Hello Everyone - I hope you and your families are having a wonderful spring so far. I was able to watch the older OVST athletes at the Snowbird last chance slaloms this last weekend and saw some outstanding skiing by our OVST athletes. I wanted to again express the gratitude that the coaches have for all the parental support at the races. A Huge THANK YOU to all the parents of OVST athletes! 

Hello everyone - Hope you all had a great weekend. The Regional Team had races at the YSL Champs and two excellent days of early morning training. Attached is both IMD race announcement, IMD schedule of events and the Brighton Hatlauer Race announcement.

Thanks Grayson   

  Due to extremely warm conditions and potential rain this evening we are cancelling Regional Team Team training tonight.
We will replace tonight's Regional Team session with a Friday session 3:30-6:30 PM

  SG update - SG camp and races will be held on Wildcat. Schedule of events as follows.

  Hello everyone - We have a busy week ahead for the Regional Team athletes. Most of our J4's will compete in the Snowbasin South Series Super G this weekend of 3/3 and 3/4.Below is a description of the 3 day event.

  Hello Everyone - If any Regional Team athletes would like to enter the Snowbasin Giant Slalom YSL on Sat. 2/25 at Snowbasin. Please contact Allison or Gordon by 12:00 noon on Weds. 2/22. Thanks Grayson

  Hello All. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here is the training schedule for Regional Team for 2/21 to 2/26. The Regional Team will ski both Sat. and Sun. at Snowbasin to take advantage of good terrain for high speed training.PLEASE NOTE : Late start time on Sat. for PM GS training after the YSL race on City Hill. Wolf mountain is hosting a masters race both Sat. and Sun. 

  Hello everyone - Here is athlete ticket info and race start times. I will sent out an e-mail after the coaches meeting tonight with meeting times and athlete lift time access.We will most likely meet at 8:15am and load lifts at 8:30am.

  Hi All,
It's hard to imagine that we are already talking about school and programs for next year.  As we prepare to design and improve on our Academy model at Snowcrest we'd like to get a pulse on OVST families interested in attending Snowcrest next year. So if you are interested ( even in the slightest) could you please email me your contact info along with the students name and grade for next year.  We will then put together an informational meeting in the next couple of weeks for all the interested families. In this meeting we'll address the academy program and it's integration into our regular programs . As well we'll have information and someone from Snowcrest on hand to address the academic aspects of the school.  So please address any questions you may about the Academy for next season through us and we'll work with you and the school to answer your questions.

Regards,

Gordon

  Hello Everyone - The Regional team had a great weekend of GS training at Wolf mountain.The coaches are very pleased with the skiing coming from our Regional team athletes. Great work over the weekend!

Hello All - We have the opportunity for a 8:00am load on Sat. 2/4 at Wolf mountain. We will meet at 7:50am ready to ski and load lift. 

Thanks Grayson 

  Hello everyone - The Regional Team will be training GS on Sat. 2/4 and Sun. 2/5 at Wolf mountain from 9:00am - 12:00pm. Athletes have the afternoon off.

  The Regional team had a great showing at our own South Series GS's this last weekend. A huge thanks to all that were involved to make this race a success.A ton of work goes into the race weekend and the support from all families and friends of OVST is overwhelming. Again a HUGE thank you from the coaches! 

  The Snowbasin South Series GS is this Sat. 1/28 and Sun. 1/29 We are excited to host the 1st Giant Slaloms of the new year.

  Hello All - Tonights training at Wolf is canceled . The report from Brady is that the snow is very heavy and about 7 inches thick. This is very dangerous conditions to run gates let alone just skiing so for safety no training tonight.

  Hello all - The coaches are very excited about the skiing out of our regional Team. We have had a great 2 days and the coaches are looking forward to a outstanding Presidents monday. The regional Team will be off on Tues. 1/17/2012. I will send out an e-mail latter in the week with our Thursday and weekend schedule. A huge thank you to all the parents and athletes for all the support of our great coaches. Keep up the good work,Thanks Grayson

  Friday Dec 30th 
No Ski Training 

(optional)  
3:00-3:45 PM Meet for Chalk Talk and Video session with coaches  at Salomon Center iFly level Party room
4:00-5:00PM   Flow Rider  ( fun balance session)   cost $10     info http://flowriderutah.com/index.php?pageID=5


Saturday Dec 31st

Wolf MT

2PM - SL Training and Dual SL racing followed by New Years Eve Wolf Mt Family Bash - BBQ , Door Prizes and fun

Sunday  Jan 1st

Wolf MT

11AM-2PM  Slalom Training - Full length courses for both J4 and J5's

Monday Wolf Mt Jan 2nd
 
11AM-2PM   Slalom Training with timing - Full length courses for both J4 and J5's

  Hello All - We had a fantastic Christmas camp with a couple of great GS days followed by a couple of great SL days . Thanks to all the parents and athletes for all your hard work over the last week.. The coaches are very pleased with the skiing and racing we are seeing out of our J4 and J5 athletes , keep up the great work! Below is this weeks schedule.

