Fall Term

NORDIC TEAM PRIMER

Team Information Site: http://www.stlawu.edu/sports/nordic_skiing/team/

Head Coach: Ethan Townsend

St. Lawrence University · Augsbury Cntr. · Canton, NY · 13617

Email: etownsend@stlawu.edu

Office: (315) 229-5530

Cell/Home: (315)-854-0354

ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY NORDIC TEAM PRIMER

This primer is intended to answer questions you may have about the St. Lawrence Nordic ski team. Topics covered in this document include practice schedule, team selection, training camps, and equipment. If you have additional questions feel free to contact either coach or the team captains. For information about training (conditioning programs, heart rate training, etc.) please visit the “resources” and “summer training” section of the team information page: http://www.stlawu.edu/sports/nordic_skiing/team/.

SCHEDULE

Collegiate Nordic skiing is a substantial time commitment. If you hope to be successful, you will need to plan carefully. When picking classes, consider your daily, weekly, and yearly commitments. Not only do you need to arrange your daily schedule such that you minimize conflicts with practice, but you will want to avoid certain classes during the competitive season if possible (particularly if they are classes required for your major). A poorly planned spring term can compromise both your academic and athletic performance. Conflicts in the fall term can significantly impact your ability to train effectively.
It is a simple fact that rollerskiing and most other training after 4:30pm by early November is neither safe nor productive due to the lack of daylight.
Sometimes conflict is unavoidable. However, planning can minimize problems.

Practice Schedule

Below is a rough description of the ski team practice schedule. Please consider these commitments when planning your class schedule. For instance, during the fall it is best to be free between 3 and 7 in the afternoon. In winter, this commitment will be earlier in the day, about 2 to 6. If you need advice or are confused about the schedule, coaches and upperclassmen can provide guidance.

Fall Term

· Official practice begins in late September or early October. Captains practices begin within the first week of classes and typically run the same schedule as official practice.

· 7-9 practices a week, including practices on Saturday, and Sunday morning.

· Monday is our scheduled day off.

· On Tuesday and Thursday, practice prior to morning classes 6:30am-7:45am.

· Before the Daylight Savings Time Change:

o Afternoon practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4 – 7pm.

o On Fridays, practice will start at 3:00pm, or as early as possible given team members’ class schedules.

· After the Time Change:

o Afternoon practice will begin at 3:00pm, or, if possible, 2:30pm.

· Saturday and Sunday will depend on the duration of workout and travel time, but a typical time commitment is from 9am-12:30 including travel time.

Winter Break
Although specifics depend on the Carnival schedule, there is normally an official team training camp early to mid January. Further details will be provided during the fall.

Spring Term
When selecting classes for the spring term make sure to contact your professors about any accommodations you will need as a result of the racing schedule. This is your responsibility. If you wait until the season starts, this can be too late. Instead, contact your professor before enrolling in his or her class. When you do this they are generally very accommodating.

· The spring term is the primary racing season, so expect to be traveling a lot especially if you make the carnival team (top 6).

· The carnival team leaves in the late morning on Thursday and returns to campus Saturday afternoon/evening. Plan accordingly!

· On weekdays we leave for practice at 2:30 and return between 5:30 and 6:00. In addition, we do a maintenance general strength session Tuesday 5:30-6:30pm.

· We train at Higley Flow state park, which is about a 20 minute drive. Bring dry clothes and food for afterwards.