Saturday Feb 7

Goal: Steep Uphills, 50m Sprint

9:45 - 10 Group Game - No poles

Turtle Tag

Game: Turtle Tag (https://nordicskilab.com/courses/turtle-tag/) goal - falling and rising

Every skier is “it” and every skier can free any tagged skier.  On “go” each skier tries to touch other skiers.  Touched skiers must roll over on their back with skis and arms up in the air over their head like a turtle.  To free a turtle, any skier must grab the skier’s skies and move them back and forth, the skier is then free to get up and tag others.  If two skiers touch each other at the same time, both become turtles.  Skiers can tag and free the same skier.  Skiers who are liberated can immediately touch the skier who turtled them.     

10AM Split into age groups

Little Dippet Obstacle Course: This course will be set up prior to the session. Please be familiar with the list of activities before you arrive. Find the start and finish, do a lap with the group going over what is happening at each spot, then split them into pairs to do as a head-to-head race/challenge. If they dont want it to be a race, they can choose to do the course on their own instead.

  1. Start at top/west end of JR flats with one ski off

  2. Scooter - Hurdles for JR3 and 4, pool noodles for JR 1 and 2 Hold ski in other hand

  3. Put ski back on (at bottom of JR flats)

  4. Downhill pickup - pick up a beanbag from the side of the trail down from jr flats

  5. Carry + “basketball” throw through hoop midway up the hill

  6. DH free glide with track obstacles (downhill at top/west end of lil dip)

  7. DH slalom - down the hill to finish at top of JR flats. (Will also make a slalom down the adventure trail leading down to the west end of JR flats if older groups want to try that)

  8. Hockey stop to finish for older groups or snowplow stop for younger groups

If there is extra time, the older groups might want to do a couple laps of some of the newly groomed adventure trails near the top/west end of little dippet.

Uphills:

Discuss strategies for overcoming steep uphills. Can also discuss mental strategies, breathing, taking breaks, transitions from other techniques if/when appropriate. Do a bit of practice and/or games on a smaller/ less steep hill, then tackle a big hill as a group. I’ll have snakes&ladders, fishhook, grunt and dark scary corner blocked off so you guys can go up those hills safely.

Game suggestions: (use a smaller hill for these games, to practice and prepare for a larger steeper hill)

Red light, Green light: The coach is the policeman, and is positioned at the top of the hill. The skiers are positioned at the bottom of the hill, spread out behind the start line, and facing the policeman. When the policeman says “green light” the skiers Herringbone up the hill. When the policeman says “red light” the skiers stop. Once they reach the top of the hill they Free Glide back to the bottom. When caught moving on a red light (going up or down), skiers have to sidestep back to the start line at the bottom of the hill.

Uphill Basketball: Skiers are given a large size ball that they hold in front of their chest, using both hands. The skiers Side Step up the hill carrying the ball, and then return back down in a Free Glide, still holding the ball. At the bottom of the hill the skier throws the ball into a basket or through a hoop, depending on how the game is set up. Option: place two 2-metre long ropes perpendicular to the Fall Line for the skiers to Side Step over during the uphill portion of the game.

Herringbone

  • wide v

  • quick steps

  • pole tips behind and in time with steps

  • Inside of skis are edged into hill

  • Body remains upright

  • Knees and ankles are slightly bent

Sidestep

  • quick steps

  • skis are edged into hill on uphill side of skis

  • poles remain on either side of body

  • pick up tail of ski at the same time as tip

Falling and rising

  • position skis on downhill side of body, across the trail

  • open skis into a herringbone, or sidestep from the risen position

50m Sprint

The 50m sprint is a standardized(ish) marker for spreed progress set by Nordiq Canada. There is a section and sticker goal in the Jackrabbit booklet. Have a look, and you can give the kids some times to aim for if you like. They can try multiple times, if they have a time goal they want to achieve. I’ll have a 50m section marked out in the flat section of lower mickeys between the bottom of fishook and the bottom of Dynamite. Please time the kids using your phone or a watch and record their times (or have them remember which time goal sticker they will have achieved.

Group Schedule

JR1:

  • 10 AM ski up dark scary corner trail - Practice quick steps, bring pylons to set up to try to encourage them to take quick steps with their herringbone

  • 10:30 little dippet obstacle course

  • 11 - timed 50m sprint on lower mickeys

  • 11:30 - parachute at lower stadium

JR2

  • 10AM ski up Grunt from lower mickeys - Practice quick steps, bring pylons set up to try to encourage them to take quick steps with their herringbone - ski back down mickeys or dynamite depending on time

  • 10:30 Little dippet obstacle course

  • 11 timed 50m sprint on lower mickeys

  • 11:30 Animal trail or game of choice in upper stadium

JR3

  • 10 AM timed sprint on lower mickeys

  • 10:30 ski up Grunt and fishook from lower mickeys - Practice quick steps, bring pylons to set up to try to encourage them to take quick steps with their herringbone

  • 11 little dippet obstacle course

  • 11:15 ski up mountain climb down hard right

JR 4

  • 10AM Little Dippet obstacle course

  • 10:30 AM Ski up snakes and ladders - Practice quick steps, bring pylons to set up to try to encourage them to take quick steps with their herringbone. Ski back down Hard right

  • 11:15 timed 50m sprint on lower mickeys

If groups are finished a bit early, can play a game at JR flats!

11:30-12 Stickers & Hot Chocolate

Hand out sprint stickers today! There are different colours for different times - If you don’t have time at the end of practice, send me your list of times, and I can pull out stickers for you to hand out next week.

If any kids missed getting their toque, there are more in a box in the wax room

Remind kids about the Nordiq Canada Toque design contest. I have printed out the contest application sheets to hand out - they are in a folder in the top right corner cubby. Submissions are due Feb 22!