Tech Nordic Ski Team Handbook

Transcription

1 Tech Nordic Ski Team Handbook Winter A Tradition of Excellence and A chievement

2 Philosophy Nordic skiing is a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. It requires strength, endurance, balance, technique, and mental toughness and we the coaches hope to guide you in improving in all of these areas. Setting and working towards a set of goals will help us as individuals and members of a team make the most of the season. Whether you ve never been skiing and your goal is simply to finish a 5k without falling down, or if you re a little more experienced and hope to finish in the top ten at the state meet or anything in between you will find a place on our team. And no matter what your physical goals are, having fun and enjoying the sport and the time with friends should also be a goal. Remember that the only person who can accomplish your goals is you. Your coaches and teammates will support you along the way, but the hard work and determination have to be your own. Stay safe, have fun, work hard. Practice Practices will be held at a variety of locations, and will run from 3:45-5:45pm. We will begin the season with dryland training at Tech, including running and roller-skiing routes around St. Cloud. Most practices will be held at Riverside Park. With good snow, skiing locations may include the North Loop or the Graystone Trail system. Come to practice expecting to work! South students will be able to take PS-6 to Tech for dryland training. It is the first bus to depart South. When practices move to Riverside a student shuttle system will look to be set up. Attendance The coaching staff expects our student athletes to be at practice on time every day. Promptness to practice shows respect to your teammates and coaches. Consequences for excessive tardiness or unexcused absences can lead to meet suspension. Excused absences The coaching staff reserves the right to decide if an absence is to be excused or not. Excused absences include but are not limited to: -Funeral -Illness in family or student athlete illness -Doctor's appointments -Other unforeseeable events The coaching staff is more than willing to work with student athletes and their busy schedules. We do ask that you understand that we as a coaching staff are here to prepare our student athletes for competitions. Consistent practice attendance is vital for success in our sport. First unexcused absence = warning Second unexcused absences = meet suspension Third unexcused absence = removal from team

3 Transportation There will be bussing to all away meets scheduled. It is the expectation of the team that all participating athletes travel to and from meets on the team bus. Student athletes are expected to be at pick-up 15 minutes before the bus departure time; this ensures a prompt arrival time to the meet. If we are stopping on our way home for food, please make sure your student athlete has enough money, or have them pack a snack. If parents plan on attending the meet and have a special need to take home their athlete they must make contact with the coach, via , phone call, or in-person at the meet. You will only be allowed to take your student home. Financial Responsibility Student athletes are financially responsible for any items issued by Tech High School. If you lose or damage any of Tech's property you are responsible to pay the determined amount. You must turn in all items at the end of the season in the same condition minus normal wear and tear from seasonal use. Tech and its coaches are not responsible for lost or stolen items. If you choose to bring expensive items in the locker room or practice shelter, you are responsible for their whereabouts. Injuries No injury is too slight. Please report all injuries to the coaching staff. The coaching staff will always have a first aid kit readily available at meets or practices. The coaching staff CANNOT administer aspirin or any other medications taken orally or applied on the surface of one's skin. Any medical conditions must be reported on the student athlete's medical card. There will be a sports physician from St. Cloud Orthopedic Center available to injured athletes seeking treatment in the trainer s room on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:30-5:00. Academics The Tech High School Nordic Team coaches will monitor grades bi-weekly to make sure student athletes are succeeding in class. If you are failing a class, you need to show progress in the improvement of that failing grade or you will not be eligible to participate. Your academic success is ultimately more important than extra-curriculars, and you ll find colleges and employers agree. We are committed to working with parents, teachers and athletes to support academics. Drugs/Alcohol Tech Nordic Ski Team will follow the MSHSL rules for drug and alcohol use. This also includes mood altering chemicals, harassment of others and hazing. A meeting with the student athlete, coaching staff, and Activities Director will result from such a violation.

4 Dryland Training Dryland training is everything we do off snow, hopefully a short window of time. The team will be running, roller skiing (or rollerblading), strength training, and performing balance and plyometric drills. Roller skiing will be optional. For everyone who ll be roller skiing (or rollerblading) it will be mandatory you wear a HELMET! We will look to stay on paths whenever possible, however we need a variety of terrain for effective training. All rules of the road are to be followed. Safety is most important here. Dress Proper clothing is critical to the enjoyment for both dryland and ski training. Always dress in layers, you can shed clothes but you can t take off layers you don t have. Ideal clothing is wicking non-cotton clothing. Examples include: polyester, wool, synthetic material and fleece. We never want cold limiting your enjoyment of the sport. Team Clothing Each skier will be assigned their own racing kit, one bottom and one top. Each student is responsible for their kit for the entire season. Racing kits should only be worn on race days. Racing capes will be available each race to stay warm at the start line. We will be putting a Team order in for hats, neck gaiters/buffs with a closing order date mid November. Waxing Waxing is important to maintain your skis and ensure they perform well. We however don t want to waste time waxing inefficiently with the limited practice times. With the arrival of snow we ll be looking to wax weekly. Some skiers enjoy waxing their skis. If you do it well, you can gain an advantage over your competition with less effort. The coaches will be assigning ski wax groups. Waxing is a team activity and treated as a normal practice you will be required to stay for the entire practice even if your skis are completed. Helping inexperienced skiers and cleanup will be done along with dryland training if time permits. Each skier who waxes with low, high or pure fluros will be required to wear a respirator mask. All other students will wear a particulate mask while scraping and brushing their skis.

