On Saturday, January 14th at 3PM after practice we will have our annual Interclub Pizza Social at Four Brothers in Hillsdale, 2.5 miles from Catamount on route 23. This is a great opportunity to meet teammates and parents. $20 per family $10 per person. The kids have a blast and staff at Four Brothers is very accommodating to us.

Important; As we our coming up to our first race please ensure that any child that is racing has a hard eared race helmet. This is a USSA insurance requirement. If in doubt check with your coach. Ensure they are registered with USSA and register for the race through adminskiracing.com

We made it through a cold weekend with some great snow conditions. A couple of items to keep in mind. Boots get wet inside and wet boots are cold boots. When there are multiple days of skiing, it is helpful to dry boots by using a boot dryer, or by taking out the inserts overnight. Don’t leave boots in cold mud rooms or cars overnight as they will never dry out and it is like putting your feet into a refrigerator. In cold weather mittens are alway appropriate and much warmer. A good breakfast provides the energy to stay warm in the morning. Cold dry air also requires good hydration. Dehydrated kids are lethargic and sometimes constipated. Staying focused and having fun for two long days of practice on the weekend is our number one goal of athletic development. That requires all out effort on the physical preparation of rest, nutrition, hydration, proper clothing and equipment. Part of the burden of ski racing Mom’s and Dad’s but it is worth it.

Peter Chudy, Catamount Ski Racing Parents Association

2017 Tri-State/NJ Speed Elements Camp

Date: Monday, February 6, 2017 Age: U16 & U19 Athletes

Date : Tuesday, February 7, 2017 Age: U14 Athletes

Time: 7:30 am – 3:30 pm
Location: Stratton Mountain
Registration: Registration on AlpineReg (click on “State – TriState” and “Club – TSASRA”)
Fee: $85 per athlete (includes lift ticket)
Limit: Open to Tri-State and NJ athletes (number of participants will be limited)
Coaching: Experienced coaches supplemented with development coaches
Goals: Introduce athletes to speed through coaching, short sections of courses and elements that teach proper movements; provide educational opportunity for less experienced coaches by working side-by- side with experienced coaches
Equipment: SG or GS skis only
Stations (tentative):
(1) Glide Track
Description: This is a relatively straight section of the trail where the athletes run in a tuck position Objective: Learn aerodynamic position; develop feel under foot, ankles and legs; build confidence
(2) Phantom jump (dyed)
Description: This is a moderately sloped section which has dyed lines simulating the preparation, take- off and landing of a jump
Objective: Learn the phases and movements of jumping
(3) Pole jumpers
Description: This is a section of poles set across the snow on a moderate to gentle slope; the athletes jump the poles in a medium to high tuck position
Objective: Pressure management and balance; learning to clear the snow with both tip and tail
(4) Wave track
Description: This is a section of rolls groomed into moderate to gentle terrain; athlete skis in a straight run maintaining a consistent high tuck position such that they can absorb the “waves” through flexion and extension of the lower body
Objective: Using flexion and extension of the lower body to manage pressure against the snow over undulating terrain in an aerodynamic position
(5) Short course sections
Description: This is a short section of course that is set on moderate terrain (25-40 meter distance between gates)
Objective: Learning to run gates set at a SG distance; build confidence
(6) Introductory jump
Description: This is a section of the trail with a small jump and landing drop-off that will enable the athlete a low level of flight at a moderate speed
Objective: Learn the phases and movements of jumping; build confidence
Time: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm


Due to the potential for the storm to be more severe tomorrow we are going to postpone the interclub pizza social at Four Brothers

On Thursday at 3PM after practice we will have our annual Interclub Pizza Social at Four Brothers in Hillsdale, 2.5 miles from Catamount on route 23. This is a great opportunity to meet teammates and parents. $20 per family $10 per person.

Also today at 12:20 Toko Rep Coach Stan Soja will make a presentation on ski prep and will cover why ski prep is necessary, what service are provide by ski shops and is needed by parent/athlete to set a foundation, demonstration of ski maintenance, wax selection and required tools

any questions please contact Peter Chudy at peterchudy@mac.com

For those of you who have ordered jackets last winter they are in. I will be at the Mt on Saturday Dec 10th and at 10AM until 11AM, if you want to pick yours up. I will be in the timing Shack at the bottom of the Catamount Trail. They will be available the next weekend at practice. Please do not request jackets from Catamount Staff as this is managed by the Parents Association and not Catamount.

Peter Chudy

LET”S TALK GEAR

Sunday, October 30th at 9:00 a.m. in the Taconic Lodge at Catamount.

