European WC meltdown ???

And here I thought it was just a sport that I enjoyed and kept me
fit... what a dark and gloomy world you inhabit.


Tim Kelley wrote:
Guys, I think we are all in agreement that criteria for USST
selection
needs to be better defined so it's not a "good ole boy" US Ski
"Club".
It's actually the best Team of skiers in the nation. And I think we
all agree that there needs to be performance standards THAT MEAN
SOMETHING for staying on the USST. This could help carrying skiers
that have shown no promise of improving for years on the USST.

But when I say perfromance standards "THAT MEAN SOMETHING" ... I
really
wonder if this can ever really happen for xc skiing in our country.
Here's my logic ...

Why did US men excel at the 2002 Winter Olympics? I think the reason
is something no one on the USST staff has grasped. It think the
reason
is simple ... it was fear. For once the USST men were faced with the
fear of failing. For once the entire nation, every relative or friend
they knew were tuned in and watching their every stride. To get the
usual 13th to 15th place in the mens' relay would have been
devastating. All the experts sitting on their couches from Seattle
to
Miami with remote controls in hand -would have written these guys off
as losers with no talent. Fear of failure is a great motivator.

But what do US skiers have to fear by failing at WC races or World
Championships in Europe? Nothing. No pressure, no fear. And that's
the problem. They won't get sent home, they won't lose their spot on
the USST and hardly anyone in the US, relative to the 2002 Olympics,
are watching. No one gives a hoot about failure. There is no
performance standards, no repercussions for failing ... failing is
not
feared, it's no big deal.

Now compare this to the Norwegians and Russians. Norwegians ski with
the motivation of fear. They know if they screw up they are going to
get sent home, not make the Worlds team or national team and worst of
all - they are going to be lambasted and embarassed by the Norwegian
press and skiing followers. We all know, love and respect Norwegian
skiers - but we also know they have a genetic ruthlessness when it
comes to criticism. So Norwegian skiers are driven by the fear of
failure. Every WC race they have nearly as much pressure as the USST
had at the 2002 Oly's.

Then there are the Russians. They are driven by the fear of failure,
because what's in store if they get kicked off the national team for
bad performances? Getting drafted into the Russian Army to get sent,
along with other scared kids, to fight professional killers like the
Chechen rebels? Or maybe a life of never leaving Russia and working
14
hour shifts in a dismal factory?

I think US skiers are as physically capable as anyone to win at the
World level. But unless they are motivated by the fear of failure,
success will only be intermittent anomalies and not be consistent.
The
USST could help motivate skiers by enforcing performance standards.
This would help, but it's just a start.

By the way - all that I have said pertains to US men. As far as
motivating US women ... that truly baffles me and I have no clue how
to
do that.

Check out the results from the Pontresina Sprints! At least one skier
tried to rise from the ashes, but maybe the Newell School got too
excited, or distracted by thoughts of throwing a Daffy move at the
finish, before he augered in.... Sure, it was just an invitational,
small field FIS race, not the real WC, but Andy DOES have the speed!
NEWELL!!!
IN YOUR FACE, TIM AND JIM!!!
Tim Kelley wrote:
I hadn't checked fasterskier.com for a while. I'm pro-USA skiing and
wish all US Teamers the best. But WTF !! In Pregelato USSTers
filled
in DFL and 2nd to DFL in BOTH mens and womens races. I think this
has
got to be a US all-time World Cup racing record LOW. I could believe
this with the women, but the guys?!?!? And Freeman, a guy that was
too
good to race Sr. Nationals - out of 1st by 7 minutes. I sure hope
things turn around for the USST crew !!!

SWEET Newell !

Excellent job, and it's very exciting to see your result. It makes me
psyched for my racing.

Noolah ! Noolah ! Noolah ! Noolah ! Noolah !

Desi
Clearly you need to grow up or at least figure out how to have a
discussion with people who do not share your views. I think that
happens in the world from time to time.

Did Tim or I ever wish our skiers to do badly. I think not. The tone of
our comments was not to attack athletes, and hope for their failure!

As I said I hope the team turns it around at Worlds, but I also
recocgonize the challenge of that task. I also know that the program
this year, to date, has not been successfull, in fact the perfroamnces
have been terrible, and realize that to have the expectation of top
results in the future we need to be a whole lot more competitive during
the season.


Jim






desi wrote:
Check out the results from the Pontresina Sprints! At least one
skier
tried to rise from the ashes, but maybe the Newell School got too
excited, or distracted by thoughts of throwing a Daffy move at the
finish, before he augered in.... Sure, it was just an invitational,
small field FIS race, not the real WC, but Andy DOES have the speed!
NEWELL!!!
IN YOUR FACE, TIM AND JIM!!!
Tim Kelley wrote:
I hadn't checked fasterskier.com for a while. I'm pro-USA skiing
and
wish all US Teamers the best. But WTF !! In Pregelato USSTers
filled
in DFL and 2nd to DFL in BOTH mens and womens races. I think this
has
got to be a US all-time World Cup racing record LOW. I could
believe
this with the wome
n, but the guys?!?!? And Freeman, a guy that was
too
good to race Sr. Nationals - out of 1st by 7 minutes. I sure hope
things turn around for the USST crew !!!

Training seems to be a baffling, inexact science. I've often wondered
what the hell makes a skier fast, and this has been a frequent topic
during our rollerski sessions.

I haven't changed my training much is years, but some years I'll have
some pretty good races (maybe a number of other guys happned to have
bad races) and other years, it seems like I just can't get it going, or
maybe I have a stellar race on dog skis that adds up to a decent race.
And I've heard some guys think I have consistent results...

