Prep/Comp Update
With the first block of summer training in the books, athletes are rounding out the first phase of their base building period in the yearly training cycle. Training included a "test week", a volume week (heavy on training hours), a medium week (touching base with all facets of dry-land training), and a recovery week (designed to bounce back and build into the next training block). The test week includes the 3000m running time trial, a 1.6 mile trail running time trial, the canadian strength test, and a double pole time trial. Even though the first test week is meant to establish a baseline of results so athletes can measure their progress throughout the summer, many athletes established personal records. This not only speaks to their development as an athlete over the years, but their commitment to staying in shape and training on their own during the off season months. An archive of team test results over the years can be viewed here. In these uncertain times, team spirit, comraderie and commitment to the sport is keeping the program moving forward. As the team charges forward through the next couple of months, attendance for this time of year has been at an all time record. New athletes are moving up from the Junior team onto the Prep team and we're retaining one of our senior athletes, Birch Klomparens, as our first ever post-grad athlete.
Junior Team Update
In adhering to our long-term-athlete-development plan and through observing the progression of athletes in the program, we feel that it's important to allow an opportunity for Junior level athletes to stay active in some level of training and team engagement during the summer months. Basic strength training, ski imitation drills, running, games, and an introduction to roller-skiing allows Junior level athletes to preview what's involved in Nordic dry-land training and provides an opportunity to build upon some basic base building endurance, strength and technique training. On Monday's and Wednesday's Junior team athletes have been joining the Prep and Comp team for a portion of their training and they are also integrating some fundamental roller ski technique work. If your athlete was on the Junior team this past year or was on the Development team and in 5th grade and they're interested in joining to training group, contact Nordic Program Director Ben Morley - bmorley@jhskiclub.org
Fine Tuning the Nordic Pathway
We're constantly observing athletes as they progress through the program and tweaking the practice and training plans in a way that best benefits long-term-athlete-development. The structure of the Junior team will change slightly for the upcoming year in that there will be only 3 days of training (Mon, Wed, Fri), when the regular season starts. However, for up and coming and more experienced Junior Team athletes, we'd like to incorporate a 4th day of training on Tuesday whereby the Head Junior Coach will take this group to train with the Prep team. This new program also includes two days of summer training where athletes have an opportunity to engage with the more experienced Prep and Comp team athletes. We feel like this is the best way to ease the transition onto the Prep Team, to offer a chance to see what's involved, and to learn about the team dynamic while finding some inspiration from older athletes.
