If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Sovereign Lake World Cup report
My wife and I travelled to Silver Star last week to ski and watch the
world cup races, but I ended up getting a bit more involved than I could have imagined. A friend of mine had volunteered months ago to help and so when I got there I found out that through illness they were short help for the TV crew, who needed spotters on the course. I signed on and went to the training sessions, even though it meant missing some snow time. At the first briefing it turned out that I was the biggest ski geek there and got assigned a wireless head-set and the stadium posting. I was told I was the director's eyes out there and could delay the start if the TV production was behind ( 60 million people watching live in Europe). Also, I was to direct the roving camera guy to the main players and especially Becky and Sara, it seemed, since our Canadian camera guys don't really know the sport, and update them during the race as to relative positions and anything of interest. It was tremendously exciting, even just skiing around the trails with the world cup skiers around. Here are a few anecdotes and observations: #1 Jurgen Brink and Thomas Alsgaard Most will remember the dramatic finish of the relay in Val di Fiemme when Brink when out too fast and hit the wall, allowing Alsgaard to go by and take the win for Norway. During the pursuit I noticed a tall guy in Swedish kit looming near me who looked very familiar. It was at the point in the stadium where they completed the freestyle laps. Brink came up the little rise into the stadium looking a bit worse-for-wear and Thomas Alsgaard was standing there giving him verbal encouragement. I thought it was an interesting bit of understated drama. I didn't bother pointing it out to the crew because I'm not sure anybody but me would have cared at that point, since they were following the lead pack. #2 National stereotypes I saw the German men training as a team. They came by me in a pace line while I was out creeping along, struggling with the altitude. It looked quite impressive, and they chatted quietly as they skied. I think we saw evidence of teamwork in the race. The Italians were boisterous and happy, and seemed to be more randomly distributed. I told some of them that my dad was from a city in Friuli, and one morning when I got on the shuttle bus they called out "Pordenone". On the way back Zorzi ( I think) opened the back door of the bus meant for emergencies and jumped out, triggering the alarm. He just looked back in and grinned like a kid. Didn't want to go out the front. I skied behind Becky and Sara for a bit one day, and they were chatting away and talking to people that they met along the way. I can't imagine many other sports where this occurs. A downhill skier told me that for world cup events the skiers are pretty much cloistered in their own world and isolated from the masses. #3 Easy means easy It seems hard to get through to the competitive, testosterone-driven bunch who do their distance training in zone 2/3 because their egos won't let them get passed on the trail, but these elite guys go at a pretty comfortable pace when they are out doing easy distance. Save the hard effort for intervals and races. I'm tired of skiing with people who say they want to go for some easy distance and it turns out to be a slugfest... which is why I tend to ski by myself alot. #4 The organization was superb. The people of Vernon were extremely friendly. This could be a template for any other venues in North America decides to host this kind of event. Of course having perfect weather and snow helps... #5 German classic technique I think this could be a better template for us middle-aged guys with occasional back problems than the classic Scandinavian style. I've always wondered about the extreme emphasis on forward lean and feeling like you are falling over. To me the important thing is getting the hips high and forward and over the kick zone and driving the free leg forward. I watched them do legs-only drills up a hill and they looked very erect compared to the Norwegians. In my experience the most important thing is getting a good kick and not slipping... one slip seems to use up alot of ATP and throws off your rhythm. I have tended to classic ski in a more "German" way and have been "corrected" by instructors to put more lean into it, even though my hips are forward and I can glide pretty well on one ski unsupported. #6 When nature calls I had to pee through most of the men's pursuit and had to wait until between the races. The director told me to go and hang out at the finish line after the men's race so I had to wait until the melee had finished. So here I am standing in line my turn with 10 mins to the start of the women's race and a voice (imagine a Finnish accent) comes on the head-set... "Chris, get me Becky Scott for the camera". "But I really have pee". I managed to make it with a few minutes to spare. #7 Finland v.s. Sweden? I didn't realize there was a such "thing" between Finland and Sweden. The directors were Finnish, and I heard some funny comments about Swedes. During one of the sprints, I heard the director say, "I like this Swede, he is losing". We had bets going on before the final, and I felt I had to support Lind to make things fair. Chris |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
WOW. Best post on RSN this season. What an adventure that turned out to
be ! I like your take on the "German classic technique." Sounds like what I have arrived at thru trial & error. When I lean forward "Old School" style, I completely lose it. I have seen recent still photos (even from Sovereign Lakes) where I see the upright style in non-Germans as well, so I think we are on the right track. Yep, when slipping, it takes a huge immediate toll. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Great report. What an opportunity and fun. Talking about your role, I
