CXC Elite Team Blog

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• bryanfish 1:47 am on July 8, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Regional Elite Group Camp & Testing 

  

  July 7, 2009

   The CXC Elite July camp coincides in part with the Regional Elite Group (REG) camp. The REG camp has transformed over the years and currently is an opportunity for juniors in the region to get together to learn, train, test and work with US Ski Team coaches.  Matt Whitcomb is here from the US Ski Team. The intent is to bump up the focus and hence athletes are provided bibs for coaches to identify, evaluate and assess each athlete in a multitude of categories.  The top candidates in the country from all REG’s will be invited to train with the USST in Whistler, British Columbia in September.

   

  Training, testing, technique and education are the goals of REG.  A number of tests are intertwined into the week of training including VO2 testing, 3,000 meter track running time trial, general strength assessment and culminating with a skate time trial that climbs from the corner of highway 63 and County OO in Seeley, WI to the County OO Birkebeiner trailhead. 

   

  Testing provides incremental benchmarks in the off season in a sport that is continually struggling to devise methods and means to measure “progress.”  Does a general 3,000 meter running time trial or general fitness assessment directly display ski performance? Maybe, but the variables are so diverse and complex that it is important to be critical of any “test” one does.

   

  We use these tests as benchmarks for general fitness in the off season.  We test once in May and again in July.  We shift all testing to more specific methods after July.  The basic principle of the general strength assessment and 3,000 meter for our practical purpose is as follows:

  General strength – overall strength to weight fatigue resistance in the upper body, core and lower body.

  3,000 meter – general intensity pace and general tactical race pacing ability.

   

  Flat track running is a good method to develop foot speed and general reactivity to develop a foundation for hill work and bounding which becomes a greater part of our training later in the summer and fall.  Also, the track provides a great opportunity to work on a constant and consistent intensity and pacing output which will provide a strong foundation and feeling for pacing for changing terrain.

   

  CXC Elite results were very encouraging with an average decrease in time of fifteen seconds as well as nearly every athlete setting PR’s since joining CXC Elite.  It was great to see strong results from the regions juniors, particularly for the J2 girls.  Nice job to all of you! See results below.  We have the skate roller ski time trial on Friday.  This should be another strong indication of present fitness. 

   

   

  Stay tuned,

  Bryan

   

  Bib	Gender	Last	First	3000 M TT
  36	M	Kuzzy	Garrott	8:55
  31	M	Gregg	Brian	9:12
  38	M	Liebsch	Matt	9:17
  4	M	Debold	Doug	9:38
  22	M	Fagerstrom	Erik	9:39
  40	M	Cook	Bryan	9:47
  34	M	Nygren	Karl	9:48
  39	M	Kaeding	Gus	9:49
  23	M	Keller	Andrew	10:05
  26	M	Bolger	Kevin	10:26
  1	M	Hugus	Ben	10:28
  20	M	Gilbertson	Jon	10:28
  5	M	Dodds	Andy	10:30
  2	M	Parr	Chris	10:33
  3	M	Anschutz	Phil	10:38
  24	M	Benton	Connor	10:42
  18	M	Powers	Nick	11:00
  19	M	Nadler	Andrew	11:15
  32	F	Owen	Kristina	10:45
  17	F	Simak	Elizabeth	11:08
  16	F	Ahmed	Sharmila	11:17
  25	F	Irwin	Deedra	11:18
  37	F	Weber	Audrey	11:28
  35	F	Chaudoin	Kelly	11:32
  21	F	Magnuson	Eleanor	11:49
  10	F	Daniels	Sarah	11:53
  12	F	Bathe	Nicole	12:04
  11	F	Tremblay	Chelsea	12:05
  27	F	Rolfes	Jen	12:11
  14	F	Amber	Olivia	12:17
  6	F	Adams	Brook	12:42
  13	F	Roach	Dana	12:42
  9	F	Ellefson	Summer	12:46
  15	F	Amber	Nicolette	13:19

  
   

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• bryanfish 5:21 am on July 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Hockey Camp 

  July 1, 2009

  Innovation, creativity and specificity are critical for a coach. These are attributes that Jack Blatherwick possesses in full. Jack is a hockey coach and has his PhD in Sports Physiology from the University of Minnesota. He was an assistant to Herb Brooks during the Miracle on Ice, worked with University of MN hockey and is still independently coaches a number of the top USA women, some NHL athletes from the Twin Cities Metro as well as being a consultant for the Washington Capitals.

  I am in a coach’s advancement program called the GAIN Network where there are many different coaches, school PE teachers, athletic trainers and rehabilitation doctors from a full gamut of sports and activities from soccer to tennis, football to track and field. There are even a couple trainers for the Special Ops for the military in the program.

  I was just in Florida for an annual workshop with GAIN. Jack’s presentations once again sparked a keen interest from me due to the lower body similarities of skate mechanics and the fact that both our sports have a strong initial loading phase and a long contact time on the ground, which is unique to most sports that include running like basketball, football (Euro and American), tennis, etc.

  I stopped by to shadow one of Jack’s strength training sessions with a small group of elite hockey players. There was a drop of added tension in the air. Unbeknownst to me, today is a critical day in the world of hockey. It is the signing day for NHL contacts and the men were a bit anxious to see what offers might fall their direction.

  Amongst the anticipation of a potential larger dollar contract, I knew I wouldn’t be walking into a gleaming gym. It is evident that Jack is all about functionality, specificity and creating innovative exercises that simulate the movements and demands of hockey. Instead, these 6 athletes (3 men and 3 women) were standing in the outfield of a local baseball diamond in t-shirts and shorts with soaked shoes from the wet grass.

  The tools were bungies, sand bags, medicine balls and a couple of random size Olympic bar weights. One comment that struck a chord with me was that Jack stated that hockey is a game of skill, position and acceleration. Mass play less of a role than one might think. A hockey player accelerates rapidly and then floats around the ice in a low position in anticipation of the puck.

  They started with an active warm-up with sprints, speed drills and active stretching. The bulk of the exercises were variations of lunges and squats. Much of Jack’s exercises started with added resistance and then followed with explosive jumps. An example was squatting with weight then immediately dropping the weight and doing squat jumps. This is exactly an activity our athletes would do. Some of the exercises applied to skiing while other drills such as reaction and agility drills don’t apply to cross country skiing.

  Jack is very approachable and willing to help. He took time out of his day once again to sit down and discuss his thoughts on training , yet still hasn’t let me buy his coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner as a token of my appreciation.

  Thanks again to Jack