Monday 26 February 2024

Week of Feb 26 - The Pursuit of Fun

    


Where's Walden???

What a great weekend of skiing by ALL of Team Hardwood at this past weekend's Ontario Cup #5 just outside Sudbury.

The weekend began with a short Interval Classic race on Saturday afternoon and finished on Sunday Morning with Mass Start Skate for the U12's and U10's and a "Pursuit" Skate, which is where skiers we sent off based on their time from the Classic, for the U14's!

The Team as a whole had great results, but what the coaches are most proud of is how much each of you has improved this year.  Your strength has improved, your fitness has improved, and most importantly your technique has improved!

We were very pleased when one of our skiers came past by how great you all looked on your skis.

There is one final weekend of racing upcoming, so let's follow the Team Hardwood moto - "We Ski Best at the End"!

Tuesday - TBD

As HSB is slated to close to protect the trails as this warm/wet mix of weather passes through tomorrow, we won't be able to ski on their trails.

I'll be out tomorrow looking for a spot for some "on-snow" fun in the Oro-Medonte area.  This could include some off-trail skiing, tobogganing, and some snowy hill running.

I'll set the location - which will be very close to HSB - by Noon tomorrow.  You'll need older skis, a sled/tube/toboggan, waterproof clothing, good boots, and a headlamp.

The practice will run until 1900 with some Candy at the end for any who comes on this adventure with us.

Saturday – Ontario Youth Champs (Day One) or Hardwood Loppet

For those of you traveling North to Sault St. Marie, please have a read-over the Race Notice HERE.

Bronwen and Sarah will be leading this group with LOTS of parents to support.  Please watch your email for a forthcoming note about weekend details, pre-ski time, etc.

For those of you like me who are staying closer to home and racing at HSB, please read the Race Information HERE.

I will have liquid wax and a structure tool available between 1145 and 1200 to do any touch-ups on your skis.  Adding structure - think bigger groves to deal with water - will be very important, so please find me in the RED shipping container between The Chalet and the Groomer Building.

Sunday – Ontario Youth Champs (Day Two) or Midland Ski Cross

Here's hoping that the snow in Midland will hold on so that the Ski Cross can be hosted.

If this is possible, from what I've heard they will open registration later in the week once the warm/wet weather has passed - stay tuned!

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Monday 19 February 2024

Week of Feb 19th - Walden OCUP

   


Nicely Done SNOW!

What a welcomed surprise greeted us this past weekend with snow, snow, and some more snow too!

Kudos to those who braved the weather and traveled to Hepworth on Sunday for their Skate race.

Lastly a special congratulations to Elliot Verheyen and Islay Lash for representing Team Hardwood and SOD (Southern Ontario District) at this past weekend's Ontario Winter Games.  They traveled to Thunder Bay with a group of nearly 30 athletes from the area born in 2010, 2009, and 2008.

The event consisted of a 1km Sprint Skate race on Saturday, a four-person Skate Relay (4 x 2km) on Saturday afternoon, and a 5km Interval Start Classic on Sunday.  On Sunday both Elliot and Islay placed 6th among the 2010's - well done to you both!

Tuesday - Classic at HSB

We will work on striding this week and we will send out some recommendations on Wax in the afternoon

Arrive at The Chalet by 1720 and meet at the Map Board by 1730.

Headlamps are required as we will be heading out for a Trail Ski for the majority of the practice.  No Light - No Ski!

The practice will run until 1900.

Saturday – Walden OCUP - Classic

Please have a read over the Race Notice HERE for this weekend's Ontario Cup hosted in Naughton just outside Sudbury.

We will look to arrive by 1030 so that we can begin our pre-ski by 1100 before the trails close by 1130.  That gives everyone time for a quick snack before the U14, U12, U10, and U8 races start at 1200.

NOTE - If you do need the Team to do your Grip Wax you will need to drop your skis off before 0930

We will stay around after the Classic races to check out the Skate courses between 3:30-4:00PM before heading to the Hotel.

Sunday – Walden OCUP - Skate

The Skate races are due to start at 0900 with the older skiers (i.e. U18, U16, and U14) going first with a Pursuit Start!

This format has the first skier in each category from the Saturday leading off and they are followed by the others starting behind according to their time from the day before.  It makes for some fun racing!

The U12, U10, and U8 skiers owing to their shorter distances will do mass starts instead.

The racing should wrap up by late morning and apparently, there is a Birthday Party at 11:00AM for anyone who has a birthday this year!

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Monday 12 February 2024

Week of Feb 12th - The Sound of Fun

  


Skiing FAST is Fun!

There certainly was some great skiing on display this past Saturday at Georgian Nordic for "The Sounder".

Hats off to the waxing team led by Harry and David for testing and selecting the best wax and for all the parents for their support and encouragement.

There were also a few parents who got to partake in the "Type II Fun" in the afternoon's Skate race as well!

