Prep/Comp Update
As the colors have been changing, the Prep/Comp athletes have been sticking with their training and going hard! Now that we can just about smell Winter, the stoke is building, and the payoff of a long hard summer of training is almost in sight. This time of year, we transition from mostly volume training and lactate threshold work into higher intensity race-pace training. We have been increasing the interval intensity and frequency while also adding in plyometric workouts, explosive strength work, and speed. We have multiple sets of intervals this week, followed by our last Test week of the summer, followed by the Schutzenski Festival at Soldier Hollow, UT. By the middle of October, the athletes will be well on their way to sharpening their speed and race pace just in time for the Winter to start!
During Fall, we have a great cohort of full-time Nordic athletes but we also have many multi-sport athletes who train and compete in other sports as well! The training philosophy of the Nordic program encourages participation in multiple sports throughout the year and we believe that competition in other sports creates healthy, well-rounded athletes. This year we have many Nordic athletes combining their ski training with the NICA mountain biking team for Jackson Hole Composite, including Sam Sinclair, William Baxter, Kaya Kandolin, and Colton Petsch. Racing in the middle school division are Junior Summer Team athletes Charlie von Maur-Newcomb, Callum Kuszak, Jack & Peter Mayer, Ryan Murphy, Anna Baxter, Enzo Callari, Tommy Johnson, Micah Weenig, and Whit Hall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Nordic athletes tend to be very competitive in cross-country mountain biking as well, and we have seen some standout performances! Kaya, Colton, Jack, and Charlie have been on the podium multiple times while others have posted great top 10 finishes! Awesome work! Competing for the JHHS cross-country running team are Ellie Wheeler and Abby Murphy: these two girls have been absolutely tearing it up on the high school circuit this year.
Way to go team!
Fall Events
This Fall we will kick things off with Team Night at Skinny Skis on October 4th, followed by the annual JHSC Ski Swap on October 15th! Come meet the coaches and get deep discounts on JHSC gear at Skinny Skis, which is offering 30% off gear for team families the night of the 4th! If you don't find what you need on Team Night, head to the Ski Swap and look for Nordic gear while you peruse the hottest powder ski deals of the year. This is a huge fundraiser for the Club, so come get your gear at Heritage Arena on October 15th!
These events will be followed by the annual Trail Creek Cleanup on October 29th. We will be buffing out the trails and getting prepared for winter out at Trail Creek, so bring the whole family and pitch in! This is also a great opportunity to fulfill your Club work deposit credit! Job signups will open in early October, and we hope to see you all out there!
Trail Creek Winter Calendar
Looking forward to the Winter, we will be hosting some great events at Trail Creek. First up will be the Betty Woolsey Classic on December 26th, our traditional community Classic race. This is a great opportunity to ski with alumni, families, and community members in a festive winter atmosphere!
We are bringing back the Moose Chase this Winter on February 11! This long-distance skate race features categories for everyone, from 25k to the 0.5k "Mini Moose Chase". All Nordic lovers from Jackson Hole and the surrounding area will be welcome for this great event.
Finally, we will be hosting Wyoming State High School Nordic Ski Championships at Trail Creek from February 24-25 at Trail Creek! Come see the best skiers in the state duke it out for the State Championship on our home trails! JHSC athletes have historically done extremely well in this event, and we are looking forward to mixing it up with the other high school skiers from across Wyoming.