Hello All - The Regional Team had a fantastic weekend of skiing. The coaches are loving the improvement we are seeing with the athletes at all levels. This week we will move back to a Slalom focus on Tuesday 12/13 from 4pm - 7pm and Thursday 12/15 from 4pm - 7pm night sessions at Wolf mountain. We will start to introduce brush gate and some stubbie gate drills on both sessions. As we lead into the latter part of the month the Regional Team will be running full gate courses by Christmas camp 12/27 - 12/31 more information to come on this camp. 

PLEASE use slalom skis for all sessions this week. Thanks for all the hard work ,Grayson 

 Hello parents and athletes - Bellow is a few paragraphs from Sasha Rearick about the new ski dimensions - The reason I pulled out these two specific paragraphs is he is explaining the importance of skill base vs just technique and the importance of an athlete being able to vary the turn radius. These are the exact things your young J4 and J5 athletes are working on. OVWSF we are on the cutting edge of great ski coaching and great successes. The whole article in in the new ski racing magazine online. Thanks Grayson

 Parents this is a article from ski racing about Mikaela Shiffron : Ten lesson from a 8th place finish - I feel has a ton of valuable information. Thanks Grayson

Of course, I’m not talking about just any old 8th place finish in a ski race. After four previous World Cup starts in which she didn’t qualify for the second run, 16-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin broke through with an impressive top-10 finish (starting 37th) at the World Cup slalom in Aspen recently.

Though Mikaela’s result was impressive (though not unexpected), her interview after the race was equally notable for the lessons that every young ski racer (and people in general) can garner from it. Let me share with you the lessons I took away from her thoughtful and enthusiastic review.

1. Have fun. Mikaela may be the latest wunderkind of alpine ski racing and competing under the microscope of the World Cup, but it’s clear from her interview that she is having some big fun out there. If you’re having fun, you’re going to be confident, relaxed, and focused, and you’re likely going to ski your best. Just like Mikaela.

2. It’s about the process, not the outcome. One thing I noticed about the interview was that Mikaela didn’t focus on her result, but talked about the process of the race: how she skied, how she felt before and during her race, what she did well, and what she didn’t do well. The result, however outstanding it was, seemed almost incidental. Also, Mikaela said that her performance “exceeded my expectations if I had any,” which means that she didn’t have any. She understands that outcome expectations, that is, focusing on results, are the kiss of death to ski racers. Outcome expectations, ironically, will prevent you from getting the results you want because they distract you from the process of skiing your best and create pressure to live up to those expectations.

3. Even the best get nervous. The first thing that Mikaela mentions in her interview is that she was nervous before her race. She said that the pressure didn’t come from her coaches or her mother. Knowing Mikaela, my guess is that the bout of nerves came from the goals she sets for herself. There is a big difference because racers can’t control—and are often feel threatened by—external pressure, but self-imposed pressure can be harnessed and directed into positive energy, as evidenced by Mikaela.

4. Even the best have doubts. That’s hard to believe given the kind of skier she is. But recognize that she’s new to this level of competition and it’s nearly impossible for her to not compare herself to the other more experienced racers. The lesson here is that some doubts are natural, especially for young racers, so you shouldn’t freak out about them, but rather accept them as part of the deal and refocus on positive things.

5. Even the best need support. Clearly, Mikaela’s coaches and mother were positive and supportive presences for her, providing a healthy and calming perspective when she was nervous and uncertain. That’s a good lesson and reminder for all coaches and parents: young racers don’t need more pressure placed on them, rather they need help lifting the pressure they feel.

6. Confidence is essential. Mikaela said that if she didn’t believe in herself, she might as well not even race. She realizes

that, after all the training that goes into preparing for race day, if you don’t believe you can achieve your goals, you probably won’t. Ultimately, she went back to her meticulous preparations and, even with moments of doubt, had a fundamental faith in her ability.

7. Always look for ways to ski faster. Though this was a breakthrough performance that she was clearly thrilled about, Mikaela is already looking for ways to “keep it going” and ski better and faster. This thinking is one of the more remarkable aspects of Mikaela that I’ve observed while watching her train several times at Burke. Even after truly amazing training runs, the first thing she asks of her coaches and herself is “What can I do next run to go faster?”

