CXC Elite Team Blog

Updates from July, 2009 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• bryanfish 11:40 am on July 16, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Details Matter 

  

  Igor & Garrott work on the subtle details of the classic kick

  

  Kristina navigates the agility course

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  July 16, 2009

  The CXC Elite athletes are in the midst of a short intensity block.  The goal is to turn the screws a bit tighter on homeostasis and try to elevate the athletes’ individual intensity paces after a bout of post camp recovery.  I don’t recommend this for all, but every once in a while we need to boost and challenge ourselves to reach above our present comfort zone.  This is a risk that requires going into the block recovered and coming out the back end with recovery to hopefully build and adapt at an elevated level.  It is in these more challenging phases that a keen awareness of the smaller details becomes increasingly important. 

  

  Bryan Cook tests his general strength

  

  Maria finishes a ski specific time trial up infamous Cty OO

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  In contrast, I think it is critical to keep an eye on the big picture as it relates to ski training and there should be overall themes and supporting goals.  The pieces of the training puzzle should have purpose and context in maintaining a balance within training and how it fits into the general daily scheme.  This puzzle should be realistic, so the daily pieces are synergistic and not opposing; at least for a vast majority of days.  If the pieces don’t fit, they simply don’t fit and we shouldn’t try to wedge them into place.

   Personally, the time I get out for personal training efforts are relatively few in comparison to the CXC Elite athletes, but I do try to set aside an early morning 50 minute block to do physical activity.  These efforts lack specific and regimented training goals , for the purpose is simply to stay healthy and consistently physically active.  Frequency of training is critical at any level of training or physical activity.

   

  

  CXC Elite going through an intensive circuit strength session

  However, there does become a point when the goals of physical activity shift from simply remaining physical fit to enjoyment an occasional or even frequent competition to a point where personal satisfaction and end goals require more diligence and structure.  Details matter when making this personal decision.  The challenge is maintaining a “big picture” perspective of goals, planning and synergism in training and general daily responsibilities while analyzing and targeting such details as intensity blocks.

  

  Karl being screened for general functional movement by Dr Jim Mullen

  

  The athletes recover after a hard session

  

  Fueling

  Progression and planning are key and the days, weeks and months should align with the themes set forth for the year.   Personally, I think the greatest challenge in focusing on the details is to remember to double check and make sure this specific detail fits well within the overall big picture themes, goals and objectives.  Sometimes we chase down paths that lead us off track.

   In the long run, we’ll develop greater gains if we keep the perspective and planning on the big picture items and execute these to precision in comparison to chasing the finer details and potentially getting overwhelmed.  Sometimes we take on too many smaller details and only have time to do the details “good” or okay versus excellent.  Make sure the big picture items are perfected, then the details do matter.
   

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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

  
   

• 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
   

• cxccoach 6:54 pm on June 22, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  CXC Academy and Coaches Corner Additions 

  The Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) has recently re-launched the CXC Elite Team Blog to accommodate for several new additions to its existing content.

  The http://www.cxceliteblog.com now has a section for video called “CXC Academy”. Since the launch of the CXC Academy http://www.cxcacademy.com in May of 2008 we have produced and pub¬lished over 65 video extras with interviews, technique presentations, training tips, equipment demonstrations and much more. Now we’d like to share some of them with our blog readers. Each month we’ll be posting something new to help everyone supplement their xc training and further education. Depending on the time of year, there will be expert interviews, videos on waxing, technique and more.

  Coaches Corner section of the CXC Elite Blog will now feature a periodic article filled with answers and advise on topics ranging from equipment selection and determining training zones to coaches education and how to train smart.

  Look for both additions under Categories section of the blog, and make sure to subscribe to our RSS Feed or keep up with our newest posts via Email Subscription.
   

