Goals!!

We are right around the corner from the end of the year Championships in ski racing. Now is the time to train hard and make some technical breakthroughs before the big races. However, now is also the time to plan ahead for those major competitions!

 

So, how do we get what we want out of these BIG competitions? First, we have to figure out what we want out of the competitions. A gold medal? A podium? A top 20? No matter what you hope to achieve, it will only happen if you ski your best. If you ski your best, the results will come. So, now your goal is simple - to perform on race day to the very best of your ability.

 

Figuring out how to ski your best should be relatively easy at this point since you've already been training for two months!

1. You now know what your race day nutritional and hydration needs are from experimenting on training days. Write them down and plan out your strategy for the championship weekend. Prep lots of food and drinks.

2. You now know your equipment needs for race day from experimenting all season in training. Get your list together and post it everywhere. Spend the night before the competition prepping all of your equipment and packing extra gear.

3. You now know your race day schedule and routine. Write it down and share it with your parents and coaches. Let them help you out during the day. Visualize your entire race day so it becomes a habit.

           

4. You now know what to focus on in the starting gate through your training sessions. Write down your Cue Words and tape them to your skis so all you have to do is look down right before you explode out of the gate.

5. You now know how much fun ski racing is as you have been loving it all season long! So, remember to enjoy the travel, the free skiing, the warm-up runs, the inspection, your teammates and especially the RACING! All of it is why you ski race... because it is so much fun!

 

If you prepare well and stick to your plan (and take a deep breath!), you will give yourself the best chance of success on race day. Good luck, dig deep and go for it!

FROM DOUG LEWIS-   If things don't go as planned...

For every Championship I won as a young ski racer, there were 30 other races that did not go very well - the time I forgot my boots on race day; the time I missed my start while riding the lift; the time I skipped inspection and missed gates; the time I went too straight through a flush and skied out; the time I hooked a tip on the first gate; the time I did not plan my bathroom breaks properly. And the list goes on.

 

The key was that each "failure" taught me something I could take forward and learn from. So, when I finally had progressed to "bigger" races, I had already made all the mistakes I could make and was able to ski my best when it counted. Learn from every run - whether awesome or a struggle!

A warm and loose muscle is a muscle that is prepped and ready to perform. If you watch ski racing on TV, you can see how much prep the World Cup racers do right before they start. You'll see them doing dynamic stretches, sprinting, working their core and doing agility exercises - all right before they start. They know that getting their muscles "fired" up is essential for optimal performance when it's time to race.

 

So, how can you get your muscles ready?

 

For starters, plan out your schedule. Figure out how much time you need at the start to do all the things necessary to prepare your equipment and yourself mentally so that you're race-ready. Be sure to factor in how long the lift takes to get to the course and when you need to load that lift to arrive with enough time to prepare. Also good to know where the bathrooms are, just in case! Figure out your schedule so you arrive at the start with enough time for bathroom breaks, equipment prep, mental preparation and then add an extra 10 minutes for your physical warm-up.

 

Here's the Routine...

Warm Up. First get your heart rate up and your muscles warm by simply moving. This could be many things; running around the start area for 5 minutes, dancing for a complete song, passing around a soccer ball in the snow, doing jumping jacks.

 

Dynamic Stretching. Pick your f ive favorite moves. They could be; Frankensteins, Over-Unders, Inchworms, Skips, Lunges, Oil-Riggers, etc. Feel your joints going through a wide range of motion while warmed up.

 

Core. Your core is so key to skiing. It is the connection between the chaos of your lower body, and the technical and balance moves in your upper body. Every movement in ski racing starts with a strong core. So, let's wake up your core so it's ready to rip down that course. Pick your favorite three exercises and do two sets of ten. Crunches, Russian Twists, Bicycles, etc.

 

Sprints. Lastly, it is time to fire your muscles FAST. Do 2-3 short sprints in your ski boots. Preferable uphill. At this point it  should be about 3-5 minutes before your start. 

It's Go-Time- When you have a great warm-up, your muscles and your brain will be ready to rock the course!!!