Cambridge Sports Union Junior Nordic
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CAMBRIDGE SPORTS UNION JUNIOR NORDIC HANDBOOK (Last updated April 2017) 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. MISSION STATEMENT……………………………………………………………………..3 II. DESCRIPTION OF CSU………………………………………………….4 III. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, CONTACTS AND CONTRIBUTORS……………………………………………………………… 4 IV. SKI TRAINING OVERVIEW…………………………………………10 V. PRACTICE SCHEDULES …………………................................10 VI. SAFETY……………………………………………………………………..14 VII. RACING PROGRAM……………………………………………………15 VIII. EQUIPMENT AND TECHNICAL SKILLS………………….19 IX. RECOVERY AND REST…………………………………………… 24 X. SPORTS NUTRITION………………………………………………….24 XI. CAMPS………………………………………………………………………27 XII. REFERENCES…………………………………………………………….28 2 I. MISSION STATEMENT Our club develops teenagers into high performing adults using skiing as our instructional tool. General Transferable Skills • Goal Setting • Planning • Logging • Progress assessment • Working with a coach (mentor) • Visualization • Resiliency Specific Ski Skills for Life • Daily fitness • Ski technique • Waxing • Clothing and gear choice • Nutrition and hydration • Physical fitness: strength, flexibility, stamina • Understanding of physiology Specific Short Term Ski Development • Make the USST / WC / Olympics (Corey Stock) • Make the USST / WJC / U-18 s, (Julia Kern, Leah Brams, Corey Stock, Eli Hoenig, Hilary Rich, Geoff Atkinson) • Race NCAA Champs (Eli Hoenig, Corey Stock, Chris Stock, Isaac Hoenig, Olivia Meyerson) • Race for a college team (too many to list) • Race at Junior Nationals • Race at EHS Champs • Race at U16 Champs • Race at State Champs • Race Eastern Cups • Race in high school leagues 3 II. DESCRIPTION OF CSU The CSU Junior ski-racing program (referenced simply as CSU in this document) is for junior athletes who turn 14 during this calendar year or are older. The motto of the club is “We have fun working hard and work hard at having fun” The program serves athletes who don’t have a school ski team or who are interested in additional coaching beyond what they receive in their high school program. It accepts up to 50 skiers for the year-round program. CSU has students from Acton, Boxborough, Andover, Concord-Carlisle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Dover-Sherborn, Reading, Wellesley, Belmont Hill, Wayland, Newton, Brookline and other schools. Graduates have gone on to ski for Williams, Dartmouth, Colby, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, Bates, Middlebury, Saint Lawrence, Harvard, Bowdoin, and others. CSU is interested in athletes who are motivated and willing to make a commitment to the sport. CSU coaches both classical and freestyle (skate) racing techniques. Most CSU athletes qualify for the Massachusetts U16 and Eastern High School teams. As members of these teams, they compete in the regional U16 Championships (ages 14- 15) and Eastern High School Championships (9th - 12th grades). Some athletes qualify for the New England team at the Junior National Championships and beyond. CSU believes the key to success in winter races is a year-round training program beginning in the spring. The program has the goal that each athlete will acquire and master the following knowledge and skills: • Setting goals • Planning training • Logging training and physical measurements • Ski technique • Nutrition for health and fitness • Physiology of training • Ski waxing • Ski equipment selection, use, and maintenance • Personal organization • Self-reliance • Confident performance in competitive events III. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, CONTACTS AND CONTRIBUTORS Structure: CSU Juniors falls under the umbrella of Cambridge Sports Union, a 501c organization that is a club for athletes of all ages that is a union of sections for running, skiing, and orienteering. The CSU Juniors organization is led by head coach, Rob Bradlee, and our team manager, Pat Decker. Also, the CSU Juniors Board oversees general operation of the juniors program. Coaches run practices and training. Members are student athletes, aged 14 – 18, who have a passion for Nordic 4 skiing. Parents are active in the support of the club. All participants support the club in a volunteer capacity. Head Coach: Rob Bradlee 617-320-4646 (c) [email protected] Team Manager: Pat Decker 781-801-5786 (c) [email protected] CSU Juniors Board: The CSU Board, comprised of coaches and parents, oversees the club’s management. Any concerns or questions relating to the structure or management of CSU should be directed to Kate Yoder, Board Chair. Kate Yoder, Board Chair Peter Hoenig - Secretary Jamie Doucett – Treasurer Amie Smith – General Member Bill Rieders – General Member Stuart Tucker – General Member Andrea Brue – General Member Hannah Parker – General Member George Atkinson – General Member Rob Bradlee – ex officio member as Head Coach Pat Decker – ex officio member as Team Manager Coaches: CSU coaches offer their time and knowledge in a volunteer capacity to develop the fitness and Nordic skiing skills of our