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Summer training kicks winter XC races into gear |
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Saturday, 31 October 2009 |
By Nancy Fiddler
 Bryce Tiernan and Dayna Stimson skate up old U.S. 395 between Paradise and Swall Meadows as part of year-round training for junior cross-country skiers.
According to their coach, Nancy Fiddler, cross-country skiers are made in the summer; to start training on Dec. 1 is too late for a competitive season that culminates in March at the Junior Olympics.
While Mammoth and Bishop Nordic skiers have represented Far West at the Junior Olympics for many years, there has never been an official year-round team in training until this year.
“It’s possible to qualify for the J.O. Team by skiing in the high school programs, but to excel in the national arena requires more effort,” Fiddler said.
The Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association (ESNSA) is sponsoring the Competition Team in conjunction with the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team in the hope that every junior skier with the desire to ski well at the junior national level or in college receives the coaching and training required to accomplish that.
With the support of Tamarack Cross Country Center Manager Ueli Luthi, Fiddler pitched the idea of a Comp Team to Mammoth Mountain.
“Mammoth Mountain Ski Team Head Coach Mark Brownlie has been very accommodating in his move to adopt a cross-country program,” Fiddler said. “Without the assistance and encouragement of ESNSA, MMSA, and Tamarack Cross Country, this junior team would not be possible.”
The training year has been divided into three sections; Dryland 1 (May through August), Dryland 2 (September through November) and Winter (December through March). Seven Nordic athletes have participated in the summer and fall portions of the program.
“We are a small group right now, Fiddler said, “but we hope to keep attracting serious athletes.”
The summer group consisted of Bryce Tiernan, 18, Will Stimson, 16, Kathi Kirkeby, 17, Joelle Romo, 15, Dayna Stimson, 18, and Laurel Fiddler, 14. Dayna Stimson and Tiernan are off to college and training with their teams (Bates and Montana State), and Alex Picken has joined the group for the fall session.
“One of the most important parts of being an endurance athlete is making training a part of your lifestyle,” Fiddler. “The Comp Team athletes learned that this summer. If it’s hot, you get up and train early, then start the recovery process for the next session. Proper hydration and nutrition habits need to occur every day, as well as planned rest and easy days. Training needs to be fitted into the daily routine, 5-6 days a week.
“The hardest lesson is that sometimes, something has to give in order to complete the weekly, monthly or yearly training goals. “
Training for an endurance sport looks like a lot of hard work, but with a good training plan, training partners and the Eastern Sierra as the training base, training can be fun. Dryland training for cross-country skiing is varied in many respects. Distance sessions, over-distance, speed, intervals and strength training are all on the menu and can take place in the form of roller skiing, cycling, running, ski walking and ski imitation exercises, strength, and plyometrics.
Some of the best training days for the ESNSA/MMSA team were the ones spent hiking in the mountains all day. Nothing beats talus hopping and several thousand vertical feet of elevation gain for building strength and endurance, according to Coach Fiddler.
The Eastern Sierra offers excellent terrain, with traffic-free roads and a network of trails and dirt roads. “It’s a paradise for the endurance athlete, and many are taking notice,” Fiddler said. “The Mammoth Track Club has figured this out, as have the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Team, and many other running, cycling, and Nordic teams and clubs. There’s no reason Mammoth can’t be developing national caliber junior cross country skiers. We have it all right here, and I am going to work hard to share what I know about this great sport with whatever motivated junior athletes I can find.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 06 November 2009 )
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