Proof

Alright, here it is, video... finally! I can't tell you how much of a pain it's been to get the video off of those Canon cameras and into a program that I can even watch them with, much less do anything with. Hours of frustration and wanting to beat my dogs and smoke a cigarette. I just chewed some bubble gum and everything was alright in the end, except that this video is the most bush league, amateur hour, newb abomination ever. But it's something at least. Things should go smoother from here on out though.

Joseph: I just had to! (watch the video) I like the aggression out of the start, we need more of that, seriously.

Josh got the hang of cameraman after the first couple of racers.



Neat 'o gang

Unstoppable

Oh Yes! I love it! (!!!)

Alright, it's official: Sundance Ski Team ain't no one to mess with! We owned once again at Snowbird today (Saturday). My face was just getting used to smiling so much after Brighton, and now it's gonna be even worse after today. Hap Hap Happy!



The girls set us up right with a solid 5th (9th overall) place from Amanda Flanagan and a very respectable 12th place finish from Samantha Brown. Way to go girls! Those J5 chicks are a tough crowd.

Then our boys showed those other team's boys (and girls) what is up. Dillon Flinders is bad a. He finished 10th in the J6's and 24th overall. After that, he went and threw down a massive 20ft 360. Hard Core.

Hunter Flinders led our J5's in 3rd (14th overall) and Kendall W. Harris brought home his first medal with a solid 10th place. Hunter also threw down some big 3's and aaaalmost got a 540. Kendall tried some 3's, but got beat down. You'll get 'em man. River Linebaugh finished in a very nice 17th position.

We had 3 J4's in the top ten! Joseph Prososki finished 7th (17th overall), Adam Brown killed it in fourth place, and my main man Peyton Baymiller took the day as number 1 (again)! Adam also finished 4th overall, and P.J. once again had the fastest time of the day by 0.46 seconds. If that wasn't enough, P.J. went and hucked a hugely perfect 540, Ain't no thang! Sorry dude, but I gotta brag a little.

Do the math: that's 7 medals. We had 14 athletes at the race. 50% brought home medals! 7 athletes in the top 10, and 11 in the top 20. 4 in the top 20 overall. That's freaking awesome in my book. Just like the Wu-Tang Clan, we ain't no one to mess wit'.

I would have some footage of this crispy fresh ownage, but my computer that has all the editing software decided to not startup anymore. It is being repaired as I type so hopefully I will have it ready to go tomorrow. If any of you parents have footage, please let me know so we can get it on here stat!

Thank you all for another successful race day! Our kids get the props first, then the parents. You guys are the best and none of this would be happening without you, literally.

Our next YSL race is the Brian Head Champs on the 14th and 15th of March. I hope everyone can make it down there for that. It is a very fun race, and we are sure to dominate once again. Get a place to stay soon, they sell out quick down there.

We also have our South Series Champs on the 7th and 8th of March at Brighton. I will send an email soon to those that are eligible.

Peace!

Still Here

I apologize for slacking on the updates. I am having computer difficulties with our cameras and they don't want to work with Mac.

We have an Avalanche Awareness class this Friday at 4:30 at the Nature Yurt. Please show up and bring whoever may be interested in learning the basics of staying alive. Bring snacks and goodies if you feel so inclined.

We also have a YSL race this Saturday at Snowbird. We are full of confidence after the Brighton domination, so Snowbird should be a piece of cake.

I hope everyone has been enjoying all of the fresh snow lately, it's been ridiculous.

Word

It snows over there too?

Here's a little something from a little movie called 'Real Time.' Just to hold us over till the next storm. You know how you can't see the skiers? Ya, that's snow, not compression fuzz from YouTube. Not to rub it in, but that's how it was at Alta last week, hehe.

