On Snow Clinics
On Saturday, I went to Hayward, WI for the 3rd Ski and Tea clinic of the year. CXC Team Vertical Limit teammate, Kelly Chaudoin, came down from Ely, MN to help coach. We had an outstanding turnout of around 20 women. The weather was perfect and the snow conditions in Hayward were great. We met at the OO warming hut, and spent most of the clinic working on skating. Then, we took a short break and did some classic work. Hopefully everyone left the clinic feeling great and more confident about the transition from dryland training to snow skiing. I will be at the next Ski and Tea clinic (#4) on January 17th, and I’m looking forward to seeing all kinds of improvement. Clinic #4 happens to be the day after the Seeley Hills Classic Race, and the CXC Team Vertical Limit will be at the Riverbrook Ski Shop in Seeley for a Super Fit weekend. If you are not already planning on going there, this will be an excellent weekend to be in the Hayward area.
Collage from Ski and Tea Clinic #3 courtesy of Linda Cook
After my trip to Hayward, I went back to Lakeville, MN for the Stuber Family Christmas. I did another on snow clinic with a Women’s group that meets in the Southern Metro area. We organized at the Cleary Lake trails and worked on classic technique. Most women at this clinic were beginners and made some drastic improvements at the clinic. Hopefully no one was overwhelmed by all the new information. I had a lot of fun working with this wonderful group. I got a chance to ski on some different trails in the Twin Cities area. Before the big snow storm, Bryan Cook and I went up to Battle Creek to ski. We were absolutely amazed at how well the trails looked for having only a few inches on the ground. We were not surprised to find Phil Zink hard at work pulling a Tidd Tech groomer around the trails.
I’m currently in Rhinelander, WI enjoying the last couple days of Christmas decorations, home cooked meals, and relaxation. Tomorrow I will drive back to Minneapolis and fly to Anchorage, AK for the U.S. National Championships. So far the racing season is going great and I can not wait to do some races at sea level.
Right to Left: Rebecca Dussault, Holly Brooks, Maria Stuber in a quarterfinal heat at Sovereign Lakes (photo courtesy of Brian Gregg at http://www.xcskilife.com)
