Parkland Racers Ski Club

2011-2012

Does your son or daughter like to SKI?

Has your son or daughter seen our group of athletes training while out skiing on their own and have told themselves that they could do that??

We are now accepting registrations for the upcoming season.

Whether a recreational skier or an aspiring Olympian,

Parkland Racers Ski Club offers Alpine Skiing programs that may suit your child.

Our Alpine Ski Racing programs inspire young athletes to create a love for alpine skiing that will last a life time, through goal setting, mental and physical development and promotion of good sportsmanship while reaching each athlete's personal best under direction of mature, highly qualified coaches in an organized and positive learning environment.

Our programs are supported by the Alberta Alpine Ski Association.

Entry Level Ages   5 - 10 years
K1 & K2 Ages 11 - 14 years
J1 & J2 Ages 15 - 19 years

For registration information please contact: Jason Schilling at 780-905-8667

Email: parklandracers@gmail.com

Making Every Run Count

The amount of time alpine ski coaches and racers are afforded for on-snow training is precious.

Short seasons, bad weather, poor snow conditions, time constraints, and lack of hill space often cut into quality training time. Even when conditions are perfect and racers have access to a fast lift, turn around time between runs is usually about 10 minutes. Add this to the time racers spend at the top of the course stretching, adjusting equipment, and waiting for the course to clear, and it results in them spending one minute out of every fifteen actually training.

Given that ski racers are restricted in the amount of time they can work on technical and tactical aspects of skiing, it is important that they are both physically and mentally prepared for each run so they are able to get the most out of the time they spend training in gates.

Mental training is slowly beginning to be seen as the logical complement to the technical, tactical, and physical training which is currently the norm for alpine ski racing. Race programs throughout North America are starting to turn to mental training consultants to help racers develop the mental skills they need to take their performance to the next level. By teaching ski racers what it means to be mentally prepared before each run, along with the skills which will enable them to engage in this type of preparation, better use will be made of the limited training time they have on snow.

To start you on your way towards better mental preparation, ask yourself the following five questions before each run.

1. What is my goal for this run? (e.g., be aggressive, run a straighter line)

2. What is my focus for this run? (e.g., keep my arms in front)

3. Can I see myself doing it? (Use imagery to mentally practice what you want to achieve)

4. Am I at my optimal intensity level? (Am I too psyched up? Too relaxed?)

5. Am I committed to making this run? (Will I give it 100% and fight all the way down?)