So Many of Them

Check out these Slalom masters from the Adelboden World Cup. Herbst won. U.S. didn't do too well. Watch Herbst's run compared to Bode. Herbst is so solid and technically perfect. I always say Bode is a bad example to show for technique, but watch his line and where he puts the most amount of pressure on his skis (you should say, "in the fall line"). If he were to ski without a mistake, he would win by seconds. This kind of skiing is good to a point. If you're too conservative, you'll never win, but if your past the edge, you'll blow up. We need to ski more on the edge and let our skis run more. You'll hear me say to 'get off your skis quicker', or 'let 'em run', or 'be more active' a lot. This is all a part of being aggressive: putting yourself in a situation where you're past your comfort zone and are just barely hanging on. Try it out at training, especially in the gates but freeskiing as well. Try to look at a course and see exactly where you need to be and where you can cut off time. Shorter the distance your skis travel = faster time. Faster you ski down a powder run = more powder you get :) Plus it's fun to see how fast you can go without blowing up.





Mama Mia!

Like a Video Game

The Wengen Downhill went down last weekend. This course looks crazy, almost like a video game. Didier Defago took it, which means he is now a super star in Europe.



Bode Miller finished 4th. This camera angle from the heli really shows just how intense this course is. And how there is no snow in Europe this year. Lame.

Racetastic

I hope everyone had a great time at the races last weekend. I think it turned out to be a great weekend even with the weather we had. I love skiing in rain! That global warming is awesome. Check out the results here (for Park City)

Sundance represented with some solid results from the Flinders Brothers, both in the top 20. Amanda held it down for the girls with our best result at 12th place (sorry Hunter, you got girled ;) Our first time racers had a blast and learned a lot about racing and will be ready to charge at the next race. Look for footage soon!

The super G at Snowbasin truly was a good time. No sarcasm there. Even though it was a bit soggy, it turned out to be a great weekend. We only got off one race run, but we kicked some trash and learned a lot about speed events. My belief that it always snows at speed races was confirmed. After raining Friday and Saturday morning, it finally turned to snow around 1pm and never stopped. So we skied powder all day Sunday after the race was canceled. It was muy bueno.

Thank you all for your help and let me know how things went for each of you. If you have any comments or suggestions, I wold love to hear them.

PJ loves trees.

Hunter killin' it.

Jessica in her element.

The man we learn it all from.

Dillon!!!

Amanda, shredding a turn

'Mallow anyone?

Hours and hours of fun

Alta Badia GS

Daniel Albrecht takes first. Watch his legs. Notice how they do all the work? Like windshield wipers, back and forth, back and forth. Both knees doing the same thing at the same time. Driving forward and into the hill to set those edges. Notice his hips? They are forward the entire time. Upper body? Solid like a rock.

Sorry, they won't let me embed it on here. So check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P1651meNqw

That course looks like a blast.

Christmas Camp Training

Check out your video of some gates during Christmas Camp. After that, watch the one above of a World Cup skier. What do you notice? Can you see what your doing that I've told you to work on?

Dillon: Notice your shoulders leaning into the turn? Notice what that does to your skis? Make them level.


PJ: For that day, you fixed your upper body, but you still need work on it. Now it will be moving your hip down the hill and being more 'active' in your skiing. Active means finishing the turn earlier and starting it sooner. See 'Hip Movement'


Hunter: Solid skiing, upper body is good, and both legs are doing the same thing. Notice how your tips are flopping around a bunch? Those are there for a reason. Get forward! Ask me how at training. This is now your main goal.


Kyle: Until I work on your boots, your new goal is to carve all the way through the turn. You do a lot of ankle skiing, as in smearing your turns with your ankles. See it? You need more knee skiing. Push both your knees towards your tips, and down into the turn. Your skis will hold, I promise.


Spencer: Good skiing. You have improved a lot last month. Your next step is to keep a strong upper body the entire run. Notice how your hips go back like your sitting down, and then you can't make the next turn a clean carve? We'll work on it.