If you're training hard, you're on the edge of overtraining, getting
sick, losing motivation, etc, and it seems that being as fast as
possible is even harder. Sometimes it's not the training but the timing
of rest that does the trick, and it's hard to look at a training log
and judge rest. (If I have a rest week, I'm jammin' on other projects
unrelated to work.)

Another variable, is that you're judging speed by comparing to other
skiers. If a you can toss out half a dozen skiers because of EPO, Hgh,
LSD, or THC (grin), that would change the results pretty dramtically.

So I wouldn't judge the USST too hard. From what I've heard, I think
the national level of xc skiing has a much better direction than 5 or
10 years ago.

Jay Wenner

Ditto to what Jim says. Grow up guys and get a clue. We aren't
attacking individual athletes. We are just questioning a system that
has fostered mediocrity for too many decades. "Oh horrors ... you
can't question the system! How "dark and gloomy" it is for you guys to
use your brains ! " Ah f*&^% it ...I'm going skiing, skiing sure
beats time spent on RSN.

Growing up, momentarily, here.

There is no 'system', as you so very readily and clearly point out. It
has been demonstrated that the selection criteria are not followed,
coaches discretion rules the selection process, and there is no
accountability. USSA is the gatekeeper to decent points races, and
priority goes to those selected by discretion. As far as development,
there is a fractured,disjointed,dysfunctional conglomeration of
programs,coaches,and regional governing bodies that make USSA look like
a top ten corp. So "WE" let the USSA/USST get away with it, and nobody
wants to, or fears the wrath, if they try to change it. A few have
tried, and are marginalized by the powers that be, hung out to dry.

So much for spending time on RSN. Gone skiing, too.

Tim Kelley wrote:
Ditto to what Jim says. Grow up guys and get a clue. We aren't
attacking individual athletes. We are just questioning a system that
has fostered mediocrity for too many decades. "Oh horrors ... you
can't question the system! How "dark and gloomy" it is for you guys
to
use your brains ! " Ah f*&^% it ...I'm going skiing, skiing sure
beats time spent on RSN.

Not sure who the "WE" is. I belive the USSA/USST is a private org and
is free to make its own decisions. Without the popular expectations of
success of the kind expressed in some European countries, outsiders'
influence is limited, except possibly for some coaches.

Gene

desi wrote:

Growing up, momentarily, here.

There is no 'system', as you so very readily and clearly point out. It
has been demonstrated that the selection criteria are not followed,
coaches discretion rules the selection process, and there is no
accountability. USSA is the gatekeeper to decent points races, and
priority goes to those selected by discretion. As far as development,
there is a fractured,disjointed,dysfunctional conglomeration of
programs,coaches,and regional governing bodies that make USSA look like
a top ten corp. So "WE" let the USSA/USST get away with it, and nobody
wants to, or fears the wrath, if they try to change it. A few have
tried, and are marginalized by the powers that be, hung out to dry.

So much for spending time on RSN. Gone skiing, too.

Tim Kelley wrote:
Ditto to what Jim says. Grow up guys and get a clue. We aren't
attacking individual athletes. We are just questioning a system that
has fostered mediocrity for too many decades. "Oh horrors ... you
can't question the system! How "dark and gloomy" it is for you guys
to
use your brains ! " Ah f*&^% it ...I'm going skiing, skiing sure
beats time spent on RSN.

"Gene Goldenfeld" wrote in message
...
Not sure who the "WE" is. I belive the USSA/USST is a private org and
is free to make its own decisions. Without the popular expectations of
success of the kind expressed in some European countries, outsiders'
influence is limited, except possibly for some coaches.

Donors, members, financial sponsors are what they'd listen to.

CP

The "WE" are the members of USSA and people involved in the sport: the
athletes, the coaches, the clubs, the teams, the regional governing
bodies, all of which are part of the structure of the committees for
the sport of cross country skiing. USSA is charged, via the USOC, to
be the governing body of the snow sports in the U.S., skiing and
snowboarding. Yes it is a private non-profit, but also has the
responsibility of following its policies, procedures, and structure of
governance. Influence is not limited due to its tax status, it is
limited by the leadership.
Gene Goldenfeld wrote:
Not sure who the "WE" is. I belive the USSA/USST is a private org
and
is free to make its own decisions. Without the popular expectations
of
success of the kind expressed in some European countries, outsiders'
influence is limited, except possibly for some coaches.

Gene

desi wrote:

Growing up, momentarily, here.

There is no 'system', as you so very readily and clearly point out.
It
has been demonstrated that the selection criteria are not followed,
coaches discretion rules the selection process, and there is no
accountability. USSA is the gatekeeper to decent points races, and
priority goes to those selected by discretion. As far as
development,
there is a fractured,disjointed,dysfunctional conglomeration of
programs,coaches,and regional governing bodies that make USSA look
like
a top ten corp. So "WE" let the USSA/USST get away with it, and
nobody
wants to, or fears the wrath, if they try to change it. A few have
tried, and are marginalized by the powers that be, hung out to dry.

So much for spending time on RSN. Gone skiing, too.

Tim Kelley wrote:
Ditto to what Jim says. Grow up guys and get a clue. We aren't
attacking individual athletes. We are just questioning a system
that
has fostered mediocrity for too many decades. "Oh horrors ...
you
can't question the system! How "dark and gloomy" it is for you
guys
to
use your brains ! " Ah f*&^% it ...I'm going skiing, skiing
sure
beats time spent on RSN.