We also had some fun on Sunday on "The Bowl Loop" at Hardwood.  Thanks to Jamie and Luke for leading the Team through "The Krunch" as we put those cornering and agility skills we've been working on into true practice!

Best of luck to Islay Lash and Elliot Verheyen as they're off to the Ontario Winter Games in Thunder Bay this weekend representing the Southern Ontario District (SOD).  They will be joined by Anna, Holly, Percy, and Thomas - all graduates of the Junior Team - as well as others from the Senior Team with Jack, Jason, Bronwen, and Harry supporting as coaches.

Lastly, we would all like to wish Ava a bon voyage on her upcoming exchange to France!

Tuesday - Skate at HSB

We will work on our One-Skate this week.

Arrive at The Chalet by 1720 and meet at the Map Board by 1730.

Headlamps are required as we will be heading out for a Trail Ski for the majority of the practice.  No Light - No Ski!

The practice will run until 1900.

Saturday – Classic at HSB

With the predicted snow on Thursday night, we should be in okay shape for Classic on Saturday.

If the Sochi Extension parking lot is open, I'd like us to meet there to work on Double Poling around the Extension.  We'll send out a note beforehand to confirm the start location and waxing.

The meeting time will be 0920 so we can start right at 0930 with practice running until 1130.

Sunday – Skate

We will meet at the Chalet by 0920 and then gather at the Map Board by 0930.

We will be doing some drills, a 45min to 1hr steady trail ski, and then some SPRINTS back at the Teaching Flats.

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Monday 5 February 2024

Week of Feb 5th - Sweet Times at HSB

 


What a Sweet Weekend of Skiing!  And Pancakes!

What a great sunny weekend of skiing at HSB as we take some time to prepare for this Saturday's race at Georgian Nordic - The Sounder.

There are actually two sets of races, Classic races in the morning and Skate races around lunchtime.

The Classic races are part of the SOD series and will be our main focus, but we encourage ALL skiers to register for both Classic and Skate as the distances are very manageable.

We'll send a note out about waxing for this event.  We will once again have the Wax Trailer to Grip Wax skis.  If you arrive early enough we will also be able to do some basic Glide Waxing too.

More details to follow later in the week, but registration closes at midnight on Thurs Feb 8th - click HERE to sign-up today.

Tuesday - Skate at HSB

We'll be working on AGILITY this Tuesday and spending the majority of the practice in and around the Teaching Flats

Arrive at The Chalet by 1720 and meet at the Map Board by 1730.

Headlamps are required and the practice will run until 1900

Saturday – The Sounder

We will send out an email later this week with details on ski drop-off times, pre-ski time, etc.

The weather looks to be warm on Thurs and Friday, but the good news is that the Parry Sound area has even more snow than HSB, so they should be able to "weather" this warm spell and host the event as planned

Sunday – Skate

We will meet at the Chalet by 0920 and then gather at the Map Board by 0930.

We will be doing some drills, a 45min to 1hr steady trail ski, and then some SPRINTS back at the Teaching Flats.

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Monday 29 January 2024

Two Races instead of None


If you're not looking, you'll miss us we're going so Fast!

What a surprise to be able to have two races this past weekend when the prospects for both mid-week weren't looking great.

I wanted to post a quote from Bronwen, who coached at both races, that I'd like everyone to read and reflect on:

"Sunday conditions were extremely challenging!  Many of you have not skied in those types of conditions or used the world’s stickiest ski wax (klister) before!  If you’re not happy with your race results from the weekend, hang in there!  We are just starting our season and there are lots of races to challenge yourself on.  Some of the best skiers in the world are in their late 20’s and early 30’s because it takes a long time to get really good a cross country ski racing - every day is different!  Consistency is key in endurance sport.  The more often you can get out on your skis or be active (if you don’t live close to somewhere with snow) the more often you’ll do well on the race course!  I’m super proud of everyone’s efforts this weekend!"

With the snow we have now as well as some more consistent weather, we want to take advantage of it to work on improving our technique each and every time we ski.

Tuesday - Classic at HSB

Building on the racing this past Sunday, we will continue to work on our double poling technique as well as fast hill climbing!

Arrive at The Chalet by 1720 and meet at the Map Board by 1730.

Headlamps are required and the practice will run until 1900

NOTE - We will send out recommendations for grip wax tomorrow early afternoon and we will be able to assist with waxing from 1700 to 1720 outside The Chalet.  Skins or Crowns are also a good option if you have them.

Saturday – Skate at HSB

Please arrive at 0920 and meet at the Map Board just outside the Chalet.

We will work on One Skate as well as play a few fun games

Practice will run until 1130.

Sunday – Classic on the Sochi Extension

We'll meet at the Parking Lot for the Sochi Extension - click HERE for directions.  The address is 2024 Line 6 North, Oro Station.

We will continue to work on Double Poling as well as do a fun Time Trial around "The Forest Loop"

We will send out grip waxing recommendations on Saturday night and practice will run until 1130.

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