Ski team Information

Freeport High School Nordic Ski Team 2013 – 2014 Season

Coach

Heather Zimmerman

Phone: 381-7723 (cell)

Email: Hzimm32@gmail.com

Joel Hinshaw

Home Phone: 688-4250

Email: joelhinshaw@yahoo.com

Doug Martin

Phone: 749-5801 (cell), 865-0689 (home)

Email: dmartin@whdemmons.com

Bob Moore

Phone: 650-0494

Email: bobmoore18@gmail.com

We will be using the Freeport High School Nordic Ski Team blog for the majority of communication this year. Because everyone is busy, getting updates over the phone or through email can be a cumbersome task. Therefore, all information (including practice schedules, location, and race information will always be listed on the blog (http://freeporthighschoolnordic.blogspot.com/). Please check this blog frequently!

Philosophy

Our season will be guided by four basic principles:

1.    To teach intermediate/advanced skiers the skills of classic and skating techniques for competitive Nordic skiing within a fun and enthusiastic environment.  

2.            To help high school skiers develop confidence in their own abilities and realize their competitive potential within a team-oriented environment.

3.            To be able to maintain your own equipment, especially tune and wax your skis for training and racing.

4.            This program will hopefully take you to collegiate or citizen racing after high school and hopefully contribute to a lifetime of skiing enjoyment and a genuine love of the outdoors!

Team Roster

Depending on how many skiers sign up, you will not be cut from the team if:

1.    Your actions show that you want to be part of the team

2.    You are focused and attend practice.

3.    You have a positive and helpful attitude and work hard to achieve your goals and the team’s goals.

You will be cut from the team if you do not attend practices and if your attitude is disruptive to the team.

You only have 3 unexcused practices before you are cut.

If over 35 skiers sign up for the team, we may have to make cuts due to coach/skier ratio.

School Paperwork

Skiers must have completed all necessary paperwork BEFORE practicing with the team. If you have any questions or concerns about these requirements please contact Craig Sickels, athletic director. Skiers missing paperwork will not be able to practice with the team.

Ski team dues

The high school ski team due is $100, this helps cover the cost of race wax, ski passes, uniforms, and equipment. Team hats are also available for $25. Anyone needing assistance with this cost can contact either a coach or the ski boosters - anyone interested in being on the ski team will be able to be.

Practices

Practice is mandatory for all skiers unless the coach excuses you from a practice. Valid excuses include schoolwork, other ski races, and health issues. Not valid excuses include a date, going to a dance and non-school activities. If you need to miss a practice you must talk with a coach at least 24 hours BEFORE the practice in order to get an excused absence!

All skiers get 3 unexcused absences!! A skier who has 4 unexcused absences will be dropped from the team. This rule will be enforced more strictly than it has in the past.

You must make sure you communicate your plans to the coach about getting to and going home from a practice or race. We do not want to leave anyone, but that will happen if the coach does not know your plans.

Practice Schedule

The team will practice together on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Saturday practices are mandatory and we expect skiers to attend. If your family travels on the weekend, then you and your parents must speak with a coach to make acceptable arrangements.

Practices do not occur everyday. You must be focused and dedicated enough to practice on your own when you are given a workout to do at home. Coaches will provide training plans for all individual practices (including Sundays and holidays), you are expected to complete these workouts. Get together with other teammates to make the training more fun.

To achieve certain goals you must do more than just the team workouts!

Dry-land

Dry-land practices will be held at the High School and Pineland Center in New Gloucester (on Saturdays).  We will practice from 2:45 to 5:00pm 3 days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday) and 9 to 12pm Saturday. We’ll update the schedule as we go along, all changes will be listed on the blog. Saturdays we will be training as well as having equipment and waxing clinics. We may travel to snow on Saturdays until we have snow in the Freeport area.

On Snow (Which will hopefully come soon!)

As soon as it’s possible, we’ll move to on snow practices Pineland Center. The bus will pick us up at the High School at 2:30 and drop us back at the High School about 5. The bus will not wait so if you miss the bus you miss practice.

What Skiers Should Expect At Practice

Dry-land - general aerobic training / Strength calisthenics exercises / Balance training / technique / intervals and speed workouts / rollerskiing (optional) on Saturdays

On snow – warm-up ski on own / technique exercises / intervals, speed workouts, and time trials

We will have a team meeting at the end of each practice

Some days we will have an equipment or waxing clinic.

Periodically review individual goals and progress.

Video analysis of your own skiing and watching instructional videos.

Cancellations will be announced at school if school is let out early.

