Training Sunday 1st November

Evening All,

The programme for next Sunday, 01/11 will be as follows.

PS 2, Dev 2 & 4 will be on the mat for the first session from 9 - 10:30. PS 2, Dev 1 & 3 will be on fitness from 9 - 10:30

We switch for the second session from 10:30 - 12.

All skiers are then back on the mat for the last hour of racing. 12 - 1.

First group can take their break, after fitness, from 10:10 - 10:25. Ready to ski at 10:30

Second group take a break, after fitness, from 11:40 - 11:55. Ready to race at 12.

Gary W and Nick will take the first fitness session, then switch with James and John, for the second session.

That leaves

Ski Session 1
Malcom on Dev 4
John on Dev 2
James on PS 2

Fitness 1
Gary and Nick

Ski Session 2
Malcolm on Dev 1
Nick on Dev 3
Gary on PS 1

Fitness 2
James and John

We'll do our best to set the timing gear up for timed runs. Perhaps it could be set up prior to skiing and lifted before the head to heads. We’ll need to limit the runs of skiers through the gear though. We had 12 times for some skiers and zero for others last session. This session will be limited to 3 runs for all.

I have all the times from the runs from last session and can set the teams based on those, if I have time. Maybe a parent volunteer can do that on Sunday.

As ever, we'll need helpers to make the races happen. 2 on flags at the bottom, to mark the finish and a starter at the top.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

Cheers, GW

Snowsport Scotland Off Hill Training

We have received this message from Louise Kochalski Snowsport Scotland Development Officer regarding fitness training sessions that they have set up.  These sessions are appropriate for U14 and above skiers in our performance squads.  Apologies for the lateness of this information.

For more information see the attached document.

Gary

"Hi All

As most of you know Ben Kinnear and I have been working on putting into place a support programme to compliment the fantastic work the clubs and centres are doing on the hill. The idea being that we, as Snowsport Scotland, are in the best position to oversee a programme to help all athletes in the region regardless of what club you belong to or discipline you take part in.

In addition to top end coaching at the heart of what we are trying to achieve is a clear and transparent pathway of what support sessions an athlete can access depending on their age and ability levels. Each step clearly building from the last. Please have a look at the attached document, the diagram is supposed to provide a clear obvious pathway – I would welcome any feedback.

In terms of getting started, things have taken a lot longer than planned BUT I am pleased to say we’re ready to go with S&C session A starting next Monday 14th September (I know this is very short notice but I hope you, as Head Coaches or Team Managers can work with me to get the message out to the relevant athletes/parents). All details are in the attached document, but if you have any questions please ask. For athletes to book into a block of S&C (or eventually gymnastics) please have them email myself and coach or team manager. All payments should be made to Veronica in the Snowsport Scotland office (incidentally she’s not in today for anyone particularly efficient).

Lastly we welcome attendance by any coaches at the sessions, it’s great to have extra hands and also fantastic CPD for a lot of coaches out there, all I ask is coaches let me know in advance if they are coming along.

Any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks

Louise

Louise Kochalski | Development Officer (North) | Snowsport Scotland"
Tel: 0131 625 4410 | Fax: 0131 317 7202 | Mob: 07584 654396

Last Call For Registrations

We have trials for both performance squad and club entry trials next Sunday 30th August.  For this reason the committee would really appreciate it if all our existing members who intend training with us for dry slope this autumn would complete the necessary registration forms.  We have a number of new members and we need to know how many places we have on offer for dry mat training.

We need all members to complete

• Membership form
• Dry Mat Training form
• Parental Consent Form

Please remember to click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form.

We also need to know how many members planning to come to the performance squad trials so we can plan the assessment stations.  Applications for performance squad trials will therefore close on Tuesday evening.

• Performance Squad Trials form  

On the subject of Performance Squad Trials, we will not have the usual refreshments so skiers will need to bring along drinks and snacks.  We also need all skiers changed and ready to ski at 09.00.  The ski assessments will be done first and will take till about 11.00 and then the physical assessments will take place.  We will need all parents of skiers to stay to assist with the running of the physical assessments.  The physical assessments may take till about 2 p.m. depending on numbers.

FAST October 2015 Camp - Time for Action!

Good evening to you all!  It may seem early, but FAST is already well advanced with putting together the October 2015 ski race training camp. The purpose of this e-mail is to remind you to register your child for this camp as soon as possible - it is always a popular training opportunity.

Closing date for registration - Wednesday 20 May 2015.

So, what to do now?  Put the dates in your diary and register your child for the camp by sending an e-mail to: mailto:gfb.dickson@hotmail.co.uk and please cc: mailto:johnian99@gmail.com

FAST October Camp Invite

Training Sunday 22nd March

Evening All,

I'm afraid with the warm temps tomorrow and the receding snow at the Lecht, training is not going to be beneficial or worthwhile this weekend.

We considered the option of training at Cairngorm, but the majority were not in favour of making the trip.  As such, the only decision is to cancel training this weekend.

