Post Season: June 2008, Volume 6
The Racer’s Rag
H
ISH
INIS
TO F IN
P HO
HOTO
by L . G o rd o n C u r t i s
YouTube
It
D
M
y favorite part of organizing a nordic race is typically setting up
the course. After the groomer goes out,
setting the flags along a 5K trail allows
me to experience the freshest conditions
of the day. I also have the opportunity
to make sure that there are no hazardous spots that need to be corrected. It
is a great way to enjoy the trail without
needing to perform at race intensity;
I enjoy a leisurely pace. Attempting to
haul around a handful of flags inside
my jacket while skiing can prove to be a
challenge, but it also helps me to concentrate on my technique.
Once the race has started, I am responsible for timing the event, which on occasion can be drawn-out and down right
cold. It can be difficult to stay warm
while waiting for the first set of racers
to come through the finish. Fortunately,
though, we have devised a system for
avoiding frostbite on our feet. As luck
would have it, standing on a piece of
cardboard not only keeps your boots
off the snow, but it also functions as a
particularly good sled in icy conditions!
This dual-purpose activity not only
keeps us warm but helps to pass the
time until the end of the race.
The most intensive part of timing a nordic
race happens at the end of the event where we
record the final times as the competitors finish.
The timer is charged with the task of recording
the bib number for each time that the timing
system recognizes—software calculates the rest.
For many of our races, times are input into a
spreadsheet and results are then calculated.
At most races, we can visually decipher who
outplaced whom, but occasionally finishers are
so close that we require the assistance of a video
camera. At Nationals this Spring Matt Delaney
of Clarkson and John Kirlin of the University
of Wyoming provided us with a truly exciting
event that ultimately relied on video technology to determine what was a photo finish. They
were within a second of each other, and we had
to turn to frame by frame analysis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW-8m6UJXHQ
Hy dr
a
t i o n by
J o a n n a E z i ng a , P e r s o n a l T r a i n e r
Joanna Ezinga, MS, is
certified by the American
Council on Exercise as a
Personal Trainer. She is
also a certified Triathlon
Coach through
USATriathlon. Joanna
specializes in fitness for
women and is the creator
of Give It A Tri
Coaching for the
Beginner Triathlete, a
program that prepares
ordinary women to do
their first triathlon. She
can be reached at
joezinga@fairpoint.net
Hello. My name is Joanna Ezinga and I
am a certified personal trainer and triathlon
coach living in western Massachusetts. Starting with this issue, I will be writing a regular
column in the USCSA newsletter.
As we come into the warmer months,
an article on hydration seemed appropriate.
Ever wonder what you should drink during
exercise—water, sports drinks, fruit juice, an
ice cold beer? There is a lot of hype and quite
a bit of confusion about the best choice. The
number of sports drinks has increased dramatically in the past couple of years as beverage
companies tap into a lucrative new market
with slick marketing campaigns and athlete
endorsements.
The accepted definition of a sports drink
is a beverage specifically designed to help
athletes rehydrate and replenish electrolytes,
sugar, and other nutrients depleted during
strenuous exercise. The first sports drink,
Gatorade, was created in 1965 at the University of Florida to improve the performance
of the Florida Gators football team during
long, hot summer practices. By all accounts,
it made a big difference and has been credited
with helping the Gators defeat long time rival
Georgia Tech.
These drinks are meant to be used by
those engaged in sports events or competitions
where there is more than an hour of sustained
physical activity or by endurance athletes.
The problem is that most sports drinks are
consumed by non-athletes. These drinks are
loaded with unnecessary calories, sugar, and
salt, which sedentary Americans don’t need.
Most are sold in 16 ounce to 32 ounce bottles,
though a standard serving size is 8 ounces. You
have to read the nutritional panel carefully to
learn this fact and drinking the whole bottle
(which is pretty common), adds two to three
times the amount of calories and sugar.
Unless you meet the listed criteria above,
water remains best choice.
