Rolling Along

The Rochester Nordic Racing crew has been rolling along for the last few weeks. The summer training group officially started the first week of June and we have been busy getting up to speed since then.

As usual the first week of practice was reserved for getting to know each other and the Canadian Strength Test which has become the norm the first week of practice. I think it's a good way to get things going because not only is it a good benchmark but it also is a quick reminder of what it's like not only to push yourself but to hurt a little bit as well. Most if not all of the athletes were just coming off of a spring sport so the overall effort was great to see.

We did not have any record setting performances in overall scores though we did have a number of improvements of personal best which is a good indicator things are progressing. We will do this test again in August and hope to have another set of PR's.

This year is also the largest number of new and young athletes to the team which bodes well for the future. In the past we have had a lot of athletes join us as they are U18 which is great but also leaves little time for development. This year we have a solid group of U14's and U16's which will give them a chance to develop over the course of a number of years.

The second week of practice we got back to getting on roller skis. The first couple weeks of practice are reserved for specific strength, balance, agility, body awareness, and overall confidence on roller skis. Usually the second week of July we get in to a little more intensity but for now we have been working on the basics.

We usually have a solid group of collegiate skiers around for the summer that will join us from time to time, This summer though we have our first ever R.N.R post graduate athlete! Hannah Cole ( HF-L) just graduated from Williams College and is going to continue skiing next year for Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman MT. She is going to be around all summer before departing for BSF so that is an added bonus!

No Snow No Problem

Well we are in officially in the dog days of summer. To help combat the feeling that winter is still a long way off a couple times each year we strap on the rock skis and have at it. 

                   

This has been an ongoing tradition for the last five or six years. I'm not going to say we invented it because people have been skiing across the sand, grass, and sticks long before us, but it does seem that this "grass skiing" is catching on. Recently even some national teams have been posting video of grass skiing. 

                             

If you have not attempted grass skiing it is defiantly worth it as it provides a great workout, breaks up the roller skiing and is beneficial in terms of working on some techniques. We really like to simulate classic sprinting, and work on Herringbone technique. 

                             

Here is the link to the video from the most recent Wednesday Night World Championships of Grass Skiing. In the future this may become a reality! Let's just hope not!

HTTPS://YouTu.be/j52zwqpiteo 

   

   

Back at it !!!!!!

We are not wasting any time around here and have jumped back in to summer training mode! Though most athletes have just finished spring sports and are finishing the last few days of the school year, we don't have any time to waste. 

(And we are off and running this summer! Chloe looks slightly scared of what she has gotten herself into!)

As it has become tradition we like to start of the training season with the Canadian Strength Test. It is a general strength assessment which is easily reproducible and easy to evaluate. Not only do we have a lot of info from past years but so do a lot of others around the U.S and Canada. So for that reason it is a great test to perform a few times each year. 

( Lot's of strong, fast young women joining the ranks this year) 

(We still have some familiar faces and I'm glad that one is sticking around this winter!!!!!!) 

(Game Time) 

We have A LOT of new faces this year! It's pretty awesome to see this new crop of young and motivated skiers coming along but it's kinda weird not seeing all the familiar faces that have been around since the start. A couple weeks ago I went to a COLLEGE graduation party for one of the first athletes who joined R.N.R it was pretty cool but made me realize that time does not stand still. 

(Sometimes life is a blur and it's hard to stay focused on what you REALLY want out of it. Create goals, set bench marks, and accomplish what you want!) 

When I started this club I had some goals in my mind of what I wanted to achieve. The main goal was to provide athletes who were motivated enough to train outside the hours of a high school program a place to do that. My hope was that with enough motivated athletes here in Rochester we could push those from around the state and create a higher level of skiing in NY. That would also influence how competitive the Mid-Atlantic division would be at Junior Nationals. 

This past Winter was one of the most successful for athletes from NY. They were not all from R.N.R and that's awesome because everyone needs some fuel for the fire! We did have some amazing results though, and I'm hoping that this young group of athletes will also continue to push themselves and others. 

( Not exactly sure what's going on here, but the we are all smiles) 

 

Global Warming

Due to global warming Rochester has not received any snow yet for the month of July ! We will keep the skis crossed in hopes of a return of the polar votex but until then we have to go with what we got!

Here is a direct link to the video as well:  RNR Green Powdaaa 

www.RochesterNordicRacing.com 

Summer Session

It has been a quick start to the summer. I will keep it short and simple. The first week of practice we took a couple test runs through the Canadian Strength Test, and then completed the real deal along with our long standing run test. It was good to see what strengths and weaknesses everyone had. It was also very encouraging to see the improvement that many had made over previous test. 

