The Big Picture...Ideas on Supports for Success

Addressing the role of Provincial Sport Organizations in building a strong racing culture

In Canada, we are privileged with the support of provincial sport organizations (PSO) whose job it is to support the growth and development of clubs and leadership in a province.  These organizations are funded mostly through government funds aimed at advancing sport in a province.  Depending on the jurisdiction, a provincial organization can have varying degrees of influence and success in advancing competitive sport in the region.  Many folks kind of know these organizations exist, but in my experience, I have found that most parents and athletes are very disconnected with the work that happens by PSOs.

This topic is of such disinterest, that you might already be yawning and ready to click away from this blog - but I am here to say that PSOs make a difference and what they do is important work in advancing our sport in each province.  The work they do is important because of the support it creates for clubs and coaches.  Provincial sport organizations, such as Cross Country Alberta or Cross Country BC, are important because they set the tone for what happens in a province. 

Through my time on the board of directors at Cross Country Alberta, I collaborated with club contacts and other volunteers to create a number of initiatives aimed at advancing competitive cross country skiing.  Near the top of the list was to help the provincial sport organization define its work more clearly around advancing competitive cross country skiing  The fact is that competitive cross country skiing needs special nurturing and support - outside of a few small pockets, we don't live in a culture where cross country ski racing dominates the news headlines or where community sport involvement by children rivals the big machine of ice hockey.   If we really want to advance the calibre of cross country skiing in Alberta or elsewhere, we really need a focused and strategic framework aimed at advancing the broad based competency of coaches.  We need strategies focused on advancing the confidence of leadership in the many small clubs that are doing the important job of working with novice skiers. 

Provincial sport organizations make a difference and the priorities they promote reflect their vision.  Our job as members of the ski community are to voice our priorities to the elected boards of PSOs.  If  we have a concern about something that the PSO is doing, we should see it as our priority to let them know that we don't agree - because the fact is that sometimes these elected boards are well intentioned, but as could be expected with volunteers, not always very well connected with the grassroots of cross country skiing in a jurisdiction.  Sometimes, these elected boards, who are meant to make decisions about the priorities of advancing cross country skiing don't always get it right.  I try my best to provide some feedback both positive and constructive to PSOs in cross country skiing and other sports I am involved with.

I have been a board or committee member on a number club, provincial, and national sport organization boards or committees.  I know first hand that doing the work of advancing policy or committee work is hard work and often thankless.  It is often work that not many people feel a need to be involved with.  It is easy to criticize the work of these elected boards.  But the fact is that the folks who volunteer on these boards and committees are doing their best and are doing so often out of the goodness of their hearts.  It is often very under appreciated work.  That being said, the work that is done by PSOs is important and sets a tone for the priorities of that jurisdiction and its important that the focus of their work reflects the needs of its membership. 

In my role as NCCP coach training facilitator, I have had the great privilege of working with many, many novice, beginning coaches from small clubs and large clubs all over southern and central Alberta and south eastern BC.  For the last 9 years, I have probably trained more introductory coaches than any other NCCP facilitator in southern and central Alberta.  Some of these folks are entirely new to cross country skiing, others have done a bit of skiing and are parents of kids who will ski during the winter season, or sometimes, they are retired national team athletes whose skill proficiency is far higher than my own.  With all of these coaches, I endeavour to send the message 'you can do this...you can develop the skills to become a great coach...it is possible for you to develop the skills necessary to help your club become a full service club'.  I say this to these novice coaches because I believe it to be true.  If anyone works hard enough, they can advance their skill, they can become competent coaches.  That is not to say that everyone will get there, or that everyone has the capability of coaching the national team.  That is not what I mean at all.  What I mean is that every coach is capable of participating in CCC designed NCCP coach training workshops and that with time, mentorship, and support, coaches can help to create environments where high school age athletes and beyond can get what they need to perform at a high level.  My firm belief is that every club has the potential to do this. 

It is important for provincial sport organizations to be responsible in foreseeing the impacts of their choices and actions.  For example, I think it is important that no athlete should be encouraged by a provincial sport organization to leave their home club and travel to a 'high end' club located somewhere else. This would just send the message to developing clubs and coaches that the provincial sport organization doesn't have confidence in their abilities to become a high performance coach themselves.  It would also send a message to parents from these small and developing clubs that the provincial sport organization doesn't have confidence in their club's coaches and they should take their kids and register them in a club that already has a high performance coach.   I strongly believe that it is possible for small clubs located all over Canada, to develop the capacity to coach young athletes through and after high school, and it is the role of the PSO to make it so - to provide the nurturing, supportive environment where all clubs have the capacity to get young athletes from the playground to the podium.  If a PSO says otherwise, in my mind, there is a problem and a narrow agenda exists that aims to serve only an elite group of young athletes.

In my work with developing clubs of all sizes, I have come to know passionate leadership who are driving the development engine in their communities.  I have come to see that this leadership needs nurturing and support.  They need encouragement, recognition and focused celebration of the small milestones made in their communities.  I have seen entire clubs move in new directions as a result of passionate, committed leadership.  This work happens easiest when that leadership has lots of experience. But it can also happen where there is enthusiasm and a strong belief that anything is possible with hard work. There are clubs who now are among the top performing clubs in the country who 10 years ago were struggling with direction and confidence.  A PSO should focus their efforts not on encouraging athletes to leave their home clubs and travel to some 'super' club where experienced leadership exists, but instead focus their efforts on building as many high performing clubs as possible. 

I recognize I have some strong thoughts about these things and I certainly recognize that there are many perspectives around the role of PSOs in advancing competitive cross country skiing.  My perspective comes from a strong connection with where skiing is at in small towns like Okotoks, Bragg Creek, Medicine Hat, and Crowsnest Pass.  I know in these places there are passionate leaders who want very much to provide the coaching to help young skiers be their best.  These developing coaches and clubs need all the help they can get.  Its our job as experienced coaches to reach out with a helping hand.  I applaud the outreach of organizations such as the Alberta World Cup Academy who see it as their mandate to reach out to help developing clubs and athletes.  This is important work. 

I encourage you to do what you can to support small and developing clubs - many high level athletes have come out of small towns where someone (some coach) had the courage to say 'I can do it...we can create a place where the next national champion or olympic champion is developed'. 

Bravo to this spirit of confidence and vision.  I encourage provincial sport organizations to embrace this enthusiastic vision as well.

Roy



Breaking through the cult of the individual...ideas on building a ski community

More is better...especially when it comes to working together to advance competitive skiing

I'm really stoked - I've just come off of a really incredible weekend.  Almost 150 kids born 1999-2002 - all of them excited about ski racing.  Its amazing what happens when you remove some of the walls between ski clubs - when what you do is consciously think about building something bigger than your own ski club.  Its easy really to do otherwise - to put your head down and just focus on advancing your own athletes' agendas - to get wrapped up in just your own priorities.  Now and then something comes along that erases the boxes that we wrap our priorities in - something good - something that lets you celebrate the success of kids no matter where they're from or what club they affiliate with.

This past weekend was incredible - the 2013 Alberta Youth Cross Country Ski Championships - an event with growing momentum - for many good reasons.  One of these reasons, I think, is that what we have really focused on, is building a provincial ski community for adolescent athletes and their coaches - we have been intentional about building something bigger than just a couple of ski races.  We envision an event where coaches and athletes build relationships that go beyond the regular 'hi, how's it going?'  It is work that many coaches and athletes are ready for.  Something that grows over time - a feeling that you're part of something bigger and that the contribution you offer extends beyond narrow self interest - a place where you're not just interested or concerned with the performance of your own athletes.

2013 Alberta Youth Champs was full of many incredible moments - for me, having been around a while, its great to see kids who have made steady improvement year after year.  At this year's event, particularly astounding to me was the performance of a group of 5 or 6 boys from St. Albert.  Astounding because I remember 3 or 4 years ago when they first showed up at some provincial level events - they did as almost every novice racer does - did their best, but finished in the middle to the back of the pack.  Each year, as they've grown, these boys have improved - this past weekend 5 or 6 of them were in the top 10 in their age group - amazing.

