Milan Baic's Pre-Vasa Clinic: Session 1
What I Learned
Tue, Feb 3, 2004 - By Bob Eifler
| The Milan Baic Clinic Series |
Milan Baic's Pre-Vasa Clinic: Session 1February 3, 2004December 29 was the first of three Monday night pre-Vasa clinics given by Milan Baic at Timber Ridge in Traverse City. The audience was as targeted – mostly inexperienced racers, with a few grizzled veterans. The tone was easy going and supportive. Milan is a terrific ambassador of health in general, and Nordic ski racing in particular.Milan Baic's Pre-Vasa Clinic: Session 2February 8, 2004Milan Baic's eagerly anticipated clinic #2 happened Monday night, January 2. We spent about 45 minutes on a hands-on waxing session, with Milan demonstrating and each of us prepping our skis. Then it was snow time.Milan Baic's Pre-Vasa Clinic: Session 3March 6, 2004 - By Bob EiflerMilan Baic's racers spend the clinic learning about what to do in the days leading up to the race, race day preparation, and how to have a good start... |
December 29 was the first of three Monday night pre-Vasa clinics given by Milan Baic at Timber Ridge in Traverse City. The audience was as targeted – mostly inexperienced racers, with a few grizzled veterans. The tone was easy going and supportive. Milan is a terrific ambassador of health in general, and Nordic ski racing in particular.
Day one emphasized the evaluation process – especially self evaluation. Here are some gems from the clinic:
Training
- Two 45 minutes upper body workouts a week to a long way to improvement.
- Strength can be worked in to a ski or run. Incorporate sprints, climbs, bench dips, etc.
- Do something!
Health
- Wash your hands often during the day, and don’t run your eyes.
- Monitor your pulse at the same time of the day.
Goal Setting
Training log: Milan said to start one. “If you take one thing from tonight, this is it.”
- "You can stay where you are or you can plan and improve."
- The basics: Speed, Strength, Endurance. Use your log to record what, how long, how intense, plus personal extras.
Resources
We are blessed with a bunch:
- Night skiing! (Maybe with a headlight).
- Individual lessons sharpen technique.
- Join a club!
- Read the training suggestions on http://www.xcskiworld.com – it’s a big and fun web site. [Check out the weekly training tips - ed.]
- The last resource is probably a ski partner to get you out on the trail and give you feedback.
Equipment
- Skis: Old skis are OK. Fast skis stay fast. Next to top of the line skis work well.
- Boots: “If the boot fits…”
- Poles: buy a strap that firs your hand and swings well. The $100 Fisher pole (made by Swix) is a great buy.
Showtime / Snow-time
The trails at Timber Ridge for the on-snow portion of the clinic had thawed but were still usable. Milan demonstrated V1, Open Field skate, and V2. We also did a balance drill: from a standing start, see how few strides it takes you to go 60 meters up a slight uphill. We tried to improve over three tries.
Next time
Hands on waxing – we’re supposed to bring a nylon brush and a plexi scraper…