Skiers Goals

Each skier will make both personal and team goals. These goals are intrinsic to the team’s success. Skiers’ goals are to be turned in by the end of practice Tuesday, 26 November (or can be emailed to Joel and Heather before then).

• Goals:
• Individual
• Preseason: 2 fitness goals (can be cardiovascular or strength), 1 classic technique goal, and 1 skate technique goal
• Race Season: 2 performance goals, 2 classic technique goals, 2 skate technique goals, and 1 mental goal
• Team
• 2 team-building goals
• 1 male/female team performance goal, 2 whole team performance goals

Skiers will meet with coaches throughout the season, to measure the progress made towards these goals.

Races

It is very important to know the schedule and when the bus will leave. Students cannot drive to any race, so do not miss the bus. Wednesday races will leave before school is out so you must let your teachers know when you have to leave before that day.  Be polite but firm on the time you need to leave, as the bus cannot wait. You can always call the Athletic director for help.

Parents must notify the coach before they take their kid home after a race. Please do not take off without notifying the coach since we do not want to leave anyone or wait for someone who is already gone.

The WMC season races are mandatory for all skiers. In the past we have had skiers want to miss a WMC race in preparation for other races and this is not acceptable. To be on the team you must race with the team.

The team will stay for results at weekend and championship races. Part of racing is supporting all skiers, teams and race organizers and supporting Freeport skiers who earn a podium spot. We will use the time waiting for the results for more skiing and training.   

December Holiday and Holiday Camp

The Holiday Camp will be in Jackson, NH December 26, 27, and 28. The camp is highly recommended but not mandatory. Anticipated trip cost is $120. Any skier needing assistance with this cost can contact either a coach or the ski boosters - any skier interested in going will be able to go.

The Holiday Camp will provide 3 days of quality training. With the short training season we need to get in as many days as possible. We will train on the Jackson XC Center and Great Glen trails. Training will include technique sessions (with video analysis), intervals, and a time trial.

We will also have practices during the December holiday, which are a normal part of the season and are mandatory for all team members. If you will not be in town during the holiday then you must talk to a coach prior to leaving, so you can get a workout schedule.

State Meet/Varsity letter Selection Criteria

We are only able to enter a limited number of athletes in the State Meet and one of the questions every year is “how will these skiers be picked?”   While it’s my hope to send the fastest team possible, selection will be based on the following criteria:

1.    Results in meets leading up to the States

2.    Practice attendance, behavior and work ethic

3.    If 2 or more athletes have the same results and attendance/work ethics then the upper classman will be picked.

Those skiers making the State meet team will make up the varsity team and earn a varsity letter. I also hold the option to hand out a varsity letter to any upper classman who does not make the state meet but does show varsity team qualities during the season.

Equipment

It’s been said that skiing is a lifetime sport because it can take that long to pay for the equipment.  Luckily, high school skiers can excel with basic – and reasonably affordable – gear:

Is used equipment good for racing?  Well-cared-for used equipment can be a godsend.  If you can find gear through swaps and exchanges, great, though make sure the used equipment is sized right for you. There are a lot of good deals at “swap sales” but if the skis do not fit you correctly they are worthless.  Just make sure that the boot and bindings “match.”, SNS or NNN.  No 3-pin boots and bindings will be allowed. If that is all you have and you are serious about being on the team then we will help you find other equipment.

Skis – At the high school level you should have 2 pairs of skis. Specific classic and skate skis are much better than “combi” skis and will save you time tuning and waxing. Though, if finances warrant then you certainly can use a pair of “combi” race skis for both skate and classic, though you will be doing a lot more waxing.

Boots – “Combi” or “pursuit” boots (they’re the same thing) are your best choice if you want to save money on ski equipment.  These boots will work well for both the classic and skate disciplines. Though as you improve you may prefer having separate classic and skate boots   Again, please make sure that your bindings and boots are on the same standard (SNS or NNN).

Poles – Your skier will need two sets of poles for the season, one pair for skate and the other for classic.  Most ski shops can help you pick the right size or use the following chart that is taken from the Akers website:

Skier Height	Classic Pole Length	Skating Pole Length
4'5"	110	120
4'7"	115	125
4'9"	120	130
4'11"	125	135
5"1"	125	140
5'3"	130	145
5'5"	135	150
5'7"	140	155
5'9"	145	155
5'11"	150	160

Skiers will be expected to have their classic poles (or an old pair of shorter poles) at most dry-land practices.  We’ll be using them for ski bounding.

Retailers - There are three decent Nordic retailers in the area: L.L. Bean, Boulder Nordic Sport East in Portland, Pineland Center, and Gorham Bike/Ski in Portland. I strongly encourage you to find out when these retailer’s have their “team nights” which are scheduled before the season starts. It is a great way to get discounts on new equipment.

