Cody race details

Hi skiers and parents –

Looks like we may finally get to race this weekend! Following is our itinerary and other pertinent info:

We will practice today, Tuesday and Weds. up at Beaver Creek, returning to the field house by 6:15pm. Thursday we will be waxing our skis for the race. The Simonsons have volunteered to host a team dinner at their house (550 Adams St.) following waxing on Thursday! They will be serving soup and bread; please feel free to contribute a side dish, salad, dessert, etc!

The bus will depart from the field house on Friday morning at 7:30am. Please be sure you pack your uniform (we will issue these to you on Thursday as you wax your skis), warm-ups, hat, gloves, etc. Please also pack a healthy lunch for the bus on Friday, as well as nutritious pre- and post-race snacks for both days, and money for dinner in Cody on Friday. The school will provide breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

We will be staying at the Comfort Inn in Cody, 1601 Sheridan Ave. The phone # is 307-587-5556.

Attached you will find the race info packet from Cody with start times, race descriptions, etc.

Parents, if you are planning to drive up and watch the races, the actual venue is an hour west of Cody at the Pahaska resort near the east entrance to Yellowstone Park. Directions may be found at:

Lastly, since this first race has been a long time coming, I’ve decided that we’ll take all skiers who want to race this weekend, regardless of missed practices. Going forward, we’ll adhere to the attendance policy found in our code of conduct. Also, if your child will not be attending the race this weekend, please let me know as soon as possible. Thanks!

I think that’s all for now. Feel free to call or email me with any other questions you may have.

Maggie

INFO PACKET – Cody Race December 2012.doc

No race this weekend

Hi folks –

Looks like we will not be racing in Casper this weekend either. At this point, Plan B is to reschedule for 21/22 of Dec. I know this is not ideal with Christmas break starting, but Mother Nature is not being particularly cooperative this season!

Still waiting for a definitive answer for the Cody meet the following weekend as well. I should know by the end of the week and will update accordingly.

Maggie

We’re skiing today!

Hi team –

Just got info that BC is groomed from stadium to Cow Crossing, so we’ll be heading up to ski for practice today after all! Parents, I am hoping to be back to the high school at 6pm or shortly thereafter tonight…

Maggie

Soldier Hollow info AND Dec race update

Hi ski parents –

Our race in Soldier Hollow, UT, is still a ways away (we’ll be racing February 1st and 2nd, but driving down Jan 31st), but I wanted to get the info out so anyone who is interested can begin making plans and reserving their rooms! Many thanks to Pat McGavran for putting together the info for anyone who is interested in coming down and cheering/chefing:

The Homestead/Zermatt resorts near Midway, Utah, a 10 minute drove from the Soldier Hollow ski area, have rooms available for the races Jan 31-Feb 2.

The Zermatt has a hotel room for $109 (+ tax), a room with a fridge and 2 double beds for $119, a one bedroom villa for $169 and a two bedroom villa for $ 319.
The Homestead has a motel room for $109, a ‘bunk’ which has two queen beds and a small nook with bunk beds (great for younger kids) for $119, and ‘executive’ with jetted tub and sofa for $ 169.

They are holding this room block for parents of skiers until Dec. 30th. They will release the rooms to everyone after Dec 30th but, for the first time in 5 years the races do not coincide with the Sundance Film Festival and the Homestead’s remodeling is done so there will be twice as many rooms as last year and not such a rush to book them. Check out Zermattresort.com and Homesteadresort.com for more information. Bring a swim suit.

The reservation line is 1-866-937-6288.

To get the rates above, mention the code 1056SE for the Zermatt and 1056SA for the Homestead or tell them you are there for the Junior Nationals Qualifier Races at Soldier Hollow.
The website says the cancellation policy is 48 hours, but ask about that. Thanks.

Also, our Casper race which was re-scheduled from this weekend (Nov 30/Dec 1) to next weekend (Dec 7/8) is still looking iffy. They will make the definite yea or nay call Tuesday night, so I’ll let you all know as soon as I know. The Cody meet, slated for Dec 14/15 is also very much up in the air, pending more snow. There has also been talk of having a make-up meet in Casper Dec 20/21. I’ll keep you updated on all of this as I know more….

Have a great Monday,

Maggie

Parent’s Introductory Letter 2012-2013

Welcome to LVHS Cross-Country Skiing 2012-13

Parents play a critical role to the LVHS Ski Team.  While the coaches do the lion’s share of organizing and coaching the parents are integral members of the team, overseeing banquets and providing logistical support for our home meet.  Parents also support team unity, team commitment, team spirit, and behind-the-scenes time management and health maintenance.   Parent support will be essential for several events described below.