Popular Drink Statistics
Gatorade Original: a 32 ounce bottle has
200 calories, 56 grams sugar and 440
milligrams of sodium. It is made by Quaker
Oats, a division of Pepsico.
Powerade: a 32 ounce bottle contains 280
calories, 76 grams of sugar, 220 milligrams
of sodium. Powerade is Coca-Cola’s answer
to Gatorade.
Glaceau Vitamin Water: depending on
the variety, a 20 ounce bottle has about 120
calories and 32 grams of sugar. As the name
suggests, added vitamins are the key selling
point. If there was a serious problem with
malnutrition in this country, Vitamin Water
would be a terrific solution. But since there
is an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, you
are better off getting your vitamins from the
food you eat or from a high quality, caloriefree, vitamin pill. Also made by Pepsico.
Polar Fruit Flavored Mineral Water:
0 calories, carbonated water, natural fruit
flavorings. It offers a more interesting taste
then water, without the additional calories,
sugar, and electrolytes.
Natural Fruit Juices: The amount of
calories, sugar, sodium, and vitamin content
will vary with the type of fruit. Choosing an
all-natural fruit juice like apple or orange, is
a good alternative when you want calories,
energy, nutrients, and something to satisfy
your sweet tooth.
Water is #1: Mother Nature still does it
better. Water has zero calories, no added
sugar or ingredients. Unless you are a true
high-performance or endurance athlete,
losing valuable electrolytes, water is the best
way to hydrate.
Have fun and drink plenty of water this
summer—about 8 ounces for every twenty
minutes of work or play.
by Justin
Globerson,
Snowboarding
Student Athlete
Representative
Re
pre
sent
a
Last season was my
first season as the USCSA Male
Alpine Student Athlete Rep. It was a great
experience, and I was able to meet a bunch of
great people that all have a desire to improve the
sport for the athletes. Being able to voice my
opinions and concerns to the board directly
only further helps them make their decisions
for the benefit of the athletes. Plus
traveling to the meetings is also a
bonus!
t ive?
e
n t
i
a
M en
ev
After surviving the red-eye flight
from LA to Portland, Maine, eleven
of us from SCCSC checked in and
registered for our week of competitions at Sunday River. On the way to
the mountain we didn’t know whether
to laugh or to scratch our heads
when we passed the world’s largest
snowperson—a snowwoman standing 122 feet 1 inch. From that point
we were constantly reminded that
we were no longer riding West Coast
Mountains. Words like “chowda” and
“prawblem” became the norm and the
mountain bragged an unbelievably
low base elevation of only 800 feet
above sea level.
After checking in with Laura
Sullivan, the USCSA Executive
Director, and enduring her fashion
claim that our outerwear resembled
“rap on snow,” we got our credentials
and mapped out the week: practice
W
e
t
hle
t
t’s it like to
A
t
a
be a Stu d en
h
HELL
O
Jesse
on Tuesday, Slopestyle Wednesday,
Boardercross qualifiers Thursday,
Boardercross Friday, and Giant
Slalom on Saturday. I had heard a lot
about the East Coast’s icy conditions,
but my snow experience at
Nationals can be summed up as
nothing less than schizophrenic.
Our first day riding we had packed
powder followed by a day of “winter
medley,” a euphemism for ice rain
that turns your goggles into blinders.
Wednesday was cloudless with great
speedy snow, Friday cold and foggy,
and Saturday a slushy So-Cal morning followed by a “life-threatening”
storm.
Compared to last year’s Nationals
in Winter Park, Colorado, the level
of competition was 100% improved.
For men’s Slopestyle, almost every
athlete had 540s and corked spins in
their run. The true moment at
Nationals that forced me to rethink
my purpose in the world of snowboarding was the Boardercross. The
course was technical and fast. Almost
each heat showcased a “yard-sale.”
These usually occurred at the triple
bump just before a banked turn, but
sometimes athletes occasionally
crossed the finish in mid-fall.
After the Boardercross, Giant
Slalom felt like a walk in the park.
The on-hill dance parties, team tackles, and of course the GS snowball
war made this trip one of my best.
