Freeride Program Update: November 2023
Winter is right around the corner! We’re now less than a month out from the first lifts spinning! For Freeride, October has been a busy month of getting prepped for the season. Our staff has been working hard on coaching licenses and certifications. The kids have been building strength at dryland training and air awareness at Axis gymnastics.
Axis Gymnastics Training
Axis training has been going great! We are happy to offer more training sessions with our partners at Axis Gymnastics than ever before for Freeride. Trampolines are a very helpful tool for getting ready for the season. More trampoline time means less warming up tricks during the season. Fall Axis training continues through November 17th.
Dryland Training
Dryland training is off and running (pun intended)! Mondays we focus on cardio, Wednesdays are for strength and Friday is fun-day where we all skate together and play pickup soccer matches. Dryland training goes a long way towards getting bodies strong for the upcoming season. Those who take it seriously have a much easier time transitioning to winter!
Here’s what Comp team member Porter Farren has to say about pre-season training:
“Every year I am out of shape and not ready for winter but once the snow starts flying ski season is on. Dry land is a key factor for my progression because you can’t progress without strength. We do really fun activities that help you get strong for ski season. We play speed ball and run laps for cardio. We do workouts such as squats, pushups and tons of other strength training for winter. On a powder day, when the lines are crazy long, how else do you get powder but the White Spide?. Axis is also key for trick progression. These practices help us with balance in the air and while we do our tricks. Dryland and Axis training with our incredible coaches help take our skills to the next level!” - Porter Farren Competition Team
USASA 100 Coaches Course
This season we’re happy to offer an in-house coaching clinic for all coaches. This will maintain our tradition of having all coaching staff certified to a minimum of the USASA 100 level. Andy Lex will be returning as our coaches trainer for this course. Great staff means great training and we’re very excited to provide this educational opportunity for each and every one of our coaches to ensure the best possible experience for all the kids!
The IFSA (Big Mountain Competition) Series Structure Changes are Complete!
U12s: Unchanged moving forward, no U12 athletes will be allowed to compete at Junior National Events.
12-18s:
Ranked Series: Athletes have 52 weeks to accumulate points and maximize their Region 2 (North and South America) Ranking. In mid-April of each year, immediately following the Junior Freeride Championships, all Region 2 Athlete’s rankings are reset to zero, and a new competition year begins. An athlete’s ranking is the sum of their top three regular season finishes from their first four competitions + their JFC result.
Seeded Athletes: Cumulative organization of one athlete over another, for the purpose of fair event registration. Seeding is different from ranking. An athletes’ seed consists of their top three point earning results from the previous 52 weeks, at the time of calculating the seed. Freeride utilizes a rolling seeding list, meaning that there is a perpetual addition of an athlete’s top 3 point earning results from the previous 52 weeks, no matter the calendar date on which seeding is being calculated or viewed.
Competition Registration: During registration for any event, every athlete will have 72 hours to complete their registration, and all athletes will be immediately put on a waitlist.
Regional 2* Events: Once the 72-hour registration window comes to a close, the top-seeded athletes will be moved off the waitlist and confirmed until 50% of the event is full. The remaining 50% of event starts will be awarded by registration timestamp.
National 3* Events: Once the 72-hour registration window comes to a close, the top-seeded athletes will be moved off the waitlist and confirmed until 90% of the event is full. The remaining 10% of event starts will be held until three weeks before the competition, to allow athletes to move up the seeding list during the competition season. Three weeks prior to the start of a 3* event, the 10% registration window will close, and remaining top-seeded athletes will be moved off the waitlist and confirmed until the event is 100% full.
Max 4 Ranked Events: Athletes have four competitions to build their regular season ranking. If an athlete participates in more than four events, these additional events are classified as “friendlies”. “Friendly” athletes can still achieve podium positions and receive event prizes, but no ranking or seeding points will be assigned. Note that “friendly” athletes are only accepted to a competition once all other athletes have been accepted.
Competition Registration Timelines
Regional 2* Events: Event registration will close between 4 and 8 weeks before an event, depending on the Region. Each Region is different, and has been empowered by the IFSA BOD to select the 2* Registration timeline which best suits its population.
National 3* Events: Event registration will happen the first week of December. Details to be released ASAP.
FJWC and JFC Points
Junior Freeride Championships: Points earned at JFC’s are added to every JFC athlete’s seasonal ranking. Points earned at JFC’s are also considered when calculating an athlete’s 52 week seed. It is possible that an athlete who does poorly at JFC’s will have three higher results at other competitions, so it is not 100% a rule that JFC points will influence an athlete’s seed.
Freeride Junior World Championships: Points earned at FJWC’s are only considered for an athlete’s 52 week seed. The point value for FJWC results is the same as for JFC’s (uses the same points table). No season ranking points are awarded to Region 2 athletes competing at the FJWC’s.”
-Via the latest IFSA rope drop email
IFSA Registration
New this season, each region is enacting regional dues. This will allow the Region to have a dedicated regional delegate and improve the overall competition experience for athletes. We are a part of the Northern Region. Upon registration you’ll need to pay both regional and overall IFSA dues. If you’ve got any other questions, watch the video HERE for more information.
Looking forward:
11/4: “Flying High Again” Premiere: Teton Gravity Research and the Bridger Teton Avalanche Center have invited us to attend their premiere of . More info HERE.
11/5: Pre-Season Railjam: Carving the Future is hosting a pre-season Railjam at the base of Snow King! This is a great time to hike some rails with friends and get the rust off! Details TBD.
11/9-11/10: Staff and Parent Wilderness First Aid: We’re partnering with NOLS to offer an in-house training open to staff and parents. There are still spaces available, contact Laura Paul ( laura@jhskiclub.org ) with any questions!
11/11-11/12: Student Wilderness First Aid: This course is open to all JHSC enrolled student-athletes. The minimum age is 14. There are still spaces available, please contact Laura Paul ( laura@jhskiclub.org ) with any questions!
11/17: Last day of Dryland and Axis training.
11/24: JHMR and SK opening day! We’ll see you on the hill!
12/2: First day of winter training for all teams.
12/9: Black Tie, Blue Jeans Ski Ball! More info HERE.
Thanks all for tuning in! As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns - Collin
