Dec. 23 Practice Cancelled

Due to the weather and our lack of indoor space to work with, I am canceling today's practice.

HOWEVER, in lieu of group practice you should do the following workout. Meet up with your teammates if you like!

60 minutes of cardio
Push-ups
Planks
Crunches

There will be some periods today whee there is no rain, so use those to get outside and get your cardio workout in.

See you all on Saturday for the Holiday Camp!

-Dan

Practices for Christmas Week

Great race yesterday, everyone, and special congratulations to Lily Johnston for her victory by 41 seconds in the Girls' race!

See her photo on the front page of MaineHighSchoolSkiing.com.

Monday & Tuesday
Monday and Tuesday practices will be 9:30-Noon. We will practice at Pineland unless the weather is lousy and we decide to move to a different venue, in which case we will post here by 8am that morning to say where we will be (likely at the high school). Bring running shoes and poles, and skate skis and boots in case there is some crust skiing.

If you can travel to ski on real snow on these days then you have my blessing to miss practice. But you need to be skiing uphill (not just downhill!)

Wednesday & Friday
On Wednesday and Friday you're on your own. If you can travel to snow, then get out and ski 10-20k. If not, a combination of running/pole-bounding/ski-walking for 1.5 hours followed by a core workout will suffice.

Saturday
Be ready to go at the High School at 7:30 so we can leave for Holiday Camp! Details will follow.

-Dan

Wednesday and Saturday

Hello all:

Due to the rain and warm temps we will not be skiing tomorrow, so bring your running shoes and plan to be outside and then inside for a strength workout.

On Saturday we will be going to the Chenard Memorial Race at Sugarloaf. They are reporting excellent conditions: http://www.mainehighschoolskiing.com

It will be a skate race. We will be at the school READY TO GO at 7:15am and want to have plenty of time to ski afterward so we will be back around 6.

See you tomorrow!

Dan

December 8 - 14 Practices

Monday December 8 practice on your own. If you took Saturday off due to weather then Monday should be a practice day. Dynamic warmup 45 minutes continuous exercise low to moderate intensity. Core exercises If you did not take Saturday off then Monday should be a day off. Tuesday December 9 practice at HS Warmup Intervals 5 x 2minutes with 2 minute rest Strength test Strength circuit stretch Tues day 6pm Wax Clinic Wednesday December 10 practice at Hs Warmup Cardio workout depending on weather. Core exercises Thursday December 11 practice at HS Intervals 8x1min with 2 minute rest. Strength circuit Stretch Thursday 6pm skate clinic at Boulder Nordic Friday December 12 practice at HS Warmup 60 minute continuous aerobic exercise. Core exercises

Saturday practice moved to Sunday

Looking at the radar, the rain will continue all afternoon, and perhaps get heavier. Therefore, we have decided to move practice from today (ugly and rainy) to tomorrow (sunny!).

Tomorrow we will meet at Pineland at 12:45 so we are ready to go at 1pm. I think the skate skiing will be better, so plan on doing that. We will be done around 4.

Because this is a last-minute change, tomorrow's practice is optional. However, any chance to get on snow this early in the season should be taken. If you cannot come to practice tomorrow, plan to get out for a ski/run/roller-ski for 1.5-2 hours today or tomorrow. Those who will practice tomorrow can take today off.

We may also try to have an optional Monday practice after school, possibly at Pineland, but we will decide on that tomorrow.

Let me know if you have questions. Reply to my email or call my cell at 239-0557.

Dan

We are not going to Waterville this morning due to the weather and road conditions. We are planning on going to Pineland at 1 this afternoon unless weather conditions do not improve. . Please pass the message on.