This information session is predominantly aimed at the parents of our racers who are planning to enter the Tri-State this season.
However, if you are a parent of either a current Tri-Stater or Interclubber and are still unsure of how to navigate the confusing world of ski racing gear (skis, helmets, goggles, protective gear, boots) and the logic behind having properly tuned skis, this meeting is for you.

we will discuss:

• proper gear selection: skis, ski poles, boots, protective gear.
• proper gear prep: base bevel, side bevel, the importance of ski sharpening (especially on our north-eastern ice),
• proper tuning gear (not necessarily a tuning clinic but the logic behind having the basic tuning gear)

One half hour presentations plus a time-unlimited question and answer session conducted by a panel of current Catamount Tri-State coaches.

This is not a specific advice on what kind of skis you should buy for your son or daughter, but rather a general information that you can both understand and use during the ski/boot selection process for your children.

I hope you can join us,
on behalf of the Catamount Coaching Staff
kajetan (kytek)

p.s. please let us know if you are planning to attend by responding to Peter Chudy (peterchudy@mac.com). This information will help us organize the meeting in the best way possible.

USSA holds an informative pre-season Alpine Festival at Killington October 22nd. link below

http://alpine.usskiteam.com/alpine-programs/regions/eastern-region/clubs/club-special-events

Suburban Sports of Berlin CT will hold a racer night October 1st from 4-8PM. They will have reps from Rossi, Head, Atomic, Fischer, Volkl & POC. USSA pricing discounts for racers.

Ski Haus will have racer nights in October at the New Milford CT and Brewster NY Locations, with dates and times yet to be announced.

The Catamount site has the registration open for the 2016-17 season. Register before 10/31 and get a discount. Please also register for USSA, which includes the TriState Alpine Ski Racing Assoc fee.

The following is a good opportunity for racers to get an understanding of non-NCAA college racing opportunities. These programs range from clubs to Varsity Teams and provide a much wider opportunity than the small number of NCAA programs

2016 College Fair

Thompson ~ Reynolds ~ McBrine ~ MacConnell ~ Northern Vermont

Alpine ~ Snowboard GS ~ Nordic ~ Freestyle

October 2, 2016

1:00 pm

Olin Hall
at
Babson College

We Invite all High School athletes to attend and learn about options for ski & snowboard competition in college

Alpine

Brandeis University, Boston University, Brown University, Castleton University, Clarkson University, Connecticut College, Marist College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New England College, Northeastern University, Saint Anselm College, Springfield College, The College of the Holy Cross, Trinity College, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, University of Maine Farmington, University Of Maine Fort Kent, University of Maine Orono, University of Mass Amherst, University of Rhode Island, Vassar College, Wesleyan University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Yale University

Nordic

United States Military Academy, Castleton University, Clarkson University, Cornell University, Hamilton College, Paul Smith’s College, Rochester Polytechnic Institute , Wellesley College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Yale University

Snowboard

Boston University, Springfield College, University of Maine Farmington, University of Rhode Island, Wesleyan University, Yale University

Freestyle

University of Vermont

The ECSC has invited other USCSA teams from arond the country. For a complete list of the schools attending or with any questions please contact Bo Bigelow at (207) 712-5440 or bbigelow@uscsa.com.

Sunday Sept.11 11-5pm

RACE DAY
2016

Location Steiner’s Sports
3455 US 9
Valatie NY 12184
518-784-366
Garrick@steinersskibike.com

Welcome to Race Day 2016 at Steiner’s Sports as always I have Factory Reps on hand to help guide your Athlete with equipment selection from Fischer, Nordica, Lange, Rossingnol, POC, BRIKO , Dynastar, Atomic and Head. Garrick Dardani Master Boot Fitter, ski boot Tester for SKI/Skiing Magazine, Race program Director and head U19 coach is here to do everything possible to make your athlete perform to their potential. Also on hand will be some of your favorite coaches.
Boots are the most important piece of the skiing puzzle. All age groups and ability levels will benefit from getting set up properly in their boots. This means assessed for size, flex, width, Height of boot and performance level.
Besides fit and flex we need to get the alignment of the boots right, that means that the forward angle is right for you, the lateral cant , cuff alignment is set right, do the knees track correctly?; this is called lateral stance balance.
Ski & Binding: besides brand, size and flex, it is critical to determine the correct binding ramp angle this is the difference in height from the heel to the toe piece. I determine a starting delta angle based on the ankle flexibility, center of mass of athlete, boot set up and event SL/GS…

At fit Day I can size up boots and do an assessment but many times we will need to schedule an appointment for the full fitting. This is too important to rush through.
Can’t make it to Race Day no problem, these deals are available all season.

The Deal with fit day is:
USSA pricing on all equipment
I offer 30% off all Swix wax and equipment
Poc and Slytec Helmets and armor are offered at race form price.
All race equipment is on sale
Perfect time to leave your skis to get them prepared for the season
I prepare all skis on the Wintersteiger Omega RS 350 stone grinding machine. This is the most up to date machine for precisely grinding race specific patterns