Hello Ski Racing Families,
(If you are getting this a second time our apologies, the server had a hiccup and we couldn't tell who got it and who didn't)
Snow began falling late Monday and now six to eight inches of new snow cover the ground in Govy and at the base of Skibowl. Mother Nature dropped a fresh blanket over the mountain just in time for the holidays! The team is currently taking a break from training. Here is information about upcoming team activities and events.
Holiday Training Camps
Mt. Hood Race Team Mitey Mites begin holiday training on Sunday, December 27th. All groups will start camp with Slalom practice. Plan on training at Mt. Hood Skibowl; meeting the coaches by 9:00am each morning outside the Multorpor Lodge. MHRT J4/J5 racers will train four days, finishing on Wednesday the 30th. MHRT J6 racers will train three days, skiing through Tuesday the 29th.
Mt. Hood Academy and HEAT athletes will begin holiday training on Sunday, December 27th. Both groups will start camp training Slalom. The juniors will ski for five days, through Thursday the 31st. Throughout the holiday period all junior training will begin at 9:00am. Camp will begin at Multorpor, but may move to Timberline if conditions require.
MHRT Learn to Race Camp begins on Monday, December 28th, and continues for three days through December 30th. Training begins each morning at 9:30am. Meet the coaches at the Multorpor Lodge by 9:15am for a brief orientation meeting each morning.
MHSEF Team Race
Our annual Team Race is Thursday, December 31st, scheduled for Mt. Hood Lane at Multorpor. The event is a fun, easy Giant Slalom for all team athletes, from J6 to J1! Racers will be grouped in teams of 5 to 6 racers from all age groups. Older racers are team captains and will lead their team with inspection. Registration will begin in the Multorpor Lodge at 8:30am. Inspection will begin around 9:15am with the competition beginning at 10:00am. The race and ceremonies should wrap up by mid-day.
Team Holiday Dinner
This year's Team Holiday Dinner is scheduled for Monday, December 28th. The
team dinner is always a festive occasion for athletes, parents and
coaches to mingle and share time together off the slopes, and the food
is great! The event will begin at 5:00pm at the Multorpor Lodge Restaurant (upper floor).
Peggy O'Leary has again organized the holiday dinner for our team. Thanks Peggy! Please RSVP to Peggy peggy.oleary@comcast.net by Wednesday, the 23rd, so she can give Dasha a count. The adult's buffet is $17.00 and the kid's menu is $7.50. Please be prepared to pay Peggy upon arrival, and please, no credit cards.
MHRT Parent Clinic
All parents are invited to participate in a skiing clinic on the first morning of the Holiday Camp, Sunday the 27th. Parents will be exposed to some of the basic skills and skiing that the coaches work on with our racers. The clinic's goal is to help broaden parent's understanding of the sport, and maybe provide a few skiing pointer, too! If you are interested, please join Bill at 9:30am outside the Multorpor Lodge.
MHRT Annual Parent Meeting
Our annual meeting for Mitey Mite parents is scheduled for Saturday, January 2nd. We will meet at 2:30pm on the upper floor of the Multorpor Lodge. This is a great time to ask questions and for new racing families to learn from our experienced families. Coaches will present information about the season, including races and events on our schedule.
Mitey Mite Racing
This year's first Mt. Hood Mitey Mite race, the Kid's Kandahar Kombi, will be held at Mt. Hood Meadows on Sunday, January 10th. As with all local mountain competitions, our racers are encouraged to compete, however attendance is not required. Although
remember, MHRT will generally not have organized practice on race days,
as all coaches will be helping our young athletes at the race.
The Kandahar is hosted by the MAC Ski Team. Registration is free, and is available on-line at http://www.macskiteam.com/. You can also find a registration link and other race info on our team website's race Calendar link at www.mthoodacademy.com. The race announcement is attached. Kandahar Race.pdf
The race entry deadline is Monday, January 4th. If you have any questions be sure to inquire with our coaches during the holiday camp.
Junior Racing
Most of our Junior racers have already started racing this season. A
group of J3's and J2's just competed in GS races at Mt. Bachelor, while
some of the J2 girls went to Canada for early F.I.S. races. Bachelor was challenging with soft snow and poor visibility, but our racers did well. We
had many top 15 finishes from the experienced racers; and there were
many top 3o finishes from the new J3's, starting at the back of the
pack! In Canada, our new F.I.S. racers got some really good move-ups, from start positions around 100 to finishes in the 30's.
Next up for our J3 racers is the Winterstart Slalom at Mt. Hood Meadows, January 2nd and 3rd. The early race entry deadline is Wednesday, December 23rd. If you have not yet entered please send an email note to Tracy Lisac, race administrator, at meadows_race@hotmail.com or get your entry in the mail by Wednesday (tomorrow). If you e-mail, be sure to also mail the entry and the entry fee. Race information is attached and can be found on our team website under the Calendar link. WinterstartRaceInfo.pdf
Information from USSA
The
United States Ski Association, under charter with the U.S. Olympic
Committee, is responsible for athlete development in our sport. USSA
is continuously reviewing its philosophy toward athlete development,
and whenever appropriate, providing educational materials to coaches,
parents and athletes. Attached is a recent "best practices" paper from USSA, and a chart reflecting USSA's training philosophy for young athletes.
USSA Best Practices.pdf
USSA Training System.pdf
Finally, Mt. Hood has not yet seen the abundance of snow we enjoyed the past few years. Please, everyone make sure that a lot more snow-fall is included in your New Year wishes!
Happy Holidays!
Bill