I had a great conversation with a friend the other morning at the camp we stayed at during youth champs - she was a high level racer in her day skiing at the Univ of New Mexico, and is doing the amazing and important work of coaching novice adolescents in a start up club in a small community that is just beginning to build a tradition and program of athlete development.  Her athletes were kids who have made huge improvements from last year to this year's youth champs - she brought the 3rd largest team to the event - we talked about the challenges of working with kids who really want to do well, but are just getting started, and dealing with the disappointment of not making the top 10 in their age group (Alberta Youth Championships present medals to the top 10 in each single year age group).  We shared ideas around the important conversations with kids to help them process their experience.  Her club's athletes won 1 medal out of the 160 that were awarded for performance.  This was a breakthrough for her club - in fact it was only the second medal ever won by an athlete from her club at a provincial level race.  Amazing, and something to be celebrated.

These are the sorts of coaches and clubs who leaders from successful clubs need to reach out to - to support their work - not with the intention of creating a relationship where the fastest/most successful athletes from these small clubs move on over to the bigger, already successful clubs - but rather to support a hard working coach who is trying her best to create something amazing for kids.  The cult of the individual is often what can get in the way of offering this kind of support.  Some folks are just too busy or focused on their own athletes' progress to notice - in fact, there are likely clubs out there that could care less about the health of any other club except their own, who could care less about athlete development except for what is best for their own athletes.  The self interest of focusing on 'what's best for me' can take over - the emphasis on elitism serves the narrow interest of a family trying to advance their own child's career or serves the narrow interest of a coach needing to secure enough elite athletes to work with, but does nothing to build a broader, successful ski community.

I think we have an obligation to help others who aren't in as fortunate a situation as we might be - when we have built something successful, we should be sharing the secret to that success with others, not hoarding it secretly to ourselves.  The fact is that the ski community knows in a broad sense, who is always there to help them, who's always there ready to share knowledge and experience - they know who the builders are.  I know a bunch of them myself.

In the end, you do need to be able to focus on your own athletes - its our job as a coach - we can't be taking care of everyone else's athletes in addition to ours.  But, that's not really what I`m getting at here - what I am saying is that supporting developing clubs and coaches is the responsibility of the ski community and serves the broader interest of high level skiing.  Provincial sport organizations are set up to do this work - yet, as with everything, relationship is a key component of collaboration.  This weekend I was so proud of the good work of our large and somewhat successful club in Canmore working side by side with a small, yet ambitious start up club in Bragg Creek - helping each other out - working together to the host the Alberta Youth Champs - with no agenda other than to create an experience for children that has enduring impact - an experience aimed at building a strong ski community.  This is important work - the building of friendships and relationships - between coaches and kids from clubs all over Alberta, Saskatchewan, and NWT.  It was an incredible weekend!  One where kids start to dream of what it might be like to be a ski racer - for coaches to realize there are friends out there - it was a weekend where we collaborated on advancing competitive cross country skiing in Canada.  Bravo!

Roy



 

Hey, I'm an athlete - how did that happen?

Transitioning – ideas on becoming an adolescent athlete

 

Somewhere between 11 and 13, kids, their parents, or coaches get the idea that maybe trying a race would be good.  For some adolescents this comes easily – maybe they have had broad experience with competitive situations as a younger child and think nothing of it.  For others it takes a fair bit of encouraging, reassuring, and framing to get them to the start line.  Really, it shouldn’t be surprising that hesitation sometimes happens with some kids as it takes some confidence to try something new, to take a risk, to put yourself out there, especially when you`re unsure of your abilities.  In our world today, there are a lot of families that protect their child from every possible risk.  It seems especially so when it comes to sport if parents weren’t athletes themselves as younger people.  It leads me to thinking about a question that comes up lots when chatting with other coaches – how do you transition kids successfully from introductory instructional focused ski programs to engaging these same kids in trying competitive cross country skiing.  If you’ve got the answer to that question nailed, you’ve got something good cooking and I would love to hear from you – lots of good sized brains have thought about that one for I’m sure a number of years and are still struggling with it.

So much happens for early adolescents – rapid skeletal, muscular, hormonal development -  increased importance of peers and independence -  every sport they are involved with is seeking increased commitment and time – the need for ever higher quality of equipment, coaching, training and racing opportunities.  Kids this age have a lot going on – and so, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that some of them just check out, and decide becoming a racer isn’t really for them.  Despite this reality, I have seen many, many young athletes stick it out and grow to become excellent high level athletes at a later age.  What gets them there?  What pivotal experience occurred to get them to say ‘this is for me’?

If we really want to bridge kids from instructional to competitive skiing, we really need to reach out to their parents.  It is parents who decide the parameters of a child’s existence – parents decide ‘we’ll spend this amount on equipment’, ‘we’ll travel this weekend to that event’, or ‘we’ll pay the club fees for this program or that one’.   And so, it’s parents who we need to reach out to if we want to increase the percentage of kids engaged as adolescents in competitive cross country skiing.  So many parents, even in a ski town like Canmore, have never had the experience of being a racer.  Thinking about their child as an ‘athlete’ is a pretty foreign concept to some parents.  These folks need to be brought along, to see the next steps.  They need some experiences that show them where it goes and why their child should be a part of it all.  These parents need to see that it isn’t about elitism – that it’s not just for children of parents who were high level racers. Parents need opportunities to learn from experienced mentors, to become engaged in events and conversations about what it looks like and the benefits of having their child involved in ski racing as an adolescent.   I recently attended a session by a social activist from Toronto, Dave Meslin – Dave shared his beliefs that he doesn’t really think apathy exists, but rather alienation exists.  Maybe this offers an explanation as to why so many parents don’t move their kids on to racing programs at 12 or 13 years old – its not because people don’t care that there would be some benefit to their child to become an athlete, but rather the disengagement occurs because people haven’t been invited in, in a way that is meaningful to them.  At our ski club in Canmore, we work at being intentional about the invitation, by engaging parents and kids to try out the next level a couple of times during the season.  It takes hard work to transition kids from introductory instructional ski experiences to ‘train to train’ programs.  Its hard work everywhere.  Its hard work at a small club where there is no tradition of racing, and it is hard work at a club that has large and successful racing programs.  I hear folks saying ‘oh, you guys have it easy in Canmore, you have a great facility and lots of high level athletes around’ – and the fact is we do have access to a great facility and there are many high level athletes in town.  But the work of transitioning kids from ' you need to be there'  to adolescents that see themselves as a ski racer is hard work and no easier in Canmore than anywhere else.  It is the deliberate work of creating a positive space, and providing experiences where that transition to ‘athlete’ occurs.

One of the important pieces I have always felt that would help that transition is to embed ‘competition’ in regular practice sessions.  Other sports do this all the time – can you imagine enrolling in hockey and never playing a game? Or enrolling in golf but always staying on the putting greens and driving range.  Other sports do a great job of normalizing competition, of making it a part of each practice or at least once per week.  Practice to competition ratio is something that has had quite a bit of discussion the last number of years.  Sports such as hockey have been criticized for having too many games in relation to the number of practices.  The problem with so many introductory cross country ski experiences is that there is so little competition relative to the number of practice sessions.  This is understandable because so few leaders of children’s cross country skiing have ever participated in a ski race – so why would they organize one, when it is a foreign concept to them.  We need to find ways to involve young skiers in regular competition.  Wouldn’t it be great if every club in a region hosted a club championship event aimed at their club, but open to every club in the region. Wouldn’t it be great if coaches found ways to embed some competition regularly in club practices?  Wouldn’t it be great if competition for young skiers didn’t mirror adult competition formats?

What we really need to help young skiers transition to racing in Canada is not a one size fits all approach to adolescent competitive ski experiences.  Maybe its time to look at a tiered regional race series – one for adolescents who have been at it awhile and another for kids just getting going.  If we are interested in serving the diverse needs of kids, we really need to rethink how we are organizing things.  I’d really love to see a southern Alberta development race series aimed at novice skiers, and then a different series for kids to graduate to which involved adolescents who have a bit more experience.   These are all projects I’d love to put some time into and will.  There are 10-12 ski clubs who work with children in southern Alberta of which two are regular participants at regional and provincial races.  I think we could be doing something differently to advance competitive cross country skiing in southern Alberta.