Communication

  • https://lvhsnordic.org/  This brand new site was created thanks to Matt Herr and the Coaches.  It features: the calendar and meet information; Pictures; background info about skiing; team forms and more.  Check it out!
  • E-mail – Our primary means of communication will be through e-mail.  Ensure that we have your correct address by checking the posted spreadsheet.
  • Photos – Matt Herr will be compiling photos throughout the season.  Anyone can contribute to the photo compilation by sending Matt their images.  A slide show will be generated for the Final Awards Banquet.
  • Bumper sticker – Each family receives a magnetic LVHS Nordic Bumper Sticker to proudly display on vehicles.  Additional stickers may be purchased for $5.00

Races

  • Race Support – The race schedule is posted.  Races are skied on Fri & Sat every other weekend while school is in session.  Parent spectators are much appreciated.  At most ski areas the parents are allowed to ski on trails adjacent to the race course and move around the course for different vantage points.  Before and after meets the parents are usually allowed to ski the area.  Skiers will need to travel with bags of healthy food for travel lunch, snacks and between-event energy.   In general, the colder the conditions the more food the skiers need.
  • Travel Treats – Baked Goods and snacks to share on the bus are always appreciated (I.e., quick breads, cookies, energy bars, and fruit).

Events

  • Lander Race – Feb 22-23 Our biggest support effort of the season!  This year Lander will host State Championships.   Parents and many members of the community volunteer to make the race a success.  Volunteer responsibilities run the gambit of helping to time the meet, to supplying and staffing the food/cocoa table, to marshalling the course.  Stay tuned for more information and sign-up requests.
  • Lander Meet Banquet – Feb 22  At all races the home team hosts a banquet on Friday evening.  As the hosts of State Championships this will be a big event for us.  The banquet will include carry-in from our team plus some local restaurant support.  We’ll be serving all of the attending teams and families (200+).  Parents will be asked to help plan, prepare food, attend and help with set-up and clean-up.  More details to follow with sign-up requests.
  • Full Moon Ski Events – If scheduling permits, we’ll do a few fun night skis.  Parents are asked to contribute snacks and drinks to be enjoyed at the Beaver Creek Yurt.  Parents are welcome to join in the fun.
  • Soldier Hollow, UT (Junior National Qualifying) Race – Feb 1-2  This LVHS meet held at the SLC Olympic XC Venue also serves as a regional qualifying meet for Junior Nationals.  The competition is stout and an awesome experience for our skiers.  For the past couple of years parents have organized team breakfasts and dinners out of a condo located at the team lodging.   We’ve asked parents for help with planning and providing cookies or energy bars. Parents that can come to Soldier Hollow are asked to help serve meals and cleanup and are invited to eat with the team.   Consider going – it’s a fun race, incredible spectating opportunity and parents can ski the venue.  We’ll be reserving a block of rooms for parents at a reduced rate at the Homestead or Zermatt in Midway, UT. More details will follow.
  • Awards Banquet – Date TBD  This closing event provides opportunity to share in the team’s successes, commend out letter-earning athletes and celebrate our departing seniors.   The parents provide the food for this pot-luck style carry-in.  More details, perhaps even a theme, to follow
  • Team Dinners – In past years we have held dinners at skier’s houses several times during the year, usually on a Thursday prior to a race or on a rest day.  Parents can attend if they want, or just send some contribution with their skier if possible.  The Merritt’s volunteer to do one at their house, and if others want to volunteer, we can schedule those.   This is a fun, supervised, relaxing time for this hard-working group of athletes.

Thanks and Welcome

Code of Conduct

Download, print, sign and return the Code of Conduct 2012-2013

LVHS Ski Team Code of Conduct

Introduction and Coaching Philosophy

        Our first priority is to promote healthy lifestyle habits through the sport of cross country skiing. While we are excited and motivated to win, we encourage student athletes to participate because they appreciate being outside and active.

The Role of the Parent

Parents play an important role in their child’s athletic experience. We feel strongly that the parents’ role is strictly to support and encourage their child in their successes as well as their set-backs. We couldn’t do it all without you, but please leave the coaching to us.