(Working on Dips)

The second week of practice we worked on being comfortable on skis with lot's of agility, and specific strength work. We also got back in to our strength circuit and the end of practice. 

(NCAA Qualifier and Willams Skier Hanna C hammering out the pull-ups)

(UNH Skier Gavin H working on scoring some points in the CST)

The third week of practice we got in to a couple of workouts though the emphasis was on specific strength and technique. 

(Katie showing great body positioning on a tight turn)

(Jasper getting after it)

The third week was also the USSA Eastern Regional Elite Group Camp in Lake Placid at the Olympic Training Center. Gavin and Riley are part of this camp as well as Jason on the coaching side of things. In conjunction with the REG there is a U16 Camp as well. That included Ryan and Eric. The camp is going extremely well and we will have a recap of that forthcoming. 

(Gavin at the REG)

Next week we will all be back in the ROC getting after it before the 4th of July holiday weekend. 

2014 Summer Registration

I’m excited to announce registration for the Rochester Nordic Racing Summer Program is now open!

 The R.N.R summer program is a roller ski specific summer training program for athletes J3-U23 (8^th grade- college). We have developmentally appropriate programs for all ages and abilities.

 R.N.R has been able to be successful with the support of local athletes, high school coaches, and families. Last summer the program included high school athletes from Brighton, Fairport, HF-L, Pittsford, and Webster. Over the past 5 years we have had a lot of athletes move on to ski at the collegiate level and many of them will be back this summer.

 With the continued growth and support I’m glad to announce that we will be offering a Development Program for athletes with no prior roller skiing experience. The Devo Team will be a spring board for athletes to enter in to the Prep and Comp Teams. The Teams are always changing and as athlete’s abilities and needs change the ability to move up and down within the teams is a fluid process. The (Team) is a lose designation for the training groups athletes will be split in to for specific workouts.

 Comp Team: 

Comp Team- Designed for J2-U23 ski racers competing at the regional and junior national level. The training focus includes endurance, ski specific strength, speed, agility, power, balance, mobility and flexibility. Technique will be an emphasis and will be an on-going project throughout the summer. Video analysis will be utilized to address specific skier’s needs. This program will provide a solid platform towards continued excellence at the high school and collegiate level.

The program will meet twice a week (Monday and Wednesday) as well as either Saturday or Sunday of each week. There will also be specific weekends where we would travel as a team to Mid-Atlantic sponsored camps for those athletes that are interested.

Prep Team:

Prep Team- Designed for J3-J1 athletes competing at the local level with little or no previous roller ski experience. The program will mirror that of the Comp Team in a developmentally appropriate setting. The goal of the Prep Team is to facilitate athlete’s transition to the Comp Team.

The program will meet twice a week (Monday and Wednesday) as well as either Saturday or Sunday of each week. There will also be specific weekends where we would travel as a team to Mid-Atlantic sponsored camps for those athletes that are interested.

Devo Team:

Devo Team- Designed for J3-J1 athletes who have little to no prior roller skiing experience. The devo or development program provides a developmentally appropriate setting for beginner roller skiers to become conformable on roller skis, refine technique, and learn basic training theories and ideas, as well as providing a base of fitness to build upon in the future.  

The program will meet twice a week (Monday and Wednesday) as well as either Saturday or Sunday of each week. There will also be specific weekends where we would travel as a team to Mid-Atlantic sponsored camps for those athletes that are interested

Summer camps that will include R.N.R Head Coach Jason Hettenbaugh USSA Regional Elite Group Camp (By Invite Only) Lake Placid Olympic Training, USSA NENSA Regional Elite J2 Group Camp ( By Invite Only) Lake Placid Olympic Training Center

 *Traveling to additional summer camps is an athlete’s choice and not a requirement of the program, if you would like more information on any of the camps listed above feel free to contact me. 

What the program covers:

Ski specific training from June 9^th   – August 20^th   2014

Two sessions per week

One weekend session per week

Video tape technique analysis

Ski specific strength program

Summer training program

E-mail and phone correspondence with coach as needed.

Practice will be from 5:30-7:30pm unless otherwise noted

The majority of our practices will take place at the Ridings of Mendon development off of Bull Saw Mill Rd in Mendon. The majority of our weekend practices will meet in the parking lot located at the base of Bristol Mountain. (Check the website for a map)

For athletes who are interested in the program please contact me via e-mail or phone no later than Monday June 2^nd  to confirm your participation. Payment and registration is due on or before Monday June 9^th You can mail your registration forms to me or bring them the first day of practice. I will have more information as we near closer to the start date for those athletes who will be involved. If you have any questions feel free to contact me as well.

