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First Race



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 5th 04, 02:49 PM
Nevalainen, Eric
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Default First Race

I've entered my first-ever XC race for later in January, a 10k classic
event on the 25th of the month. (shameless newbie enters ski
race....hilarity ensues....sounds like a sitcom)

Never having done this, I have some questions:

1. Passing....when on the course, especially in a classic style
event--how is passing handled? I'm expecting to BE passed quite a bit,
and don't want to get in anyone's way. The course is normally groomed
double-track classic, I'm assuming it will be the same on race day.

2. I assume there is a whole host of etiquette that surrounds race
participation....what do I need to know, so as not to foul things up to
bad?

3. Fitness and conditioning--There's been a big melt-off around here
recently, and it looks like I'll only be able to get on snow maybe
once/week between now and the race if current conditions continue. I've
been doing LSD runs, and interval work to keep the heart pumping, and
I'm planning to start doing some pole hiking w. hills this week.

TIA

Eric






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  #2  
Old January 5th 04, 03:39 PM
Erik Brooks
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Default First Race

Good for you, Eric! Hope you enjoy the race, as I do.

Passing is easy and lo-key where I race, probably where you are also.
Some racers call out "Track!" as they come up behind you, and you just
jump out at the proper moment and jump back in behind them. When
there are 2 tracks the faster racer usually just jumps into the other
track and doesn't bother you.

I pass more than I get passed, and I rarely yell track. Partly this
is because we never have trails that are closed to non-racers, and
those skiers may or may not know the 'track!" etiquette - I find it
easier to just go round, even if there is single track only and I'm
the one going out of the track. The exception is when doing so would
cause me to acquire a big clump of snow on my klister.

Think snow,
Erik Brooks,
Seattle

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nevalainen, Eric"
To: "Multiple recipients of list NORDIC-SKI"

Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 6:49 AM
Subject: First Race


I've entered my first-ever XC race for later in January, a 10k

classic
event on the 25th of the month. (shameless newbie enters ski
race....hilarity ensues....sounds like a sitcom)

Never having done this, I have some questions:

1. Passing....when on the course, especially in a classic style
event--how is passing handled? I'm expecting to BE passed quite a

bit,
and don't want to get in anyone's way. The course is normally

groomed
double-track classic, I'm assuming it will be the same on race day.

2. I assume there is a whole host of etiquette that surrounds race
participation....what do I need to know, so as not to foul things up

to
bad?

3. Fitness and conditioning--There's been a big melt-off around

here
recently, and it looks like I'll only be able to get on snow maybe
once/week between now and the race if current conditions continue.

I've
been doing LSD runs, and interval work to keep the heart pumping,

and
I'm planning to start doing some pole hiking w. hills this week.

TIA

Eric











  #3  
Old January 5th 04, 07:23 PM
Jeff Potter
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Default First Race

"Nevalainen, Eric" wrote:

I've entered my first-ever XC race for later in January, a 10k classic
event on the 25th of the month. (shameless newbie enters ski
race....hilarity ensues....sounds like a sitcom)


No worries!

1. Passing....when on the course, especially in a classic style
event--how is passing handled?


Like EB said: "Track!" Well, not yelled, just audibly alerted. And say it
so that the person has time to react before you get to them. No one should
have to hop like they're scalded. Even when folks don't say 'track' if you
can tell someone has come up on you fast, just move over to give em room.
It's not polite to make someone stop when doing something tough
though---like in the middle of an uphill---tracking someone there can make
them slow down, then splay out and actually make it harder to pass them.
Those who know what they're doing make it easy on everyone. Those who don't
sometimes end up being the peevish, cranky ones---just do what seems
reasonable. If someone shouts track on a steep hill right at your
heels...let em by at the top, but don't fret it even if they get impatient.

2. I assume there is a whole host of etiquette that surrounds race
participation....what do I need to know, so as not to foul things up to
bad?


Line up at the start in a position where you guess you might finish. Not
smart for slow to start at the front or fast at the back. I think the start
should be doublepoling...without kick...for 100 yds or so. Whatever helps
people sort things out easiest. If you stop for a feed or drink just step
off the trail closer to the food/drink, don't stop in trail. Put empty cup
in trash.

Don't click people's skis. It's not rocket science!

Good luck! Have fun! Don't go too hard in the first half!

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923


  #4  
Old January 5th 04, 08:15 PM
sknyski
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Default First Race

1. Passing....when on the course, especially in a classic style
event--how is passing handled? I'm expecting to BE passed quite a bit,
and don't want to get in anyone's way. The course is normally groomed
double-track classic, I'm assuming it will be the same on race day.


Most citizen races are mass start (everyone starts at once), so
passing won't be much of an issue for you unless it's a lap race and
you get lapped. Just start at the back and the pecking order will
sort itself out pretty quickly.

