Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2012

AVSC NORDIC News and Updates

Please read the latest from AVSC Much has been going on over at the clubhouse since the season has ended. While Toby’s

spirit and contributions to the program over the years are irreplaceable, we have been working to ensure a smooth transition to a new director who will be also supported by Rachel Bachman, who has stepped in during the interim as the Nordic Program Manager.

We are also excited to begin our summer endurance program that will supplement fall dry land and our usual in season training to help our athletes excel, reach their goals, and become lifelong athletes. Athletes not in town for the summer can also communicate via an online training log to enhance their training and stay on track to succeed.

Meet the New Director We are very excited to announce our new Nordic director, Maria Stuber. Apart from an outstanding resume, she has energy and enthusiasm to see our program improve

Endurance Fitness Don’t forget our summer training program for endurance fitness. This will allow your athlete to begin fall or winter training at a higher fitness level.

Summer Base Camp There will be a 10-week summer base camp program on Tuesdays from 3:15-5:15PM. Hiking, biking, exploring and games at a low cost of only $150 for the summer!! Register online today

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We are very excited to announce Maria Stuber as our new program director. Maria attended and raced for Northern Michigan University where she earned a bachelors degree in Biology and Physiology and a Masters in Exercise Science.

While in college, she served as captain for three seasons and had a personal best finish of 13th overall at the NCAA National Championship Qualifier. She went on to compete for the Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC) Elite Team from 2007-2010, then trained with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project from 2011-2013. Her best national ranking was 9th in 2012. She is a five time USSA SuperTour Champion and placed 4th at the American Birkie in 2010.

Apart from her impressive education and ski career, Maria is also a highly talented runner and

very experienced coach. She is a graduate of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy, and has extensive experience designing training plans for programs such as the SuperiorLand Ski Club. Her most recent coaching experience has been as head coach of cross country running at Southern Vermont College. While training at Craftsbury, she also coached running camps, organized ski clinics, and volunteered for programs such as Girls on the Run.

We are so fortunate to be gaining her wealth of experience and knowledge for our own program!

Introducing: Maria Stuber

In the interim, we have brought Rachel Bachman on as a manager for the program. Rachel worked for AVSC as an intern coach this season and will be running our summer programming.

Rachel is a native of Northern NY where she competed for Clarkson University in both Nordic skiing and Cross Country Running. While competing, Bachman took

7th and 9th in USCSA National Championships earning All -American Status and assisted her team to an overall victory in 2012. On foot, she led her team as captain

and placed 3rd overall in the 2012 Conference Championships. She is also an avid cyclist, hiker, and lover of the outdoors. Contact: (518) 932-1042 RBachman@teamavsc.org

New position: Program Manager

Ride for the Pass

Congratulations to Keegan Swirbul who came in 11th place over all at the Ride for the Pass with a time of 45:09, less than two minutes off the winner. Hailey was not far behind in 30th overall, second female, with a time of 48:51. Awesome job guys!!

Baseline Fitness Testing

We have been hosting baseline fitness testing in accordance with USSA Protocol to allow our athletes to gauge their current fitness level and to be able to quantify their improvements through the summer, fall, and over the years!

Group Bike Ride

As the weather is turning, the Nords are out doing long bike rides, trail runs, and lifting to get ready for winter. On June 2nd, Jack Sweeney, Ricky Wojcik, and coach Rachel took a long ride up to Ashcroft and enjoyed the cruise back down.

Recent Happenings

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Changes to Rocky Mountain Nordic Tentative race schedule for RMN and CHSAA races, and more!

On May 11th, Excellence Director Walt Evans, Shannon Sweeney, and Rachel Bachman attended the Rocky Mountain Nordic (RMN) spring meeting in Vail. Here is a summary of the meeting, changes for the upcoming season, and a tentative race schedule.

Some important menu items from the meeting included financial review, reflection on the past season and national championship experience, changes for the upcoming season and the next national championship which will take place in Stowe, VT. Qualification criteria were also reviewed and some important changes will happen before next season.

