November has arrived and race season is just around the corner (or already started if you’re a World Cupper). So, now is the time when parents start to communicate (usually unconsciously) expectations for their young racers and, in turn, when those young racers can start to feel the weight of expectations that are placed on [...]
One of the most frequent comments I hear from the racers I work with is: “I had a lousy day of training.” This statement was almost always accompanied by a variety of emotions that are neither pleasant nor helpful including frustration, anger, worry, doubt, and disappointment, and, occasionally, despair. Moreover, I saw that this assertion [...]
Because ski racing isn’t a team sport in the usual sense of the word, little is attention is given to the influence that individual athletes can have on a ski team, whether healthy or toxic. Nor do we often think about how a team in ski racing can have a significant effect on the performances [...]
Being a ski coach is a tough job. There is everything you need to know about conditioning, technique, tactics, equipment, and, of course, the mind. There are the logistics of organizing training, travel, and races for a group of athletes, and adapting to the ever-changing conditions inherent in ski racing. There are also the not-very-fun [...]
It’s hard to believe that we are only weeks away from the start of another ski season. The snow guns are blasting in Colorado and I will be on snow with athletes soon. For some of you, I’m sure you’re excited to be able to snap into your skis again after being off snow for [...]
In my last ski racing post, I shared with you my list of Dos for Ski Racing Parents. In general, I much prefer to focus on the positives of behavior and, in that article, emphasized what you can do to help your ski-racing children have a great experience in our sport, ski their fastest, and achieve [...]
In my recent ski racing articles, I’ve been focusing on how racers can use the fall to get maximally prepared to perform their best when race season begins. Well, with winter approaching, there’s another stakeholder in our ski racing community who also needs to get ready for the demands of the race season: Parents! As [...]
It’s late September. If you’re serious about your ski racing, this means you’re back to school and hip deep in an intense physical conditioning block. You’ve been at it all summer and there’s another few months of busting your butt before you get to do what you love to do, namely, get back on snow. [...]
It’s hard to believe the summer, what I consider Phase I of the ski racing prep period, is over. Hopefully, the summer was devoted to building the foundation for your success next winter. In all likelihood, your efforts focused on three areas. First, you engaged in an intensive physical conditioning program. The reality of ski [...]
It’s been my observation that the best ski racers in the world don’t just do what most other ski racers do. It reminded me of one of my favorite sayings (which I invented), “If you want to ski like everyone else, be like everyone else,” in other words, do what everyone else is doing. Instead, [...]