Transitioning kids to competitive cross country skiing is work that is important and requires nurturing.  If we really want to be a leading ski nation, we need to think about supporting the good work of coaches in all clubs.  This begins by having a conversation with each other about how we can work together for the advancement of competitive cross country skiing.  I believe a healthy ski community where there are 20+ strong, involved and active clubs across a region is a much better thing than a reality where there are one or two clubs dominating races.  The outcome of this work is increased numbers of adolescent skiers transitioning to becoming athletes.   What do we need in place to achieve this outcome?  This is an important conversation and one I’d love to advance. 

Roy

Does Body Size Matter... addressing the developmental needs of adolescents

Revisiting how we set kids up...

If you've been around awhile and worked with adolescents, you'll know what I am talking about - adolescent skiers competing in the same category who are at vastly different places in their growth and development.  Sometimes 20-25 kilos difference in weight - a small 90 pound boy competing in the same group as a 150 lb boy-man.  This happens all the time and yet despite intuitively knowing something is going on here that really isnt going to benefit anyone, we let it happen, over and over again.  When it happens, the big boy wins, the little boy finishing somewhere after all of the big boys.  This is life at 12 or 13 for adolescent boys who race cross country skiing in Canada.

A good friend of mine has proposed we give out some special awards to early developers - the 'wonder bra' award and the 'gillette' (making reference to shaving facial hair) award.   I am not out to pick on anyone, but I do really believe that we are doing a disservice to young skiers when the best that we do is stick to chronological year of birth competition categories for kids going through peak height velocity.  We do a disservice to the early developers and we do a disservice to the late developers.  If you've been around awhile, you've seen it happen many times - early developer wins consistently at 12 or 13, late developers finally catch up at 16 or 17 (if they stick around that long) and start beating the early developer - early developers say to themselves - 'I'm not really that good at this after all' and drop out.  In the mean time, the early developer has had access to additional specialized training and coaching opportunities made available through provincial athlete development recognition strategies such as a provincial development team.  Tons of money is invested as a sport community in these early developers only to find that the ones who persist after high school as a racer are often not the athletes who had access as early developers to all of the specialized training and coaching opportunities, but instead its the late developers who persist.  It doesn't always happen this way, but I've seen this happen many times.  

Developing at your own pace is totally normal - its been happening for as long as humans have been on  the earth - some kids due to genetics, and maybe environment, develop at an earlier rate, 11, 12 or 13 years old, some grow more at a statistically average rate 14-15, while others don't really get going on their adolescent growth spurt until later, sometimes as old as 16 or 17.  This is what is normal.  In our club in Canmore, we take the time to collect growth data - arm span, standing height, sitting height - every three months with all of our developing athletes 11-17.  It is alot of work, and the information it provides is largely intuitive - 'Yup, Billy is in early peak height velocity' or 'Jenny is nearing the end of her adolescent growth spurt'.  We do the work of measuring kids anyway.  We've been at this every three months since early 2010.  The information it provides validates the fact that early developers finish well ahead of late developers in almost all races.  I haven't done the correlational calculations comparing rate of growth with race results, but you know its happening.  I'd love to share our data with someone who has the time to do this kind of analysis at a university - maybe I'll do it at some point, I do have 'PhD' on my bucket list.

We have a pretty good idea of what is going on with our young athletes - and we can show kids growth curves and provide some information to kids about why so and so is winning and why they're not, or if they are an early developer, working with them to make sure that they understand, that they need to not over focus on results, develop resiliency, and realize that the results as a 13 year old will mean nothing when they are 18.  We can give the late developers the same message - its just as important for them.  Its important to us that all of our skiers stick it out, and strive to be their best.  This work is led by our club's program director/head coach - a really incredible guy with a strong vision of what he wants our club to be and what it means to help kids be their best.

Please don't misunderstand what I am saying here - early developers who win cross country ski races deserve to do well, they often are kids who are very dedicated to physical training and technical skill development. The problem I see with our current competition model for 12-13 year olds is that we do nothing to recognize that peak height velocity has a huge impact on who wins on race day.  There is a sort of 'maintain the status quo' attitude out there at all levels when it comes to adjusting competition categories to reflect developmental considerations.  I hear it all the time when I have this conversation - 'kids need to learn how to suck it up' - 'kids need to be patient' - 'kids need to not over focus on results'.  The fact is these are hard lessons for adolescents and maybe we could be doing something better to not set kids up for hard lessons.

I think we set boys up - both the early developers and late developers when we use chronological competition groupings for kids experiencing peak height velocity.  I believe its why we have a huge drop off in athlete numbers just after the midget category.  Its too bad really, as leaders in our sport, I think we can do something to allow kids at different developmental stages in early adolescence to compete with others of similar developmental level.  Its not healthy to win too much as an early adolescent - in cross country ski racing young athletes need to develop experience of being in pursuit of someone who is faster than them - when they get to Eastern or Western Canadian Championships as a 14 or 15 year old, they are not going win every race and the athlete who does come out on top is often some of those athletes who have had to learn to struggle and fight for their success.  I believe as well, that it's not healthy to lose too much as an early adolescent - every kid needs to be able to find some success - something that gives them some motivation to hang in there, to wait patiently, to give themselves a chance to grow.

Maybe I am wrong about all of this, and the important learning for all adolescents is resiliency, determination, perseverance, hard work and not results.  These are all very important life lessons that being a racer can teach an adolescent. The problem I see is that many adolescents give up because they just can't see 5 years down the road - its too far away.  Many adolescents aren't willing to take the risk of failing over and over again.  I think we are failing many, many of our young skiers in sticking to chronological age categories for early adolescent skiers.  We can do better than this, because at 12 or 13, size does matter - how big your body is makes a difference.  When we look at who the top performers are at the highest level in Canada, many of those athletes were not the ones who were shaving at 13.  What has happened to all of these early developers - why haven't they stuck it out?  What can we do to make sure that we build a sport system that gives every kid the best chance of sticking it out for the long term.

This is a great conversation, and one I enjoy having.  What can we be doing in Canada to help create the most robust sport system for cross country skiing?  Let's grab a coffee next time we see each other and see where it goes.

Roy Strum
All Around Nice Guy
Canmore, AB

The Power of Relationship - leveraging engagement when coaching adolescents

Ideas on the importance of building relationships...

So much of what we do as coaches of adolescent skiers hinges on strong relationships.  Through my years of working with children, I've come to realize that relationships matter - how we interact with kids has an impact.  A positive connection with a coach can mean the difference between walking away and trying again.  The power of our role to frame, to process, to focus on the right thing is a huge piece of the work we do as coaches.  Finding the balance between lighthearted interaction and meaningful interest in the smaller person standing in front of us is vital - finding the right amount and time for 'serious' conversation is also important.  Remembering that we are dealing with a young person and not just an athlete is something that makes a difference.

I recently saw the work of 'relationship building' in action - a group of former, current, and aspiring national level athletes volunteering as 'super cool ski dudes' at a World Snow Day event here in Canmore that we called Boyz Got Game.  Boyz Got Game is an initiative that aims to connect aspiring 10-13 year old male skiers with role models - with men who have worked hard to be at the top of their game.  What I witnessed at this event was astounding - a group of young men sharing their passion for ski racing, making efforts to connect with individual boys, ensuring no one was left behind, giving the message that having a hero was important to them when they were younger, encouraging boys to find their own hero.  I was astounded at both the ernest effort by these high level skiers in engaging each kid in their group, and the positive reaction by the boys they were working with.  This is the work that great coaches do - to make a very personal connection with each child.