8. Have a long-term perspective, but focus on the present. Mikaela understands that ski racing is a marathon, not a sprint, and that she still has a ways to go before she gets to the top. At the same time, she also appreciates that she has to take one step at a time and that, though this race was a big step, it was also just one step in a long climb to the top.

9. Stay grounded. Mikaela said that she would “try not to think about” the result, just “try my best to keep moving forward.” It would be so easy for a 16 year old who just finished in the top ten of a World Cup to get swept away by the result and the attention. But Mikaela’s preternatural maturity shines through and, as I like to say, she “keeps her head on the ground and her feet in the air.”

10. Feel the joy. Mikaela’s interview concludes with “I’m really excited.” You can just feel her exhilaration in the experience gushing forth by the huge smile on her face (she looks like her face is going to burst!) and the happy tone of her voice. Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from Mikaela is that, results aside, the reason to ski race is for the fun and the joy.

About Dr. Jim Taylor

Dr. Jim Taylor knows
the psychology of ski racing! He competed internationally for Burke
Mtn. Academy, Middlebury College, and the University of Colorado. For
the past 25 years, Jim has worked with many of America's leading junior
race programs as well as World Cup competitors from many countries. He
is a clinical associate professor in the Sport&Performance
Psychology graduate program at the University of Denver. Jim is the
author of Prime Ski Racing: Triumph of the Racer's Mind and his latest
parenting book is Your Children are Listening: Nine Messages They Need
to Hear From You.

We have implemented a new concussion policy for our older JO and FIS athletes.  We are encouraging all of our Regional Team athletes to complete a Impact test (must be 12 years or older/ read further for under 12 options). This is a baseline test mPACT provides computerized neurocognitive assessment tools and services that are used by medical doctors, psychologists, athletic trainers, and other licensed healthcare professionals to assist them in determining an athlete's ability to return to play after suffering a concussion.

For more info on the impact test it is best to go to the web pagewww.impacttest.com

The test is quite simple and quick.The cost is $10 per test.  To arrange the test just call 801.387.7678 or 801.387.2080.  Intermountain McKay-Dee Sports Medicine

If you are interested in testing for the younger then 12 athlete ask for the SCAT2 as a baseline test.

 The Regional Team will ski both Sat. 12/3 and Sun. 12/4 at Snowbasin. We will meet outside the yurt ready to go at 8:45am on both days - We will ski from 9:00am to 11:45am break for lunch and then have a 12:45pm to 3:00pm session. Please use your slalom skis if you have them.

 Hello All - The regional team had a great weekend of skiing, the coaches are very pleased with the quality of skiing we are seeing out of our athletes. Lets keep up the great work!

This week we will have night training at Wolf mountain on 12/6 and 12/8 from 4:00pm - 7:00pm. Please use your GS ski for both night sessions.It looks to be very cold both nights so please bundle up.

Saturday 12/10 we will be skiing at Snowbasin from 9:00am - 3:00pm please use your GS skis. On Sunday 12/11 we are having a short session from 9:00am - 11:00am with the afternoon off. The coaching staff will have training from 12:00 - 3:00pm.

Further down the road we will offer a session on Friday 12/16 from 4:00pm - 7:00pm at Wolf mountain - please use SL skis.

I will sent out a reminder e-mail next week.Again the coaches are very excited with the caliber of skiing and enthusiasm we are seeing on hill. 

 Hello all - I Hope everyone is as excited as I am to go skiing. The Regional Team will meet this Friday 11/25/2011 at Wolf mountain for our 1st on-snow day. We will ski and work on slalom skills from 9am - 12pm. The terrain at Wolf is limited so we want to use the morning session and let the public have the mountain for the afternoon. Saturday 11/26/2011 we will have another 9am - 12pm on-snow session. All Regional Team members are encouraged to ski 1 of the 2 days so coaches can get an eye on how athletes are skiing and how equipment is working.We will start with SLALOM skis for both days. Sunday is off for Regional team this week. OVWSF athletes can start to use their Snowbasin passes as of Sunday so get in a day with the kids. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at - graysonphoto@hotmail.com - or at my ski team e-mail - grayson@ovwsf.org - You can also reach me on my cell at801-273-0262 - I look forward to skiing and meeting the new crew this weekend, thanks Grayson

Dear SkiClubZ Athletes,
We want to introduce you to Sprongo, the next version of SkiClubZ.

Once again, Julie is offering her live action sports photography to the team.  You must register with Julie to be included in her on mountain race day shooting sessions.  Julie supports our team in many ways with her photographic work.  See registration form in the right hand column.