Let's hope for a change in the weather, so we can return to training as soon as we can.

Many Thanks, 

Gary W

Training Sunday 8th March.

Afternoon All, a regular training day tomorrow.

Coaching team will be James, John, Jamie, Alex and Gary W.  I'm not sure what conditions will be like, but we'll make the most of what's there.  See you all at the hut, ready to ski for 9am.

Gary W

Training Sunday March 1st

I'm getting a few questions about training tomorrow. I can see no reason for it not to be on, so we'll have training as planned.

Many Thanks, GW

Training at Lecht , Sunday March 1st.

Evening everyone.

For those attending the Glenshee Skier Cross this weekend, the race will be supported by Kenny and Gary W

Regular training will take place, at the Lecht, on Sunday with coaches Ali M, Jamie R, John McR and James P. With a large number expected for training it makes sense to train on our home turf.

All of our gates and equipment are there and we can make better use of the hut.

Ali will be on performance with the other coaches taking care of the other trainees.

We should have 32 athletes at the Lecht on Sunday with 12 racers at Glenshee.

Fingers crossed for a great weekend. See you all soon,

Gary W

Training Sunday 15th February and 22nd February

There's a lot of training camps and International races on just now, as it's mid-term. As such, I'm expecting only 26 athletes at training on Sunday.

Sunday is a regular training day and we'll have John, James, Jamie and Malcolm for coaching. So, for those training, you're in for a treat with small groups.

Jamie will take the performance groups and the other groups will be split on Sunday.

Make the most of the training on Sunday and ask your coaches for plenty of feedback.

Remember that Gordon Skiers is a racing team. We're looking for all athletes to support each other and show us all some team spirit in training.

The following weekend is another race weekend, with 2 days of racing for Children and Saturday racing for the Bairns in the Cairngorm Open.  So far, we have 5 Children registered and one Bairn. As such, we can only provide support for the Children's races and Sunday's training will be at the Lecht.

Next weekend's coaches are John, Jamie, Alex, Malcolm. For now, I think it will be Alex in Aviemore, with all others at the Lecht for Sunday's training.

I'll be away next week, so may need to use the mailing list for any updates.

As usual, please ask if anything is unclear.

See You All Soon, 

Gary W

Todays Training Cancelled

OK In light of the update from the Lecht that they are unlikely to open today the decision has been made to cancel today's training.  At least we should have some good snow to race on next week so you can use this morning to get your entries in for the Glenshee Winter Games! (and don't forget to let James know you have entered!)

See you all next week!

Training Sunday February 1st.

Evening Everyone,

As you may have noticed the weather is verging on ferocious. The MWIS forecast isn't too promising for tomorrow, so I'm proposing a late start for tomorrow. The Lecht are telling me they will update on the status, but not until after 9am tomorrow.

I will check with them tomorrow and update, via the Gordon Skiers Racing Facebook page. Fingers crossed for training, although it's not looking good as of now. We would suggest everyone waits for the green light prior to leaving as it may take them some time to clear the road in the morning.

Tomorrow's coaches will be James, John Mac, Malcolm, Kenny, Jamie (if he gets back from the Alpes in time) and myself.

At the earliest, we will start training from 10:30, all going well with the weather.

Please wrap up well as wind chill will be severe tomorrow. Reported as -25C at 900m.

Speak tomorrow,

Gary W

Snow Training Sunday 18th January

What a difference a week makes!

Happy New Year to All. Great to see the snow has finally settled on the hill and we can finally get into some serious training.

The groups are listed below and the coaches this week will be Ali M, James P, John McR and myself. I've added coaches names to the tables, so you can see who you have.

Some of you may not have met Ali yet, but it's great to see him returning for snow training. Ali has been coaching with Gordon's for longer than any of the other coaches and has a pedigree to be proud of (including English Team Coach) He's been busy on placement as a Doctor in Inverness, so hasn't been able to join us in Alford.

Sunday 11th January 2015. Training Cancelled

This weekend is very much a case of the good news and the bad news!  First the bad news, as you can see from the webcam at the top of the buzzard, there is not a lot of snow at the Lecht right now!

The good news is, as you can see from the Winterhighland forecast on the left, that there is plenty of snow forecast over the next few days.

The bad news is that it is accompanied by some seriously high winds gusting to 70-100mph on Sunday. Our concern is that with such high windspeeds some of our younger lighter members might get picked up and end up in Tomintoul before touching the ground again!

So sadly we have made the decision to cancel this Sunday's training at this stage to allow you all to make other arrangements for your weekend.

Lets hope we see some descent snowfalls over the next week that will allow us to get some training in next week.

Dry Mat Training Sunday 7th December

Morning Folks, this week we may be splitting the training between indoors and outdoors, so please come prepared.

Sunday's coaches will be Jamie, Malcolm, John and myself.

