Thursday, September 29, 2011

Pushing Through The Seasons

Though we had a blast, and put in lots of work, it seems summer came and went much too quickly this year (perhaps due to the fact that we still had snow for the first several weeks...?!). Many of our summer athletes are now busy challenging themselves with other sports, from soccer to cross country running, to tennis and mountain biking. It is great to see so many athletes staying active and continuing to work hard through the change of seasons. This cross training will undoubtedly help them maintain the strong base they built up through their summer and carry their competitive momentum into ski season.

Still other athletes have chosen to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to ski training this fall, continuing a routine of ski-specific training five to six days per week. Since school started, ASC comp and devo team athletes have put in numerous hours on rollerskis (specificity becomes even more crucial as winter draws nearer); skiwalking; running -- up mountains, along rivers, over rolling singletracks -- wherever!; strength training -- through core strength, plyos, specific strength work... and more! These athletes have trained through the heat, wind, rain and even hail. So far, their work this fall has been extremely impressive, and is evident in their marked improvements.

A small group of ASC devo athletes -- Julien B., Dylan S., Brandon H., Patrick M. and Bri P. -- joined up with Mammoth's Connor K. for a weekend camp at Camp Richardson in South Tahoe earlier this month, and it was a fabulous, jam-packed trip! I had a blast leading the group through our series of adventures, which included running near beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake and along the South Shore's bike path system; classic rollerskiing; hiking to the summit of Mt. Tallac; hanging out on a beautiful beach; both being rained on and having our camp rained on while we were away -- sans rain flies for some of us!; cooking (and eating!) delicious camp food; and, of course, lots and lots of laughs!

Fun memories were made for sure, but so was a lot of progress in just two-and-a-half days. Each athlete pushed themselves to new heights, at their own pace, as several "firsts" and "furthersts" were achieved, from Connor's first rollerski (which he dominated!), to Dylan, Julien and Brandon's first trip all the way up to the top of Blackwood Canyon on rollerskis; to both Connor and Bri's longest run ever; to nearly everyone's first trip up Mt. Tallac; and to Patrick's longest run, rollerski and hike all in the same weekend! I was really proud of impressed with not only the work everyone put in, but the attitudes they showed while doing it. Each athlete embraced the camp experience and found a way to challenge themselves throughout the weekend's activities. And, for the most part, it seemed to be enjoyable! (Or maybe I'm just being delusional?! :)

At any rate, it was a great weekend, and a great way to wrap up the summer and kick off the fall. And before we know it, we'll be wrapped up in the kickoff to winter. Did anyone else see reports on snow in the forecast next weekend..?!?!

-- Coach Kara


Our final workout of the summer. Mt. Judah.



Patrick makes his way up Mt. Tallac.


Bri makes her way up Mt. Tallac.


Pit-stop on the way up Mt. Tallac.



Making our way back down the mountain.


Yes, Dylan hiked all the way up Mt. Tallac with this big bag of cheezits.


Made it to the summit - just in time for rain!


About halfway up...



Bri and Ben make their way up Blackwood Canyon, despite the rain.


Dylan and Bri at Blackwood Canyon, practicing their double-pole.







Monday, September 26, 2011

ASC "Summer Biathlon"

Auburn Ski Club hosted its annual Chuck Lyda Memorial Summer Biathlon yesterday, and as a spectator, I must say it was quite the event to watch! In a "summer biathlon," athletes run around a lap course and shoot at targets in between each lap. For every target missed out of five, contestants must run a 50m penalty loop. Saturday's event featured two separate races: a 3-mile "novice" race, in which contestants ran three 1-mile loops, with a stop at the shooting range between each; and a 5-mile "pro" race, where contestants ran five laps of the 1-mile course and stopped to shoot between each -- two times laying down, and two standing up.

Having only tried shooting once before back when I was a junior at a biathlon practice day at ASC (and having little success!), I was super impressed by how well everyone did in the shooting range. Their focus and concentration were readily apparent, as was their skill in staying steady and bringing their heart rates down after pushing the pace on the run. This is all a part of what makes biathlon so neat to watch: how so many aspects must come together to create the optimal race. I'm looking forward to trying it out next year!

In the junior female's novice race, Sugar Bowl Academy's Laurel Fiddler took top honors with some fast running, followed by Megan McCandless and Katrin Larusson. Among the males, UNR freshman Joe Rodrigues placed first, followed by SBA's Sam Zabell, who hit nine of his 10 targets, and ASC's own Dylan Syben in third.

Among adults racing the novice distance, Kim Field turned in the fastest time for the women, while Paul Barnes took top honors for the men. And in the pro race, ASC's Raylene Chew turned in a strong performance as the lone woman in the field. Phil Viollet won the men's race with some solid shooting and fast running, followed by junior Jordan McElroy.

Full results can be found online at auburnskiclub.org