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Papa...


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I look forward to rooting for Ridge in his opening USSA race. I hope schedules allow me---and a bunch of us---to see it in person. I have been involved in ski racing on some level for 27 years. My current goal is to be the best J4/5 coach possible; to be as good of a ski coach as I am a soccer coach.

 

Because you don't trust my opinion, I can only point out some common knowledge: Austrian coaches change tactics on a daily basis to compete with Bode. The US Ski Team adjusts practices weekly to find the best line, angulation, and tactic for every condition and course set.

 

The World Cup is cutting edge. The FIS as an organization moves slowly, but scouting and video analysis of World Cup racers make MLB look like little league by comparison.

 

If you tell any of the top 100 ranked men or women in the world that there's a technique that will shave .001 sec off of a run, they will adopt it overnight.

 

Coaches from the academies and camps love new ideas. There is no wall of silence. If something works, they do it. Right away. And they share it. Suggesting skeptics don't sign on to a new idea because it's "great but new" is either ignorant or a lie designed at promotion.

 

Some new techniques (not named in this post) were tested at Hood in June. And some were tested by Eric Schlopy in Park City last March. The results were the same.

 

I may tell grownups to go F themselves every once in a while, but I'd never do something to slow up a kid.

 

There are 100 ways to ski a race course. There is ONE way to ski it the fastest. Talk of "quivers" is fine, but not practical at a high level of competition. Maier and Bode, for instance, don't suddenly change how they angulate or address steering out of a turn to meet certain conditions. They change their touch and aggression.

 

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Consider: would you want a junior racer to learn an inferior technique that works well on easy courses, but is detrimental on higher level courses?

 

Would you teach a little league baseball player to wag his bat like Gary Sheffield? Do you know why not?

Would you teach an 8th grade basketball player to NOT use the backboard for layups? Do you know why not?

 

Just food for thought, Papa...

 

We're ALL rooting for Ridge to think it's fun beating USSA kids up north.

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Eat your heart out, Pops...one of my riding cronies is moving to NZ in January...so, next summer I'll have accommodations.  Her hubby is a ski fiend.  Maybe if she gets a big house, we can all go.

30924[/snapback]

 

Tell me it's not at Rainbow...

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When Adam skis at Blue, I will ALWAYS go and watch him. When I play in golf tournaments I play so much better when I know I have someone watching (my parents, or if my friend is caddying for me). It's always nice to know someone is rooting for you. I'm sure he enjoys the support, and it's always fun to watch the other racers. I'll definatly be supporting Ridge the same way :rock I know if I was racing, I'd like someone to be there (like at Tanglwood, it was great hearing ski999 yell "go jeff go")

 

'999 will make a great coach, he's already made his daughter an amazing skier, who is soooo much fan to have a around :lol:

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Tell me it's not at Rainbow...

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I'm not sure exactly where. But, her hubby was the one who took a job, and he would never have made the move unless the skiing was awesome. You and the 999let should come too. We'll make it a total invasion. :lol

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Eat your heart out, Pops...one of my riding cronies is moving to NZ in January...so, next summer I'll have accommodations.  Her hubby is a ski fiend.  Maybe if she gets a big house, we can all go.

30924[/snapback]

 

 

That would be so awesome. This summer, as last is quickly passing. (thats a good thing) The chill in the air this morning is

:woot:woot:woot:woot:woot:woot:woot:woot

 

 

BTW - the big picture plan for Ridge is learning to train with the CAT team - along with a couple of races, that he wants to go to - unless he wants to do more. Nastar is a given. As far as techniques and teaching them - the most important point, is that a straight line between two points is the shortest and subsequently, the fastest route. grrrrrr pesky gates... ;)

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