Hey racers!

Great work last weekend from focusing on timing on Saturday and gradually working from Lower Catamount to Lower Alley Cat on Monday. Big thanks to Lars, Charles & Chris for setting a course that was U12/U14 “friendly.” And special big thanks to our parents who came to the course to help with fencing both in the morning at 8:20am to set up and at 12:15pm to break down! Coach Greg Smith and Andy Levin get a special “Pat-on-the-Back” for dragging 2 bundles of fencing from the bottom to halfway up the course!!

And what a great turnout for Sunday’s video analysis of the Butternut SL race and indoor session! Special thanks to Coach Doug and Coach Sonia for their hours of preparation in uploading video and creating the Google Slides presentation. If you didn’t get to see the video, you will be able to see it on Sprongo.com. Look for an invite in your email to join the website, courtesy of Peter Chudy and the Parent Association. Please click on the embedded link for Sonia’s Google Presentation.

Saturday Training

Just a reminder to everyone that our first GS race is held at Bousquet this coming Sunday. We will be training on Lower Alley Cat on Saturday along with the U16’s and with timing. Training on Lower Alley runs from 8:30am – 12:10am and we will again need parent assistance at 8:20am and 12:15pm to set up and break down fencing. A reminder to racers to remove your chinguards. Although protective for SL training, they can lead to neck injuries if worn during a fall at high speed during GS training.

Race Registration

If you haven’t registered for the race, you must do so on the Tristate Schedule for the Western MA Series. Registration is online at Adminskiracing. Avoid the $20 late fee by registering before 12 noon TODAY, Thursday, January 19th!!! Online registration ENDS AT 5PM!!! If you miss it, you can still register the morning of the race but the $20 late fee will still apply. Watch for an email in case the race is postponed due to poor snow conditions.

Race Day
Registration at Bousquet starts at 7:30am on the 2nd floor of the lodge. Course inspection begins around 8:30am and the race begins at the end of inspection (between 9 & 9:30). Make sure to get there early so your racer can get a proper inspection of the course. They are responsible for making their way to the start BEFORE their bib # is called. If a racer misses their start, they will automatically be placed at the end of their age/gender group. The order of this (and every) race is as follows: U12 Girls; U12 Boys; U14 Girls; U14 Boys. The 1st run at Bousquet will run C, D, A then B. The 2nd run at Bousquet will follow the order D, A, B then C. My apologies for the correction for last week’s race order. At the end of the 1st run, the course is reset and then opened for inspection. The 2nd run usually begins about an hour after the last racer finishes from the 1st run.

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions regarding training or the race!

Go Catamount!

Coach Pat
liupatrickm@gmail.com

“Ski fast…Take chances…”