The importance of doing this type of work with boys can't be understated.  Hats off to the incredible women who do the great work of connecting girls with female role models.  I think its our job as men to do something similar with boys - connecting them with some positive male role models.  All of this made me think about a book that I recently read called The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian.  Although not directly addressing male sport role models, Michael writes about the need for boys to have positive role models who are men, who through their interactions can provide examples to boys of what it means to be an adult male in our world- our role, our responsibilities, the need that alot of boys have to be grounded in being a strong, caring individual focused on their priorities - ready to take action, to share, and make the world a better place. By creating spaces where boys interested in ski racing can connect with some of the top male racers in Canada, we are doing great things for our next generation of men coming up through club development programs.

All of these ideas bring me to thinking about my priorities when it comes to relationship building as a coach.  There are a number of important things I have made a part of my daily interactions with the adolescents that I coach.  I'd like to share those with you here.

Take an interest in kids...

As coaches we want kids to learn to ski well, we want them to improve, we want them to work hard. I have found that this work is easier when adolescents know that they are important to you.  Nothing says 'you are important to me' more than taking an interest in who kids are, what they like, what they don't like, what the name of their dog is, what other sports they do, if they play a musical instrument, how they like to spend their down time, what board games they like, who they like to hang out with, what they want to do when they get older.  The conversations are limitless.  I have found with some kids you ask them one question about themselves and they can talk for 30 minutes, while for others they offer less, and as a coach, you have to work harder to get them to talk.  You have to be ready for the hard work of doing lots of asking.  If you were an athlete when you were younger you probably knew a coach like this - someone who saw you for more than just physical prowess - someone that made a difference in your life - someone who helped you shape yourself into who are today.  Its important to be that kind of coach when you are working with adolescents because if you're not, somebody else likely is, and kids migrate to environments where they feel valued and a part of something important. 

Relationship leverages hard work...

Cross country ski racing is not an easy sport - I would say its one of the most physically demanding sports out there.  Lots of people would agree with me.  To become a great ski racer, an athlete has to be prepared to do alot of hard work.  The reality is that not everyone who tries cross country ski racing is going to say to themselves - 'this is who I want to be'.  There will be some natural attrition when kids decide for example to take up swimming instead of skiing (we all have personal preferences).  For me though, there is a bit more to what is going on than just attributing kids moving on to attrition.  If it was as simple as 'cross country skiing is not for everyone' then why is it that in some places, often small places, unusually large numbers of exceptional athletes emerge.  The Yukon is a great example of a small place where an unusually large number of high level skiers emerge.  Clearly, its not just a numbers game - what we do in creating an environment makes a difference.  On the weekend I had the pleasure of chatting with a mom, whose two boys were participating in a regional race my T2T team attended.  She was from Norway.  Her husband was working at the Calgary Statoil office for two years.  They were enjoying themselves in Canada.  She told me that in the city she comes from in Norway there are 10 ski clubs - the population of the city was about 50,000 people.  Something is going on in Norway and why isnt it happening in Canada in the same way?  Its important to recognize that in Canada, we live in a sport culture dominated by ice hockey.  In India, it might be cricket, in Jamaica, sprinting.  Clearly, we have a bit of extra work to do.  Thinking about relationship building is a key piece of that work.

What is it about a sport that captures the imagination and passion of different places - clearly there is more going on than predisposition when it comes to engaging adolescents in a sport.  That is where I have found relationship plays a huge role.  The focus in cross country skiing needs to be on excellence, but it does need to start somewhere else.  For me, it starts with engaging each and every child with the message 'I am glad you're here...you've got potential...i notice your hard work...you've got a future as a ski racer'.  In my mind, these are things that we can't just leave to chance - there is a real need for a bit more intentionality about keeping the kids who start on the path to becoming a ski racer.  There are alot of things working against this objective - not living in a culture where cross country skiing is the first sport of choice - not having a big pool of experienced leadership who encourage kids to try racing...a culture of self interest, elitism, and individualism - all of these things underscore the importance of building relationships with adolescent skiers as a vehicle to engagement.  Try to take a few minutes to have a conversation with your athletes - everyday.

Don't be too serious...

Lets leave the 'serious' interactions for coaches of higher level athletes - athletes who might be more ready for serious messages.  At 12 or 13 years old, the average kid is just not ready for reality messages or serious discussions - boring...  that's not to say that there isnt some important things to say, and adolescents should be able to handle some more focused talk time - but if that's a coach's whole repetoire of interactions, then...yawn...'how much time till the end of practice'...  You know you've got things cooking in a practice when those reactions don't show up at all.

I have several friends who were high level athletes when they were younger.  A while ago, one of these friends told me a bit his experience as a junior age athlete - he had had a fantastic run as a ski racer, but at one point he got to a point where something he loved had turned into work - partly because of the interactions with the coaches he had worked with at that time  - how somehow his passion for becoming an excellent ski racer had somehow moved on - I guess it happens to all of us - at some point everyone decides 'this is it, this is where I switch gears onto a new path in my life'.  What is unfortunate in my eyes is when this happens to adolescent skiers - when they stop because somehow they are not getting what they need.  We can't afford to lose kids like this.  As coaches, we need to do everything we can to make sure that its not because of the personal relationships that kids move on to other things.  There are other factors as well that come into play when a young athlete decides that ski racing isn't for him or her - family priorities, competition structure, access to recognition initiatives, not having an experienced coach who can help create a pathway to excellence.  There is alot at play.

As coaches of adolescent cross country ski racers there is alot to think about.  Building personable relationships with kids is a key piece.  Its hard work.  Lets roll up our sleeves and get busy.

Roy


Breakthrough performances - ideas on a coach's role

Ideas on getting kids to hang on till it happens...

 

It is exciting to see a young athlete make huge gains in performance from one season to the next - recently I witnessed such a feat - a junior age athlete surprising almost everyone with stellar performances.   It amazed almost everyone - an athlete going from finishing in the middle to back of pack in most races over the past number of years to being one of the fastest athletes in his age and sport in Canada - on his way to the world junior championships representing his country.  'Who is this guy?' was the question alot of people were asking - how did he get so good after being so average in ability for so long?  Something is going on when a situation like this happens - something good.  Here is what I've learned...

Kids improve when they are ready...
 

Alot of adolescents go through one year or several years or for some kids many years of not really being present.  You ask them how its going - they respond with a blank stare or an 'ok' and not much more.  Its easy to give up on these kids - interpreting their brain fuzziness as a lack of commitment or interest or passion.  You put this together with a kid who is a late developer and doesn't get on the podium, and you have a kid that is easy not to pay attention to.  Inside almost every kid there is a dream, a vision of a future state where they are successful - they don't always show it, but its often there and when they are ready, they put it together.  Great coaches are patient and you'll find they aren't the ones who are surprised when 'out of no where' results happen.  Bottom line is that a big part of improving is deciding that you want to improve and accepting that you have to do the work - or it just isn't going to happen.  Adolescent athletes can take a while to get there - to have the emotional maturity to decide.  Be patient...don't give up on kids.

Having a role model that shows them it is possible is huge...
 

'He competed at that level...I want to compete at that level too'. Knowing that a friend has accomplished something amazing and making a plan with that friend to do it together, is huge in helping to see that something is possible,  within reach.  Daniel Coyle, in The Talent Code, talks about talent hotbeds.  We have all seen this happen at some level in your club or in someone else's - why is it that high level performers seem to emerge from someplace.  Something is going on - having an environment where young athletes create a space where their sights are set high makes a huge difference in the culture that emerges.  Support the dreams of the athletes you work with - often, the last thing they need is a reality message when what it takes to be do something amazing is believing in yourself.

Having a coach that believes you are capable makes a big difference...
 

Coaches are important people in the lives of adolescent skiers.  What we say and do makes a difference.  A small comment about doing something well goes a far way.  A coach supports athletes by giving them just enough to do it by themselves.  I have seen this happen - sometimes its just the way a coach interacts with an athlete that sends the message 'I think you're going places...'  Its a coach's job to do these things - to be the person who validates ambition, someone who recognizes effort, and someone who builds skill to ever higher levels.

Being born into the right family is a factor...

Some kids are just lucky to be born into a family that supports their desire - that lets the kids do the driving.  You can pick these families out at events - relaxed, low stress kind of people - not the kind of folks who describe their child as 'talented' even if their child really does have lots of ability.  Mostly these families support their child's interests and help them to set the stage and process what has happened and what is going on around them.


