Dear MAST Athletes, Parents and Coaches:
The race season is upon us. The next four weeks will go by very quickly. Please read all emails and updates and reminders carefully. Doing so will keep you informed about the what, when, who, where, and how of all that is happening each day. I. Race Worker Sign Up Parents: we need race workers. Many race workers. Please sign up to help. Links are also posted on the homepage of our website. We are waiting to learn what positions we need to fill on Jan 26th at the Wild Mt Invitational. As soon as I know, I will let you know how to sign up. For now, we have plenty of race volunteer roles to fill. Jan 8 24 Hyland Race Volunteer Sign UP Jan 10 24 MEC Race #1 at Afton Volunteer Sign UP Jan 15 24 MEC Race #2 at Wild Mt Volunteer Sign UP Jan 22 24 Hyland Race Volunteer Sign UP Jan 30 24 MEC Race #3 at Welch Village Volunteer Sign Up II. Race Day Lift Tickets and Season Passes To Welch, Afton, Wild Just a reminder that the MAST team fee does not include the cost of lift tickets to AWAY races. After each race, families will receive an invoice from MAST through Team Snap asking you to pay for the lift ticket we purchased for your athlete to participate in that race. Many of you will be getting an invoice for the $31 lift ticket to Welch on January 4th. There will be invoices for those racing at Afton on Wednesday ($39 lift ticket), Giants Ridge on January 13th, Wild Mt on January 15th, Wild Mt on January 26th, and Welch on January 30th. If you have a season pass to Afton, Welch, or Wild Mt: PLEASE LET ME KNOW VIA TEXT OR EMAIL: [email protected] or 612-275-8392. I won’t buy you a lift ticket if you have a pass. Plan to use your pass to secure your ticket. III. Week Nine Calendar Monday, Jan 8 Race at Hyland 3:45PM Inspection Opens 4:30PM First Run Tuesday, Jan 9 Hyland Training: Race Prep for Athletes Racing 1/10 at Afton 3:45-6:00PM Lanes 4, 5 Hyland Training: For Athletes From All Pods Not Racing at Afton 6:30-8:45PM Lane 5 Meet On Top Of Lane 5 at 6:30 Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Wednesday, Jan 10 Race at Afton Alps Load Bus? or Cars? at 2PM 4:00PM Course Inspection 4:30PM First Run Hyland Training: All Pods 5:00-7:15PM. Lane 7, 8 Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Thursday, Jan 11 Hyland Training 3:45-6:00PM. Pods 9, 11, 12. Lanes 1, 2, 3. 5:00-7:15PM Pods 7, 8, 10. Lane 2, 3. Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Friday, Jan 12 Hyland Training 3:45-6:00PM Pods 10, 11, 12. Lanes 5, 6, 7. 5:00-7:15PM Pods 7, 8, 9. Lane 5, 6. Saturday, Jan 13 MLK Invitational at Giants Ridge Hyland Training 7:45-10:15AM All Pods. Lanes 1,2,3. IV. Additional Information on the Hyland and Afton Races Attached is a roster of the athletes who will be racing at Afton on Wednesday, January 10th. We could not enter everyone who wanted to race at Afton. I am very sorry about that but we are given a limit to the number of racers we can enter by the meet organizers. If your name is on this list, you are invited to practice on Tuesday from 3:45-6PM regardless of your grade level. We will actually shut down training around 5:30PM so you can get home earlier to tune, finish your homework and get to bed. If you would rather skip practice to give yourself more time to tune your ski, get your homework done, and rest then please do just that. All athletes who are NOTracing at Afton on Wednesday should attend practice at 6:30PM on Tuesday and 5:00PM on Wednesday. There is no practice from 5-7:15PM on Tuesday. Transportation to Afton: As of Sunday afternoon, we do not have confirmation that we have buses chartered for Wednesday. I will try to get a confirmation first thing tomorrow morning (Monday), but there is a strong possibility that we will not have bus transportation to the Afton race. Parents: please be prepared to drive your athlete to Afton on Wednesday. And if you can drive other racers, please reach out to your skier’s teammates with an offer of a ride. Early Releases This Week: I will ask the ADs for a 1:45PM Early Release on Wednesday (Jan 10) and a 2:45PM Early Release for Monday (Jan 8). Parents and Athletes: Please be sure that you have signed the Afton Waiver. When you click on the link, it appears that you are buying a lift ticket. Just keep moving through the process and you will soon be working your way through their release of liability. Here is a link: Afton Waiver Link V. Giants Ridge Invitational Some of our athletes are racing in the Giants Ridge Invitational on Saturday, January 