Wednesday Practice

Wednesday practice, bus leaves at 8:00am, heading to Elk River to roller ski on hills. Should be back around 11:00.

Thanks

Denny

Jacket Orders

Reminder that the orders for jackets has to be in by midnight tonight.  Just click on the link on the right side of the blog and follow the directions.
Any questions, please let me know!
Denny

Parent Meeting

Our parent Meeting is Monday, Nov. 19 at 6:00pm in room 004 at the high school.  To get to 004, when you enter the front doors, go right and then veer left. Then take a right down the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs, take another right.
If there are any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Season Begins Tomorrow!

The season gets rolling tomorrow, and having snow on the ground, even just a little bit, is a positive way to start the season.  However, the chances of getting on snow this week are very minimal, and even though Elm Creek, Hyland Park, and Theo Wirth are all making snow, it still will be at least a week before they will be open and longer before they allow teams to practice.  We will get our passes for those locations as soon as we can, but we have to wait to have as many of the names that are on the team as possible before we can request them.  Also, with over 70 teams in the metro area, it will take a bit of time for them to turn over the passes. 
Below is the basic information that I will be sending out with the skiers tomorrow, but feel it will be good for all to have before as well.  If there are any questions, please let me know, but get signed up and don't wait until the last minute unless there are any issues (there is a new Activities Director and Secretary this year and issues have happened!).
Thanks,
Denny

2018-2019 Nordic Ski Season

Welcome to a new season of Coon Rapids Nordic Skiing and to a great opportunity to learn and grow in a sport that can be with you the rest of your life, both physically and mentally. 

This is a new season but it is also the continuation of an era in our program that is about being positive, being motivated mentally, learning the basics, and also learning about the sport, plus we are at a point where the expectations are higher for us this season to finish high in the Conference and Sections and making it to State.  We will be giving you information on equipment, technique, major international racers and races, and other things that will help you become a better student of the sport of skiing, as well as making you a better skier.

We, as coaches, ask that you bring a positive attitude, a desire to work hard and work together with respect towards each other’s goals, as well as the teams!  We want you all to grow and have a great experience with this team, one that could be setting the standard for the years to come. 

So let’s start it out right and put your best ski forward.  There is no failure unless you don’t try!!  Here’s to a great season of building great skiers and friendships.

Thanks,
Denny, Coach Nelson, Coach Jensen

PS  The following are some things that you and your parents need to know as the season begins:

For insurance purposes, we will be asking that all students be wearing bike helmets when we are on roller ski’s/blades.  We will not allow any student on wheels if they do not have a helmet!!

Saturday, Nov. 17 is the MYSL Ski Swap at the Northern Star Council Base Camp at Fort Snelling, with the Swap being open from 11:00-1:30, yet with an expo starting at 9:00am.  We will also be volunteering at this event, with up to 10 volunteers needed.  If you are not able to volunteer yet still need some equipment, let us know and we will help out.

Monday, Nov. 19 will be our Parent Meeting, 6:00pm in Room 004 at the High School

Wednesday, Dec. 5 we will have a team Potluck and Booster Club meeting at the high school.  This will start at 5:30pm in the cafeteria and is great intro to the team and the Booster Club.

Winter Camp is going to be Dec. 28-30 at Comfort Inn and Suite in Hayward, WI, skiing on area trails, including the Birkie Trail, and the cost is going to be $90.  A deposit of $50 for those going will be needed by Nov 26 with the final payment due on Dec 7.  This is NOT a mandatory event, but is a great way for the skiers to really improve their skiing skills. If there are issues with payment, please let me know. Checks can be made out to CRNSBC.

Finally, for those of you that are first year skiers, the one piece of equipment that we ask all of you to get is a pair of Combi boots, best option being the Salomon Pro Combi.  You can pick these up at Pioneer Midwest in Osseo or Gear West in Long Lake or one of the Ski Swaps.  There are other locations as well, you may have to look on line for them.

Schedule/Calendar

The Schedule and the Calendar are now up to date.  Please remember that these are only tentative and that dates and locations could, on often do, change.
Thanks,
Denny

Preseason Information

We are just under a week from the beginning of the 2018-2019 season and below is some information to help as we get ready to start.

Online registration is open and will be the quickest way to sign up.  Just go to the Anoka-Hennepin School District web page and go through your lock and key.  If you are not able to complete through this process you are able to use the paper copy, which you can get online as well or pick up at the Activities desk in the main office of the high school.

The team jacket order is now posted on the right side of the blog.  Click onto the page and on the link on that page.  The store will be open until Midnight on Nov. 20th so we have a chance to have the jackets back by Winter Break, or at the latest Winter Camp.  One thing of note, we are using a different company than in years past, so the jackets will be slightly different, but still the same design.

We are entering the time of year where there are many ski swaps.  There are two that we will send people to.  One is this weekend at Pioneer Midwest and you can find out more information at the following link: Pioneer Midwest Ski Swap.  The other is on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Fort Snelling.  We will be volunteering again at this, so if you are interested in helping, please let me know. It is a great opportunity for the skiers to help the ski community and learn more about the sport as well as look for equipment for themselves.  We will have a sign up sheet next week at practice.  More information on the ski swap can be found here: MYSL Ski Swap.

Lastly, we will be doing a grocery bagging day at Cub this year as a fundraiser.  We will be at the Riverdale Cub on Tuesday, Nov. 20th from 4:00-8:00 (Two days before Thanksgiving).  We will NEED to have the skiers helping that night and a few parents as well.  There are a few parents already wanting to help, but if there are others, please let me know. We will have a sign up sheet next week for the skiers.  We will have a couple of shifts to break it up as well as make sure we are getting more of the skiers involved.

I think that should cover things for now.  As more information comes out, I'll put it on the blog.  I am getting the schedule finalized, so that should be posted soon as well.  We didn't get the conference schedule until last week so I am having to make some changes.

Thanks,
Denny

MYSL - Bunker

I received the following this morning. Anyone with younger siblings that is interested in skiing, here is a good opportunity to start learning:

Coach Green,

As you begin your ski season please encourage your Coon Rapids Nordic team to invite younger sibling to join Minnesota Youth Ski League www.mysl.org This is a great way to introduce youth ages 4-15 to nordic skiing and prepare them to be better skiers when they do attend high school and join your team.

Bunker Hills SkiSparks will be meeting on Saturday’s 1:00- 2:30pm beginning January 5, 2019. Registration for Bunker Hills SkiSparks is open at www.mysl.org  Click “Register Today” to complete your club registration for 2019.  

Our club is offering an early bird discount.  If you register by December 8, registration is $35.  After this date, registration fees will increase to $40.  Our club is expected to fill, so early registration is advised to ensure your spot.

Our club also has equipment rentals.  All equipment is fishscale classic skis for levels 1-4.  Please register early if you need rental equipment as these packages are only available on a first come, first serve basis.   Equipment is $35 for the entire season.

Another equipment option is the MyXChange: Ski Swap + Expo.  This year this event is on Saturday, November 17th at Northern Star Council Base Camp near Fort Snelling.  Detailed information can be found here: https://www.mysl.org/events/skiswap

Thank you for your time. Think Snow!

Mark Lambert