And so...

Its great to see it happen when it does - young athletes having a breakthrough.  No matter who the child is, it is exciting to see improvement.  Its even more embracing when it happens to an athlete who has been in the background for a few years.  The LTAD literature says it happens - and really for many athletes it does - wait around long enough for your body to grow, work hard enough, be in the mentorship of an experienced, knowledgeable coach, surround yourself with ambition - good things start cooking.  The challenge of course is getting kids to hang on long enough till it happens.  In my role as a T2T coach with the Canmore Nordic Ski Club, I am blessed with the great privilege of thinking about this sort of stuff and what I can do support young skiers.  I encourage you to do the same.  

Roy



Skilled Performance - ideas on the architecture of motor skill acquisition

Getting to Skilled Performance

Skilled performance can be defined as getting from point A to point B in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of energy expenditure.  This isn't my idea, nor is it a new or novel idea - but instead, as is much of my skill set as a coach, I've borrowed ideas I like and ideas that work from other coaches.  The above definition of skilled performance comes from some university course I took in motor learning a number of years ago.  It has stuck with me because it describes the goal of instruction - to help learners to ski more efficiently.

In the coach training work I do with novice and beginning coaches I work to create a picture of our role as coaches as being the architects of skilled performance.  Defining skilled performance by 'minimum amount of time' and 'minimum energy expenditure' creates an outcome that in some ways could be measured.  But in a sport like cross country skiing, is skilled performance something that is measured relative to other same age skiers?  Are the most skilled 12 or 13 year olds athletes, the ones who win races? 

When I was younger I was a track and field athlete through the spring and summer months.  My favourite event was the 1500m.  I liked it for lots of reasons - it was predictable - I felt in control of my results.  I knew what a 60 second 400m felt like.  I could feel the difference between a 62 second 400 and a 58 second 400.  I could predict my finish time based on signals that my body gave me.  I also liked it because a 400 m track was always 400m; it was always flat, most always rubberized.  Skilled performance was about getting from point A to point B in a minimum amount of time, with the least amount of energy expenditure.  If my fitness was great, I could engage with the athletes around me and really race.  I knew that I had improved because my 1500m time decreased as I increased the specificity of my training.  I could guage the level of my skilled performance compared to city, provincial, national, or world times.  In the big picture, I was never that great a 1500m runner - but a pretty good high school runner and certainly good enough to know what it feels like to be an athlete.  I came to understand that the most skilled performers were most often those people who were the fastest.

Ultimately, we set about to help young skiers become skilled performers.  The question is - how do we bring kids along to get them to skilled performance?  What steps do you take to layer levels of skill upon itself?  These are the sorts of questions that we talk about in the coaching courses that I lead.  Is it necessary to teach a 'walking step' diagonal stride before teaching a more advanced form of that skill?  Does it matter if the novice or beginner performer is 6 years old or 12 years old?   I recently read Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code.  In there he talks about 'whole-part-whole' learning and 'chunking' as a couple of strategies to advance motor learning. Whole-part-whole learning happens when a coach describes or shows a whole skill, then breaks it up into smaller pieces, then puts it back together again.  It might be, 'here is what a diagonal stride looks like', then breaking it up into 'diagonal striding includes gliding on one ski, then the other ski', plus 'push your foot down into the snow to connect your wax pocket with the snow'; then at the end, 'lets take a look at that skill again, this time look for those two skill components and try to notice something else going on'.  Chunking refers to being able to break a skill up into its component parts and being able to prioritize the components to lead to faster skill acquisition.  This work is pretty deliberate and intentional.  It doesn't just happen by taking kids out on the trail - or maybe it does.  Skill acqusition happens in lots of ways - if you're lucky to have some high level performers in your club, having them ski with younger skiers can really help.  Visual learners mimic what they see.  Have a guy like Gerard ski with your young athletes and pretty soon you have a bunch of kids who really know how to classic ski well.  The key piece here is having someone, like a Gerard, who is a phenomenal skier, who has really worked on the minutest of details of skilled performance.  If you don't have someone like Gerard, then I would suggest being deliberate and intentional about structuring learning.

I have never met a cross country ski coach who doesn't want kids to enjoy cross country skiing.  I mean really, why would you bother doing something if you didn't really like it.  The fact is that when you learn to do something well, you enjoy it more.  When you learn to be a skilled cross country skier you don't get fatigued as easily, you can ski on more challenging terrain, you can travel faster on your skis - in short, you can get from point A to point B in less time and feeling less tired than you did when you weren't as skilled a performer.  Sometimes folks feel a need to distinguish between recreational and competitive skiing and where they sit as a coach on that continuum.  Does skilled performance look any different if you are a recreational versus a competitive cross country skier - I would say no.  Skilled performers travel more quickly and more efficiently.  In a sport like cross country skiing efficiency is extremely important - we all have a finite amount of stored energy in our bodies - eliminating wasted movment from our ski technique is critical if we want to build positive dispositions to cross country skiing - really, why would we want young skiers to do a sport that is more work than pleasure?  In North America we already live in a culture where  'making life easy' is a dominant force in our consumption driven world.  Word on the street is that cross country skiers are some of the fittest atheltes out there - its not the easiet sport in the world.  When you've got to make your way to the top of a climb called 'the wall', it helps alot if you move your body as efficiently as possible to get yourself up the climb.  For many of us folks who love cross country skiing, it is exactly this sort of challenge that appeals to us.  Creating learning experiences that help kids to become efficient performers of skill will go a long way in helping to foster a lifelong love of moving and being active.  It is important to remember that all of this takes time - a different amount of time for each young skier.

I'll be the first one to say I don't have all of the answers.  I don't know many people who do.  Most of us who are involved as coaches have had some positive experience in our past with sport.  We don't need to know it all to get started or even to take on coaching adolescents.  It is possible I think to be a great coach without having ever competed in the world championships.  You'll know you're doing a great job if the adolescents you're working with are skilled performers - you'll know because they will be able to get from point A to point B in a minimum amount of time with the least amount of energy expenditure - you'll know because they can ski fast.  For me that is big piece of what its all about.

Roy



Connecting Adolescents with Passion...ideas on creating a spark

Creating a Spark - a key role in helping kids see themselves as athletes

Early adolescense is a key time in a young person's life where they are figuring out who they are as a person, who they want to become, who they identify with... when they really start to think about what they want to be.  As coaches of athletes this age, we have a key role in helping these young people see themselves as capable, confident, and with potential to be who they want to be.  With the right type of engagement, adolescents can thrive on the hard work and challenge that comes along with deciding to be cross country ski racer.

Learning to be the type of coach that leverages, sustains, and creates situations where passion is nurtured is a skill that is not just reserved for the coaches of junior elite level athletes but instead, this important work is the domain of every aspiring club coach of adolescent athletes.  My experience is that developing passion for being a racer occurs during early adolescence - a time when some kids begin to develop a long term commitment to the idea of being an athlete.  It is likely that many athletes that go on to junior national teams have likely had some experience as an early adolescent athlete where they saw themselves as someone who could be the next Alex Harvey, Chandra Crawford, or Devon Kershaw.  This incredibly important work happens first at 11 or 12 or 13 for many kids.  To their credit, athletes like Chandra, or Alex, or Devon, or Beckie Scott or Sara Renner have provided the inspiration for the next generation of young athletes by taking the time to take simple actions that create this vision of 'I can be just like Chandra'.

I saw this magic happen first when one of my own children attended a Fast and Female event as an 8 year old - Chandra had just won a gold medal at the Torino Olympics and what did Chandra do?, she placed her gold medal around this young skiers neck and posed for a photo with her.  The incredible impact of this one small gesture has been astounding.  It is the sort of moment where a child says to themselves 'you are my hero and I want to be like you'.  It is a moment that is etched in a child's memory.  But the wonder of an athlete like Chandra doesn't stop there.  Fast forward 6 years, my daughter comes home from an afternoon of skiing on Frozen Thunder, and says, 'Dad, I had Chandra skiing behind me on the trail, and when she passed me she said hi to me by name'.  Again, not a huge action by an athlete like Chandra, but one that says to a young athlete - You are important enough for me to take the time to say hello.  These small things make a big impression on young athletes and lead to a young athlete sharing 'more than anything I want to be like Chandra'. 

