Does the photo look cold? That's because it is. The kids have been training in speed suits with temps ranging from minus 20 degrees F to the balmy 11 degrees F we enjoyed today. Managing clothes and warm-up breaks is a major focus, although the kids are largely expected to self-assess at this age. One athlete didn't do so well, suffering second degree frostbite on his big toe. He's now sidelined and I doubt he'll be ready to race at Lake Louise.
This has been a great week. The project is being run by the Western Region coach, Jeff Pickering, and he brings just the right mix of control and levity for this group. We've had some great course sets on good, hard snow, and minimal, to-the-point, meetings in the evening. I think the athletes will leave here well prepared and adequately rested.
For Scott's part, this has been an important week. His knee shows no symptoms of inflamation, so he's able to ski full bore. He's posted strong times against very fast company, and is having a great time with the group. He's in excellent position for a good week at Lake Louise.
A big part of ski racing is managing resources. One resource is the athlete, which needs to be healthy, well fed and mentally composed. These things don't just happen, there is a lot of behind the scenes planning that goes into it. Hence my compliments to Jeff. Another major component is equipment. I'm pretty excited about where we are in that regard. We've been "running in" Scott's new Downhill and Super G skis this fall, while leaving his "uber fast" skis from last year on the rack. I'm really pleased with how the new skis are running and was able to secure an opportunity for timed testing of all the skis tomorrow. So Scott and I spent tonight ensuring that all his skis are tuned and waxed identically for the tests. Although I suspect the old ones will still be quicker, I want to see how we're coming on the new ones. Don't laugh -- this stuff is exciting to geeks like me!
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