5 Additional Costs There are races events on the event calendar that will require an additional fee. The Maplelag Ski Trip and Coaches Relays are examples. These are not mandatory but are fun additions and goals for some athletes. Athletes will be expected to cover the cost of the event. Coaches Relays Coaches relays are a culmination of the ski season. The race takes place the day before the state meet. It is a reward for a hard season of racing. It is open to skiers who didn t qualify for the state meet. There are only four spots open for each team. The team make up will be at the coach s discretion. Regular attendance at practices and meets along with demonstrating a positive attitude, spirit, sportsmanship and teamwork will be some of the characteristics looked at. Fundraising This season we will be selling Spruce Pots winter interest pieces for outdoor home decoration. These funds will be used to supplement some of the Ski Trip fee, pay for ski wax, uniforms and ski equipment. Tech Nordic Skiing Lettering Policy 1. Normally, all first year skiers (regardless of grade), all junior high skiers (grades 7-8), and all skiers not meeting the criteria listed below will receive a CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION. 2. Lettering criteria: a. Regular attendance at scheduled practices (Monday-Friday) and meets. b. Demonstrate positive attitude/spirit/sportsmanship/teamwork. c. Coaches Discretion Any exceptions to the above will be made at the sole discretion of the coaching staff, and will be documented as such. Nutrition Nutrition is your body s energy source. Proper fuel allows for better performance, setting you up for success in racing and training. Parents try and give your athletes healthy snack options, fruits, veggies, trail mix, peanut butter and jelly and granola bars are some examples. Stay away from foods that are processed and have preservatives if possible. Trade in pop and concentrated juices with water. At meals, load up on vegetables and fruit and try to get your protein from lean meats, fish, eggs, and beans. Having a sports drink during harder practices will help you train stronger replacing electrolytes and sodium loss during exercise. Having a protein rich drink or snack post race or a hard work out will give your body the best recovery and allow you to train at the same level the next day.

6 What to Pack for Ski Races? LABEL ALL GEAR! 1. Mandatory items: - Ski bag - Skis, poles (skate and/or classical) - Boots - School racing suit - Hat, gloves - Water bottle (don t share!) - Dry clothes (e.g. winter jacket, footwear, etc.) 2. Optional items: -Healthy snacks -$$$$ for food, etc. -cell phone -something to read -music (w/earphones!) -sunglasses -any prescriptions (e.g. asthma inhaler) -blanket, pillow, sleeping bag Tech Nordic ski equipment and team gear is made possible in part by a grant from the District 742 Local Education Activities Foundation (LEAF). Contact Information Head Coach Lance Beuning Phone: Cell (320) Work: (320) ext Lance.Beuning@isd742.org Assistant Coach Peggy Scott Margaret.Scott@isd742.org We have a website!

7 Nordic Ski Meet Schedule Date Host Site Event Thu 12/03/2015 CHS/Apollo Riverside/PR* Thu 12/10/2015 Apollo Riverside/PR* Thu 12/17/2015 Cathedral Riverside/PR* Mon 12/21/2015 Brainerd Arboretum Tue 1/5/2016 Mora Nordic Center Fr,Sa,Su 1/8-10/16 Ski Trip Maplelag** Thu 1/14/2016 St John s St. Johns Mon 1/18/2016 Little Falls Camp Ripley Thu 1/21/2016 Willmar Away Tues 1/26/2016 CLC Brainerd Thu 1/28/2016 Jr Hi Champs Riverside Tues 2/2/2016 Section(8)meet Camp Ripley Wed 2/10/2016 Coaches Relay Race Giants Ridge** Thu 2/11/2016 State Tournament Giants Ridge Sign up for notification s at Select Tech High School lower right. Then click notify tab, top right. *Powder Ridge **Optional meets (Additional races maybe looked at by Coaching Staff and registered for on a deadline basis.)

8 We could use some help With ski season about to start up again, it is time to get the gear out, check it over, sort it and make plans for the new season. We have been very fortunate to receive some grants and funding (i.e. LEAF) in recent years to make equipment available to students who had never skied before. This has allowed our program to grow and give students access to Nordic skiing that had not been possible before. We have enjoyed momentum in growing the team and some of that is due to being able to offer newcomers to the team equipment to borrow while they find their footing in the sport. We would like to continue to offer new students to the sport access through borrowed equipment. To do this, also means that we need some students to move on into their own equipment. If you have borrowed from the team in the past and your student has enjoyed skiing and is eagerly awaiting the return of snow, please consider purchasing or renting skis/boots/poles for your skier this year. If you are considering acquiring your own equipment, there are a couple of ski swaps in the area in late October and early November that could help lower the cost of what you need. In fact, there are already some in the Cities. Check skinnyski.com for updates of preseason sales and swap events. There are people on hand knowledgeable in sizing to make sure you get a good fit. I would also recommend the great people at Revolution Cycle and Ski as well as Fitzharris Skis. Make sure you mention the team as there is a team member discount that may help as well.