The work of Fast and Female is inspiring a whole generation of young girls to be their best - to see themselves as athletes that can do amazing things - young skiers realize that accomplished athletes like Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephens, Jessie Diggins, and Chandra Crawford all were young athletes themselves who at one point said to themselves 'I can be an athlete, I can ski at nationals, I can ski at world championships, I can win a world cup medal, I can be a world or olympic champion'.  Fast and Female organized such an event recently, where a group of amazing women once again took a few moments to make a personal connection with a group of young girls -  to say to them  'you can do this, you can be who want to be' - to share the message that they have alot in common - that 'I have been where you are, and you can be where I am'.   This Fast and Female event took place on the eve of the 2012 Alberta World Cup races in Canmore.  It would be easy for world cup athletes to focus inward on their own preparation for these important races, but these women are not very ordinary individuals - they are taking a few minutes to share their story, to listen to the stories of these young athletes about what they dream about, to have some fun with them, but I think mostly to make a personal connection, because that is how you accomplish goals - by making a very personal choice to be your best, to strive to find your personal excellence - and for these women to share that message in a way that fits for girls - in a social, friendly, supportive way.  Bravo to these women - your work is making an incredible difference in the lives of the girls who you inspire.

Boys need the same inspiration, the same mentorship, the same personal connection - that is why I am excited to be part of an initiative we are calling 'Boyz Got Game' - our second go around of this initiative takes place Jan 20, 2013.  Our first Boyz Got Game event partnered with the Alberta World Cup Academy and engaged incredible young men like Pate Neumann, Gerard Garnier, Russell Kennedy, Patrick Stewart-Jones, Jesse Cockney and Kevin Sandau,  in an afternoon of fun and skill building.  We think this is the sort of event that boys are looking for.  I saw the impact of this type of work first hand last year during our Boyz Got Game event, I also saw the power of a role model when Alex Harvey shared a few minutes of his time with kids at the Quebec Noram Youth Champs in Joliette - kids eating up every word that Alex said, revelling in the dream of being the next Alex Harvey. Bravo to these young men, for taking a few minutes to connect with these boys who are looking for and needing someone to aspire to be like.  Really, I think its our job as men to do this for our boys - to help them to see that it is possible for Canadian boys to accomplish amazing feats.  Boyz Got Game takes place on World Snow Day in Canmore and is an initiative of Canmore Nordic Ski Club, Cross Country Canada, and the Alberta World Cup Academy.  We think the important work of intentionally creating an experience that helps kids to create a spark that leads to them aspiring to be an athlete is a crucial experience for early adolescent skiers.  Thank you to the athletes volunteering their time in this go around of Boyz Got Game.

Studies show that kids who see themselves as someone who is in it for the long term affects their commitment to learning.  In fact, as Daniel Coyle points out in his book The Talent Code, studies show that young learners who saw themselves as part of the 'long term commitment' group outperformed their short term commitment group by 400%.  Having a dream, and having adults around that support the creation of a long term commitment to that dream can have an an incredible impact on the performance of athletes. Our role as coaches of early adolescent athletes is remarkable, because it is at precisely this age when athletes are most receptive to the work of developing passion, creating identity as an individual and with a group, and with beginning to chart a course for their lives.  Yesterday, at a club event, Beckie Scott shared some time to welcome a group of Whitehorse skiers who are doing an exchange with our club's T2 team.  Beckie shared her story of starting where they are at, and of having spent 11 years on the world cup circuit.  You could almost see the sparks of budding passion being lit inside of kids heads.  Thank you Beckie, Chandra, Devon, Kikkan for creating a spark that for many of these young skiers will grow into a bright flame.

But it isnt just these accomplished athletes who do the work of creating sparks - this work doesn't just happen at national team training centres - this work happens through the intentional creation of building a spark - it happens as a result of the work of coaches across the province - not just in the big clubs where a fire is already going, but in the small clubs where one or two passionate coaches reside.  We don't have to pass along our kids to others because we see a spark happening somewhere else - it is us as coaches of 12 and 13 year olds who do this important work every practice.  Your club is where this spark can happen - not in some elite club somewhere else.  Gather your matches, create your kindling, chop your firewood, and start your fire - small at first, but treat it with care, and a good roaring blaze can start and when it does, you'll know because you'll have a group of young athletes who own the work - this work has happened in small places - Vermillion, Alberta is such a place, Mont Ste Anne is such a place, Canmore is such a place.  Your club and community can be such a place.

Roy


A Pathway for Developing Athletes...

Designing a Pathway to Excellence...

There is alot of collective wisdom out there about the best path to take in helping young athletes learn what they need to learn to be their best.  Whole books are written on this topic.  I've recently been reading The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle and its gotten me thinking about the environmental factors in building programs where young athletes flourish.

As coaches, there are certainly lots of questions to address when thinking about setting the stage for later success.  At what age do young skiers begin engaging in 'volume' training or 'interval-intensity' training?  At what age and stage should high level glide waxes be used on athlete's skis?   When should athletes race at nationals for the first time?  There are no rules about these things written by anyone.  We do have recommendations in Canada outlined in the CCC Athlete Development Matrix - but they are recommendations for best practice not something that clubs are obliged to follow.  As a result, as I am sure you know, how clubs deal with these questions are quite varied. These are not topics that I have found there is a very big desire to engage in conversation around as a ski community - it's just a little uncomfortable, because it reflects our values.  I guess what I am trying to address is the notion of 'fast-tracking' athletes - giving them more than what is recommended in the hopes that greater volume, early intensity, early access to high level competitions, high end glide waxing, all will help them achieve success earlier and to a greater level than same age peers.

Let's face it, there is pressure on coaches to help athletes improve and perform.  In some clubs, the expectations are high because parents are paying alot of money to have their children participate.  Many coaches will guide their athletes to race up a category or attend nationals as midgets so that they can acquire higher CPL points (assuming they perform well), which will help them to meet the criteria earlier for recognition and skill development initiatives such as the Alberta Ski Team.  I don't blame them, we all want the best for our athletes, and as parents we want our kids to be successful.  What is unfortunate is when provincial sport development recognition systems encourage and reinforce these types of choices. 

It's nice to see that pushing kids ahead doesn't need to happen to help kids become successful.  This past weekend at the Alberta Cup race in Canmore I witnessed some incredible races by some young athletes.  Some of whom I know have been late developers who also have the added disadvantage of being an end of the calendar year birthday (statistics show that early success often is correlated to month of birth) - youth who have persevered through 6 or 7 years of 15th to 30th place finishes  - kids who have been there at every race for a number of years, but have never received much recognition.  And yet here they were - standing on the podium.  Wow! These kids have persevered as part of clubs and programs that did not necessarily encourage 'racing up' or 'early intensity' or 'early volume' or 'powdering skis for adolescents' - but who instead engaged in ongoing age appropriate LTAD recommended training and racing regimens.  It was a happy day for these athletes this past weekend, and to their credit and to their coach's credit, they have worked hard to be a contender.  Bravo! to these coaches and to all of the others who work with this philosophy.

The environment athletes are in has a huge impact on their development.  Just this morning, I was talking with a good friend who has been a national level ski racer, and she told me that her best years on the national team were the years where she had to be on her best game to finish at the top of the national group in Canada.  Interesting that she found that having the critical mass of high calibre athletes actually made it more enjoyable and helped her to reach her highest potential.  I think this is important in clubs as well - having a critical mass.  Having enough bodies around makes it fun, especially when its close enough that a finish order can be reversed from one day to the next.   I sure find it refreshing to see that so many parents, who were high level athletes themselves, are not the parents who are at the steering wheel of their kid's athletic ambition - I find it refreshing and highly contagious that these parents are letting their own kids do the driving.  Ultimately, at the end of it all, we want our kids to be happy, to grow into well functioning, caring adults, and we want it to be their choice - to do it themselves.