• kletz 12:47 am on January 21, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Whistler World Cup Qualification 

  by Bryan Fish
  We departed Anchorage, Alaska after delays and cancellations to US Nationals. It was good to get the skate race and classic sprint in, but everyone was hoping for more events to be held due to all the previous cancellations of SuperTour events.
  US SuperTour standings after the US Nationals selected the athletes to compete at the Whistler World Cup scheduled for January 16-18th. The modified West Yellowstone SuperTours and the two US Nationals competitions were the only events the athletes had to prove themselves. US National events score double points, so these two races weighed heavily on selection criteria. It was great for those that took full advantage of these few opportunities and unfortunate for those that might have had an off day at US nationals. It seems ironic that athletes train for years to get such an opportunity but selection be based on such as small sampling. That is just how it played out this year. What else can anyone do? All in all, I was very happy how decisions were made about the events. There were a lot of cancellations, but the cancellations had the athletes’ best intentions. Sending out athletes in dangerously cold temperatures and less than marginal conditions would have been worse.
   

• kletz 4:36 pm on January 14, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  What a Difference a Day Makes Part I 

  
  I started to reminisce about the first portion of our race season as we reunited with our van in Seattle, WA. We had left our van in the greater Seattle area at Bob and Kelli Owen’s home since flying back to the Midwest on December 15th. It was cool looking at all the gear left in the trailer from the pre-holidays western SuperTours, including rock skis, rollerskis and helmets – all reminders of the challenging snow conditions left behind. A bright spot that made me chuckle to myself was the two cases of Athlete Honey Milk remaining. Athlete Honey Milk is a new product that our athletes were testing as an all-natural recovery drink including lactose-free milk as the protein source and honey to replenish carbohydrate stores immediately after training. There are all kinds of products out there, but this natural and ingenious combination was a hit with our athletes. Good taste is always a necessary for an athlete to make nutritional items a habit and it was one thing that required no reminding after workouts.

  Today, Caitlin Compton, Matt Liebsch, Garrott Kuzzy and I drove through the rain in Vancouver and Squamish, British Columbia en route to the Whistler World Cups. We were quite excited to see rain. Not a common response for skiers but I think we were all welcoming warmer weather after the bone-chilling cold we left behind this morning in Anchorage.

  Looking at the first portion of the 2008-09 race season – overcoming adversity and irony were the first things that come to my mind. No one could predict how things would shake out as we departed Hayward at 6:00AM on November 14. The forecast and conditions looked extremely bright as we departed. Snow and cold temperatures blanketed western Minnesota and the Dakotas – such conditions are an uncommon site at that time of the year. Driving was challenging but the excitement of snow overcame the slow travel.
   

• kletz 9:16 pm on January 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Finn Sisu Fine Grinds 

  By Bryan Fish (CXC Elite Team)

  

  The snow here at US Nationals in SLOW and COLD & ski structure is as critical as nailing the wax.  We have been waxing day and night trying to get all our skis up to speed in these extreme conditions.  We are working on skis from a number of grinders and our wax trailer unanimously agree that your Finn Sisu fine grinds appear to be the most well manicured.  We are testing many of the athletes’ skis through speed trap and “feel” testing to help them make their ski selections and what we see in the wax trailer is confirmed in speed trap tests.  The Finn Sisu grinds are our best running skis.  It is not an exaggeration to state that these fine grinds are world class.  Every well ground pair of skis has one thing in common – a knowledge operator that has a sincere desire to provide the skier with great skis.  It is apparent that Finn Sisu has this..

   

  It is also true that the Finn Sisu grinds have been our fastest skis in the last two American Birkebeiners, which shows the versatility.

   

  I sincerely thank Ahvo and Finn Sisu for the GREAT skis. I like to see skiers enjoy fast skis & I strongly feel that the care Finn Sisu shop puts into the skis will no doubt provide a great skiing experience.

   

  Thanks for helping Matt and Caitlin with their podium finishes.  Jesse Diggins was also the 3rd junior and 1st J1.  I strongly feel that the skis played a major role yesterday.