WELCOME TO SAINTS SKIING
Within sport lies the lesson we cannot learn in a classroom or perhaps anywhere else. You have decided to challenge yourself to a greater end; to exercise your body and mind together; to take on greater physical, mental, and emotional challenges that competition uniquely tempers. You chose a great place to push yourself further, to determine your greater future; to dream and do something about it.
VISION: The College of St. Scholastica Ski Team will be the most successful Collegiate Division III Nordic Ski program in the Midwest. The team will annually qualify individuals to the NCAA Skiing Championships for each gender. On its way to these achievements, skiing will become synonymous with The College of St. Scholastica via a vibrant skiing culture manifested in the varsity team’s achievements as well as the depth of individuals on the team. The St. Scholastica Ski Team will be filled with quality student athletes pursuing excellence.
MISSION: Striving to be one’s best takes a full and concerted effort. St. Scholastica skiers will reach their full potential as students, athletes, and teammates, regardless of competitive level. In reaching their full potential, St. Scholastica skiers will earn the greatest and most rewarding education.
GOALS, ACCOPMLISHMENT, ACHIEVEMENT, & SUCCESS
In order to succeed, we must understand our measurements of success.
Goals: We own our goals as personal markers of accomplishment. Easily-accomplished goals are “low-hanging fruit” and do not render true satisfaction, while excessively lofty goals turn into “hope doping” and will likely cause frustration. Identifying and setting and resetting rigorous but achievable goals will lead us to accomplishments of which we can be proud.
Accomplishment: To set out to do something and actually do it is an accomplishment, provided what we set out to do was not doable when we first started. We own the standards of our personal accomplishments by setting performance goals to reach the level of accomplishment.
Achievement: Achievement is placed on us externally—an award, a victory, a college degree. We do not set our own achievements. They are society’s and we find ourselves placed within the context of achieving society’s markers of “achievement.”
Success: Achievement is a readily-accessible concept for success, yet the playing field is never completely flat, and rarely the same. From the time we are born, limitless factors determine how we will fare in life, and success is relative to the eye of the beholder. Success is ours to define for ourselves. We define ourselves largely by how we define success.
10 TENETS OF SUCCESS
On the St. Scholastica Ski Team, success is a function of accomplishment. Focusing on our accomplishments will take care of achieving our own VISION for the program. By setting and reaching our accomplishments, perceived achievement is inevitable. We will succeed by accomplishing the following 10 tenets of success:
1.
Honesty
Everything begins with honesty—to yourself and to others
2.
Responsibility
Shoulder your responsibilities. Don’t hand them to someone else.
3.
Inquiry
Study. Seek answers to those thing you do not know, ask for help of those who can.
4.
Understanding
Seek comprehension of all you do; learn WHY and HOW to do something optimally.
5.
Respect
Yourself, your efforts, and those who are a part of your journey.
6.
Organization
Plan and organize your life for efficiency of your tasks. Wasted time is wasted energy.
7.
Diligence
Do your tasks as you plan to do them; and equally have diligence to identify and avoid those tasks which do not support your goals and responsibilities.
8.
Determination
Do not give up in the face of adversity. Ever.
9.
Dream
Everything worth anything starts with a dream. If you cannot see yourself standing in the place you want to stand, you will never get there. There is a difference between revising your goals and giving up!
10.
Believe
You must believe in what you do. If you do not believe, 1-9 mean nothing.
Scheduling Classes for Practices
It is optimal to start class around 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and to be out of classes by 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday. For both Fall and Winter practices, the second afternoon session vans WILL NOT WAIT BEYOND 3:45 p.m. and the first afternoon sessions will depart promptly at 2:00 p.m. All 7:30 a.m. practices will be on campus. If you schedule class that will not allow you to make it to practice with the group, you will need to find your own transportation or organize it with someone in the same situation.
Some classes may be necessary to take even though they conflict with the practice schedule. In such cases, schedule a meeting with Chad to work out a good solution. CLASSES ALWAYS COME FIRST, PRACTICE SECOND.
Test Week
The first week of practice is test week with metabolic lab testing all week, an uphill running time trial, an uphill freestyle rollerski time trial, and a strength test. Metabolic tests and lactate profiles will be determined by the coaching staff in conjunction with availability of Ex. Phys. Department. For all non-freshmen, you must be able to produce a training log from at least the past 6 months. Freshmen testing will be determined by coaching staff but a training log is advisable. A testing schedule will be posted on Chad’s door and sent via email with a list of those who are cleared for a metabolic test. We encourage you to use Marwe rollerskis for the skate time trials if possible. If not, your time will be judged less favorably the faster the speed of your wheels, as fast wheels will not give the coaches a fair assessment of your skiing.
Fall Varsity Training Group
Based on the results of test week, competitive and training history, and if necessary, coaches discretion, a fall varsity training group of 21 skiers will be named. This group will act and train as the varsity team for the fall training season. If necessary, adjustments may be made to those on the varsity training group as determined by the coaching staff. All those not named to the fall varsity training group will train on the development team. The coaching staff intends and expects movement from the development team to the varsity training group annually and over time.
Winter Varsity Training Group
Like the fall varsity training group, the winter varsity training group will be chosen from early season time trials and races to determine the 21 most likely skiers to compete as one of the 16 varsity spots. Winter varsity training group athletes who do not qualify for the roster of 16 on a varsity competition weekend will operate under the development team and the development team coach for that competition weekend.