So is it just about the winning? Let's face it, cross country ski racing is a competition - its about being the fastest.  What we need to consider as coaches and parents is...is winning at 12 years old the most important thing - does it matter that you were the top 12 year old in the province when you are 16 or 18 or at the world cup level?  I would say no - If you are lucky enough to get there - to get to the world cup level, there had to have been alot things fall into place, and it won't matter one bit whether you were the fastest 12 year old in Alberta or Canada.  What really matters to me as a coach of young adolescent skiers is that kids see themselves as having the potential whether they are performing at the level they want to right now or not.  I want to create a space where kids work hard and have fun and where they improve.  I am lucky to have the guidance and mentorship of some good friends who have been at it for awhile.  I am also fortunate to have the opportunities that are given to me.

 Cross country skiing would be considered an 'open skill' sport - meaning that the skills are performed in a constantly changing environment and in response to the actions of other athletes.  Success in cross country skiing is attributable to many things - having good equipment, having the best wax on your skis either for glide or grip to match the snow conditions, wearing the right clothing can make a difference, your start position can sometimes be an advantage, knowing and being able to perform the appropriate technique in response to changes in terrain, having the fitness to be able to ski as fast as you want, and having opportunities to engage in skill instruction from knowledgeable, experienced coaches.  The mix of things that go into 'success' are staggering.  It really does take some time.  We all have different philosophies about how to get there.  I have come to know that for me, designing a pathway to excellence includes more than just the short term results that come from fast tracking a young athlete.

I think its important to recognize that there is a significant grey area when it comes to equipment preparation and athlete development protocols - and that what is right for one athlete, family, coach, or club may not be right for another group.  I share my ideas mostly to stimulate some conversation and reflection.  I encourage you to do the same.

Roy



The Big Priorities in Coaching Adolescent Cross Country Ski Racers

The Big Priorities in Coaching Adolescent Cross Country Skiers

There are lots of possibilities when it comes to deciding what to include in your training sessions and practices.  Physical training, mental training experiences, technical coaching, race prep, goal setting, team building, fun and games...    The list is not a short one when it comes to how you decide to allocate time and energy in setting the stage for young skiers to become high performing athletes later on.  The importance of the work can't be understated.  I was just today talking with a good friend, Les Parsons, about a conversation he had had with a national level coach working with senior age athletes, who stated that the work we do with young skiers has incredible impact on what they end up with at the national level.  The big question, and what makes every coach or program a little different is in the mix that you create of the priorities that you see as important.  Successful coaches create programs where kids stick around, where they learn to ski well, and where they have great fitness.  What follows is a snapshot of my priorities as a coach of adolescent skiers.  In reflecting on my priorities, my hope is to get you thinking about what your priorities are. 

I think of the big priorities as being framed in 5 key areas:
 - creating experiences to optimize the growth of competence and success as an athlete
 - optimizing windows of trainability appropriate to the developmental age of an athlete
 - creating experiences to optimize personal growth
 - nurturing a positive environment
 - developing skills in racing

Young athletes need to work towards being competent skiers, able to think for themselves and respond to changes in terrain, conditions, and other skiers with the appropriate technique and decisions.  As a coach, there is a need to work with other coaches of older athletes in your club to create developmental benchmarks to be achieved at successive ages and stages of athlete development.  There is a need to differentiate instruction with athletes with varying skill sets.  Most important is giving each athlete some attention each practice - noticing them and noticing their effort.

The Long Term Athlete Development Plan http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/coaches identifies a number of key windows of trainability for early adolescents.  These include skill acquisition up to the onset of peak height velocity.  As Istvan Balyi explains, these windows of trainability are critical windows of accelerated adaptation to training.  Stamina/endurance is a key skill in cross country ski racing and is also a key window of trainability for early adolescents.  Speed is another area where early adolescents' bodies are primed and ready for accelerated adaptation.  Thinking about how you spend your training sessions is crucial.  Skill development is important, but physical training can provide huge gains in performance later on.  This creates some complex demands on organization when differentiation of instruction is put on the table.

Another priority for me as a coach is to create opportunities for experiences that optimize personal growth.  Building self reliance in athletes is a big priority - its important that kids develop a sense of confidence that comes from working hard and being prepared.  Creating a culture where learning is what its about is hugely important.

Nurturing a positive environment at club practices and training sessions helps to keep everyone happy.  A healthy dose of fun each day, where kids ideas are valued, and where the destination is desirable is vital.  Developing a culture of excellence is the goal - where young athletes see what is possible by the paths forged by those only slightly older and others much older.  Our team room at the Canmore Nordic Centre is a special place - on the walls are race bibs from world championships/world cup races donated and signed by world cup athletes based in town.  Banners from Nationals and Youth Championships say to kids 'hey look what is possible'.  Senior age athletes, fresh off of experiences at Canada Winter games or National level events volunteer their time as assistant coaches.  All of these things help to create a special place for children.  Every club is different and has different assets, but I will say the benefits of consciously creating a positive space for kids are powerful. For me, being a part of a program that is athlete centered at all ages and stages is vital.  It can't just be about the top performers at the older levels.

Learning to be a good racer is another one of my priorities as a coach.  Developing the skills of creating and using a race plan, of goal setting, or reflecting are all things that can start with early adolescent ski racers.  Ensuring adequate and appropriate race experiences is definitely something that coaches think about.  Learning to set goals that may be 5 or 6 years off, is a great way to get young athletes thinking about what possibilities lie ahead when pursuing a path that involves racing.  Encouraging 'the dream' is something done so well by Fast and Female ( http://www.fastandfemale.com/index.asp  ) Fast and Female has done this so well, that our girls numbers are huge in our club.

Last winter, Phil Wood and myself, in conjunction with the Alberta World Cup Academy ( http://www.albertaworldcup.com/main.php?p=4 ) organized a day to foster boys making a connection with national level racers.  We called the day "Boyz Got Game".  The day was held as part of World Snow Day in Canmore.  Kids came from all over to participate.  The big idea with the day was to create some fun and connect young racers with  some young men who have worked hard to participate in events such as World Junior Championships.  Everyone wore a mustache, skied lots and had pizza and root beer to finish off the afternoon.  It was an incredible success. ( http://www.cccski.com/Archives/2012/Media/FIS-World-Snow-Day-in-Canmore.aspx#.UK1_JId5JLY  ) Experiences that get young racers fired up about racing are key experiences.  The fact is that racing is something that needs some nurturing in some ways.

We will all have our own priorities based on our unique life experiences and the philosophies of our clubs - which can all be so surprisingly diverse.  Diversity is a good thing - there isnt just one right way to get anywhere.  I wish you well in finding your way to where you're going.

Roy

Rethinking Events for Developing Cross Country Skiers

I've done alot over time with playing around with competition formats and groupings during practices and club events.  I've come to think that maybe there is another way to organize children's ski competitions that recognize growth and development characteristics, while providing adequate challenge, and provide reasonable opportunities for children of different abilities to compete with others who have similar ability - in essence ability groupings.  

Lots of people would say - who cares about competition formats - it doesn't really matter.  Lots of kids have made their way through and become successful. And, maybe they're right.  For me, I've come to a realization that almost any kid can get fired up about ski racing where someone takes the time to think through what we are doing and how we want to get there.  The fact is that there is a lot that could be done to make racing a more engaging experience for young skiers.  Often, kids events are organized as mass starts, not because its the best format for kids, but instead because its the easiest for race organizers.  Again, having organized lots of ski race events, I know first hand the amount of work that goes into even a mass start event.

The question I ask myself is 'are we selling kids short' on racing when what they get to experience results in the same 5 kids finishing 1st through 5th each race, all season.  A few years ago, when the new competition model was just being discussed, debated, and piloted in Canada, I took the initiative to organize what I thought was a creative response to meeting the needs of young ski racers.  I pulled together a season long event series that I called 'Built for Speed'.  The premise was that 'speed' was a window of trainability for L2T and young T2T athletes - as well, 'motor skill acquisition' was another window of trainability for this age - and so the event series would focus on speed and skill acquisition framed in competition.  The events would include things like a 100m double pole race, a 100 m uphill diagonal stride race, a 100m downhill race, a 100m step double pole race, and a combination race that might include any technique.  5 races in one day by kids. In fact, 5 events for 50-60 kids all done in 1.5 hours...and 5 of these 'built for speed' events organized over the season, and on top of that, each with its own category parameters that were unique to each event.  How? by engaging parents to help out.

