Headin' South

It's been quite a week getting Scott on the road to Chile for two weeks of winter training. It sounds like it should have been simple enough, but not so. First, there was the little manner of a Triginometry final exam. Then Scott had to get ahead on the grounds keeping job at the property he maintains. Then there was the equipment issue.

Scott was to bring 8 sets of skis to Chile, two for each discipline. We purchased big, three pair, bags for the purpose and planned for 3-4 ski bags plus two large suitcases for the rest of his gear. Our first adventure was that the new bags weighed 11 pounds and three sets of skis made them exceed the 50 lb limit. OK, remove the bindings, weight each different pair of skis, and come up with the right mix. After numerous permutations we came up with five pieces of baggage, each weighing within one pound of the limit. Success!

The US Team arranges travel and likewise negotiates discount baggage fees for the athletes. The coordinator told us she could only prepay 4 bags for Scott's flight due to the first leg being a commuter, "But you can pay full price for the final piece." So we confidently went to the airport this morning only to discover that the airlines limit to four bags per person on commuter flights... period. Ooops! So there we were on the airport floor reorganizing and shortening the list in order to get down to four pieces of baggage. We did it, but two sets of skis stayed in Idaho. I'm sure he'll be fine and we all learned something new today.

This is the only trip I'll be skipping this year. This is the first ski trip Scott has gone on without me along as a coach. Feels funny. However, Joy and I are enroute to Houston and Alabama to visit family and friends. Our first "vacation" together in an age. We're even going to slow down and sightsee on the way. Mt Rushmore tomorrow!

Watch Scott's web for skiing updates during this trip.

Final Tune-up

We're still trying to figure out where last season ended and the next one begins. We've decided the true kick-off will be the trip to Chile, beginning on Sep 13th.

Anyway, we're presently at Mount Hood, OR for a final tune-up. Nothing big really, just Scott free skiing and searching for the right "feel" on his new gear. The weather is perfect and there's hardly anyone on the glacier, so we have plenty of room to work.

It's been a busy summer, quite unlike the past few years. Normally summer is about strength training, schoolwork, lots of baseball and relaxing times with Mom and Bonnie. Scott did all of that this year, but added four ski training sessions (one California, three here) plus two administrative/physical testing trips to Park City. Our summer was essentially scrambled.

The first few months with the US Team have been enlightening. We're still adjusting, but in the end I'm sure it'll be a good fit. Scott's still excited and happy to be on the team, and that's what counts. Once the competitive season begins it'll feel a lot more like normal.

The photo above was taken at Tawanna Falls this afternoon. We did Scott's aerobic training on Forest Service trails today, and it was well worth it. If you look closely you'll see Scott near the falls, which are easliy 100' tall.

Time to pack lunches for tomorrow.

Sunshine!

We finally saw some sunshine today. The temps also dropped a little, improving the training conditions. The mountain is beautiful, with more rime deposited on the upper rocks than I've ever seen.

Scott continues to work on "stacking" over the new outside ski during transition. When it works, he's really fast. He can string 5-6 gates together and is impressed with how it feels. However, working on a new move in the race course messes up his timing, leaving him a little frustrated. It's only June... it'll come.

There are two days left in this camp, then Scott flies to Park City for "Rookie Camp" where he'll learn the ins and outs of sponsors, conduct, meeting with the press, etc. I'll be staying here to attend the Level 300 Slalom coaches' clinic. We'll both be home in time for Independence Day.

Winter in Summer

We're back on snow after a couple of weeks at home. It snowed all day and the forecast calls for more tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully it'll stop soon as we need hard snow for training.

It was good being home for a while. We only saw Bonnie briefly, as she headed to Army Airborne school in Georgia this month. But Mom was there whipping up Scott's favorite meals and smiling all the time. Scott got back into baseball and played about 10 games with his American Legion team. He really loves baseball and enjoys being part of a the team -- lots of good friends. Walking away from the line-up and repacking ski gear wasn't easy.

Scott's training Slalom and Giant Slalom on the glacier at Mt. Hood, Oregon. Lots of memories here as well since I used to spend 3-4 weeks per summer running race camps when he was 7-10 years old. He's staying with the team in condos 20 minutes away. I'm staying for free in the "Atomic House" where the Atomic Ski staff lives for the summer while running their equipment test center. I'm helping out as a ski technician four hours per afternoon in exchange for room, board and lift tickets. I'm working mornings on the hill with Scott and the team.

Scott's been pretty calm about making the team. He smiles and thanks folks when they congratulate him, but he plays everything down. Last night the boys were issued US Ski Team uniforms. Scott called me and tried to sound calm, but I could tell he was excited. Today I saw him in the uniform for the first time and it was cool. It's been a long journey.

It's Official

Scott was officially nominated to the 2011 US Alpine Ski Team on May 25th. It was a great day for him and our family and he basked in the hundreds of letters and generous words from friends and family. One thing that struck us all is how great it is to live in a small, close-knit, community. If we lived in a city, perhaps a few neighbors in each direction would be aware of Scott's career. However here in Sandpoint everyone knows and celebrates each other's successes. We can't walk down the street or in a store without someone coming up to talk. Really neat and old fashioned in a funny sort of way. Personal.