student athletes. They represent a diverse group of adult athletes with experience competing both in the US and abroad. For full list of coaches and their bios, please visit: http://www.csuski.com/coaches If you have experience Nordic skiing and would like to join our team of coaches, please contact Head Coach, Rob Bradlee. Head Coach, Rob Bradlee – [email protected] Members: CSU has approximately 50 members, aged 14-18. The fee to join is $825. Registration for current members and graduates of the younger Eastern Mass Bill Koch League occurs during the first half of April. As of mid-April, and as space allows, CSU opens membership to additional skiers. CSU does not have coaching capacity to accept beginners. Applicants should be experienced and motivated skiers. If interested in applying, please send an email to Betsy Homa at: For more information, go to the membership section of the CSU web site: 5 http://www.csuski.com/season-sign-up Communication: All news and information is posted on the CSU web site at www.csuski.com. The web site is the primary source of information and updates for the club. CSU also asks that athletes and parents join the CSU Juniors email list. The CSU Juniors email discussion group makes it easy to send emails to everyone on the team, as well as receive announcements. It is the primary tool for coaches to communicate with the team. With so much activity, joining the discussion group is vitally important. To subscribe to the CSU Juniors email list, send an email to: [email protected]. You will need to confirm your email by replying to the first message you get. To get to the discussion group online, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/CSUJuniors Parent Volunteers: Parents are essential to the success of CSU. All athlete parents are encouraged to volunteer. Parents may be put abreast of volunteer opportunities by joining the CSU Juniors group email list at [email protected]. The Volunteer Coordinator, Karin Cole, posts volunteer and service opportunities through this group. Athlete parents also may contact Karin Cole directly via email at: [email protected] Below is a list of all volunteer positions. Parental involvement is key to the club’s success and strongly encouraged. CSU Parent Volunteer Job Descriptions Volunteer Coordinator Finds the volunteers to fill all jobs for the club. Newbie Parent Coordinator Answers all questions and concerns that new parents and kids might have upon joining CSU for the first time regarding practices, races, and equipment. etc. Team Membership Coordinator Handles the membership intake on-line, for returning CSU athletes and new rising BKL’ers, starting April 1st-15th. Monitors and maintains website for keeping most current up-to-date skier information. Will collect mailed annual membership dues checks and waivers, and then turn them over to our treasurer, Jamie Doucett. Open membership to any new members starts April 15th, if space available. Also compiles PDF file membership directory for team members with all names, addresses, and phone #’s at the end of May (or when registration is closed). 6 EC/JOQ Hotel/Motel reservations Negotiates best rate and makes group hotel reservations for he EC/JNQ race weekends. Sends out race schedule and venue reservations to club in early fall, so families can book rooms for the weekends they plan to attend. (If race at Craftsbury, had the option to coordinate one group reservation for 20% team discount). Some venues may allow for a team dinner on Saturday night, which this person would coordinate. (Example: the T&C in Stowe) Lunch Organizers Coordinates food for lunch table at all EC/JNQ weekends, as well as the two MA qualifying races, and at J2’s and/or EHS weekends (with Western MA parents). Clothing Czar Works with our clothing manufacturers to make sample sizes available for the team to try on at the November team meeting, then coordinates and oversees one time late fall team clothing order. Collects order forms and checks, and distributes clothing when it arrives ~4 weeks later. Annual Toko Wax Order Works with our Toko Wax rep and WST to make one time large team wax order purchase in the late fall. Collects and tabulates individual wax orders and checks from team members. Sorts and distributes wax orders when received from Toko. CSU Parent Wax Team Leader Leads CSU Parent Wax Team on race weekends. Sends out an email to the wax team to find out who can be at each of the race weekends, and what equipment they will bring (ex. wax bench, etc.) then assigns jobs to each team member, and makes sure there is a good flow under the wax tent from task to task, and that all race skis are completely done before race starts times. CSU Parent Wax Team (and the CSU Coaches) (always OPEN to new members joining us for the coming season!) The members of the CSU Wax Team make a commitment to the club to show up very early at the EC/JNQ weekends and stay until the job is done. You will have fun doing this job, in the cold, weekend after weekend, we promise! Wax Team also includes our CSU coaches, who test and determine all wax and grinds for the day.