For more information and registration forms please visit the website at

www.rochesternordicracing.com

and click on the registration forms link on the left side tool bar.  

What you really wanted to know!

Cost: $400 for the summer program. Train for the entire summer for the cost of many week long camps!

Discounts !!! 25% off for a 2^nd  child from the same family. 50% off for a 3^rd child from the same family.  Example 1^st child $400 2^nd child $300 3^rd child $200

 Equipment Discounts: For those of you who need rollerskis, poles, bindings and or anything else please contact me as we will be able to purchase most equipment at a significant discount.

 Preliminary order deadline will be June 9^th   for those who need roller skis or parts.  

 If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail at Jason@rochesternordicracing.com

 Also feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone who you feel may be interested in joining us this summer friends, teammates, and fellow athletes living within the greater Rochester area.

 Thanks

Jason Hettenbaugh

All of the registration forms are on-line at www.rochesternordicracing.com a NYSSRA membership is required to participate in the program.

*If you purchased a membership last year that is good until June 30^th at which point you will need to purchase a new membership.

Our insurance rider is covered by NYSSRA, as well as USSA.

Stowe Eastern Cup Recap

This past weekend we traveled to Stowe VT for the Eastern Cup/UVM Carnival. This is one of the biggest weekends of racing in the Northeast due to the combination of events. This year an added excitement was in the air due to they fact that Trapp Family Lodge will play host to the Junior National Championships March 1st - 8th. 

Due to the large group we had with us space was at a premium! Though I don't have the newest Thule box on the market this is one of the largest and we were able to get about 30 pairs of skis in to it !

Also due to the team size we opted to rent a house for the weekend ! I believe that if possible renting a house has many advantages over hotel rooms. It provides a lot more room but also tends to bring everyone closer and makes for a fun an eventful weekend !

The highlight for me was being able to wax skis while the athletes made dinner! It's easy to forget what a great group of kids we have associated with the Rochester Nordic Racing family, but when your out waxing skis and they ask what time you want to eat its a quick reminder! I stayed behind the doors and let them work there magic in the kitchen ! 

We all know Peter has some mad skills on his skis but who knew he has mad skills when it comes to making pizza ! Peter saved us all when he busted those out and we were treated to some phenomenal pizzas on Saturday night. Thanks to head chefs Tommy, Colleen, and Madi for keeping the oven Rollin' as well. 

Saturday was the classic sprint race. All in all it was a good day but we did not move as many as we had hoped in to the heats. One guy who did make it in to the U16 heats was Eric. He made the most of the opportunity and ended up winning the B final. Here he is rocking the RNR suit. That makeshim exponentially faster! 

A couple other pictures from the qualifier. 

(Chad)

(Tommy)

(Colleen)

(Madi)

(Ryan)

Riley was leading the way on the girls side of things qualifying for the U18 heats along with Hanna who is now at Harvard , As things would have it they both made it all the way to the A-Final. It was pretty cool to see them back racing head to head. 

(Riley (HF-L) and Hanna (Harvard))

Gavin also made the U 18 heats and had a good showing representing UNH!

(Gavin UNH)

Hanna Cole (Williams) continued her break out season making the open heats and making all the way to the B-Final. A great day for RNR !

On Sunday everyone raced in the interval start freestyle race. Everyone was looking forward to the freestyle race. Unfortunate for Petter he was not feeling good and was unable to start the race. The rest of the crew had great races ! I don't have any pictures from the skate races due to the fact that I strapped on the boards and gave it a go as well. I figured it was the best way to gain knowledge of the course that will be used at Junior Nationals. A few highlighted included Eric and Ryan going 6th and 11th in the U-16 race, Connor and Tommy having break out performances in the U-18 field, and Colleen and Madi scoring there best USSA points of the year in the U-18 women's field. Also I wanted to congratulate Adam (Middlebury and Gavin (UNH) on the top 30's in the EISA college field on Sunday ! Big results for little freshman ! 

(RNR, Mid-A, TOKO) 

(Team Dinner) 

(Madshus as always ! ) 

(Someone thought we had a good weekend and wanted to throw us a going away party!) 

Unfortunately on the way home Madi was not feeling well and not only gave the side of the pathfinder a new color scheme but also had to endure the 8 hour trip home ! We did get to listen to the Super Bowl and I have to say I was not as disappointed as I thought I would be by missing it on TV ! 

Next up for us is State Qualifiers. Each athlete will be representing his or her high school team and it should be a great fight for that top position. With any luck we will send a bunch of athletes on to the state championship and continue our streak of State Champions! 

(We finally got some snow here in the ROC)