remember during the women's pursuit there was a TV shot of Sara Renner, who was about 10th at the time, that went on and on and on as the leaders skated away around the next bend, and I was thinking someone has a fixation on Sara (like David Goldstrum). Was that your doing? ;-) And is it really "Sara" with an 'ah' like Goldstrum pronounces it? I've found cross country skiers to be a friendly bunch for the most part and by the nature of the sport there's a lot more time and ability to talk. Plus, racers are often helping each other out. Gene "cpella" wrote: My wife and I travelled to Silver Star last week to ski and watch the world cup races, but I ended up getting a bit more involved than I could have imagined. A friend of mine had volunteered months ago to help and so when I got there I found out that through illness they were short help for the TV crew, who needed spotters on the course. I signed on and went to the training sessions, even though it meant missing some snow time. At the first briefing it turned out that I was the biggest ski geek there and got assigned a wireless head-set and the stadium posting. I was told I was the director's eyes out there and could delay the start if the TV production was behind ( 60 million people watching live in Europe). Also, I was to direct the roving camera guy to the main players and especially Becky and Sara, it seemed, since our Canadian camera guys don't really know the sport, and update them during the race as to relative positions and anything of interest. It was tremendously exciting, even just skiing around the trails with the world cup skiers around. Here are a few anecdotes and observations: #1 Jurgen Brink and Thomas Alsgaard Most will remember the dramatic finish of the relay in Val di Fiemme when Brink when out too fast and hit the wall, allowing Alsgaard to go by and take the win for Norway. During the pursuit I noticed a tall guy in Swedish kit looming near me who looked very familiar. It was at the point in the stadium where they completed the freestyle laps. Brink came up the little rise into the stadium looking a bit worse-for-wear and Thomas Alsgaard was standing there giving him verbal encouragement. I thought it was an interesting bit of understated drama. I didn't bother pointing it out to the crew because I'm not sure anybody but me would have cared at that point, since they were following the lead pack. #2 National stereotypes I saw the German men training as a team. They came by me in a pace line while I was out creeping along, struggling with the altitude. It looked quite impressive, and they chatted quietly as they skied. I think we saw evidence of teamwork in the race. The Italians were boisterous and happy, and seemed to be more randomly distributed. I told some of them that my dad was from a city in Friuli, and one morning when I got on the shuttle bus they called out "Pordenone". On the way back Zorzi ( I think) opened the back door of the bus meant for emergencies and jumped out, triggering the alarm. He just looked back in and grinned like a kid. Didn't want to go out the front. I skied behind Becky and Sara for a bit one day, and they were chatting away and talking to people that they met along the way. I can't imagine many other sports where this occurs. A downhill skier told me that for world cup events the skiers are pretty much cloistered in their own world and isolated from the masses. #3 Easy means easy It seems hard to get through to the competitive, testosterone-driven bunch who do their distance training in zone 2/3 because their egos won't let them get passed on the trail, but these elite guys go at a pretty comfortable pace when they are out doing easy distance. Save the hard effort for intervals and races. I'm tired of skiing with people who say they want to go for some easy distance and it turns out to be a slugfest... which is why I tend to ski by myself alot. #4 The organization was superb. The people of Vernon were extremely friendly. This could be a template for any other venues in North America decides to host this kind of event. Of course having perfect weather and snow helps... #5 German classic technique I think this could be a better template for us middle-aged guys with occasional back problems than the classic Scandinavian style. I've always wondered about the extreme emphasis on forward lean and feeling like you are falling over. To me the important thing is getting the hips high and forward and over the kick zone and driving the free leg forward. I watched them do legs-only drills up a hill and they looked very erect compared to the Norwegians. In my experience the most important thing is getting a good kick and not slipping... one slip seems to use up alot of ATP and throws off your rhythm. I have tended to classic ski in a more "German" way and have been "corrected" by instructors to put more lean into it, even though my hips are forward and I can glide pretty well on one ski unsupported. #6 When nature calls I had to pee through most of the men's pursuit and had to wait until between the races. The director told me to go and hang out at the finish line after the men's race so I had to wait until the melee had finished. So here I am standing in line my turn with 10 mins to the start of the women's race and a voice (imagine a Finnish accent) comes on the head-set... "Chris, get me Becky Scott for the camera". "But I really have pee". I managed to make it with a few minutes to spare. #7 Finland v.s. Sweden? I didn't realize there was a such "thing" between Finland and Sweden. The directors were Finnish, and I heard some funny comments about Swedes. During one of the sprints, I heard the director say, "I like this Swede, he is losing". We had bets going on before the final, and I felt I had to support Lind to make things fair. Chris |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Seeing the Germans last year gave also me more confidence in skiing
relatively upright and focusing on moving from my core area. While not all the Germans have adopted the style, the ones who have are very upright, even in skating, and have a lot more up and down motion than the others. This presumably makes waxing a lot easier, and I wonder if their classical skis have a softer closing flex or the bounce is enough to compensate. What I also notice looking at WC classical videos is that irrespective of the style, they all have an aggressive forward arm swing on uphills. Like runners, that seems to help drive forward momentum and a good foot plant. Gene "delltodd" wrote: WOW. Best post on RSN this season. What an adventure that turned out to be ! I like your take on the "German classic technique." Sounds like what I have arrived at thru trial & error. When I lean forward "Old School" style, I completely lose it. I have seen recent still photos (even from Sovereign Lakes) where I see the upright style in non-Germans as well, so I think we are on the right track. Yep, when slipping, it takes a huge immediate toll. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
.. . . really nice write-up Chris! That was enjoyable to read.
