U16 and FIS Update

This message is being sent to all athletes and their parents who are registered for U16 or FIS Academy or Part-Time Programs or have indicated their plan to register.

Dear U16 and FIS Athletes and Parents:
If you have not registered yet, please register right away. Current registration is required to participate in conditioning or other team activities.

Thank you to all who either joined in person or on the call for this weekend’s team meeting! We covered a lot of information about program philosophy, plans, training and competition schedules and expectations and procedures. Please feel free to follow up with any questions that you may have or further information that you need.
 
We try to provide all necessary information in these regular e-mail updates and the TSC calendars. Please read each update carefully and consult the TSC calendar daily. Our goal is to adhere to the schedule, be as consistent as possible and limit last minute changes.
 
Please accept my apology for the mistake last Friday with the drop off time at Peak School following our Skills Quest Conditioning Assessment. We were 30 minutes late due to an inconsistency between the plan I had made and the calendar.

In this update:
- Sunday Hike
- Colorado Competition Council Equipment Event
- Skills Quest Conditioning Assessment
- Competition Calendars
- Ski Edge Grinders

Sunday Hike
We began our Sunday conditioning sessions last weekend with a timed speed hike to Mt. Royal and continuing with a hike to Mt. Victoria and return to the trailhead. Congratulations to Kuba who set the pace among the boys with a time of 28:14 and Stella and Cora who set the pace for the girls at 31:40!
 
This coming Sunday (September 15) we are hiking from East Vail along the Gore Creek Trail to Red Buffalo Pass and descending to Frisco on Meadow Creek Trail. This will be about 14 miles in total. Bring food, water and layers of clothing including windbreaker and rain jacket. We will finish with lunch at Whole Foods (bring $). Parents and friends are welcome.
 
We will meet at the Meadow Creek Trailhead (roughly across the highway from Whole Foods) at 8AM for the van ride to East Vail. Pick up will be at the Meadow Creek Trailhead (estimated 2:30) or Whole Foods (estimated at 3:30).
 
We encourage both our Academy and Part-Time athletes, whether living in Summit County or the front range to attend these Sunday sessions whenever possible!

Colorado Competition Council Equipment Event
If you missed the equipment day at Podium last weekend you still have a chance to connect with manufacturer’s reps to order competitor priced equipment at the inaugural Colorado Competition Council Eventin Eagle at the Brush Creek Pavilion. Attached is the invite with the hours, locations and details. For more information visit www.coloradocompetitioncouncil.com.
 
Skills Quest Conditioning Assessment
Last week we conducted a partial Skills Quest Conditioning assessment. This assessment has been developed by US Ski and Snowboard and will be administered regularly at the Divisional, Regional and National level establishing conditioning standards for ski racing athletes at all ages.
 
On Sunday September 29, we will be administering the full conditioning assessment utilizing the revised and final test protocol at the Summit Middle School from 10:00AM to 1:30PM. Details and testing protocols are available in the U16 and Ability calendars.
 
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND this important session. This will be an important opportunity to measure fitness levels, prepare for RMD testing and chart conditioning progress over time.
 
We will be attending the Divisional Skills Quest testing as a team on October 27 in Minturn. Details will be announced next month.

Competition Calendars
Initial FIS and U16 Calendars have been published on the U16 and FIS calendars at https://teamsummit.org/members/calendars. 
 
U16s please note that the RPS GS/SL in Winter Park scheduled for December 21-22 is open to all R/C U16’s. An invitational training day on December 20 is available for qualified athletes only. RPS (Regional Performance Series) replaces the U16 NPS (National Performance Series) of past years with three Regional events for selections to international events. 
 
These dates conflict with the possible U16 trip to race in Central that was discussed at Sunday’s meeting. We will be looking for other opportunities to capitalize on our Buck Hill Ski Team relationship.
 
Ski Edge Grinders 
Proper daily ski preparation will become even more critical this winter as we begin to utilize the new dedicated Ore-Deal tech training venue which will be watered to create the racing and training surface. 

Ski edge grinders are the best way to maintain the side bevel and a sharp, smooth edge between stone grinds. The Black Diamond Ski Edge Sharpener is the most economical of the high quality grinders on the market retailing at $1275 https://blackdiamondinnovation.com. The two machines available in the most recent update have been sold. Additional machines are available at a discounted pre-production price of $975 if ordered before October 1.
 
Contact Aldo if you are interested.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions and to keep in touch.

aldo@teamsummit.org
doug@teamsummit.org
jared@teamsummit.org