Transportation to Practices
The fall varsity training group and the winter varsity team training group will be provided transportation to practices off campus in college vehicles. All others wishing to attend practice must arrange their own transportation. The Development Team coach will work with all those not on the varsity training group to coordinate rides. On most rllerski practice days, the varsity training group and development teams will train at different locations for safety reasons. On days where both teams can reasonably train together, they will.
Varsity Race Weekend Policies
All varsity departures for regional NCAA qualifier weekends will be at 8:00 a.m. on Fridays, except NCAA Regionals which will leave on Wednesday. Anyone who needs to make it to class can drive themselves later to any event. All class periods missed for varsity competitions are excused absences per college policy. Please be proactive with your professors, letting them know early in the semester which class periods you may miss due to varsity competitions. Plan ahead for missed class by working ahead when possible. Working ahead gives you peace of mind to compete well. If anyone has difficulty, be respectful of the professors policies and ask Chad for help.
Development Team Race Policies
No class time will be excused for a Development Team race or any varsity competitions being attended in Development Team status (i.e. not on varsity team). Development team events will be same-day events unless organized on your own, but missing class Friday or any other day for a Development Team race will not be excused. Development Team events are not official varsity ski team events and therefore will not be portrayed as such to professors for missed classes.
TEAM GOALS, VARSITY STARTS, &
DEVELOPMENT TEAM GUIDELINES
Team Goals
It is the goal of the St. Scholastica Skiing program to field the most competitive team at all Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) competitions. Secondly, the St. Scholastica Ski Team aims to grow the culture of Nordic skiing beyond the varsity team, fostering future varsity skiers with a development team. We will be a team with an inclusive nature while supporting our varsity team to competitive excellence.
Some events beyond varsity weekends may be limited in number. Staff will try to keep limitations reasonable and fair. Coaching staff reserves the right to make discretionary decisions but will try to use objective standards to determine the participants when no objective qualification standard is available.
Varsity Starts
The 2011-12 St. Scholastica Varsity Ski Team will consist of 16 varsity skiers.
Varsity Points list:
The coaching staff wishes to field the most competitive team at varsity competitions while providing the fairest means of earning a spot on the varsity team. The U.S. National Championships will be the first varsity competition, but will only be open to those meeting the qualifying standards listed in Appendix III in this booklet.
Starting with the first time trial, a varsity points list will be compiled to determine the 16* varsity skiers for varsity competitions. Rankings will work as follows:
· Team place ranking will be the initial points calculator
· Points will rank skier vs. skier based on time trials and races in which athletes race in the same race
· Points will be earned for placing on the team in that race/time trial
· If some athletes do not race, they will be ranked in the next competition
· Wherever a large performance break occurs in a single gender may constitute a break in varsity starts for the gender, as long as there is no similar performance gap in the other gender. This does not guarantee and 8 men and 8 women varsity team as in the past. Percent back will help determine gender numbers in start spots.
· Once enough CCSA races can be used for the list, all other competitions will cease to be scored.
· Coaches maintain the right to use discretion or
force majeure at any time
*The Duluth NCAA qualifier will have a roster of 24 skiers. Points list and performance trends will be used as the primary determinant of the Duluth weekend’s team.
Sickness/Injury:
Athletes will be encouraged not to compete with sickness or injury.
Force majeure may be applied by the coaching staff to varsity starts in cases of sickness or injury.
Travel for Varsity Competition:
All CCSA competitions held in-region that count towards NCAA National Championships qualification will be fully funded by the team. For other varsity competitions and camps, the program will provide transportation and housing at a minimum. It will be team policy to save money whenever and wherever reasonable with no impact on performance. Athletes are responsible for their own entry fees and/or applicable fees (i.e. trail passes, USSA licenses) pertaining to the competition at non-NCAA qualifiers. If fundraising allows, this policy can change event by event.
Development Team
The goal of the Development Team is to provide those not on the varsity team with great racing opportunities, support, team camaraderie, and motivation to make the varsity team. The Development Team is provided a coach designated to work specifically with and coordinate the efforts of the Development Team training and races.
All D-team expenses to, for, and at competitions are the competitor’s personal responsibility. Fundraising efforts will help offset the costs of entry fees for races.
Development Team Races:
The program will do all it can to provide race day support coaching at development team races. Some development team skiers may if reasonable, try to qualify for varsity spots at varsity events instead of doing the development team on the race schedule. This will be at the discretion of the Development Team coach, considering the number and focus of those attending the two different events.
Development Team at Varsity Events:
Development Team members competing at varsity events are on their own for every aspect of the competition but may apply fundraising efforts to entry fees. Coaching staff will do their best to support them with waxing information at a minimum, support at coaches meetings, and splits as are readily available. If the Development Team coach feels it necessary to support Development Team members at varsity events over a scheduled Development Team race, the Development Team Coach will work directly with the Varsity Coaches to ensure equitable waxing support. In cases where the Development Team Coach is not present, Development Team athletes may need to support themselves for waxing and race support.
CODE OF ETHICS As the head coach, I expect every person on the team to act in an appropriate manner at all times on and off the field of play.
The basic Code of Ethics is simple:
1. If you act in a way that is unbecoming, you will cease to be a member of the team.
2. Unbecoming behavior is, but not limited to:
A. Harassment of any kind
B. Breaking the law
C. Posting on the internet anything that damages the credibility of your teammates, the team, your coaches, yourself, or the school. (i.e. FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER)
3. If I am paying, you’re not drinking alcohol. Period.