Upcoming Events -- There's Lots Going On

We've got an action-packed couple of weeks coming up! In addition to regular practices, we have the following events scheduled:

• Today, Dec. 3 at 2:30: Concussion Test in FPAC Video Room. If you have not taken the test this year, you need to be there! We'll have a coach bring you out to join the rest of the team for practice after you're done.
• Friday, Dec. 5: LL Bean Gift-Wrapping Fundraiser in the evening. The Boosters provide amazing support, and this is one way you can help ensure that support. We probably want to have at least one or two adults per shift with a max of eight gift wrappers at one time. Sign up for a wrapping shift online.
• Saturday, Dec. 6: Colby Training Event on man-made snow. This is an unparalleled opportunity to get coaching from Division I athletes, paid for by the boosters. Classic in the morning and skate in the afternoon (see the event schedule). We'll be leaving 7:45am or so and returning around 5pm.
• Tuesday, Dec. 9: Waxing Night with Roger Knight from Boulder Nordic. Learn new skills, ask questions, and get plenty of hands-on experience and training. 6pm in the FHS Cafeteria.
• Friday, Dec. 12: Team Photo at 3:10pm in the Gym. We will hand out uniforms before then so you can be dressed in Freeport's Finest! (And you thought Freeport's Finest was a flannel from LL Bean...)

See you all at practice today! Bring poles, as always.

Practice on Snow Tomorrow!

Well, Mother Nature has given us a real treat this early in the ski season, and we will gladly take advantage!

Tomorrow's practice at Pineland will be ON SNOW, so have your classic skis ready to go (except kick wax). We will not plan on using skate-skis. You should also bring running shoes for an indoor workout (and just in case).

I skied at a Pineland today and there are no tracks set, but there is a lot of beautiful powdery snow, so we will have a blast making our own trail wherever we want to go.

It will be cold tomorrow, so be prepared to be outside for extended periods. Bring water and snacks to carry with you.

A study topic related to classic technique for tomorrow: review centrifugal force so you can look like a genius when I start asking questions.

The coaches look forward to skiing with you tomorrow!

Dan

Welcome to the 2014-2015 ski season.

We will see some of you Saturday Nov 29 at Pineland for Practice.
Bring Running shoes, roller skis and even regular skis if this snow holds up. This time of year the weather will change our best of plans so be ready for all kinds of training.

For those not at Saturday's practice we will see definitely on Tuesday Dec 2 for the first full week of practice.

More will be posted on this blog soon, including the calendar.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Nordic Team End of Season Celebration

Hello all - We are planning to have a Nordic team end of season celebration. This will be held on Sunday, March 30th. We will plan an outdoor activity for part of the day and then will gather in Freeport in the evening for a potluck and slide show. We will be in touch again soon with more details about the time frame and activities. 

Please feel free to email both Joel and I with suggestions for activities!

Eastern High School Championships Training

Congratulations to all of the skiers that participated in the Eastern High School Championships qualifier race this past Sunday! Below is a training schedule for those who are still training and racing. I will be returning to Maine on Sunday (3/9) evening and hope to see you on the trails Tuesday, 3/11 (I will be in touch before then).

Training Schedule:
Wednesday, 3/05 - Skate intervals 3 X 6 minutes THRESHOLD (75% race pace, just fast enough that you cannot talk, Heart rate 170-175) ski easy for 4 minutes between each interval, ski easy for 30 minutes before and after the intervals, finish with 5 short sprint (10-15 seconds each)
Thursday, 3/06 - Easy 1.5 hour classic ski, 3 X 5 minutes no pole skiing (focusing on keeping hips over feet and extending the glide period)
Friday, 3/07 - Easy 1.25 hour skate ski with 4 X 5 minutes no pole skiing (focusing on using legs to kick), and 5 UPHILL sprints (10 seconds each) practicing quick tempo
Saturday, 3/08 - (Go for a 10 minute jog in the morning before breakfast, similar to what we did during the mornings at states), Classic intervals 10 X 1 minute MAX speed (as fast as possible, and it should be hard to finish the 9th and 10th intervals), ski easy 30 minutes before and after the intervals and add 5 short sprints (5 seconds each) in to the cool down.
Sunday, 3/09 - Long easy ski classic or skate, 2 hours
Monday, 3/10 - Off, make sure to stretch!
Tuesday, 3/11 - Easy 1.5 hour classic ski, 3 X 5 minutes no pole skiing, finish with 6 short sprints (10-15 seconds)
Wednesday, 3/12 - Off, make sure to stretch!
Thursday, 3/13 - Easy 45 minute skate ski with 6 short sprints (less than 6 seconds each)
Friday, 3/14 - Race
Saturday, 3/15 - Race
Sunday, 3/16 - Race