There’s something spectacular about
spending a week on the mountain
with hundreds of college students
that all share a common obsession in
mountain riding. Although I returned
only 2 points shy of being a First
Team All-American, my eleventh
place gave me slight bragging rights,
but my time at Sunday River, not
my results, made me feel like a true
giant…just not as giant as that snowwoman.
NATIONALS
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making su
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we were
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nt!
e start of
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then
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oard and
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ith some
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h
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lm
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r, referred
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le compe
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ver chang
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r
iders put
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r
t
Thursday
,
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r
e
atr: rain, fre
on a very
and Frida
ezing rain
impressiv
y was spe
,
h
also lucky
a
e
il, and
show of sk
nt runnin
to be bless
ill and gu
g the Boa
ed with su
t
s.
where ea
r
d
ercross an
nshine for
ch compe
d Skiercro
both day
titor was
ss events.
main eve
s.
a
T
h
b
u
le
We were
r
sday was
nt. I will g
to run thr
h
o
o
o
u
out on a
st
g
h
t
the most
o
t
h
t
e course in
he time t
limb and
exciting e
rials,
dividually
say that t
vents to w
.
wander o
F
h
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e
id
B
a
a
o
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t
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c
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h
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dercross a
ver to the
as the
at Nation
nd Skierc
course an
als. Next
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y
o
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ss
se
a
e
r
e for your
, if you ha
vents are
On Satur
self.
ve the tim
day, Moth
e
,
e
y
r
ou should
Nature to
sunny skie
ok her ra
s while se
g
e
t
t
o
in
u
g the cou
t on the sn
hardly see
rse. At the
owboard
the next g
ers. At 6 a
st
a
a
r
te until yo
t of our ra
rolled wit
m we had
u were rig
ce, the fo
h the pun
g rolled in
ht in fron
ches. Late
great to se
t
,
r that eve
of it. The
and you c
e everyon
snowboar
ning, it w
ould
e dressed
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e
t
r
s
im
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e
id
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r
ell and
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The USCS
zing with
ds banqu
A Nation
a
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t
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ls
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le
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C
tes all ove
is always
hampion
pete, I me
ships is alw
r the natio
t some am
a
n
a
y
.
s
z
ing new fr
a great e
time as w
vent. Eve
iends. I kn
ell, especia
n though
o
ll
w
y
a
hanging o
USCSA w
ll
o
f
I did not c
t
he SCCSC
ere doing
ut with o
omc
o
m
t
h
t
p
h
e
e
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r
t
sc
sa
it
skiers com
ors had a
hools, and
me. It is g
e out to c
g
r
hope all t
eat to see
reat
ompete. I
he other sc
more and
ships!
truly cann
h
m
o
o
o
ls
re snowbo
in the
ot wait u
arders an
ntil the 20
d freestyle
09 USCSA
National
Champio
nSnowboard
ing Studen
t Represen
tative
Cara Hope
s
t
o
h
S
t
o
H
gra
Bob
phs by
Photo
Bob Story
Official Photographer of USCSA
http://mountainimages.photoreflect.com
Story
As some of you may know, there have
been some changes going on in the
Rocky Mountain Conference. This
region, which encompasses nine
schools and more than 300 athletes, is
now being headed up by Paul
Rozsypal. Paul is presently the head
coach of the University of Colorado
at Boulder ski team. In his nine years
involved with the organization, Paul
has enjoyed “being around positive and
progressive philosophies.” In his new
role as the conference coordinator, Paul
will help organize the league while also
assisting new and present athletes. If
you have any questions, please contact
him or visit the website (click on the
link at the right).
sypal
Paul Roz Head Coach
/
Director
ng
Ski Raci
o
d
a
r
o
l
9
o
C
.565.895
0
2
7
:
4
office
.589.018
3
0
3
:
om
e
l
mobi
@gmail.c
g
n
i
c
a
r
i
k
paul.cus
ing
adoskirac
tu
rado.edu/s
www.colo
s/color
dentgroup
Rocky Mountain Update