Alpine skiing is
fun.Competing in slalom and giant
slalom races as a group of high school friends adds to the fun.The Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing
Association (OISRA) organizes slalom and giant slalom races on six or seven
Saturdays in January and February.There
are several leagues across the state, of which the Mt. Hood league is one, with
others spanning the state from Blue Mountain league in eastern Oregon, to Three
Rivers and Metro leagues to the south and west of Portland, to the Southern
Oregon league down around Mt. Ashland.
RACING
Varsity and junior
varsity, boys and girls teams compete in separate races (but on the same
course) at the ski areas on Mt. Hood.
There are points/categories for individuals and teams that accrue over
the season. Top scoring teams and
individuals are invited to a State Championship race in the first weekend in
March.
Ski racing is a
challenge. Standing in the starting gate
and looking down at a twisting racecourse takes courage and confidence. Slalom
courses require tight, explosive turns where the gates are knocked out of the
way by the racer. Giant slalom courses
are longer and involve rounder, smoother turns and overall faster speeds. Our goal as a high school racing teams is to
prepare our athletes to meet this challenge, and help them experience
improvement as the season(s) progress.
TRAINING
Before the snow falls,
dry-land training begins for the various teams in November. Some teams keep it up all season while others
cease dry-land once the on snow skiing starts.
Dry-land workouts begin the process of team building and body
building. They consist of games,
exercises, and drills that teach coordination and strength. As soon as the snow flies (hopefully early December),
teams switch to on-hill training that often includes one or two weekday (after
school) outings and occasionally some Sunday and/or holiday sessions.
Ski training is
fun. Naturally, Mt. Hood League racers
practice running slalom and giant slalom gates; but as part of the process they
also learn many aspects of good skiing including balance, air, carving, and of
course, speed. They also do a lot of
free skiing because it’s fun and because it’s a good place to learn
technique. Besides, Mt. Hood gets all
that powder that can’t go to waste.
COACHING
Mt. Hood League
coaches embody a well-rounded approach that emphasizes equal shares of hard
work, horseplay, skill building, relationship development, teamwork, and racing
knowledge. Some of the coaches have
racing backgrounds and some even currently race. All coaches have formal training in the
fundamentals of high school coaching as well as first aid training. One thing is for certain, Mt. Hood League coaches
follow a written Code of Ethics that generally follows the credo: For the good
of the racer. You can bet that every
racer on the team gets positive attention from the coaches – from the beginners
to the accomplished racers.
Where does high school ski racing fit in the racing hierarchy?
Visualize preparing
racers for the World Cup. That's not us...not even close. In fact, we’re on
the other end of the spectrum – we help young racers improve and we help good racers get better. We often guide novice or
intermediate skiers onto the path of racing. We help all of our skiers fall in love with
skiing, racing, and freestyle.
There are several
venues in America for ski racing and freestyle.
The top of the pile is the USSA (racing) and USASA (Freestyle). Under the USSA, is the Pacific Northwest Ski
Association (PNSA), that host racing programs that lead to the higher levels of competition and racer development.
Some of our high school
racers and freestyle skiers compete at PNSA and USASA levels, but most do
not.
We like our competitive level just where it is, and w also like that some racers can choose to take it to a higher level if they so desire.
