Update #5 Saturday, September 26, 2020

MAST Update #5 
Saturday, September 26, 2020 

Dear MAST Athletes, Families, Coaches: 
A BIG welcome to all the prospective new athletes and families who have expressed an interest in joining MAST this winter season. Many of you are receiving a MAST Update for the first time. After reading this you will wonder--like our veteran MAST families and Alumni community--how have the MAST UPDATES NOT been nominated for a Pulitzer? 
Just so you know, all MAST Updates are archived on our website, including the first four of the 2020-21 season. Here is a link: MAST Updates. If you are new to MAST and have not filled out a MAST New Athlete Contact Information Form, please do so today. You will be helping us tremendously to prepare for the season and you will be assured to receive all MAST emails for the remainder of the season, or your lifetime. Here is a link: New Athlete Contact Form.

I. New Athlete/Family Orientation To Ski Racing And MAST Webinar
We will be holding our SECOND preseason MAST Webinar on Tuesday, October 6 at 7pm. (The first one on Alpine Ski Equipment was held last weekend and won an Emmy. It will be available online soon.) All prospective new athletes and families are invited to participate in Webinar #2. This webinar replaces our annual pre-season in-person orientation for new families. Our intent is to give you as much information as we can about high school ski racing and MAST--- all the Who, What, When, Where, How and even Why questions you might have as well as those you didn’t know you have. You will also be given the opportunity to ask questions. For this to work smoothly, you need to provide us with your athlete’s MPS Email Address. Most of you have done this already, but here is a link for those of you who haven’t yet: MPS Email Address Form.
The weekend before the webinar I will send an email with a link to join the webinar. However, I would ask that you watch as a family and log in using your athlete’s MPS EMAIL ADDRESS.

II. Equipment
If you missed the Equipment Webinar last week, you might want to take a deep dive into our website and read the pages devoted to educating you about the equipment you need to ski race, how to size it, where and how to buy used, new, online and much more. Go to www.mplsalpineski.organd look at the subheadings under the Equipment header. Also, attached to this Update is the MAST Guide for Buying Skis and Boots. 

III. Local Swaps and MAST Equipment Swaps 
MAST will be holding an Equipment Swap on Saturday, October 24th at MAST Headquarters (4800 Harriet Ave). We will be outside, under canopy tents, socially distanced, and slobbered with sanitizer. You will be asked to make an appointment. If you have used equipment to sell, you will be asked to fill out a form in advance and submit photos. These sale items will be posted online in advance of the sale. Look for the form and instructions in a subsequent email. 
Team Gilboa at Hyland has canceled its swap this year, but a few swaps at other ski areas remain on the calendar. We will try to keep an up to date posting of local swaps on our website HERE. After reading everything we have posted about equipment, please feel free to call me. Calling is better than emailing or texting when it comes to equipment because I will likely have questions for you as well. 
IV. Help Needed: Volunteer Editor of the MAST Equipment Page. 
Speaking of equipment, we need a volunteer to keep our Free and For Sale Equipment Page updated on our website. This includes helping us get the website ready for our Equipment Swap on October 24. Please email me at [email protected] or give me a call at 612-275-8392 if you are interested in filling this career advancing position. 

V. Hyland Season Pass 
All MAST athletes will need a 2020-21 Hyland Hills Season Pass. The current price for an unlimited pass is $455. In the Spring, forty-two of you purchased a pass for the upcoming season. A list of those who did so is attached. For those who still need a pass, you can 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. Only use this method if you don’t think you pay enough in taxes.
Now, if you would like to save the expense of paying MN state sales tax on your purchase, you can let MAST purchase your pass.  You just need to send a check for $455 to Mpls Alpine/ 4800 Harriet Ave, Mpls, MN 55419. Make checks payable to Mpls Alpine.  DO NOT DROP OFF THE CHECK THIS YEAR. Too many thefts in the neighborhood this year. Please mail. You can bring payment to the Equipment Swap on Saturday, October 24. In fact, this is the last day that you can purchase a pass through MAST. From October 25th forward, you will need to purchase your pass directly from Hyland. Be aware that Hyland will be increasing the price of the pass on November 1 to $479. 
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VI. Coming Soon: MAST FACT SHEET 
The 2019-20 MAST FACT SHEET is still posted online and is a good source of information about our team. However, a new 2020-21 MAST FACT SHEET is almost ready for publication. As soon as it is approved by our Board on Monday evening, I will send it out.