Adam: This was your best run of the day. Still not the same Adam from last year, but it's coming back. See what I mean by both skis doing the same thing? Notice how one ski is always wandering off to Mars? Pause it right as you pass the camera. What do you notice? Your hips need to be over your boots. Right now, your just using your tails, that's why they wander.


Zach: Oh ya, you were sleeping that day :)

Again, sorry for the poor quality. And sorry for not getting everyone that did Christmas Camp.

It comes from the Sky

So, today was pretty good...



This was from a previous powder day. PJ, Zack, and I were hitting this cat track all day. Zack threw down some three's, but then got thrown down by the landing. Nice effort, you'll get it soon. PJ shows us how to do a 3: go big, follow your head, and make it look stylee.




Sorry for the poor quality. I am buying a nice camera for myself soon, so no more point and shoots. Yay! I will also buy 1 or 2 new cameras for the ski team. We will be using them as much as possible on training days. If any parents are interested in manning a tripod for a while during training, that would help out a lot. Let me know.

That was dirty

The following took place between the days of no snow, and the days of Snowplenty. Dirty sickness.

Zack, PJ, and I got first chair the day after Christmas. Merry Sickness

Beautiful Sickness


My Snow Monster got buried.



I'm trying to use other words besides 'sick.'

Hip Movement

A review from last years lessons.

I told you guys about making a move with your hips to initiate (start) a turn. This is what we will be working on most of the season. All of you have a solid upper body (arms up, core flexed, shoulders level and facing down the hill, and little movement)and are doing the correct things with your legs (pushing both knees into the hill with good ankle flexion) When you combine those two things with a strong hip movement down the hill in the transition, you vill be very fhaaast. This also helps with freesking and powder skiing.

Check out the images below:



Nicole Hosp demonstrates a nice hip movement in this picture. In the first frame, she is completing her previous turn. Now she wants to start her next turn, so now she releases her edges by moving her hips over her skis and down the hill. Look at frame 2. It almost looks like she jumps off her skis and is about to fall forward. Now to start the next turn, she pushes both her knees down the hill and into the snow (like we have been doing) This sets her edges for the turn and allows her to pressure early in order to keep a high line for that turn.

This hip movement does a lot of things. First it ends the previous turn, turning is slow, the sooner you can end a turn, the faster you'll be. Next it takes most all of your body weight and puts it on the front of your boots, which transfers it to the tips of your skis, which dig into the snow and takes you for a ride. It also puts you in a more balanced position. And finally, it allows you to stay ahead of the course (or powder, or steep hill in powder, or rocks, trees, and shrubbies in powder) Which is another way to say turnshape. Remember turnshape? Get the turn done above the gate, then it's a lot less work. More on that later.

Chistmas Camp

This past week was awesome! We had great weather, for training, and all of our athletes that joined us had a great time and made huge improvements. Thank you all for toughing it out. I hope you are all tired from your hard work. It will pay off throughout the season.

Check back in the next few days to see some examples of world cup skiers doing what we were working on. Remember, ask questions if it doesn't make sense.

I need to add a disclaimer with this blog (and training in general): I need to ask parents to let their athletes ski for fun when they are not skiing with us, and let us do the critiquing and coaching during training. They have plenty to think about during training, and they need to freeski to let the stuff we tell them to sink in and get a feel for it. This blog is meant to support what the athletes learn in training, and provide a forum to discuss technique and answer questions. Thanks!

So it begins...

Before you continue down the page to see all the rad stuff on your Team's blog, please take a moment to read this post.

I want this project to be a place where team members and parents can find all the information they need about the Sundance Ski Team. I will be using this forum as a way to communicate with my athletes as well as parents. There will be regular posts that show skiing technique relevant to what we have been working on, along with updates and the season's schedule. I do not know what kind of internet privileges your child has, but if they could go to one site, it should be this one :) There may even be some homework and quizzes, so pay attention. I want full on notes, diagrams, reports, dissections, intersections, and demonstrations. Hehe. But seriously, this will only work if each athlete will participate. What you put into it, is what you get out. If you have questions, bring them to training, or make a comment on the blog. If you see something that I don't, or I am wrong, say something. Ask questions, challenge whatever is assumed, and be creative.