I was simply curious. How long were you working outside/outdoors in the stadium? Mark Graves |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
For the pursuits I was in situ at about 8:00 am and was there until
about 12:30 pm. For the sprints I was out here from 9:00 am until they finished in the early afternoon. Lots of standing around but I didn't mind that under the circumstances. The temperature was very comfortable. Chris |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
I have to burst your bubble, as mine was. When I asked the directors if
I would be able to meet David Goldstrum, they laughed. Apparently the Eurosport announcers aren't always on site, even if you think they are. "The magic of TV" , is what the Finnish director said. They could be sitting in London for all we know. The CBC guys were there, but personally I think the CBC coverage of nordic sports is rather bad. I feel like throttling the CBC "expert" commentator sometimes. Even if the Eurosport announcers aren't on site, at least they show the whole race from beginning to end and are much more knowledgeable about the sport. He does pronounce Sara in the English way, as if he was saying SARS. What is funny is the Finnish way of saying much, which sounds like muts. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Gene,
That was one of the legs-only drills I saw them doing. They were really exaggerating their arm swing. Once they had done that for a while they did the same with one pole and then the other, in progression. I suspect they do this before every classic ski workout. With Teichmann there is very little up and down motion though, probably because he is so strong. He makes it look effortless. Another thing I noticed... With the men, there is a becoming a clear differentiation in body type between sprinters and distance specialists. The Swedes and Norwegians in the finals were all built like the athletes you see in heavy rowing eights. Hetland, Lind, Iverson etc... I'm 6' and they towered over me. The good distance skiers are all average height, some quite a bit shorter than me. This rule doesn't pertain to the women yet, but perhaps in the future. Chandra Crawford is an up and coming Canadian sprinter and she appears taller than the others. Chris |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Sometimes they tell you they are on site and indicate the window, but
other times they are in Paris or somewhere. I had the sense he was in Canada, but not necessarily on site, altho he tried to make it seem like he had been there for several days. OLN sometimes does remote bike racing too, if I'm not mistaken. Gene "cpella" wrote: I have to burst your bubble, as mine was. When I asked the directors if I would be able to meet David Goldstrum, they laughed. Apparently the Eurosport announcers aren't always on site, even if you think they are. "The magic of TV" , is what the Finnish director said. They could be sitting in London for all we know. The CBC guys were there, but personally I think the CBC coverage of nordic sports is rather bad. I feel like throttling the CBC "expert" commentator sometimes. Even if the Eurosport announcers aren't on site, at least they show the whole race from beginning to end and are much more knowledgeable about the sport. He does pronounce Sara in the English way, as if he was saying SARS. What is funny is the Finnish way of saying much, which sounds like muts. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:30:45 -0600, Gene Goldenfeld
wrote: Great report. What an opportunity and fun. Talking about your role, I remember during the women's pursuit there was a TV shot of Sara Renner, who was about 10th at the time, that went on and on and on as the leaders skated away around the next bend, and I was thinking someone has a fixation on Sara (like David Goldstrum). Was that your doing? ;-) Funny. Great post. JFT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
World Cup at Sovereign Lake | Scott Elliot | Nordic Skiing | 5 | December 3rd 05 02:29 AM |
Jay T's Big Saturday Workout - 50K Club Report 3-13,14-04 - WORLD RECORD SET | Jay Tegeder | Nordic Skiing | 0 | March 14th 04 07:48 PM |
World Cup Biathlon in Lake Placid | Bob Maswick | Nordic Skiing | 8 | March 1st 04 02:36 AM |
Lake Placid Report | Rob Bradlee | Nordic Skiing | 15 | February 10th 04 12:32 PM |
USSA Ski Racing TV Schedule | Marty | Alpine Skiing | 0 | December 5th 03 04:33 PM |