST with your athlete’s MPS email address, CLICK HERE to do so now. Thank you. III. MAST Fundraising 2020-21 We have a full slate of team and individual fundraisers ready to launch this week. A. First Annual MAST(ers) Golf Tournament: Wednesday, October 14 Tee times still available. Join us. Looks like the weather will be fantastic. B. TWO Individual & Team Fundraisers open Tuesday, October 6th - Urban Ventures MAST Individual Fundraiser MinneSalsa MAST Team Fundraiser. All MAST athletes are invited to participate in both the Individual Fundraiser with Urban Ventures Coffee and the new Team Fundraiser with MinneSalsa. Get creative going door to door virtually this year, reach out to family and friends and all of your social media friends, hit up all those coworkers who always hit you up. Be sure to collect payment when the order is placed. Checks should be made payable to Mpls Alpine Ski Team. Order and payment collection will not be at the hill this year. All customer orders will be submitted using the online form on each fundraising page. Payment must be mailed or dropped off to the Fundraising Chair. NOTE: the selling window closes before Thanksgiving this year to meet timelines. Order forms for the coffee sales and salsa fundraisers are attached, but please be sure to carefully read through all the instructions on the MAST website. Again, you can access this information by clicking on each fundraiser below. IV. Registration Update, MAST Fact Sheet, Registration Process Step One Now that the MSHSL has made a decision regarding winter sports, we will open STEP ONE of the registration process on Saturday, October 10, (i.e., registering with MAST). An updated 2020-21 MAST Fact Sheet can be found on our website and is attached. Look for an email late next week with detailed instructions on Step One of the registration process. Currently we have over 140 athletes interested in MAST. Last year we rostered 131 athletes, which proved to be the maximum number of athletes we can handle given limited training lane space at Hyland. Why is it necessary to complete a registration with MAST? MAST is a 501(C)3 whose mission is to administer alpine ski racing for Minneapolis Public School students. We need to get organized well before MPS athletic directors start collecting registration forms for winter sports. This allows our athletes to procure the equipment they need at the best prices, secure a Hyland Season Pass before the Nov 1 price increase, and participate in team sponsored fundraisers. The team also takes great pains to educate new athletes about alpine racing in general, equipment, ski tuning, parent involvement, race volunteering, and training. This all needs to take place well before the season opens. So, register with MAST. Once we fill, we will close registration for the season. Our roster fills before the ADs start collecting MPS/MSHSL forms. V. Registration Process Step Two: Registering with MPS/MSHSL I will alert you when the athletic directors are ready to accept winter sports participation forms (Step Two of the Registration Process). I understand that it is possible to register for winter sports online this year. I would discourage you from using this online registration option. Feedback from both parent users and athletic directors is that the system in place is confusing and difficult to use. For now, you can start the process of completing the Physical Examination Form. Check with your health care provider about his or her process for completing the form. Warning: if you have not had a physical exam in the last year, your provider may require you to have a physical examination in order to complete the form. So... get started now in case you need to schedule a physical exam. For returning athletes: check with your AD to see if your Qualifying Physical Exam form is still valid for the 2020-21 winter sports season. Attached are all the forms you will need to print, complete, sign, and submit to your high school athletic director when the time comes for you to register with your high school. To get the full skinny on our two-step registration process, CLICK HERE. VI. Equipment Please do not wait to line up your equipment for the season. Do it NOW. A. Appointments Still Available For MAST-Pierce Equipment Day I will be joining the Pierce staff on Wednesday, October 7 to assist athletes with gear selection. Please call to make an appointment. 952-884-1990. If the 7th doesn’t fit into your schedule, you can make an appointment for another day. Be sure to tell Pierce staff that you are with MAST and inquire about the Flex Pricing discounts. B. Two sites to purchase used equipment online: PNSA (online ski swap) SidelineSwap (online ski swap) C. MAST Equipment Swap: Saturday, October 25 Equipment Drop Off: 8:30-9:15AM Fitting and Sales Appointments: 9:30AM-2:00PM Unsold Equipment/Sold Equipment $$ Pick Up: 2:00-3:00PM MAST will be holding its own Equipment Swap on Saturday, October 24. We are doing things differently this year. You must make an appointment to enter the swap AND you must register any equipment online that you want to sell or donate. TO LEARN ABOUT HOW THE MAST SWAP IS DIFFERENT THIS SEASON CLICK HERE. TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE MAST SWAP CLICK HERE TO SELL OR DONATE EQUIPMENT OR CLOTHING, CLICK HERE. VII. Hyland Season Pass Reminder The last day to purchase a Hyland Hills Season Pass through MAST is Saturday, October 24. Please mail a check in the amount of $455 to Mpls Alpine/4800 Harriet Ave S/Mpls/MN/55419. You can also drop off the check at the Swap on Oct 24. You can also purchase your pass directly from Hyland Hills/Three Rivers Park District. Here is a link: Hyland Season Pass Sale. Click on “Adult” under Season Passes. The price is the same if you purchase online but you will also be paying MN State Sales Tax on the purchase. VIII. MAST Training Times Survey Thank you to everyone who has completed the MAST Training Times Survey. If you still need to do this, here is a link: MAST Training Session Survey. By completing this survey, the coaches will be better equipped to decide how to organize practices this year. We need your input. Keep checking our website for all the information you need on the upcoming season. www.mplsalpineski.org. Remember, you can always access MAST Updates on our website by CLICKING HERE. Best wishes, Mark Conway Head Coach Mpls Alpine Ski Team 612-275-8392 [email protected] 
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