This ended up being a week full of nice rollerski sessions! Although we got some rain for our running days, the sun and vibes were high for anything on wheels, it seemed. Early in the week the MNC University crew got in the first rollerski intensity of the year with some skate L3. They switched to classic on Thursday morning, while that afternoon the Juniors had their first skate session of the year.
Each week more MNC University skiers finish their semesters, and the group grows!
First skate ski of the year for the Juniors
Spoon-and-egg racing on rollerskis for balance and coordination
We take a lot of video for rollerskiing, pretty much during every session. Even if we aren’t doing intervals or specific drills, most days I end up emailing out about 2-3 minutes worth of ski clips.
Why so much video? For one thing, it’s just so easy these days. When I was in college, taking video meant coaches dragging out a camcorder, filming in a set location as skiers went back-and-forth. Then we would gather in the lodge or the athletic department (sometimes a day later) to plug-in a bunch of cables and play it all onto a TV or computer screen. I’m not talking about the stone ages here…this was like 2009.
Nowadays at least one MNC coach is usually on a bike for a rollerski session. With a GoPro that can fit in a closed palm able to shoot 4k quality video with automatic stabilization, there’s no reason at least a little bit of every session can’t be captured on camera. I usually sent out an email with follow-up session thoughts and a link to video as soon as possible following the ski, or at least by later that evening.
Here’s some video from a nice Sunday double pole down by Lake Champlain in Shelburne. Our “Individual Technique” playlist, where practice footage goes, is up to 974 videos and counting!
Even if we aren’t critically analyzing each clip, skiers just get to see themselves skiing on such a regular basis that they have a really accurate handle on how they currently move. That means that when they try to make changes, or view clips of World Cup skiers, they are able to better comprehend the steps from here to there…at least, that’s the goal!
Sunscreen necessary
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