Training Schedule 2/22 - 3/2

Congratulations to the Freeport High School Ski Team on a fantastic season!!! The past two days were the finale to a great season. It was particularly impressive to have the girls team clinch 2nd place and the boys team get 3rd in our first season in class B.

Many of you are interested in attending the Eastern High School Qualifier race next weekend. Here is some limited information on registration https://www.nensa.net/calendar/index.html?id=1536
(although I expect more information to be on the Maine High School Skiing website by the end of the week)

Please email Doug Martin if you plan to attend this race, so that he has an idea of how many skiers will be at the race. 

Here is a training schedule for the week:
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend any of these practices. Joel will post on the blog if there is a day that he is able to meet skiers at Pineland (so check back for updates).

Saturday, 2/22 - Long, easy, recovery ski, 1.5 - 2 hours EASY skiing
Sunday, 2/23 - Off
Monday, 2/24 - Easy 1 hour classic ski with 2 X 10 minutes of no pole skiing
Tuesday, 2/25 - Short intervals, skate 6 X 2 minutes at a pace that is FASTER than your race pace (ski easy for 20-30 minutes both before and after the intervals)
Wednesday, 2/26 - Easy 1.5 hour classic ski with 9 short sprints mixed throughout the ski and 2 X 10 minutes of no pole skiing
Thursday, 2/27 - Easy 1 hour skate ski with 2 X 5 minutes of no pole skiing and 5 short sprints at the end
Friday, 2/28 - Off
Saturday, 3/1 - Easy 45 minute classic ski with 5 short sprints (6 seconds or less) at the end
Sunday, 3/2 - RACE DAY: 5km classic race in the morning followed by a 5km skate race in the afternoon (skate start will be based off of classic results)

Please feel free to contact us with any questions. I will be available by email through Wednesday, 2/26 and by telephone for the later half of the week. GOOD LUCK to all of the racers who are trying out for the Maine team!

Training Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday

Sunday: On Your Own, EASY ski (skate or classic) 2.5 hours. The goal is to get a nice, long ski in without getting too tired.
Monday: Team Practice @ Pineland at 9:00am, SKATE. We will ski for 1.25 hour and should be finished by 10:30am.
Tuesday: OFF - Pack, rest, and stretch
Wednesday: We will meet at the school at 10:00am. Please be there on time, so that we can get on the road! We will be going directly to the Outdoor center so have ski gear and CLASSIC skis ready.

Friday, 2/14 Practice On Your Own

Practice today (Friday, 2/14) is ON YOUR OWN! It is still important to get out for some easy exercise today: ski for 1.5 to 1.75 hours EASY SKATE. 

Pineland is open and groomed, if you cannot get there then try the woods around your house. 

We will depart from FHS at 7:30am tomorrow (Saturday, 1/15) for Sugarloaf. Please bring both CLASSIC and SKATE skis! We will return by 3:00pm. 

See you tomorrow!

Week Practice Schedule, 2/10 - 2/16

WAHOOOOO! 

What a fantastic job today! Joel and I are extremely proud of everyone's performance. It is great to celebrate an individual's good performance, but it is SPECTACULAR to celebrate an entire team's rocking results! :)

Take tomorrow off and enjoy some much deserved rest and relaxation! We will see everyone on Wednesday.