Swap sales can be a good place to get equipment only if you know what to look for and how to determine size.

Please ask me if you have questions on sizing skis or poles.

Clothing and Accessories

You need to be warm, dry and comfortable in all kinds of weather since we will be practicing in sun, rain, snow and everything in-between. To this point, we reserve the right to send a skier home from practice if we believe they’re not dressed appropriately.  We will be outside for dry land training and may get wet and cold so make sure you have the correct clothing.

A basic clothing and gear check list includes:

• Wind-pants.  This can either be basic wind pants with long underwear or “Swix” type pants with a nylon facing.
• Windbreaker or equal.  Fleece insulation layer.  
• Socks.  I’m a big fan of thin polypro “liners” and “Smartwool” type outer socks.  Dry feet are warm feet.  Warm feet are happy feet.
• A warm, insulated jacket for before and after practice.
• Please avoid cotton.  Synthetic fleeces, polypro and other man-made materials are much more effective at keeping skiers warm & dry.
• Water bottle.  Athletes get dehydrated in the winter faster than in the summer.  And given all the germs floating around during a typical winter season, I would prefer that kids not share their water bottles.
• Ski Bag.  While not a necessity, a ski bag is something that I strongly recommend.  It’s a place to keep extra clothes at practice, makes getting on and off the bus easier and helps protect skis.
• Everyone should have ski straps, even if you have a ski bag!!
• EXTRA dry clothes for after practice - the best way to stay healthy is by changing your clothes immediately after practice. On Saturdays, you need TWO sets of dry clothes as athletes will change once during practice and again after practice.

Ski Room rules and Waxing

You can’t be a skier without knowing how to wax. One of the team goals is to ensure all athletes are able to prepare their skis for training and racing. This includes glide waxing, kick waxing and ski cleaning/prep. We will have several waxing clinics early in the season and everyone is expected to attend. As part of a team, experienced skiers are expected to help out with novice waxers when needed.

Most glide waxes fall into 4 categories: Full Fluorocarbon (Cera F), High Fluorocarbon (HF), Low Fluorocarbon (LF) and Hydrocarbon (CH). 80% of our skiing will be done on CH and LF waxes. For a couple key races the top skiers will have a choice of using HF or Cera F wax, depending on weather and snow conditions.

4 Teams will use this ski room so it must be kept neat and organized. Keep all bags and skis in the corners and away from the ski tuning/waxing areas. You are responsible for all waxing equipment and it must be put away when you are finished. The wax we have at the beginning of the season is all we will have so do not waste it or you may not have wax for the state meet. Even though alpine and Nordic are one team please remind alpine the wax is for Nordic only, we do not have enough wax for alpine to use it too.

Racing waxes and tuning equipment are not to be used for practice days. If wax and tuning supplies are not taken care of then they will be locked up till practice.

Race suits

We will have NEW race suits this year! Suits will be signed out to each skier for the season. You are responsible for these items all season. As the suits are new, please treat them well. You are responsible for replacing the suit if there is excessive wear and tear.

It is required that you wear the team race suit at all school races.

Transportation

A bus will be provided for weekly practices to Pineland Center. Juniors and seniors may drive themselves to practice. If you drive to Pineland then you are expected to return to the High School for the end of practice and team meeting. If you miss the team meeting and end of practice you have an unexcused practice day. If you drive to Pineland and are there before the team then you must behave professionally. Any reports of misbehavior will be grounds to remove your privilege to drive to practice.

There is no bus for Saturday and Holiday practices, we will meet at Pineland. Though if a Saturday practice is not in the Freeport area we will have a bus.

Everyone must ride the bus for weekly and Saturday races. No HS skier is allowed to drive themselves to the races. If you do drive to the race you will not race that day. On race days you may ride home with your parents if they sign a release form prior to leaving the race site.

What to bring to practice

Dry-land

Hat

Gloves

Light jacket/Rain jacket

Running shoes

Classic poles or old slightly shorter poles

Water bottle

Dry clothes for after practice

Snack for after practice

Extra Set of clothes to change into.

On-snow

Running shoes

Ski boots (2 sets)

Skis (2 sets)

Poles (2 sets)

It is best to have both sets of skis, poles, and boots at school. We may have to change ski technique depending on snow conditions.

Ski straps!!! Even if you have a ski bag please strap your skis to keep them in good condition and to keep kick wax away from other items in the bag

Hat

Gloves

Warm overcoat for waiting for bus or if it gets cold during practice

Water bottle

Dry clothes for after practice

Snack for after practice

Extra Set of clothes to change into