VII. Practice Times, MAST BE ON TIME Practice Policy, Training Time Survey 
One area of discussion concerns practice times at Hyland, and I know this is a big question for the new families. Last year we introduced a 3:30-5:30 practice time for varsity/senior high athletes. We will likely be offering the same practice time slot this year in addition to the 5:00-7:15 and 6:30-8:45 sessions. We will be introducing a new policy this year, however. It is called the BE ON TIME policy. Each practice is carefully planned, starting with directed free skiing on the South Chairlift and then moving to carefully prescribed course sets to practice your emerging technical skills in a controlled turn environment, i.e., a slalom course. We do not want people joining a training session mid-stream this year. 
What we have not decided is whether we need to assign athletes to a particular practice session or allow athletes to attend the practice session that works best with their needs. In the past, we have defined the earlier practice sessions for varsity skiers and the last practice session for junior varsity, with the caveat that you are welcome to attend whichever session works best. We may need to limit our numbers at each practice and, therefore, somehow assign certain groups within the team a particular training session. To help us determine the best way to proceed this season, I am asking every family to fill out YET ANOTHER FORM. The form is actually a survey (it is not anonymous). Hopefully this will help us understand when our athletes are available for training, how they get to practice, and how they would prefer practices to be organized. Again, we are trying to figure out how to best organize practice, avoid overcrowding, AND meet the development needs of all our skiers. 
Here is a link to this very important survey:  MAST Training Session Survey. 

VIII. Registration Process 
We have purposely delayed opening registration this year. The MN State High School League meets on October 1 to discuss the winter sports season for the first time. We have no reason to believe that the MSHSL will cancel the alpine season. Nonetheless, we want to wait to open registration until the MSHSL has confirmed that there will be a season. Even though we are waiting, you can find out about the registration process on our website. Here is a link: MAST FEES AND REGISTRATION 
Please note the two-step registration process. The first step is to register with MAST. MAST will be asking athletes to pay two fees at the point of registration: a suggested team fee and the MPS Activity Fee of $75. The team fee has not been set yet but is likely to increase this year. You will NOT need to pay the MPS Activity Fee a second time when you register with MPS Athletics at your high school, even though the form asked you to do so. 

IX. Qualifying Physical Examination Clearance Form 
The one thing you can do NOW in anticipation of registration is to make sure that you have an up-to-date Physical Examination form on file with your HIGH SCHOOL athletic director. (One is attached.) This assumes that you are a returning MAST athlete. The forms have a shelf life of 3 years so if you last submitted a form before the 2018-19 season, you may need to submit a new one this season. Check with your athletic director. He or she keeps a record of these things. If you are new to MAST and did not play a high school sport this Fall, you will need to submit a Qualifying Physical Examination Form completed and signed by a qualified health care worker. Your physician will fill this out if you are not due for a physical. If you are due, then schedule an appointment for a physical and bring the attached form with you for your physician to complete. I strongly suggest that you take care of this now. If you are missing an up to date Qualifying Physical Exam Form when the season opens, you will not be allowed to participate in practices until you have submitted the form and the AD has cleared you to participate.

X. MAST Fundraising 2020-21 
Coming Soon: More information about our Urban Ventures MAST Individual Fundraiser and our MinneSalsa MAST Team Fundraiser.
Already Scheduled for Wednesday, October 14: MAST(ets) Golf Tournament 
Have you booked your tee time for the First Annual MAST(ers) Golf Tournament? Click HERE for more information about this fun new team fundraiser and how to register. Unskilled golfers welcome. We just want your money and companionship.
Enough.  Sorry for the long email but ski racing is complicated.  You are all above average so this should be an easy read. Check our website regularly because it is being updated on a daily basis now.
Best wishes and get outside to ride, run, or skate.   Build up your strength and stamina.  
Mark Conway 
Head Coach
Mpls Alpine Ski Team 
612-275-8392 
[email protected]