The Student-Athlete

Just as the words “student-athlete” implies, we expect your studies to come first. Sports participation is a privilege and should be in addition to taking your class load seriously. As stated in the school wide Code of Conduct, you will have to maintain a “C” or better average to continue participation on this team.

Logistics of Cross Country Skiing

        Cross country skiing is one of the hardest sports in the world. Skiing requires intense fitness, technical skills and an ability to deal with adverse weather conditions. At every workout, we will require hard work and whining will not be tolerated.

Because we train in extremely cold conditions, appropriate clothing is imperative to your success on this team. At every ski workout we will require that you wear synthetic long underwear as your first layer and that you have appropriate gloves and hat with you at all times. Wool or synthetic socks and appropriate outer layers are also required. If you fail to follow these guidelines, you will sit on the bus, instead of ski. This is simply a health and safety issue.

For dry-land training sessions, we expect temperature appropriate dress and running shoes. You should have these available at all times, since there may be unforeseen last minute changes to our training schedule.

Health concerns

There are several things that you can do to ensure that you remain healthy throughout the ski season. Our recommendations include the following:

Always stay well hydrated: before, during and after exercise.

Make sure that you are eating a well balanced diet throughout the day, so that you have energy to perform at your highest for every training session.

Make sure to bring healthy snacks and liquids for consumption immediately after practice. Scientifically speaking you will recover faster if you re-fuel within 30 minutes of completing your workout.

Bring a dry change of clothes for immediately after practice. By putting on dry clothing immediately after exercise, you will prevent getting chilled and increase your chances of staying healthy during cold and flu season.

Attendance Policy

Skiers are expected to attend practice every day with the following exceptions;

Sickness – If you are sick, have a cold, flu or fever, do not come to practice. We will send you home. You may bring a note from a doctor or parent when you are healthy enough to rejoin the team. Please let us know before practice, in person, through a note or a friend if you are going home sick.

Academic Activities – Special school sanctioned events, such as band will be excused.

Competition – You are allowed to miss one day on non-race weeks without penalty. If you miss practice during the week of a competition, you will be ineligible to compete. We will deal with special circumstances on an individual basis. Communication is key!

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Although the LVHS Code of Conduct has a section devoted to the school’s drug and alcohol policy, members of the LVHS Ski Team will be held to an even higher standard—that is to say, unlike the school policy, which employs a system of increasing consequences relative to the number of offenses, members of the LVHS Ski Team will be subject to a “Zero Tolerance Policy.” In order to be on the team, ski team members will agree to abstain entirely from using drugs, alcohol, or illegal substances of any kind. This is a year-round agreement, applicable for so long as the student is a member of the LVHS Nordic Ski Team. Failure to abide by this agreement will result in the student’s immediate expulsion from the team for the remainder of the season. If the offense occurs after January 15th, the student will be removed from the team for the remainder of the current ski season, as well as the entire upcoming season. There must be undeniable proof: you are caught by law enforcement, or there is tangible proof or self admittance to a coach or a school administrator of inappropriate behavior for your expulsion to take place. While we realize that high school can be a very challenging time with peer pressures, curiosity and poor judgment, we feel strongly that drugs and alcohol are absolutely inappropriate, illegal and detrimental to the successful development of any high school athlete. This policy is intended as a deterrent, not as a punishment.

All State Points

All State points are calculated on the basis on your individual races. First place is worth 20 points and the points decrease by 1 point for each place down to 20th place, which will receive 1 point. Total all state points are used to determine the all state team selection. Your two lowest scores will be dropped to determine your final total. The top ten point earners are awarded First Team All State and the second ten are awarded Second Team All State.

Lettering

To earn a varsity letter, you must finish in the top 20 in at least one race or earn at least one team point in a relay. Seniors will earn a varsity letter regardless of place by finishing the season in good standing.

If you have any questions regarding this code of conduct or throughout the season please don’t hesitate to contact any member of the coaching staff or the activities director listed below.

Maggie Heller – Head Coach
light_the_lamp21@yahoo.com
(307) 349-1295
 
Emily Tilden – Assistant Coach
emily@wildirisclimbing.com
(307) 349-7370
 
George Hunker – Assistant Coach
phunker@wyoming.com
(307) 332-3986
 
Greta Olafsen – Assistant Coach
gretaolaf@gmail.com
(608) 986-2547
 
Lee Lofgren – Assistant Coach
skidream@wyoming.com
(307) 332-9457
 
Barry Scott – Activities Director
bscott@landerschools.org
(307) 335-0112