Team Today and U.S. Ski Team announce the 2007 Club Kilometer Competition

Fri, May  4, 2007 - By Pete Vordenberg - TeamToday.org

SNOW COUNTRY, USA – May 2, 2007 – Making training hours count. Team Today and the U.S. Ski Team announce the 2007 Club Kilometer Competition for all junior skiers in the nation. The competition runs from May 28th to November 30th, 2007.

With spring having arrived and the warmth of Summer on the way we are already looking to the return of snow.

“Today gives us our first and best opportunity to succeed. Preparation is the key to success and what is considered the off-season for cross country ski racing is actually the preparation season. Proper preparation means training appropriately and resting adequately. Appropriate training means training well but it also means training enough.

Generally speaking our junior skiers train less than our European counterparts leaving us at a deficit that is hard if not impossible to overcome. This contest aims to reverse that generality. We’ve got to prepare at least as much and at least as well if we are to have a chance at winning. Today is the day.”

With that in mind Team Today and the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team have teamed up to inspire our young skiers to shape the future of our sport by their weekly preparation off the snow.

After a rough season of skiing conditions and the rise of Global Warming as an issue we are reminding the younger members that they have role in the future of skiing by what they do every day. Specifically in their training, and by changing a light bulb. The competition specifies appropriate training activities chosen by U.S. Ski Team coaches to best prepare junior skiers for the coming season and to develop them as healthy athletes. These activities are kept track of in terms of hours. It also asks them to change at least one light bulb in their house (see below). Both are logged in and then calculated on the Team Today website.

Skiers compete with their training hours as teams or clubs, with the teams or clubs with the highest average number of hours through November 30th awarded prizes for their combined efforts. Changing a light bulb is a challenge to the ski community as a whole.

Both show how the little things can add up in shaping our future.

The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has recently wrapped up a successful and historical season.

Team Today is a non-profit organization with the goal of raising the level of cross country ski racing in America to Olympic medal heights by educating and inspiring the US ski community.

 

2007 Club Kilo Contest Guidelines

How the Contest Works.

(Contest rules will be included with the club packet.)

Junior athletes turn in the hours that they have trained at the end of each week to their coach/facilitator. In turn, the coach/facilitator submits a weekly summary of their athletes to Team Today.

Team Today maintains this record and a running tally of hours for the participating clubs/teams, as well as for top male and female athletes, all of which will be posted on our site. So check in often. www.teamtoday.org

The contest begins on May 1st (although you may enter at any time after that) and ends on Nov. 30th. The club with the most number of recorded hours of specified training per athlete will be announced the winner. In addition, the leading female and male athlete will be named as individual winners. Awards for clubs/teams will be donated to the top seven teams and further awards will be given the top three male and female athletes as well as to participants chosen in random drawings throughout the contest. So check in often.

There is a nominal entry fee of $5.00 per individual, which should be included with the contest waiver required of each individual. Both waiver and entry fee should be included with your club/teams full registration sent in by your coach/facilitator.

A T-shirt will be included for each individual with the club packet as well as an inspirational gift (sometimes referred to as a goodie.)

Guiding Principles

Preparation as well as Results.

By emphasizing preparation in this contest, rather than just results, we will reward those who are preparing the most

Quantity as well as Quality.

While “most” does not mean “best” it is a good step in the proper direction, generally speaking our European counterparts are training more as youth athletes, so count ‘em up.

And remember to think in terms of hours.

Honesty.

Need we say more. To cheat in this contest is to take a step in one direction while the rest of us head in another. Besides cheating yourself you are cheating your club, coach, teammates, parents, supporters and country.

Training and competition is all about honesty.

Enjoyment

While workouts may be fun they also produce a large amount of joy, of which satisfaction, pleasure and inspiration are all apart. Enjoy the whole experience.

Training Activities acceptable to log as hours of training for this contest:

• Ski = to glide over the surface of snow, preferably with power, focus and efficient, effective technique.
  
  
• Rollerski = to glide over a surface of asphalt, again with power, focus, effective, efficient technique as well as caution, and ALWAYS wearing a helmet.
  
  
• Run = to move rapidly on foot so that both feet are momentarily off the ground with each step.
  
  
• Ski imitation = dry-land activities that closely imitate skiing such as ski bounding and ski walking.
  
  
• Strength = activities aimed at building muscular strength such as weight lifting, circuit strength, plyometrics, etc.
  
  
• Cycling = to ride somewhere on a bicycle. It is an excellent cardiovascular workout, but it isn't weight bearing like skiing or running, so it doesn't invoke the same training load as a weight bearing activity would. Biking is not allowed to comprise more than 3 hours a week of any individuals training hours for the purpose of this contest. More cycling can of course be done – just not added to your contest total.

Further Questions? Contact Team Today: http://www.teamtoday.org or [email protected]

 

Jonathan Rova? That’s right Jonathan Rova is the new leader of Team Today. Head USST coach takes too much of my time and energy to run Team Today and I wasn’t doing a good enough job. Jonathan Rova is our new Team Today leader.

From Minneapolis. He took to skis at age 2 ½ and ever since has loved ski adventures. He is married to Nancy and has a son named Paavo. He also loves coffee and paddling, running and biking. He lives on the shore of a lake outside of Grand Marais, MN. He also lived on an island on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for 4 years. He has a Master of Divinity and works as a pastor and carpenter. He wants to see an American on the podium in Vancouver.

We’ll learn more about Jonathan as we move along. I am very glad to have Jonathan on board. He has already been working behind the scenes restructuring Team Today financially and organizationally and he is very motivated and organized.

Change a light bulb? That’s right. How important is this?
No matter your political leanings this is affecting us right now and that’s for real.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

What role do you play?

http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/

What else can you do?

http://www.climatecrisis.net/pdf/10things.pdf

http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index5.html

http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/becomeactive/