On 9/1/05, TOS <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> It is amazing what that combination can do.   There are 7 yr olds making
> turns that use to only be seen on the world cup.   The reason this is
> happening is the new equipment.
> 
> Good equipment won't ensure your kids will win any medals.  Mediocre
> equipment will ensure she won't.
> 
> As an eight year old, she will be one of the older kids in her age
> group (7-8).   Most of the eight year olds will have had one year of racing
> already.   So she has some catching up to do.  Make it easy on her.

"Catching up to do"?  Catching up to what?  She's 8!  She's got her
whole athletic "life" in front of her.  Her emphasis at this stage
should not be on winning medals.

Fun.  Lots of it.  Learning to love the sport of skiing at her own
pace.  If kids can't have that, then ski racing won't work for them. 
It's difficult enough as it is...

I know - short and sweet as it was (my coaching "career") - I've
coached 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 year olds, some of
whom later raced in World Cups or have won NCAA National events or
finished top 3 at US Nationals (I also coached groups that included
that Meathead who died last winter).  Some of them didn't win a damn
thing until their mid-teens.

Ski racing programs for 8 year olds are not just for kids who want to
win medals (though surely it's a route to doing so), then or in the
future... they're also for anyone who wants to become a much better
skier than they would otherwise.

The best racers find out over time who they are - and they then
seriously pursue the medals and all that.  For some others, that may
start at 8, but Salt's kid doesn't even know if she likes the program
yet.

It's not any different than this: 8 year olds don't play Little League
(or whatever) simply to win games (though their parents might think
so) - they play them to have fun.  And some of them, over time, take
it to higher levels, be it high school, college or professional
baseball.



> 
> Kids ski racing is a long journey.  Enjoy every step of the way.  Just let
> it happen.   There are some many highs and lows, but it is worth it.
> 
> I love it when parents or other relatives tell me how their 8 year just
> gave a polling clinic.  My kids are all ways telling me what I am doing
> wrong.  They are always dead on, unfortunately old habits die hard.
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 1 Sep 2005 11:16:24 -0700, John Crowley, Jr. <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> 
> >FWIW - I agree with what Dana said in the below post and his previous one.
> >
> >P Salt's kid is 8 and a first-timer to the program.  New skis, sure, I
> >can see that (and earlier I didn't mean she wouldn't be able to know
> >the difference; I just meant she will improve no matter what).
> >
> >But race skis and a free ski pair, to start the season?  They didn't
> >sign up for the World Cup (yet).
> >
> >Her and P Salts aims for starting this season should be on fun and
> >becoming a better overall skier, not winning races.  Not that winning
> >races isn't fun, but that focus will come with time and that's when
> >they can become more serious and spend the money.
> >
> >Maybe sooner, maybe later... perhaps even mid-season, but not right now.
> >
> >
> >On 9/1/05, Dana Dorsett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> Benjamin Kulas [[log in to unmask]] writes:
> >>
> >> > I think it was with TOS that I took about 10 racing tykes into some
> >>
> >> >gnarl off the double, and let me tell you, I was impressed with the
> >>
> >> >way they could carve after they had survived the woods and cliffs....
> >>
> >> And HOW many of them were 8 years old, on race skis as their first pair of
> >> shaped skis, and in their first ever season of racing???
> >>
> >> I'm bettin' the answer is zero. (Cood be rong, offen am.)
> >>
> >> Certainly by the time she's skiin' trees & cliffs a race ski will make an
> >> important difference, but I don't have the impression that she's anywhere
> >> near that league yet. (Again, cood bee rong... )
> >>
> >> I've Peter's made of money, sure- set her up, build a quiver even, but I
> >> dunno- he seems like one o' them best-bang-for-buck kind o' guys to me.
> >>
> >>
> >> dana
> >>
> >> _____________ ________ __
> >>
> >> __ /________ ________ ___
> >>
> >> __( ________ __ $B;3%9%-!< (B!_
> >>
> >> ___ (J\ (B ________ ________ __
> >>
> >> ____) ______ __________ _
> >>
> >> ___/ ______ ___________ _
> >>
> >> __(  o ____ __________ __
> >>
> >> __  (J\ (B(| (J\ (B.____ _______ ____
> >>
> >> ___` (J\ (B>/______ ____ ______
> >>
> >> ____  (J\ (B` ______ __ _______
> >>
> >> ______`________ _ _______
> >>
> >> _______________ __ ______
> >>
> >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is
> >> brought to you by the University of Vermont.
> >>
> >> To unsubscribe, visit
> >> http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html
> >
> >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.
> >
> >To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.
> 
> To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html
>

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont.

To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html