If it is interval start (like one skier every 30 seconds), then you
WILL probably get passed. When I do interval start races (no idea why
you would want to subject yourself to such boredom and misery for
your first race) I am usually the passer, not the passee (right,
Mark?), so I offer the following tips from a passer's perspective:
* Let the guy passing you (a guy, unless you get "girled") tell you
what to do. If he yells "track", or my favorite, the euro-sounding
"hut" (or "hup", whatever) get out of the track and let him pass.
* If you feel someone coming up behind you, and this person says
nothing, STAY IN THE TRACK. Most slower skiers don't realize a) how
easy it is for a good skier to go around you, and b) the chaos that
can ensue when someone who doesn't know how to get out of the way
tries to get out of the way.
* If you actually are in a position to pass someone, you can try
yelling "track", but most numbnuts out on the trails won't heed your
request to cede the lane. The next option is to go around, in which
case I usually tell them "on your right", unless, of course, you are
racing in Australia, in which it would be "on your left" (no kidding).
* Try to not pass on downhills. The mess that can happen during a
poorly-executed downhill pass is orders of magnitude worse than its
flatland counterpart. If you must, yell loud.



2. I assume there is a whole host of etiquette that surrounds race
participation....what do I need to know, so as not to foul things up to
bad?


Just don't be an asshole - have fun. **** will happen, people will be
jerks, but try not to get ****ed, or **** people off. It's citizen
racing, and cross-country ski citizen racing in America, for crissake.
At least that's what I keep telling myself.....

One other, which shouldn't be a problem unless FIS officials are at
your race - you can't skate around corners, if there is a track there.
I just learned about this one this year. Keep it in mind for next
year, if you are planning on doing nationals (which are probably in
Rumford, Maine again, or some other equally undesireable, either
snowless or ice-covered, locale in the midwest).



3. Fitness and conditioning--There's been a big melt-off around here
recently, and it looks like I'll only be able to get on snow maybe
once/week between now and the race if current conditions continue. I've
been doing LSD runs, and interval work to keep the heart pumping, and
I'm planning to start doing some pole hiking w. hills this week.


I could probably beat the corduroy knickers off you, and all I do is
some running and go to the gym a couple of times a week when I'm not
skiing (which is during the week, since I live in San Jose). You made
your training bed in the off season, so don't freak too much about
what you are or are not doing during the season. Semi-employed nordic
ski coaches from the intermountain region will probably tell you
otherwise, but they're just trying to sell you on their training
theory since they don't have any good skiers to coach (fyi there are
only two good skiers in America these days, Carl Swenson and Kris
Freeman, which is two more than there have been in the past 20 years.
Soon there will only be one, since Swenson is, in skiers terms, almost
as old as my grandmother. And really, when they're racing the WC
circuit they don't spend a lot of time IN America, because the
Billygoat Loppet in East Mapletree, VT doesn't train you very well to
compete with Bjorn Daehlie's kid (when he turns 12) or the next guy
named Harvaaaaard or Lars to emerge from Norway.)

but I digress.

Have fun racing, AND STAY OUT OF MY WAY! :-)

bt
  #5  
Old January 5th 04, 10:27 PM
Jeff Potter
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Default First Race

sknyski wrote:

1. Passing....when on the course, especially in a classic style
event--how is passing handled? I'm expecting to BE passed quite a bit,
and don't want to get in anyone's way. The course is normally groomed
double-track classic, I'm assuming it will be the same on race day.


Most citizen races are mass start (everyone starts at once), so
passing won't be much of an issue for you unless it's a lap race and
you get lapped. Just start at the back and the pecking order will
sort itself out pretty quickly.


Depends on where you might finish. A midpacker shouldn't start at the back.
Who needs to either pass or be passed? Pick a place where little of either
will occur.

[ ] The next option is to go around, in which
case I usually tell them "on your right", unless, of course, you are
racing in Australia, in which it would be "on your left" (no kidding).


I'm confused and dyslexic so don't listen to me, but I'd say that in the US
one should always pass on the left, as with a car. Slower skiers stay right.
I mean, they seem to tend to do this. Left lane for passing in a two-track
set-up. So I end saying "On your left." Here in the States. Does everyone
else say "On your right"??

[ ]
I just learned about this one this year. Keep it in mind for next
year, if you are planning on doing nationals (which are probably in
Rumford, Maine again, or some other equally undesireable, either
snowless or ice-covered, locale in the midwest).


Hey! We'll have TONS of snow, eh? And several Euro ethnicities backing up our
little midwest nat'ls this year. Pasties anyone? A bar on every corner, too!
Ski racing in the UP is like bike racing in Detroit: old folks with accents
can make you look awful awkward. If you want to ski with Scandis and can't go
overseas, head to the UP.

but I digress.

Have fun racing, AND STAY OUT OF MY WAY! :-)


You need to ski, man!

