We had a great turnout and a lot of fun at this year’s first Learn-To-Rollerski clinic in Williston! 13 young skiers took part, and it was great to see a “dad squad” get out for a group ski while we were underway.
Several in this crew had never rollerskied before, and everyone was able to confidently get around the 1km loop at the Village Community Park (WCS) by the end of our day. A pretty sizeable chunk of skiers even ventured safely out into the neighborhoods for a quick trip around some familiar cul-de-sac pavement.
It’s always tricky to know just how to approach a group rollerski lesson…the ability levels do vary quite a bit, even among those who have never rollerskied before. That’s because balance, confidence, and spatial awareness play such a huge role in what we do, and those things can range on a wide spectrum before even clicking into a pair of bindings.
To that end, the focus usually follows a consistent pattern…start off skis, work on body position, and incorporate some bands to get the muscles warmed up.
Next, progress to skis but no poles yet! It’s time to work on general movement, turning, and importantly how to slow down and stop.
Then the distance can be extended, still without poles for a time. Poles can be added gradually after this, with a focus on V1 since it less balance-dictated than V2.
It was great to have a handful of Juniors with us to help coach, since this meant we could divide up groups a bit based on ability. Thanks to Anders, Niko, and Taylor for helping out! All-in-all, the progression mentioned above doesn’t sound too different than a regular MNC Juniors training session, albeit just on a slightly different scale. Proof that there really isn’t any magic after all.
We’ll be having another clinic like this on Saturday, July 29th so keep an eye on this site for more info!
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