Thursday, October 1, 2009

Slalom transition

Well, I had to skip a day. I was toast yesterday and did some personal "maintenance" in the form of a nap! We wrapped up the first Giant Slalom session yesterday with a full-on timed course. Scott skied 8 runs through the course and I was pleased with his skiing for this time of year. What I liked best was his intensity. His final run, in a rutted course, was only .05 seconds off his fastest run. He wanted more but we folded it up.

Today was his first day on slalom for the year. He again was contending with the small sweet spot for his new gear (stiffer boots and skis). Tremendous power in the skis, but he sometimes had trouble keeping the feet grounded in transition. That's time lost. By the end of the day he was doing better. We'll watch the USSA Slalom coaching video tonight to reinforce the concept. They have a great section on retraction.

The head case. Technical ability is only part of the deal in sports. And the higher the level of competition, the bigger the role mental strength plays. Scott was disappointed in his skiing today (no one else was) and brooded all the way home. Now the "commute" home from the glacier consists of three T bar rides and three gondola rides. Takes 90 minutes. By the time we got off the T Bars, I couldn't handle it any more and checked out on my own. I can't stand negative thoughts. Scott got the message and caught up to me as I slogged up the hill back to the hotel. He's growing up and he'll do just fine.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Shep(coach), this is great. I am reading every day! Keep em coming.

    I wish I could be there to watch da kid! I love Zermat, what a great place to train and sightsee.

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  2. Cory, We'd love to have you here too. This has been a great experience for Scott. See you soon!

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