Big Sky Ski Team

BSSEF Fun Race Results

Click here to view the results from last weekend's fun race.

Nordic Team Update

Here's the latest from Jessie Neal:

Embedded below are some phots from a gorgeous practice on January 26th.  We got into a little bit of powder on our Nordic skis!

Here is a reminder regarding upcoming practices and competitions:

• January 31st - synchronized skiing, maneuver transitions between poling techniques, and games; meet at Lone Mountain Ranch
• February 2nd - longer ski to get ready for Spam cup and relay races; meet at Chapel
• February 7th - longer ski to get ready for Spam cup, step turns, transitions, and speed work; meet at Ranch
• February 9th - waxing for the race and slow ski around the Ranch; meet at Lone Mountain Ranch
• February 11th - Spam Cup #2 1k, 5k, 10k, and 15k
• February 11th - Taste of the Trails following the Spam Cup races
• February 25th - Gallatin Glissade 2k, 10k, and 20k; major fundraiser for BSSEF. Spread the word!
• March 3rd - Yellowstone Rendezvous Race

Big Sky Speed Camp is Full

Jeremy Ueland says that the SG speed camp is fully subscribed.  Unfortunately, there is no room for any additional participants.

Seeking Volunteers for Lone Peak Super Speed Series at Big Sky

We're seeking volunteers for the SG series on Hangman's at Big Sky on February 10-12.  If you are interested, please complete and submit the online form here.

YSL SG/GS Kombi at Bridger Bowl

We have another race coming up February 3-5 at Bridger Bowl.  It will be a SG/GS Kombi (see presentation embedded below).  There will be mandatory training on Friday; two races on Saturday, and one race on Sunday.  If you plan to attend email Becca Friedlander (YSL atheletes) or email Jeremy Ueland (Buddy Werner athletes) by Monday, January 30th.

KombiGuidlines

Volunteers Needed for Western Region Masters Championships

BSSEF and Big Sky Resort are hosting the Western Region Masters Championships on February 2-5, and we need volunteers.  If you are interested, please contact Jeremy Ueland.

Race Suits Wanted

Damon Peary needs three junior race suits.  If you have a suit, please email Damon.

More Info on Speed Camp at Big Sky

Big Sky is hosting a speed camp on February 8-9 for athletes racing in the Super-G races on February 10-12.

• Drills and training runs will be conducted on the Hangman's SG course.
• Athletes must attend both sessions, as training is progressive.  Wednesday (2/8) 12 noon – 3:30pm; and Thursday (2/9) 9:00 am – 12 noon.
• The coaches recommend that you get on your skis Wednesday morning if you have not already skied on them this year.
• Athletes who have preregistered via email should register and pay Wednesday at the Race Shack (at the bottom of the Ramcharger chair lift) between 11:30AM and noon.  The cost for both days is $50.
• We have preregistered 20 athletes so far and have room for 30-35.
• This is a two-day camp.  If you had previously indicated an interest in just one day, please confirm whether or not you are able to make a two-day commitment by sending an email to Tina Coyle at tinacoyle@bresnan.net.
• Athletes can get $44 lift tickets.
• Coaches from both the Missoula team and the Big Sky Ski team will be coaching the camp.

Northern Division YSL Program Submissions Due 2/20/12

Like last year, the Northern Division will publish a program for the YSL Championships that contains athlete profiles and supporter's advertising.  The submissions deadline is February 20th.  Click here to download more information.

Register for USSA Webinar for Parents on 2/7/12

USSA Sports Education is offering a free webinar for parents on February 7, 2012, at 8:00PM MST.  The objective of the webiner is to give parents a greater understanding of the long-term development of a ski racer.  There is limited "seating", so pre-registration is required.  No special software is required, but you will need a computer with Internet access.  Click here for more information.  If you are interested in attending, click here to register.  A recorded version of the presentation will be available to all.

Attend the Big Sky YSL Races? Please Take Our Two-minute Survey

If you attended the YSL races at Big Sky Resort this past weekend, please click here to complete a two-minute survey.  We will be happy to share the results of the survey with other Northern Division clubs.

Results from YSL Races at Big Sky

The overall results of this past weekend's YSL races at Big Sky are available at http://my.ussa.org.  Results by class have been submitted and should be available on the Northern Division's web site soon.

Devo Team Improves Across the Board at Red Lodge

The race conditions were perfect this weekend at Red Lodge for the Rocky Mountain College Stano Club races for J3 and older competitors.  As usual, our friend at Silver Run ran a great race.

It was a very good weekend for BSSEF's Junior Development Team: Madison Bildahl, Melissa Wills, Sylvie Henry, Derek Hetherington, and Sean Bayless.  Each earned race results that demonstrated significant improvement in performance.

As many of you know, USSA "points" represents a kind of handicap score that provides an athlete with a valid, broad-based metric against which to gauge personal performance over time.  Race points are calculated as a function of a) the competitive strength of the field and b) your time relative to the winner's time.  The lower your points the better.  A race result that is below the points reflected in the most recent USSA points list indicates improvement.  For example, if your List 7 GS points were 201.27, and you earned a race result of 185.98, there was an 8% improvement.  Consistently lower race points leads to more favorable seeding in future races.

The following table shows the differences between each of our athlete's race points relative to their list points going into last weekend's races:

Derek simply crushed it this weekend.  It gets tougher and tougher to show double digit percentage improvement when one's points get below 200, yet Madison showed a 20% improvement when she earned 132.16 race points in one her GS races.  Sean, Melissa, and Sylvie also registered nearly 10% improvements in either their GS or SL results relative to their list points.  Nice work!

All BSSEF athletes that are racing this weekend, please meet in North Mammoth Room by 8:15 to get your bib and meet with coaches. There will be a athlete/parent meeting in the corner of North Mammoth Room at 8:30 for schedule details for the day.

Big Sky Speed Camp on February 8-9, 2012

BSSEF is offering a two-day Super-G training camp on February 8-9, 2012.  The camp is open to any J4 or older athlete who will be racing in the Lone Peak Super Speed Series the following weekend.  The camp will consist of half-day training and drills sessions on the Hangman's SG course.  Coaches will be from the Big Sky and Missoula teams.

The entry deadline is February 4, 2012.  Additional details regarding cost, coaching, and schedules will be available once we determine anticipated attendance.  Please email Tina Coyle if your athlete is interested in attending.

The camp is being organized in response to requests from parents across the Northern Division who wish to provide their racers with additional training opportunities due to lack of snow and speed training facilities at their home mountains.