I also want it to be an active experience where members can comment and post relevant topics. Pictures, video, rants, or raves. Cashia has only one rule, if there is a video or picture of a coach, it has to be really embarrassing (especially of her)
If there is something you would like me to post, or have a question that I could answer about skiing, then let me know and I'll do my best.

Please check back regularly. This is version .00001 so there is a lot of work that needs to be done. If you have any suggestions or comments let me know.

Tyson Henrie

Eric Pollard for President

LINE Eric Pollard 08 Self Edit from Line Skis on Vimeo.

BOP DH

Steven's 7th place DH run at the BOP. Very nice!

Watch more WCSN Highlights videos on AOL Video

Steven's Super G run at Beaver Creek, finished 25th.

Watch more Universal Sports Highlights videos on AOL Video

Beaver Creek

Ted Ligety is in top form again this year. After Winning the GS globe last year, he's out to do it again, and more, this year. Watch closely, Ted is revolutionizing the way we race. Especially watch his knees and hips, what are they doing that allow him to make such perfect turns? Why is he so fast?


For starters, Ligety, and all World Cup racers, start their turns with their ankles. Look at the 4th frame past the blue gate. He is in the athletic stance (arms up, legs hip-width apart, boots flexing, and stomach muscles flexed). This allows him to start the next turn with a strong early pressure on the new set of edges. Now, all he has to do is drive both knees 'inside' (next frame) to initiate (start) the turn. Think of 'inside' as towards the next gate, or down the fall line, or towards the snow by the tips of your skis, etc. whatever works for you. Boots flexed (by ankles and tight abs), both knees driving into the next turn. Combine that fairly basic movement with an immovable/strong/steady/eliminate-all-unnecessary-movement upper body and you can ski like Ted :) If these words that are spewing out of my fingers don't make any sense, then just watch World Cup racing and only watch their knees the entire time. Get their image burned into your cranium so that when you see video of yourself you can compare the two and more easily see what you need to change.

(click on picture for larger image)

Now Some Motion

Here are some of my favorite videos from last year. Check 'em out. Or in Bloglingo, "Peep some footage"

Poor quality, but still good. More to come soon!!



PJ Shredding at Alta



Hunter gettin' some powder in March

Blohggggur?

Are you ready? The Sundance Ski Team has entered the wild, bizarre, and 'hip' world of bloggin'! I always thought "blogging" was some obscure British sport. And now here I am, a 'blogger,' whatever that is.
I want to provide a space on the triple w where our team can stay updated with each other. Where we can show off our accomplishments by video, picture, or word. I will try to keep it as up to date as possible so check back often for important information about the race season, such as race dates, training schedule, volunteer opportunities, and of course, snow reports.
If you ever feel the need to post something on here, let me know and I'll add you to the super cool Blogger Moderator Controller list (as soon as I figure out how)
So to start it out, here are some of my favorite pics from last season:

We should probably work on our portraits

Amanda utterly destroying her parents at the Parents Vs. Athlete Race

"I didn't crash" PJ sporting what we call an Alaskan Faceshot

Dillon is the man!

One of many

Welcome! (!!!)

Hello, and welcome to the Sundance Ski Team! We are a small team striving to create a niche at Sundance Resort where we can ski fast, go big, and pretty much do what we want. We are an organization that focuses on teaching the fundamentals of skiing through racing. With this standard, our athletes are encouraged to try whatever they want to do on skis. Our coaches provide the knowledge and safe opportunity, and our athletes get it done. Sundance Resort offers a unique place to experiment and learn new creative styles. Whether it be racing, building jumps, or skiing powder, we do it for the pure joy of sliding down snow.