Happy September!
Our fall training block has gotten off to a strong start here in Bozeman, with the team reconvening from various training destinations in the latter part of August. Mornings have started to get cooler again, and although the sun is still strong and afternoons sessions still sweaty, it feels like a short matter of time before we start awaking to snow capping the peaks of the Gallatins and Bridgers.
This climate has been welcome and is a far cry from the humid days I spent with teammates in the Midwest a few weeks back. Simon, Reid, Hannah, Erin and I enjoyed a lovely week of training at Erin’s home in Ely, Minnesota, with as much emphasis on cuisine, saunas, and swimming as the low-altitude intensity training we carried out. The trip east culminated in a technique and speed clinic we put on for masters and juniors in the greater Minneapolis area on Saturday the 26th. With Andy joining us in the Twin Cities, we welcomed a wide array of motivated skiers, from beginners to top juniors, for a big day talking technique, activation, agility, and mobility.
The day began at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, a mecca for midwestern skiers and the site of the upcoming 2024 World Cup. Though tired from a week of hard training, it took little more than a cup of coffee and fifteen awesome juniors to get me fired up for the day. We went through exercises in hip mobility, dynamic movements, and body position before activating some of our most powerful ski muscles – our glutes – with monster band steps, pushes, and jumps.
Body position and muscle recruitment were the theme of the clinic for all participants. Proper body position allows not only for a stable and balanced glide, but for the most powerful and efficient force application. Activation exercises ensure the muscles we hope to use are firing and ready to perform. Furthermore, isolating particular muscles in warmup can make it easier to feel that muscle while skiing and focus on using it in your push and glide; it also helps strengthen the brain-muscle nervous connection so that you’re maximizing the power potential of your body.
Following the warmup, it was onto rollerskis with the juniors. They did a great job executing a variety of skate drills focused on weight transfer, balance, and speed – using no poles, one pole, and variations of the double pole with dynamic retrieval and dynamic crunch phases. When it comes to rollerski drills, Andy knows no peer!
The real fun came last with an agility course and some head-to-head starts, where the junior athletes got to test their new skills against the Pro Team. I was impressed with everyone’s attentiveness and willingness to try new things, as well as the energy that each athlete brought to the clinic. What fun!
The afternoon brought an equally dedicated group of master athletes for our dryland and rollerski technique clinics. We began on foot, practicing our ski imitation techniques: bounding and ski walking. These techniques are best practiced on an incline and mimic the diagonal stride of classic skiing. We practiced using a fluid arm swing and stepping forward with an impulse, like setting your kick in the classic tracks. Following this technique work, we moved into some explosive drills – “spenst” – mostly jumping in different combinations and directions, with the goal of developing power and velocity in our ski muscles. In these exercises, landing in a balanced body position, ready for the next explosive movement, is as important is the jump itself when transferring to snow.
After tiring ourselves out on foot we got to work on the rollerskis again, moving through many of the same drills as with the junior athletes. Most of the group demonstrated noticeable improvements in confidence and balance on skis and the only two wipeouts were minor!
We were blessed with moderate temperatures for our long day out in the sun, and Jonny Pops of Minneapolis was generous enough to treat all of our athletes to a frozen treat after the clinic. The day was a lot of fun and we look forward to hopefully running similar clinics in the future. A big thanks to everyone who came out, and to Jacob from enjoywinter.com for supporting the clinic with his fleet of Swenor rollerskis!
Good luck with fall training to everyone. Until next time!
Willson