13th. The Invitational actually consists of two races: a Sunrise (morning) Race and a Sunset (afternoon) Race. Attached is a roster athletes entered in these races. Alternates are listed, but alternates do not need to attend unless one of their teammates becomes unavailable. Parents are responsible for transportation, lodging and meals for their athlete. No athlete is ever allowed to transport him or herself to a high school race. A parent needs to drive. The coaches attending this event are: Joel, Matthew, Paige and Eleanor. For those not racing at Giants Ridge, we will have training at Hyland Friday evening and Saturday morning. If you are racing at Giants Ridge and if you attended the Giants Ridge Camp, find your RFID Card that served as your lift ticket at camp. GR will reactivate your card and you can re-use it at the Invitational. This might save you some time on Saturday morning. Please pay attention to the training schedule this week. It has been updated in Team Snap and on the homepage of our website: www.mplsalpineski.org. Note that on Thursday, Pod 9 is training with Pods 11 and 12 at 3:45 and Pod 10 is training with Pods 7 and 8 at 5:00. See you Monday afternoon. Mark 612-275-8392 Good Morning:
I understand that some of you might have had trouble getting the results to open last night. I am sending the results again, hopefully in a format you can open if you couldn't open the previous ones. Congratulations to the Washburn girls for their team win last night. The SW girls also proved they are ready to compete with their second place finish. Congratulations to Reese Kuehn who finished second overall and to Kate Moore who was close behind in the third spot. Rounding out the top ten were Lucy Renz in fourth, Eva Voyakin in fifth, Gabby Harritt in sixth, and Violet Mueller in ninth. The boys placed four in the top ten against a very much improved St Thomas Academy squad and the always tough Hastings boys. Congratulations to our top male competitor, Parker Hunt, who finished in fourth place even after putting on the brakes at the bottom of the pitch on the second run. Finishing in sixth was Finn Cherveny. Beckett Wedren and Jack Bajek skied very well to place eighth and ninth. Overall, our athletes skied well, especially considering the fact that you had very little time to warm up with the transportation snafu. We had a number of disqualifications that could have been avoided had the athlete hiked back one more gate to correct the fault. Three other takeaways: 1. Ruts developed on the second run. In many turns, the ruts were in the wrong place so that if you tried to use the rut to help you make your turn (which you should do if it is in the correct spot) you will end up late for the next turn. The key in those situations is to try to hit the rise line higher and cut inside the rut. You won't be able to ski as tight a line as you like but your skis will continue to carve more cleanly and you will not lose all your speed when you have to put on the brakes to make the next gate. 2. Pole plants are NECESSARY. At Hyland, you can get away with not having a pole plant. There is no other race venue in Minnesota where you do not need a pole plant to put down a fast run. So.... we will be doing 50 hop turns everyday at the start and end of practice until everyone on this team can pole plant in their sleep. 3. Outside ski....as your skis hit the fall line in the turn, your shoulders must be square, your skis must be high on edge, your outside hip needs to be aligned fully over your outside ski, your shin needs to be crushing the boot cuff to create ankle flexion, and all your weight needs to be on your outside ski. You need to maintain that position over the outside ski until your skis have fully made the direction change you need to stay on your line for the next gate. Then you pole plant and release the outside ski from its service. Next race is Monday followed by a race at Afton on Wednesday. Make sure you have stated your intentions for both races. We will be limiting the number of athletes who race at Afton. Look for an announcement over the weekend regarding team selections for the Afton race. We may or may not have bussing for Afton. Parents: we may need you to drive on Wednesday. We have awesome lanes at Hyland today and Saturday morning. Do not miss practice. Plus, we will be timing. See you soon. Mark Attached is the run order for today's race. Boys and girls are on separate tabs. I know some are on the run order but will not be racing today. That is fine.
