With COVID affecting so much of the past few years, it has felt like a loooong time since we’ve had what I’d deem a “quintessential” week of MNC training. That means sweaty (and black fly-infested) morning workouts at the Range, groups gathering for snacks and lunch at the Jericho Town Green after practice, squeezing in some emails or other work in the early afternoon, meeting-up for a PM workout in Richmond or Williston, and refreshing the list of training logs to see who has recorded/reported on their activity for the day.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was about last week that felt so odd, and then it hit me. Last week felt like our first normal or just ordinary week of summer training since probably early August of 2019. Like everyone else in the world I just lost track of time and space over the course of the pandemic. How nice to feel a sense of normalcy even at such a strange and unique place as the Range!
Group shot: over 40 skiers strong and closing-in on 50 with signups trickling in!
Shoutout to our Tues/Thurs coaches Rosemary, Emily, and Rick. And don’t forget about Sara and Kirsten!
Being in a bit of a routine at the Range has also meant bringing back some of our favorite workouts and drills. From grass skiing to agility courses to relay races we’ve been able to incorporate a lot of different activities. With a really big group and a really wide spread of abilities and backgrounds, there needs to be a lot more emphasis on WHAT happens each day.
You can’t just show up and ski, and for some athletes the Tues/Thurs sessions may be the only rollerskiing of the week. So coaching becomes a puzzle piece trying to put together:
- A session that will be fun and engaging for everyone
- Drills or skills that provide a lot of learning for newer skiers, and challenge for returning skiers at the same time
- Components that add excitement or “hype” like relays or team challenges
- Work that provides the kind of fundamental ski skills that can be carried into fall sports and/or winter teams (even if they aren’t MNC)
- Workouts that teach more than just technique…for example a mock pre-race day so skiers can have a sense of what a warmup or a course preview might look like in the winter, rather than learning it on-site at an Eastern Cup!
A unique thing we like to do is the “wet leaves striding” drill. Maybe someday I’ll come up with a better name for it. Basically, rollerskis always have perfect kick because of the ratchet, and you can get bad habits always skiing with kick. In order to counteract that, we do an activity where I spread ferns all over a hill on the trail. Then I soak those leaves in water. THEN I spray [biodegradable] camp soap all over the leaves to make them even more slippery.
Skiers do some speeds next to the leaves, then try going right through them.
The drill has evolved over time, and I’ve learned better ways to teach it: what to describe, how to order the operations, the cues to remind people of. As we’ve done one activity, the athletes have become better skiers (I hope) and I’ve become a better coach (I hope).
Wet leaf cruisin’
Of course, we’ve still found time for some unique adventures. This past weekend we managed to fit 14 bikes into the MNC trailer (not just for winter use, mind you!) and scoot on up to Craftsbury where we met their Juniors for a triathlon of skiing, running, and biking. It was a super sunny and hot day that ended with some old fashioned ice cream churning to beat the heat. Thanks to the Craftsbury coaches and Juniors for having us over!
No wax, just bikes for now
Homemade ice cream!