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923


  #6  
Old January 6th 04, 04:47 AM
sknyski
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Default First Race

I'm confused and dyslexic so don't listen to me, but I'd say that in the US
one should always pass on the left, as with a car. Slower skiers stay right.
I mean, they seem to tend to do this. Left lane for passing in a two-track
set-up. So I end saying "On your left." Here in the States. Does everyone
else say "On your right"??


Now that I think about it, you might be right. I guess it just
depends on which side of the trail the duffer is on. I go wherever
there is room, since the hard-of-hearing slowpokes we encounter out
here get startled and do dumb things when you surprise them.


If you want to ski with Scandis and can't go overseas, head to the UP.


Dude, please. I've been to the UP (Junior Olympics in Ishpeming,
1983, WA-HOO!) and if I'm going to travel anywhere to ski I'm going to
avoid a place where the main form of communication is grunting,
walking upright is considered sophisticated, and you have to kill your
dinner each afternoon. (c'mon, I'm kidding. relax.)


You need to ski, man!

19 days so far, Potter. Since I live 4 hours away from snow country,
I am allowed to apply the Flatlander Multiplier to this count to
yield, let's see....add 2 and drop the 9....multiply by 4.......... =
126 days on snow thus far this season, had I lived among the white
stuff!!! Pretty good!!!

bt
  #8  
Old January 6th 04, 06:21 PM
Jeff Potter
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Default First Race

Yeah, yeah, the Yoopers are funny folk, but they're also amazingly diverse...in
heritage anyway. A literal melting pot, well, smelting pot. Miners from a good
half dozen distinct nationalities settled at the turn of the century right there
where the Masters Nats will be. It was like a United Nations up there for awhile.
Vestiges remain. Of course there was conflict as well---race riots in the woods.
But it was a fairly recent fairly maximal melting pot with fairly good
multicultural tolerance. I wonder how many other rural areas had a good half
dozen languages spoken in them by immigrants in the last century.

sknyski wrote:

[ ] If you want to ski with Scandis and can't go overseas, head to the UP.

Dude, please. I've been to the UP (Junior Olympics in Ishpeming,
1983, WA-HOO!) and if I'm going to travel anywhere to ski I'm going to
avoid a place where the main form of communication is grunting,
walking upright is considered sophisticated, and you have to kill your
dinner each afternoon. (c'mon, I'm kidding. relax.)


--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national travel forums! HOLY SMOKES! 800-763-6923


  #9  
Old January 7th 04, 04:25 PM
Nevalainen, Eric
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Posts: n/a
Default First Race

Jay Said:

Most often there is two sets of classic tracks beside a skate lane.


The race is being held @ Tamarack Nature Center, so if they groom true
to form (if there's anything to groom that is.....*grrr), it will be
rolled, and then set w. two sets of parallel tracks. Should be pretty
simple, no?

e.















  #10  
Old January 7th 04, 04:25 PM
Nevalainen, Eric
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Default First Race

Jeff, bt and others who responded:

Most citizen races are mass start (everyone starts at once), so passing

won't be much of an issue for you unless it's a lap race and you get
lapped. Just start at the back and the pecking order will sort itself
out pretty quickly.

It's 2 5k laps, and I am assuming that I will indeed get lapped. After
tracking some of the 10k finishing times in some of the recent local
races, I'll probably be dueling for last place. No big deal.

It's not polite to make someone stop when doing something tough

though---like in the middle of an
uphill---tracking someone there can make them slow down, then splay out

and actually make it
harder to pass them.


Might pay off then for me to check behind me before some of the climbs
and clear the lane if I have a fastmover coming up behind me. None of
the climbs are too long or severe, so it shouldn't be THAT big of an
issue.

* Try to not pass on downhills. The mess that can happen during a

poorly-executed downhill pass is orders of magnitude worse than its
flatland counterpart.

I imagine the mess would be comparable to timing one's decent too close
to another skier (who biffs in front of you) regardless of your intent
to pass.

Just don't be an asshole - have fun. **** will happen, people will be

jerks, but try not to get
****ed, or **** people off.


Wise words.

I could probably beat the corduroy knickers off you


Problem.....I don't have any of these....Hey Jeff! Could you help me
out here??

You made your training bed in the off season, so don't freak too much

about what you are or are
not doing during the season.


I freaked the first time I got back on skis this year because of how
out-of-it I felt, and I've been running and riding quite regularly this
year. My body seems to be getting back in to the swing of things
somewhat.

If you want to ski with Scandis and can't go overseas, head to the UP.


Lived there....done that (Houghton), that's where I picked up this nasty
habit all those many years ago. Of course then, living outside of town,
skis were basic kid transportation. One of the only places I've ever
been where people could pronounce my name correctly on the first
attempt.

Thanks all for the good advice!





 




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