HI everyone, here is a cool article written by a canoe kayak coach for his athletes after National Championships. Now obviously , Canoe Kayak athletes competitive season is different from our but the message is very similar. Right now in May after our ski racing season you as athletes and us as coaches are in a transition phase. We are no longer racing and training, but we all need to get ready for that next phase of training.... summer. That phase of the year is called the General phase. During that time we will all be doing conditioning, either a specific program for another sport or the program that we are getting prepared right now. Or maybe you are just going to have a good summer of hiking, biking, swimming or whatever. Either way, you need to recover from the season. This article speaks to a lot of things to pay attention to and why we need this time. As always if you have any questions please let me know.


http://www.canoeicf.com/dms/icf/documents/Coaches-Corner/Coaches-Corner-The-Transition-Phase/Coaches%20Corner%20The%20Transition%20Phase.pdff

HI everyone, please take a look at this article that Steve Cooke found. For one thing it is really fun to read and second of all it is very much how I feel about the topic. Also most of us have met the person who wrote it.

http://www.alpineathleticchamp.com/fitness-tips

a link from Dr. Jim Taylor

Hi Athletes, I know it is strange for me to post twice in just a couple days but this article from Dr. Jim Taylor is a great read. And something I fully believe in.

http://drjimtaylor.com/2.0/ski-racing/make-mental-training-priority-season/

Well ski season is over and now the athletes should be in the first stage of active recovery. And so should the coaches. It is really quite something to realize after a few days or a couple weeks off snow just how"injured" we were all season. Little aches and pains become more apparent, we now have time to feel them. It is important for these small injuries to be looked after now so once the next training stage starts we are ready to go. So athletes if you are feeling any tightness or other aches and pains try to see a doctor or a physio. Do the things we all know are needed to repair, ice, stretching, moist heat. Other things that are good now are things such as relaxation and imagery.

Make sure skiing and racing stay important to you over the next several months. If you are a Canada Games athletes, remember, one year and it is all over. We still have lots of work to do.

If you can please stay in touch with your coaches. Let them know what you are doing for summer activities. If you are not playing sports see if you can find a fitness program that works the aerobic capacities and strenght. No I do not mean you have to going running everyday.... Just something that gets your heart rate up. Go find what your training heart rate range is. Your coaches are there to help.

There is tons of stuff on the internet from World Cup athletes that you can do or be inspired by. See if your favorite athletes have blogs or websites or check them out on Youtube. I will post some things here from time to time so check back for articles on nutrition, mental training and planning.

Lets see just what we can do as Atlantic skiers to be better next season.

Have a great summer coaches athletes and parents.

Well it has been far too long since I last posted anything. And I have a lot to tell you. On November 15 2013 I have a total knee replacement of my left knee. I have suffered from Osteoarthritis now for a number of years. I have tried physio, acupuncture, laser treatment, massage, ice, heat, medications, and injections. All of which worked to a degree for a short period of time. Surgery has changed my life. No other way to express it. It has been a hard recovery in a lot of ways.... not the least of which is I have not skied or coached yet this season...
I have done 5 weeks of physiotherapy at the hospital with an amazing therapist....have been doing the same or similar exercises at home since I got home from the hospital... I am going to the gym three morning a week again and I now cannot wait to get back to work... my real job...

Here is how this has been life changing. I can sleep through the night, I can sit and watch TV (Olympics) and not have pain, the can climb stairs, up and down and I walk with no limp. I can get into my car and drive and no feel after a few minutes like I could pass out. And as my trainer says I no longer walk like an old women. Not that there is anything wrong with that... I am just not old.

Getting ready for this surgery I was inspired to loose some weight, now I did not have much to loose but even 15 pounds has made a huge difference. I was inspired to get a much better diet, again not that I had a bad one, I just now have a much better one and I feel so good.

This has been life changing and I have not even started to ski yet. No idea how much better that will be.

I have several people to thank, and this is in no particular order.

Dr. Andrew Berkshire, and his staff, all the nurses (RN and LPNs) at the orthopedic wing at the DECH, Barb Toole at the Physiotherapy department at the DECH, all my friends, athletes that I have coached and all my coaching friends. Most important though... my family and even more important my mom. No way would I be where I am on recovery without her.