It was felt that Junior Nationals went well this year, although the food situation was not ideal and coaches should have been allocated better. Next year this will be remedied by designating some coaches as “waxers” and others as “support” for athletes. We hope to have at least one Aspen coach in Stowe. This year, RMN will arrive at the venue Friday February 28, 2014 and depart on Sunday March 9, 2014. We will be staying at the Golden Eagle Resort who will provide all three meals. RMN will be the only team staying at the Golden Eagle. Estimated price for the JNs will be around $1,850. This amount is not firm and does not include airfare or uniform.

Discussion was held on the JN Selection Criteria as it pertains to pre-qualified skiers and additional skiers added to the RMN roster. RMN will always take 12 OJ/J1 skiers in both genders and 9 J2 skiers in both

genders, however if many prequalify the remaining spots may be allocated to J1 or J2 skiers in accordance with their performances in comparable races. For example, this means at minimum, 12 OJ/J1 skiers of each gender will qualify, but this number includes the pre-qualifiers meaning that remaining spots may go to a faster J2 skier if the situation arises. Eric Pepper of Vail volunteered to draft the language change for the additional skiers added to the RMN JN roster that includes how we add skiers that include pre-qualified skiers to the JN Team. This topic will be finalized during the fall meeting Saturday October 12, 2013.

RACE CALENDAR: (tentative)

Dec 20-21: RMN Junior National Qualifier (JNQ) in Crested Butte, CO

Jan 4-8: USSA Senior Nationals in Soldier Hollow, UT

Jan 25: CHSAA Duathlon in Aspen

Jan 31 – Feb1: RMN JNQ & CU Invite (RMISA) in Steamboat Springs, CO

Feb 7-8: Super Qualifier & RMN JNQ in Soldier Hollow, UT

Feb 13-14: CHSAA State Championships in Eldora, CO

Feb 21-22: RMN JNQ & DU Invite (RMISA) in Minturn, CO

o JN Teams will be named

Mar 3-8: Junior National Championships in Stowe, VT

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Other Important Items FOURTH OF JULY

Please do not forget our picnic in Koch Park on July 4th from1:00 - 4:00 PM! There will be a BBQ lunch, beer garden (and other refreshments), plus kids games and volleyball. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. It is always a great time, we hope you join us. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information please call (970)205-5107 or look on our website www.teamavsc.org.

COACHES EDUCATION

On September 27-28, USSA is hosting a Coaches Education Symposium in Park City, UT. We plan to send a few of our coaches to increase their skill and knowledge base so that we can continue to provide expert coaching and guidance to our athletes.

TD CLINIC

At a race, a TD – or Technical Delegate – acts as an official representative of the FIS and Chairman of the Jury to supervise the running of an event and assist the organizers. They ensure FIS Rules, Criteria, and Instructions are carried out and clarify rulings when a decision is contested. A TD must be in attendance at a FIS race.

Currently, we do not have enough certified TD’s in Aspen and therefore must bring them in and pay for lodging during races. This year, we plan to send a few coaches and members of the Nordic community to the TD and Chief of Competition Clinic on October 26-27 in Buena Vista, CO to receive their certification. If you are interested in becoming certified, please contact Walt Evans at wevans@teamavsc.org.

DRY LAND TRAINING

Beginning in early October, we will be offering dry land training for our athletes to get them ready for winter. This will include roller skiing, biking, running, plyometrics and weight lifting. We plan to offer morning sessions for athletes participating in other sports after school. More information will follow.

BONFIRE DINNER & NIGHT OF THE NORSEMEN

Although it seems a long way off, we will soon begin planning our major fundraising events – the Bonfire Dinner and Night of the Norsemen. We are looking for parent volunteers to serve on our planning committee. If you are interested, please contact Rachel Bachman at RBachman@teamavsc.org.

STAY IN TOUCH

Don’t forget to stay in touch through the summer! If you are in town, we strongly encourage your athletes to participate in our summer programming. Otherwise, you can look for updates on our homepage at teamavsc.org as well as on FaceBook, or on our new blog, AVSCnordic.wordpress.com. Have a great summer!