The format will be the same as last week

• Perf 1 , Dev 1 and Dev 3 will be on skiing first.
• Perf 2, Dev 2 and Dev 4 will be on fitness first.

Dry Mat Training Sunday 30th November

Evening Folks, again this week we will be splitting the training between indoors and outdoors, so please come prepared.

Sunday's coaches will be James, Jamie, Malcolm, Kenny and myself.  The format will be the same as last week

• Perf 1 , Dev 1 and Dev 3 will be on skiing first.
• Perf 2, Dev 2 and Dev 4 will be on fitness first.

A reminder of the times for all. Ready to ski at 9:00 am, for the first group and 10:30 am for the second group. Please do your best to be ready to go on time, as it really helps the coaches stick to the teaching plans.

Dry Mat Training Sunday 23rd November 2014

Evening Folks, again this week we may be splitting the training between indoors and outdoors, so please come prepared.

This week's coaches will be James, Jamie, Malcolm, Kenny and myself.

It seems I wasn't clear enough last week and caused some confusion.  The format will always be the same for the plastic training, so athletes and parents know what to wear for first session.

Perf 1 , Dev 1 and Dev 3 will always be on skiing first.
Perf 2, Dev 2 and Dev 4 will always be on fitness first.

Congratulations to Ben Morris, as you have have made the step up up to Development 3.

The plan is for Me to run the first fitness session. The grass is soaking wet, so I'll set up (hopefully) indoors, with Kenny on Perf 1, Jamie on Dev 1 and Malcs on Dev 3.  The second fitness session will be run by Kenny, with myself on Perf 2, Jamie on Dev 2 and Malcolm on Dev 4.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

Gary W

Dry Mat Training Sunday 16th November 2014

Evening All, I hope you're all ready to train hard tomorrow.

For fitness, please remember to bring a water bottle. We're going to be working hard on fitness tomorrow and I expect everyone to work up a real thirst. The land training we do is really important for ski racing. It's designed to increase the stamina and stability of the athletes, as well as build on the core strength that's essential for high level skiing.

We'll be splitting the training between indoors and outdoors, so please come prepared.

Tomorrow'c coaches will be James, Jamie, Malcolm and myself.

The plan is for James to run the first fitness session, with myself on Perf 1, Jamie on Dev 1 and Malcs on Dev 3.  The second fitness session will (probably) be run by me, with Jamie on Perf 2, Malcolm on Dev 2 and James on Dev 4.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Gary W

PS, I'm hoping to pass on some info, before skiing tomorrow, so would appreciate is athletes and parents could hang around just before 9am.

PPS  A wee reminder to change in the changing rooms and no kit or changing in the hallwat

Snow Training 2015

Important Notice!

Well, the first snow has been falling up on the hills so time to start thinking about on snow training!!  We have now finalised details for winter 2015.  The first Sunday of training will be 11th January, the first Sunday after schools go back and will run weekly through to 29th March, a total of 12 weeks.

We are pleased to be able to keep snow training fees to £20 per session or £240 in total for the third year running.  Can we remind any of you who have not been training on dry slope and who have not yet paid their club membership fees that you will need to do so at the same time as paying for snow training.

The deadline for applying and paying for snow training is Sunday December 14th.  We need to have this finalised prior to the Xmas / New Year break.

As with dry slope training please use our online form for registering for snow training and pay online using paypal or online banking.  Details are on the application form.

Training will run from 9AM to 3PM with a break for lunch.  This means that skiers must be ready for skiing at 8.45AM.  The coaches will leave with their groups at 9AM and will not wait for anyone not present, (even if they are in the car park getting their boots on!).

Snow Training Application Form

Dry Slope Training, 9th November

Welcome back to dry slope training after the half term break.  The groups remain the same as does the order of play with Performance 1,Development 1 and Development 3 skiing first, Performance 2 and Development 2 and Development 4  will be doing fitness first.  Please be kitted up and ready to start at 9AM sharp.

Dry Slope Training October 5th

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.  Groups are pretty much unchanged, just one mover in  Hamish Alexander to performance squad 1.

Remember it is our second hand sale tomorrow so if you have clothing or ski kit your skiers have grown out of then dig it out and bring it along.  Don't forget that Blues will also be doing a ski preparation demo and will be bringing along a range of kit for members to purchase.

As last week, Performance Squad 1 and Development Squads 1 and 3 will be skiing first (This will be the same every week so skiers, no excuses for not being kitted out at 9am sharp ready to start). We'll swap around for the second session and then everyone on the mat for racing at the end.

Gary and James will be doing the first fitness session whilst Kenny works with Performance Squad 1, Jamie with Development 1 and Malcolm with Development 3.  In the second session it will be Malcolm and Kenny on fitness, Gary skiing with Performance Squad 2, Jamie on Development 2 and James on Development 4.

The timings will be

• First Session 9 - 10:30
• Second Session 10:30 - 12
• Racing 12 - 1

Remember the house keeping note from mid week, please sign in and out and leave us a contact phone number!