Backcountry Soccer-Golf

WestonMay 8, 2012

Backcountry Soccer-Golf, Year-Round Training, and Why Skiers go Further in Sport?

Yesterday was the first training session of the 2013 season for Mansfield Nordic Club athletes. It was an historic day for 2 reasons:

  1. the first-ever officially organized training during the month of May
  2. the first day of the first year we’ve ever had a full / year-round training structure

Having a diverse group of athletes, athletes that are just entering the realm of year-round training, and only 1 coach, I wanted to lead a session that was fun, kept the group together, and addressed skills that we don’t always have as endurance athletes.

The solution? Backcountry Soccer-Golf. 

It is a mix of an adventure run/hike crossed with frisbie-golf. Only instead of chucking frisbees, we were kicking soccer balls through the woods. Low-score each hole got to do the fewest number of push-ups.

 Amy, Cally, Liam, Henry, Parker, and Bill up front

One of the greatest aspects of ski training is that we get to go on adventures. Operating on a long-term training plan, we can afford to have days that aren’t 100% focused on a ski-specific task. With a 2 month track season, you don’t have time to fool around: you should either be running, running fast on a track, or taking a day off. Training year-round for ski racing? Heeellllooo hiking, epic bike rides, running, swimming, soccer, strength, rollerskiing, yoga, speedball, basketball and rock climbing! We are the definition of crossfit. Focusing on being a skier invariably leads to more cross-training. We only have snow on the ground 30% of the year — it is a necessity to practice other sports.

That is why skiers go on to be such great endurance athletes, in a wide-variety of sports. We don’t specialize in one simple task from a young age… even the athletes that train year-round are participating in a wide range of activities. A large proportion of skiers continue training and competing beyond high school and college because they truly love sport, and because they have such a broad base in endurance sports.

Want proof? An NCAA ski champ was in the lead for the first 5km of the 2012 Boston Marathon (Glenn Randall – Boston Marathon). On the same weekend this past April, another NCAA All-American skier defended his title and won a $10,000 payout for a victory in the 5km (Ben True 5km 13:41). Former US Ski Team member Morgan Arritola won a world championship in trail running (XTERRA trail running champs) and current US Ski Teamer (and Montpelier VT native) Liz Stephen was 2nd in the same event (Skiers go 1-2 at world champs).

On a more somber note, last night I was saddened to see the following headline pop-up in my browser: “42% of Americans Obese by 2030.”

As a coach working with young athletes, I make a pledge to keep that statistic as small as possible.

buy chantix online, buy ventolin inhaler

buy albuterol inhaler,buy combigan online,buy chantix,buy voltaren gel online


Related Posts

2nd!

2nd!

November 21, 2012
Gällivare

Gällivare

November 21, 2012