See you soon. Mark Good Morning Athletes, Parents and Coaches:
A few last minute notes about today's race at Welch. 1. My wife told me this morning that Welch does not take cash. If you plan to purchase Welch food or drink, be prepared. 2. I have heard from some parents and athletes that they will be riding home with a parent. Please confirm this with the coach who is riding your bus so we don't leave anyone behind at the end of the day. If enough athletes are riding home with a parent, we may send the SW bus home after drop off to save the district some money. 3. When you unload the bus, pull your skis out of your ski bag and leave the bag in the trailer of the WASHBURN BUS. 4. Use the storage lockers in the chalet to store your boot bags/back packs. Do not leave any bags under the tables or against the walls. Welch is very picky about this. 5. When not in your skis, store your skis in a ski rack. No skis are to be left in the snow. 6. I believe Welch is still using lift tickets that attach to your clothing using a plastic zip tie. Welch has informed us that we need to be wearing a lift ticket to ride the lift and that if we are caught without a lift ticket we will be fined $200. So, either attach the lift ticket to your GS suit or arrange to have a teammate carry your jacket down for you. Don't stress about this. We will help each other out as we always do. Just don't ride the lift without your ticket. Ticketing All athletes will need to pick up your lift ticket at the ticket window. Last year we picked up our tickets at the indoor ticket window in the lower level of the chalet. I assume that this is the case this year. Welch wants to verify that it is you who is receiving the ticket and that your waiver has been signed. Warm Up and Inspection Once you have your lift ticket, go out and warm up. Hopefully, we will have a coach on the top directing you, but if we don't, take your first run on Long Way Home. Wedge turns. Edge sets. Outside ski to Outside Ski. Keep your speed under control. By the time you get back to the top, a coach should be there to direct you on your second warm up run. At 4:25, meet your coach at the top of the course for inspection. Joel:SW Boys. Paige: SW Girls. Matthew: Washburn Boys. Luke: Washburn Girls. Andreas: MAST Boys Mark: MAST Girls Finally, here is some technical and tactical advice for you to consider while inspecting and mentally preparing for your runs tonight.
Mark Well done Athletes. More commentary coming soon! Video is uploaded to Sprongo, some videos have multiple athletes in one video, so be sure to watch the whole video to find yourself.
Hi Everyone:
Just a quick reminder that we only have two practices today. Those racing at Welch tomorrow are invited (if you want) to attend the early practice at 3:45PM. Those not racing at Welch tomorrow should attend the 5PM practice. All those practicing at 5 should meet the coaches on the South Chair for directed free skiing. Be sure to wear rope tow gloves. If the rope is running, you will be using the rope. Those racing at Welch are also welcome to stay home, tune skis, do homework, and go to bed early. Wednesday, Jan 3. 3:45-6:00PM Jan 4th Race Varsity Athletes. Lanes 4,5. 5:00-7:15PM JV Athletes. Lane 5,6. Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Attached is an updated roster of athletes racing at Welch tomorrow. See you soon. Mark Good Afternoon:
MPS Transportation informed me this afternoon that they have secured two buses to transport our athletes to Welch Village Thursday afternoon and evening. We no longer need parents to drive athletes to and from Welch. If any parents elect to drive their athletes to Welch instead of using the bus, please send me an email at [email protected] or send me a text at 612-275-8392. If you text, don't assume that I know who you are. Give me your name and your athlete's name. Here are the logistical details: Anthony/SW Students: Bus with trailer will meet students at SW at 2:00PM. Anthony students should send