Spring is a time of transition for the Nordic program as we take time in April to relax and reflect on the season. A lot of the program's athletes have been staying active with spring sports and using this transition time to learn and practice a different set of athletic demands that compliment their development of a becoming a well rounded athlete. We encourage this type of activity all the way through May as we slowly progress into a year round period based training program for the Prep and Comp team athletes, starting May 30th.
At the Prep and Comp team level, athletes begin to understand that the most important time to make significant progress in their fitness and technique is during the summer months. Just as Prep and Comp team athletes follow a yearly training cycle, they're sticking to a monthly and weekly cycle that is designed for peak performance come February and March. The training philosophy adheres to the idea that everything built upon the previous period, and without a strong foundation there is less for an athlete to fall back on when the going gets tough.
We often emphasis level 1 volume training in June, July and August but we also make sure that athletes are touching base with all training zones and all aspects of training in each week and month. We introduce intensity training with level 3 threshold interval workouts to be sure athletes don't peak with their speed to early. With a similar intention of building a foundation, general strength training plays a major role in summer training before we transition to more specific strength workouts on roller skis and skis. The overarching goal of continuing our programing through the summer is to teach young athletes healthy lifestyle habits and to give them an arena to set and accomplish process, performance and outcome goals.
On top a terrific opportunity for personal growth and development, the beauty of training for cross-country skiing year-round is the experience of participating in so many different activities. Running, roller skiing, playing team games, agility, strength training, biking, swimming, and hiking are just some of the activities that serve to develop not only a great cross-country ski racer, but a well round athlete that becomes agile to different life challenges.
Summer adventuring. 2016
Regular scheduled training for the Prep and Comp team begins May 30th. The following week many of the athletes will be traveling to Mt. Bachelor for an on snow and dry-land camp. We will finish the volume week of training on the beach in Pacific City, Oregon for some surfing and beach time!
Annabel Hagen at Mt. Bachelor. 2016
Development team and Junior team training will begin June 19th and will be held during the Prep and Comp team strength training sessions. Younger athletes will have the benefit and influence of joining the Prep and Comp team for some parts of their workout before they focus on more basic and fundamental aspect of training that are specific to their phase of development.
For more information on summer training and camps see our summer training page.
In other Nordic news:
Over the years the Nordic program has been looking at ways to extend it's program offerings to the elite level, beyond junior racing. The added value to JHSC is the influence of elite level athletes who are able to set a different kind of example to junior athletes than a coach. We think the most effective and realistic way to introduce this is through a week long summer collegiate level camp. For this camp to financially benefit the junior Nordic program, we are seeking inexpensive or free housing for 8-10 athletes from July 31st to August 6th. Please be in touch with Ben - bmorley@jhskiclub.org. General information about the camp can be found here.
If you have any summer programing questions don't hesitate to get in touch with Nordic Program Director, Ben Morley - bmorley@jhskiclub.org or Prep and Comp coach Scott Lacy, slacy@jhskiclub.org.