 I have always felt that 12-13 year old skiers are capable physically of competing in more than one race in a day.  I mean, is 15 minutes all that an adolescent skier is capable of physically?  I would say no.  The average young ski racer is capable of greater amounts of physical exertion than 15 minutes.

One of the biggest problems with 'one race' on race day is that when its done, that's it, time to go home.  There just isn't very much to hook very many kids on the joy of competing.  Sure, it works for the few kids who do really well - but for everyone else, how much have we given them to take something away that tells them, 'hey, I think I can be good at this'.  There must be a better way.  I think there is.

A great example of a competition done really well, that optimizes different skill sets on the same day is done by my own club - Canmore Nordic Ski Club.  The Rocky Mtn Ski Challenge, held in March of each year is one of the only events I know that includes a morning skate race, followed by an afternoon downhill race. Awards are presented to participants in the morning race, the afternoon race, and also awards for the combined time.  Its amazing to see how this affects participation.  Lots of kids in our club race both cross country and alpine - and so when it comes to the downhill race (on cross country gear), its amazing to see a different set of kids shine.  Having the opportunity to shine is critical to helping kids see themselves as racers.  Often if they can't find it in cross country, then move on over to our good friends in biathlon or to nordic combined.  When this happens, its common to see folks shrug their shoulders and say 'I guess cross country wasn't for them', but really, maybe we've set them up.

There are lots of models out there that we can borrow from.  Think of Athletics - kids can compete in 6 or 8 competitions in a day and think nothing of it.  Speed Skating competitions often include 3 or 4 races of varying distances in a day.  Team sports for 11-14 year olds, like volleyball or basketball have tournaments that include 3 or 4 games in a day each lasting 45-75 minutes.  Are kids dropping over from exhaustion...no... not very often anyway.

So what's stopping us from doing something a little different?  Before going there, I do want to recognize that there are other examples of different things happening in cross country ski racing for young racers.  The King's Court sprint model is a great example of creative race organizing for kids - Bravo.  What we really need is a bit more of this type of thinking.  How can we change what a competition looks like to better meet the developmental needs of early adolescent skiers.  I haven't mentioned it in this article till now, but there are lots of developmental considerations that would give lots of reasons to rethinking how events are organized for adolescent skiers just entering or experiencing peak height velocity.

I certainly don't think I have all of the answers - there are alot of creative, passionate coaches in the ski club I am part of in Canmore, and the larger community I am part of in Alberta.  I encourage you to think about these things in your own ski club and think in a 'the sky is the limit' sort of way when putting the effort into creating competitive ski experiences that really meet the wholistic needs of most kids.

Roy

The Fun Factor - Ideas on Creating a Space where Adolescent Cross Country Ski Racers Work Hard and have Fun

If there is one thing that can dial kids in to a program its the fun factor.  Fun is important - but the reality is though, that being a good ski racer requires lots of hard work. For early adolescents  finding the right mix of fun and work is important to creating a space where kids keep coming back for more.

Having spent 20+ years working at residential summer camps for kids as a counsellor and camp director, on some days I think I might have a bit of a gut feeling about what fun looks like for a group of kids.  Summer camp is a fun factory - it's product is joy.  Nailing down exactly what fun looks like and feels like is a fine art.  At summer camp, this art is mastered by 19 year olds who lead the program as camp counsellors. Camp Counsellors work really hard to create fun - the reality is though that their role isn't always the highest valued role by society (these kids earn peanuts for wages), but paradoxically their work is highly valued by the kids who work with them.  For many reasons, many summer camps have got it together in creating fun. Knowing just the right amount of leadership to provide - allowing for plenty of choices - and understanding the need for challenge, camaraderie  laughter, and self direction - if you've been to a good summer camp, you'll know exactly what I am talking about.  Anyone can do this though - a big part of the equation is just being able to join in on it all - modelling what you're looking for and reinforcing the right kind of energy.

In the NCCP coaching materials there is a piece of research shared that asks kids what is important to them when participating in a sport - the top response is 'sport needs to be fun' - and for kids who have stopped participating in sport who were asked what would it take to get you back involved  - again the top response was 'I'd join in again if it was fun'.  I'm sure you will agree that this stuff is worth giving some attention to and as I'm certain many of you already do - adding a bit of 'creating some fun' into your skill set when working with youth.  In some ways, working with early adolescents is the world of the middle school teacher - knowing how to relate to adolescents - adolescents who for all accounts become a different species for a few years.  Great middle school teachers know how to use humour, build relationships that leverage engagement, and keep things pretty light hearted.  Great coaches know how to do this as well.  I know a number of them personally.  When you see this work in action - you know something special is going on - kids stick around, get excited about ski racing - the reality is that cross country ski racing is not the easiest sport in the world - so when you've got something good cooking, it is often because you've thought of the recipe beforehand.  I am so lucky to have been in spaces where this has happened - and where it is happening.

So if fun is so important what does it look like?  Fun is a great energy, focused on something positive, often without a very important outcome attached, and in the arena of adolescent sport, generated and sustained by kids.  Adults are great a creating fun as well - but sometimes we have a harder time with it because we've got so many other things to take care of - (fun for us often includes a few of the right kind of beverage). Nurturing the care free state of childhood for kids is a gift - a gift that lasts for a few years.  Games are fun - but fun is bigger than a backpocket full of games - fun is an energy that is created.

I recently got a text from my program director, saying that his daughter who is in the T2T group I am coaching, got in the car after practice saying 'that was the hardest and most fun workout I have ever been to'.  Of course its nice to get these sort of texts - especially when they come from the guy who supervises your work - but thinking back on the practice session - it really wasn't particularly hard to pull together or require lots of planning and coordination.  What we did - and I do think it came off pretty well - was do an 'amazing race' style of running workout - kids got a map - ran from one station to another (over several kilometers) - got to choose between 'running around the lake' or doing '200 push ups' - then run on to the next station where they had equally as fun activities to choose from.  It was a race of course (it was a day when I had wanted to do some speed work) with everyone getting some gummy prizes at the end - the higher the finish, the more gummy treats.  Because I knew that the kids would be fired up about seeing their names on zone 4, I even posted some results there http://zone4.ca/results.asp?id=5099 - our T2T group loved the workout.

Our role as coaches is bigger than creating some fun though.  I might argue that kids can get that somewhere else - they can go to summer camp, they can get it at middle school, they can get it in their cul-de-sacs or in the forest behind their house on a unicycle.  For me, coaching cross country skiing is about hooking kids on a great sport - helping them develop the technical skills and physical fitness to perform in a way they're happy with.  For me, that is the primary outcome I strive for in my coaching - to build the engine - the engine is made up of pieces like the carburator and the pistons and the crankshaft that form the structure and mechanical engineering of the vehicle - they're what makes the engine run.  I like to think that there is another important piece, I think of fun as the oil - the lubricant that makes the pieces of engine work well together.  When the engine is running well, adolescents are ready to learn how to drive. I know its a little out there but I'll tell you, kids can feel it - I know this because they are smiling, laughing, talking, being silly and responding when they need to switch gears.

What is important to coaches is evident to the kids that they coach.  Adolescents know if their coach sees them as someone who has great potential, or if their coaches think someone else in their training group has great potential.  All of this might be pretty irrelevant to a coach who is strictly performance driven.  Don't get me wrong - I think performance is incredibly important - it is important to each and every young skier.  Every kid in a Train to Train program wants to improve, has a dream of finishing on the podium, of getting there, of doing it themselves.  Great coaches leverage this, for the top performers, and also for every young skier they work with.

So if you're like me, and you're interested in helping as many kids as possible to reach their potential as athletes, if you're interested in trying to keep kids engaged - then thinking about the fun-work balance is an important piece in the puzzle.