With Scott joining the team comes an intense schedule that chops the summer into pieces. They'll have him for a couple of weeks every month, then he'll head to Chile for the month of September. I'll travel with him (except to Chile due to expense) so my summer is similarly shuffled. That doesn't leave much time for work around the house, Scott's job, school or relaxing. We've both been going 90 mph since getting home.

Scott will be working with an excellent coaching staff. The head coach, Randy Pelkey, has a strong reputation and is also very organized. That's a huge thing in this business. My original plan had been just to travel with Scott and maintain a low profile, tuning his skis and supporting from a distance. Randy and I met for a while last week and he invited me to be on the hill and pitch in. I was totally taken aback, but jumped on the offer. This is better than I'd hoped. So, although I'm not an official member of the staff, I will be involved and be inside the venues for training and competition.

Now we confront the next major challenge -- funding. Joining the team does not mean free skiing. In fact, the team charges all "unfunded" athletes $22K per season for tuition. Scott will be unfunded for at least two years. Add to that the expense of me tagging along and we're looking at a big chunk of change. The search for grants and donations begins this week. This is my least favorite part of the business.

Layin' Low

This is one of the most boring weeks of my life. I'm intentionally staying completely off the snow and away from the USST training. I have several reasons. First, I don't want to create an issue with the staff that might impact Scott (although they offered me to be there). Second, Scott is one of only two athletes here who made criteria. the other invitees are in a try-out situation. I don't think it appropriate for an outsider to be there.

So instead, the highlight of each day is a 5 minute visit with Scott while I pick up his skis to tune them. I also get to work out each day, read some books and watch lots of movies.

Scott is enjoying the training. The team spend three days preparing the slopes with jumps and rollers for various drills. The coaches are showing him a technique to build more force at the top of the turn. Scott says he can feel the power and is "getting it." I'll probably sneak up there at the end of the week with some binoculars and see what's going on.

The first day at school

It starts today. I just dropped Scott off at the US Ski Team "Center of Excellence" for two days of physical assessments. It felt vaguely like the first day of school. He met the new Assistant Coach at the door, filled out some papers, then walked into his dream gym.

Scott is a gym rat. He's been working out since age 9 and builds a few hours of work into every day. I'm sure he'd happily put a bunk bed in here and live full time.

While Scott's working downstairs, I'll be upstairs in a two day "excellence" conference designed for program directors. It'll include insurance briefings, athlete development ideas, fund raising guidelines and other areas which might be useful to our team. As much as anything, its a convenient diversion while Scott is being tested.

The ride down here was as important as the event. I wrote him a "treatise" about the transition, and we had a long discussion about his career and what changes joining the US Ski Team might bring. Certainly there are some great advantages. He will be brought into excellent on and off snow training environments, many of which I could never create. He will also have a group of elite athletes with which to train, which is always a good thing (although he's made it this far with no "rabbits" to pull him). He'll have dedicated fitness, therapy and sports psychology staff at his disposal. He will have quality, experienced, on-snow coaches. He will also have a competition schedule carefully tailored to meet his development needs. That all sounds pretty special, except that it will be substantially different than what he had to this point..

The key word here is comprehensive. Over the past five years Scott trained in a fully integrated environment which encompassed fitness (diet, exercise and schedule), tactics and technical skills, mental strength and equipment management. Scott's success is due to his dedication, focus and hard work. However his rapid development is largely due to the program in which he trained. Two major points we discussed, and I"d outlined in the paper, were:

"Being different is one of the things which propelled you to this point. Remember, your competition isn’t XXXXX, XXXXX, XXXXX, XXXXX or XXXXX. In the end, your competition is some highly disciplined and dedicated Swiss or Austrian kid who lives and breathes his dream. Every day he’s working out 3-4 hours to get stronger. He tunes his own skis. He has highly competent coaches. He trains year around with a singular focus. He has full family support. He lives in a society where ski racers are Gods and everyone aspires to be one. You’ve watched the Swiss kids -- you know the deal. To beat them in 2014, you must work harder than them today. So don’t limit yourself to standards set for the group. Set your own performance goals, decide what needs to be done, and get after it. If others don’t understand, politely explain it to them. Offer them to join you. Lead the way."

And

"Joining the US Ski Team will be great for you. There are many experts in the organization with a lot to offer. You are at the point where you need their support. The problem with the Team is that the information is compartmentalized. The ski coach knows tactics and technical matters, but isn’t an expert in fitness, diet, sports psychology or equipment. The equipment guy knows all about edges and wax, but little about technique. The sports psychology guy knows lots about minds, but little about technique/tactics or equipment. None of them knows much about you. So you have to learn how to connect the dots. You have to take ownership of making your program comprehensive. That will be the difference between greatness and mediocrity."

I'm sure some would consider my words extreme and unfair to the US Ski Team. I admire the team and respect the staff, however I have little faith in large organizations. They do well for the majority, but often don't meet the specific needs of the individual. Scott is the youngest here and must learn to manage his own future.

The first day at school. He knows his ABC's, he's wearing clean clothes, he knows where to reach me if he needs me, he has lunch in his backpack. He'll do just fine... I remember the day.