Junior Coach Says Multiple Sport Are Fine

FasterSkier · July 28, 2004

Norwegian junior national team coach Jon Arne Schjetne is feeling fine about coaching skiers involved in multiple sports at a high level. He currently has two skiers on the team that are also on other sports junior national teams. Marte Elden ( www.fasterskier.com/news.php?id=1270 ) is on the track team and Betty-Ann Nilsen ( www.fasterskier.com/news.php?id=1273 ) is involved with the orienteering team.

Competing in these summer sports makes it impossible for the two athletes to participate at all the cross county skiing camps, but the national team coach have no problems letting the talented girls do as they wish.

– I have no problem with this. It gives them a good all-around muscle development, which can be good in the long run, says Schjetne.

You don’t have a problem with them not being at the camps?

No, I want them to make as many camps as possible, but I have no problem with this as long as everything is done up front when we plan the season. We discuss the schedule with each individual in the beginning of May.

Schjetne is very concerned that the total trailing load for the young and ambitious girls is reasonable and possible to absorb. He is for that reason not pushing cross country skiing in the summer for the girls.

– They are not starting up with 100% ski training immediately when they are done with their summer competitions. First they need to recover and relax for awhile. We have to make sure that they are not training too hard since they compete so frequent in the summer.

When should they choose one sport and focus on that?

– That is very individual and depends upon what additional sports you are doing. You should probably choose when you get close to the transition from junior to senior if you are involved with a sport involving little or minimal training.