Alpine Ability and Age Class Update – June 23, 2023

Written by Team Summit on June 24, 2023. Posted in Alpine Update.

Dear Team Summit Alpine Ability and Age Class Teams and All Alpine Coaches:

Happy Summer!

Another successful Copper June Camp just wrapped up last week with 32 of our 51 rostered Ability athletes and 35 of 66 rostered Age Class athletes participating. Thank you to Copper Mountain for again providing a unique opportunity for our team to train during the off-season. Training at home allows us to increase the all-important time on snow without having the additional expenses of travel, food and lodging!

Final planning is now underway for the 14 athletes enrolled in the Age Class Mt. Hood Camp and 20 athletes participating in the Stelvio, Italy training camps. Enrolled athletes, please see below for important information for camp.

The summer weight lifting program is underway with 3 x week training for Ability athletes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Rosener Human Performance Center in Copper Mountain. Please contact jack@teamsummit.org with any questions. Lifting continues through August 14.

Fall conditioning or “dryland training” begins after the start of the school year on August 28 for the Ability athletes (M-F) and on august 29 for the Age Class Team (T, W, F). Demosphere calendars are updated with times and details.

Conditioning will culminate with the opportunity for U14 and older athletes to participate in the annual Skills Quest – Fitness USSS validated conditioning evaluation in Minturn. Skills Quest fitness is a tool to measure conditioning in areas important to ski racing athletes and track progress from year to year. U16 and older athletes, with aspirations to participate in national and international competition opportunities with USSS, are required to achieve a minimum fitness standard to be eligible. Fall conditioning will include several specific preparation sessions for the testing that will be done on October 15. Details of the test protocols and other information is found here: https://usskiandsnowboard.org/sites/default/files/files-resources/files/2017-10/SkillsQuest_Fitness_Manual.pdf

On-snow training at Copper Mountain will begin (conditions permitting) on October 20, 2023. The Ability Team will train exclusively at Copper throughout the fall while the Age Class Team will also take advantage of skiing and training opportunities at A-Basin and Keystone. Daily training sessions will be 2.5 to 4 hours in duration (except Age Class weekend free-skiing days when mountains open for public skiing). Midweek training will be after school and weekend training times will be determined once we know our lane assignments.

We’re already fielding many equipment related questions. We share all equipment information that we receive. Brochures, sizing charts, order forms, selection and preparation guidelines, etc. are in this shared folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ca8Z5Rj5vF9Goy5sbHNgohcJEXmmlPfL?usp=sharing. 2023-24 Information is being populated as it is received from the suppliers.

For help with sizing. the sizing chart in the Rossignol brochure is particularly useful in determining ski length and boot flex based on age and weight: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cUjusLx3TRewcBI0f5NtMkGynpqfBowe/view?usp=sharing. While sizes may vary by a couple cm for other suppliers, this chart will help guide your sizing decisions.

The annual C3 equipment sale https://coloradocompetitioncouncil.com is a great time to connect directly with equipment suppliers and order or purchase race gear for the season. While we’re not aware of any delays or supplier issues at this time, it may be wise to place your orders prior to that Mid-September event. Team Summit’s partners at Podium Sports in Frisco and Racer’s Edge on Breckenridge are ready to help you with your selections and orders.

For used equipment, the annual Team Summit Swap is again scheduled for the weekend of Family Orientation which will take place at the Copper Mountain Conference Center from November 9-12 https://teamsummit.org//swap. This may be a good opportunity to pick up some accessories, training or rock skis, freeskiing skis and other items. For members to both sell and purchase used equipment, you can join the Team Summit Classifieds group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/teamsummitcoloradoclassified. SSCV has a similar group that non-members can join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSCVClassifieds.

Ability Coach Heath Colon is responsible for our supplier relationships and managing our fleet of loaner equipment for speed skis. Please feel free to contact Heath for additional assistance heath@teamsummit.org.

A great source of sport specific news and information is Ski Racing Media: https://skiracing.com. There have recently been a number of interesting pieces published including one that was published yesterday about NCAA Ski Racing: https://skiracing.com/so-you-want-to-ski-in-the-ncaa/.

Keep on the lookout for a second collegiate skiing article at https://skiracing.com focusing on the USCSA skiing programs https://www.uscsa.org that is slated for release in the next week or so.

Age Class Mt. Hood Camp

Balance of fees will be charged on July 1. After that date, deposits are non-refundable.

All coaches and athletes MUST complete the timberline waiver for camp: Individuals under the age of 18 will need to complete the medical release as well (step 2 in the waiver process). SESSION 1 (7/29- 8/6) https://bit.ly/3JSfaov. Please take care of this ASAP.

Additional information regarding van departure, packing instructions and other details will be sent separately to camp participants.

If you have further questions, please contact jared@teamsummit.org.

Ability Class Stelvio, Italy Camp

Balance of fees will be charged on July 1. After that date, deposits are non-refundable.

If you have not done so already, please insert all the requested travel, arrival and departure information information in the worksheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FQd8pXq8bfiZNJ7s3EpiDU4hvKZti6oJiT0sU3Ze7pw/edit?usp=sharing. We need this information ASAP so that we can ensure we have the right sized transportation for the airport transfers. Anyone who is traveling on their own to Stelvio is asked to meet the team on our Stelvio arrival day in the tram parking lot at 6PM to meet the hotel shuttle that will take us and our luggage up the mountain access road to the Hotel Baita Ortler. Athletes may also meet us at the airport (Milan – Malpensa) upon our arrival.

Again this year, we will conduct “Book Club” during our Stelvio Camp. This year’s title is “The Inner Game of Tennis”. This classic book, addressing the mental side of peak performance, may be found in your parent’s library or can be purchased on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/0679778314/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1O2GS06BVXIS&keywords=inner+game+of+tennis&qid=1687547402&sprefix=inner+game%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1. Please bring a copy with you and we will have periodic book club sessions as we read the book during camp.

The electrical current in Europe is 220V. Many personal electronics can be charged with only a plug adapter that can be purchased in most airports (check your device to see it’s voltage rating. Many are rated 110-220V indicating you don't need a converter). Hi wattage 110V items like irons, hairdryers, etc. require substantial step-down voltage converters that are not readily available or easy to travel with. Anyone with a 220V European waxing iron is asked to bring it for shared use.

Pack as efficiently as possible. Laundry service is available at the hotel. Check with your airline regarding baggage limits and fees. Most airlines allow a ski bag, boot bag combo as one piece. Smile, be appreciative and kind. You may receive some flexibility at check-in.

Items to pack:

– All necessary equipment for training GS (2 pairs of GS skis are recommendedto be able to have sharp edges

throughout the training session).

– Clothing for all on-snow weather conditions including cold, snow, wind and rain.

– Tuning tools and wax (shared irons and vices will be available).

– Neat clothes for travel, day off adventure and team meals (Collared shirts, sweaters, slacks or dresses/skirts)

– Work out clothes and shoes.

– Other typical travel items.

Double check your passport to confirm it is valid for the duration of your trip.

Enjoy the summer months (finally!) and reach out at any time if you are unable to find the information you need, to ask questions on what you have found or just to chat!

Aldo Radamus

TEAM SUMMIT COLORADO

Alpine Director

aldo@teamsummit.org

970.390.4219

Contacts for your Head Coach or Administration:

FIS: doug@teamsummit.org

U16: aldo@teamsummit.org

U14/U12: jared@teamsummit.org

U10: davidw@teamsummit.org

Devo: samantha@teamsummit.org

Conditioning: jack@teamsummit.org