a note to school from your parents for a 1:30PM release so that you have time to gather your gear and meet the bus at SW. SW students are released at 1:45. Hustle to gather your things and meet the bus around 2PM. The bus will have a trailer for your skis. There should be room on the bus to bring your boot bag. You can bring all of your gear to the Athletic Director's OUTER office which is located outside the Commons. If he is not there, have someone let you in. Sanford, South, Roosevelt, Justice Page/Washburn Students: Bus with trailer will meet students at Washburn (49th street) at 2:15PM. Sanford, South and Roosevelt students should send a note to school requesting a 1:30PM release to give yourself time to get to Washburn to meet the bus. Justice Page and Washburn Students have a 2PM release. Please hustle to meet the bus at 2:15. Washburn students can store their equipment in the storage closet by the main gym. Mr. Jenkins says you will know where this is located. Captains, please help the ninth graders find this space Thursday morning. We still need one more gate judge for race on Thursday. Please text or email if you can help. We have a race at Hyland on Monday, January 8th. State your race intentions HERE. Thanks Mark Conway 612-275-8392 Dear Athletes and Parents:
Thank you to all the athletes who stated your race intentions 'yes' or 'no' for January 4th at Welch. The coaches have set the run order. Most everyone who wanted to race will be able to race. The attached spreadsheet lists every athlete who will be entered in the race. Some athletes are skiing for MAST instead of their school, so be sure to look to see which team you are on and which seed you are skiing in for that school. Please look for you name even if you don’t think you are racing. If you are listed and you don’t plan to race, please let your coach know. Your Head Coaches are as follows: SW Boys: Joel Hedrick [email protected] SW Girls: Paige Alampi [email protected] Washburn Boys: Matthew Polland [email protected] Washburn Girls: Eleanor Goodnow [email protected] MAST Boys and Girls: Mark Conway [email protected] A reminder that we do not have a bus to this race. Athletes need to ride with a parent, either your own or a teammate's. Please help each other out. Offer a ride to those who don't have a ride please. Look for additional communication from your coaches via team snap. If you don’t have the team snap app on your phone, please download it. We will start to use Team Snap more now through the end of the season. Enjoy the last day of break. We have a lot of racing ahead so tune your skis, rest, study, get organized. Mark Conway SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2023
Calling All Athletes.... Have you stated your race intentions for ALL of our races over the next three weeks? Please check each tab to see that you have accomplished this task. Deadlines have already passed and many of you have failed to state your intentions. Coaches need to start submitting run orders in the next day or two. GET THIS DONE TODAY!!! HERE IS THE LINK. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wd8dZLgYyXofHxPtDDPjLmb7MUzmY4ty/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104897266214364412095&rtpof=true&sd=true MARK MAST Update Week Eight
Sunday, December 31, 2023 Dear MAST Athletes, Families, Coaches: Although our training plans were disrupted by warm temps and rain, we made the most of the poor snow conditions and abbreviated training schedule. Please know that the drills you performed and the discipline you embraced in lieu of training in gates resulted in massive improvement to your technical skills toolbox. Hopefully you will have a chance to test those skills in a course sometime this week. I’m sure Hyland will be letting us know soon when we can expect to resume training in gates. Let’s hope it is Tuesday, but if not, keep your focus and resolve. The advantage is yours because we make the most of every run out of the course to keep you improving. Other teams do not do this so THEY are falling behind, not you. The RACE season begins. Please complete ALL Race Intentions for the remainder of the year this week. Click This Link For Stating Your Race Intentions Here. I. Races A. Who Is Racing When? 1. All athletes are invited to race in the races scheduled at Hyland this season. 