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The gates? Yes even my U8 daughter skis the full poles. They use stubbies in practice as well as the full sized gates. We don’t see any stubbies at races anymore.
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Racing Kids
- Thread starter Tricia
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Your girls are looking good! Glad to hear they are finishing strong.
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Thank you. I’m proud of course, but more importantly they are having a lot of fun so far. I hope they will continue to enjoy it.
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1st FIS Slalom today, 50th out of 130 in the first run starting with 999 points, finished 35th. 
We'll see tomorrow if she can do that twice.
We'll see tomorrow if she can do that twice.
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Should have some decent points for the next race. Moved up 80 spots from bib 113 today.
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Try U14 here in Canada. Don’t even get me started on that. The U12s train tall kinder gates but that is up to club philosophy.....some kids literally never see one until the last weekend of U12 and somehow they are supposed to figure it out by the next winter? It’s a skill and needs time to develop....never mind all the bad habits they can “get away” with in stubbies.
My daughter has been in the tall gates since U10, and currently trains and does just fine with the 27mm U16 gate although she won’t even race the small kinder gate until next season still.
Don’t even get me started on the course setting guidelines for her age (U12) we keep a set of 18m radius jr GS skis for her (she calls them her baby skis lol) just because the guideline is 14-18m....(she normally trains on a full plate 22m ski with academy). Most kids are on a 14-15m ski so just do math on how short those are....
So awesome to see them leap up the start list. Doesn’t take long to get to where they should be starting from.
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Very cool. Just curious, how many kids in a U10 girls field in Val?
Mid-60s F and sunny over the weekend so of course we had a ski race on Sunday. The mountain did an incredible job recovering from overnight rain to host a U12/14 parallel slalom without race suits (per the USSS rule this year). Most of the kids wanted to race in short sleeves and training shorts but officials wisely required all arms, legs and hands be covered. I made my daughters wear snow pants rather than yoga pants to give some cut protection in case of a fall ... they weren't thrilled.
Conditions turned into what the Sugar Slalom often is ... slushy, rutty and fun. Fortunately, no one got hurt in the heavy snow. Parents were on the patio drinking beer and cheering on all the kids ... none of them got hurt either.
Conditions turned into what the Sugar Slalom often is ... slushy, rutty and fun. Fortunately, no one got hurt in the heavy snow. Parents were on the patio drinking beer and cheering on all the kids ... none of them got hurt either.
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Looks great, where was it?
Mount Southington in central CT. They laid a ton of salt before the race.
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depends on how big of a race it is, however it averages between 15 and 20 girls. A few times it is quite a few more, and occasionally less.
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...additionally the U8 field is often quite small literally and figuratively...
There are also race series just for U8/U10 throughout the country where we see the similar field but at different resorts. You can participate in the entire series, or just pick and choose which races you want. Both GS and SL disciplines. We don't have the time to do the whole series and even choose spend some of our ski weekends just having a family ski trip. At their age, my girls do enough intensive training with the team and coaches that I feel it's good we get a break from the actual racing sometimes.
There are also race series just for U8/U10 throughout the country where we see the similar field but at different resorts. You can participate in the entire series, or just pick and choose which races you want. Both GS and SL disciplines. We don't have the time to do the whole series and even choose spend some of our ski weekends just having a family ski trip. At their age, my girls do enough intensive training with the team and coaches that I feel it's good we get a break from the actual racing sometimes.
The extreme highs and lows of junior racing can be ridiculous... especially when both occur the same day.
At our qualifying U16 slalom this weekend my daughter had a beautiful first run, smooth and fast, which would have put her in good position to qualify for postseason. Second place with a big gap behind her. With so many disappointing near misses in recent seasons, she was getting pretty excited... only to DNF on the 5th gate of the second run! The cruelty!
Meanwhile her twin brother had two great runs in crappy conditions, somehow surviving heart stopping moments like this:
then this
He gets a podium and his twin sis has to endure the awards ceremony, the congrats, the long ride home. As elated as he was, as a parent it's hard not to identify with your unhappiest kid. But what really moved me was how quickly she bounced back. I found her studying the painful video that night, determined to move forward and prevent the same outcome next time. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
At our qualifying U16 slalom this weekend my daughter had a beautiful first run, smooth and fast, which would have put her in good position to qualify for postseason. Second place with a big gap behind her. With so many disappointing near misses in recent seasons, she was getting pretty excited... only to DNF on the 5th gate of the second run! The cruelty!
Meanwhile her twin brother had two great runs in crappy conditions, somehow surviving heart stopping moments like this:
then this
He gets a podium and his twin sis has to endure the awards ceremony, the congrats, the long ride home. As elated as he was, as a parent it's hard not to identify with your unhappiest kid. But what really moved me was how quickly she bounced back. I found her studying the painful video that night, determined to move forward and prevent the same outcome next time. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
Can relate to the above. Mini Comish gets 6th out of +/-90 U12 boys in the Far West GS race last weekend while one of the Comish twins plants her pole between her legs skating out of the starting gate and crashed before the 1st gate. 
Long ride home...
Long ride home...
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And then yu have days like today where the race is cancelled for snow and the kids just ski pow on a deserted race hill all day.
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Happens at all levels-Can relate to the above. Mini Comish gets 6th out of +/-90 U12 boys in the Far West GS race last weekend while one of the Comish twins plants her pole between her legs skating out of the starting gate and crashed before the 1st gate.
Long ride home...
I think there was an Olympic slalom where like 3 dnf'd at the 1st or 2nd gate. I tried to find it. Could've been wcup. Mid 80's to mid 90's era.
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