Monday, 2/10 - Race day!
Tuesday, 2/11 - Off
Wednesday, 2/12 - Team Practice @ Pineland, CLASSIC skiing. Bus departs at 2:30pm and we will return to FHS by 6:00pm
Thursday, 2/13 - Team Practice @ Pineland, SKATE skiing. Transportation TBA.
Friday, 2/14 - Team Practice @ Pineland, CLASSIC skiing. Bus departs at 2:30pm and we will return by 6:00pm.
Saturday, 2/15 - Team Practice @ Sugarloaf, CLASSIC skiing. Bus departs at 7:30am and we will return by 3:00pm.
Sunday, 2/16 - Practice on Your Own, 2.5 hour EASY skate or classic ski

State Teams:
Girls -
Lizzy
Lily J.
Lily L.
Emma
Jasmine
Virginia

Boys -
Eli
Bennett
Willson
Nick
Kyle
Yacob (classic, skate alternate)
John (skate, classic alternate)

States information:
The high school will be giving athletes more information about the state championships and logistics involved with the trip.
We will depart from FHS at 10:00am on Wednesday, 2/19
Thursday, 2/20 Classic race: Girls 1:30pm, Boys 3:00pm
Friday, 2/21 Skate race:  Girls 9:00am, Boys 10:30am
We will return to Freeport around 3:00pm.

Congratulations (again) to all of the skiers for a fantastic job today! We are looking forward to one more week of quality training before the state championships! 
  

SKATE WAXING on Sunday, 2/8!!

CONGRATULATIONS 

to all of the skiers for a fantastic day of racing!

One down and one to go!

SUNDAY: Remember to get out for a SLOW, EASY ski tomorrow for about 1:15hr. Finish the ski with 6 SHORT sprints (6 seconds). This is very important, as easy physical activity helps clear lactic acid from your body and prepares you for the race the next day!

We also need to change the wax on SKATE race skis, so we will be meeting at the school tomorrow from 4:00pm - 6:00pm. 
Please make sure that you are at the school promptly at 4:00pm, as we want to get through this process as quickly as possible. We will be waxing with a same combination that we used on classic skis: mixing CH6 with graphite and a second layer with HF6, then Joel and I will apply top coats.

See you tomorrow!

Waxing Friday after Practice

If you are not going to use your race skis at Friday's practice, then please thoroughly clean the kick zone Thursday. This will make waxing go much faster on Friday.

If you use your race ski Friday then we will just clean them after practice.

We will be putting on 2 layers of glide wax and then a kick binder so we will need everyone to focus and be as quick as possible.

Make sure your name is on your skis and remark the kick zone.

Pasta Party, 2/7

Here are assignments for this Friday's pasta party at the Martin's house:

Seniors: salads 

Juniors: desserts

Sophomores & Freshman:  drinks and bread

Wednesday, 2/5 Race Cancelled!

The race today has been cancelled. It has been re-scheduled for next Monday, 2/10. 

However, now that we are finally getting some snow...it is a great day to get outside! Try to get out for at least a 1 1/2 hour ski, either around your house or on some trails. Joel will be at Pineland this afternoon (around 2:30) IF the driving is SAFE! 

Practice will be on your own tomorrow, get out for an easy 1 hour ski.

See you on Friday!

State Team Selection

We know that many skiers and families have already begun thinking about states, so Joel and I want the selection process to be as transparent as possible. Our state teams will be based on the following:
Girls Team - all 6 skiers will go and race in both races
Boys Team - we will bring a total of 7 boys, 6 boys will be entered in each discipline and we will have one alternate
We have seen every skier on the team enjoy personal best performances, which is amazing. This has made it difficult for us to choose a team. Ultimately, the team selection will be based primarily off of WMCC race results. This said, we will certainly take into consideration if someone is sick or has a sub-par performance at one of these races. In these cases we will take both previous races and practice attendance into consideration.

Most importantly, we want to see all the skiers enjoy this week's races and focus on putting forth their best effort!