2. Race starts are limited for the races at Welch (Jan 4), Afton (Jan 10), Giants Ridge (Jan 13), and Wild Mt (Jan 15). Your head coach will notify you of the his or her team selections for each of these three races sometime on Monday. B. Transportation for Races—PLEASE READ. URGENT CHANGE. Normally, MPS provides transportation to AWAY Races. I have been informed that they are unable to secure bussing for our races on Thursday, Jan 4 at Welch, Wednesday, Jan 10 at Afton, and Thursday, Jan 30 at Welch. Parents, we will need you to drive your athlete or work with other parents to form a carpool to these races. Most urgent is the need to find transportation for the athletes competing at Welch on Thursday, Jan 4. C. Race Schedule and Details. Thursday, Jan 4 at Welch NO Buses... need to carpool. Schedule: 2:00 Early Release to change and depart. 3:30 Arrive at Welch... Ticket. Bib. Boot up. 4:00 Warm Up 4:30 Inspection 5:00 Run One Race Workers Needed
Volunteers need to complete the Welch Waiver HERE. Monday, Jan 8. Hyland Race with Wayzata. 2:30 Early release. 3:45 Inspection Opens. 4:30 Run One Jan 8 Hyland Race Worker Sign Up Here. Wednesday, Jan 10 Metro East Conference Race at Afton 2:00 Early Release to change and depart. 3:15 Arrive at Afton... Ticket. Bib. Boot up. 3:30 Warm Up 3:45 Inspection Opens 4:30 Run One Race Workers Needed. Volunteer SignUp- Afton Alps Varsity MEC #1 Race- Jan 10. Saturday, Jan 13. MLK Invitational at Giants Ridge Sunrise Race 7:15AM Arrive at GR. Ticket. Bib. Boot Up. 7:30 Warm UP. 8:10 Inspection Run One 8:45 Run One 10:00 Inspection Run Two 10:30 Run Two Sunset Race 11:30AM Arrive at GR. Ticket. Bib. Boot Up. 11:45 Warm Up 12:30PM Inspection Run One 1:00 Run One 2:15 Inspection Run Two 2:45 Run Two 4:45PM Awards Monday, Jan 15. MEC Race #2 at Wild Mt 8:30AM. Load Bus at Washburn. 10:00 Arrive Wild Mt... Ticket. Bib. Boot Up. 10:30 Warm Up. 11:15. Inspection Run One. Noon. One Run Start Race Worker Sign Up Coming Soon Wednesday, Jan 17. Hyland Race with St Cloud Breakaways. 2:30 Early release. 3:45 Inspection Opens. 4:30 Run One Jan 17 Hyland Race Worker Sign Up Here. III. Training Week Eight Monday, Jan 1: REST Tuesday, Jan 2. 3:45-6:00PM Pods 10, 11, 12. Lanes 4,5,6. 5:00-7:15PM Pods 7, 8. Lane 6. 6:30-8:45.PM Pods 9. Lane 6. Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Wednesday, Jan 3. 3:45-6:00PM Jan 4th Race Varsity Athletes. Lanes 4,5. 5:00-7:15PM JV Athletes. Lane 5,6. Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Thursday, Jan 4. 5:00-7:15PM All Pods. Lane 5,6. Wear Rope Tow Gloves. Friday, Jan 5. 3:45-6:00PM Pods 11, 12. Lanes A,B,C. 5:00-7:15PM Pods 7, 8, 9, 10. Lane A, B, C. Saturday, Jan 6. 7:45-10:15AM All Pods. Lanes 1,2,3. Finally, please watch Mikaela’s two runs from her latest record setting world cup victory. This might be the most dominating sports performance of her career. She made a very difficult second run course set look easy. Watch it at 25% playback speed. Study her ankle flexion, matching edge angles, high edge angles, pressure in the fall line, direction her skis are pointing in the transition, direction her skis are pointing when she contacts the gate, how she consistently contacts the gate with her inside shin guard, how she keeps her upper body facing downhill of her outside ski tip, how she keeps her shoulders level as she enters the fall line and completes the turn, how she makes a pole plant on every turn, how she bends the ski to create the tight arc back to the gate....World Cup Victory #93 Happy New Year! Don't be stupid in celebration. See you Tuesday for Training... Mark |
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