Busy Fall Weekend for EMXC!
October 15, 2023
The EMXC team is keeping busy waiting for the first snow of the season. Last weekend they enjoyed a special visit from former EMXC Olympic skier Julia Kern, shared their roller-skiing with YES program participants, and the coaches attended a clinic in Dublin.
Visit with Julia Kern
On Saturday morning Julia Kern joined the juniors for their weekly classic interval session. The athletes enjoyed skiing with her and learning about her favorite race venues, how she makes a race plan, and her favorite training snack (muffins).
Roller-skiing with YES
On Sunday morning, the juniors, after their own distance workout, joined 26 YES participants to share their roller skiing expertise. By the end of the morning, all the YES participants, many of whom had never been on skis or roller skis, were skiing like experts and playing games like red light green light. They also had a great time with Julia Kern who joined them again to help coach. The event was a huge success thanks to the partnership of EMXC, YES, and NENSA. Looking forward to seeing many of our new skiers on the snow this winter.
Coaching Clinic
While the athletes were busy with Julia Kern and the YES participants, the coaches were at their own clinic at Dublin. A few highlights from junior coaches Avery and Chris:
- It was really cool to interact with around 20 different coaches from all backgrounds. From fellow EISA skiers who are now becoming coaches, to parent coaches looking to grow their local clubs, it was an opportunity for everyone to learn something.
- It was exciting to learn from Bryan Fish, who is in charge of sport development for XC skiing for US Ski & Snowboard.
- We became familiar with new approaches to coaching and communicating technique/training adjustments.
- We convened with other New England coaches to discuss a number of topics relevant to Juniors ski racing in the Northeast.