Starting a ski club for kids

[Boomer]

This winter I am starting a ski club for kids in my basement. As I am referred to as Boomer the kids have elected to call the club Baby Boomers! Aside from video, position drills (Ski handle secured to a wall in my basement), and just generating excitement around skiing, what techniques, drills, methods can I use to help prepare them for spring??? This time, ignore any spelling mistakes....... please! Average age of the kids = 12.

[Mateo_Vargas]

Boomer, maybe. If your name is Pee Wee, probably not. HaaHaa.

[Horton]

I love the idea. Need to think about what advise to give

[Marco]

Maybe John N will read this and chime in.  He deals with kids quite a bit.  John???

[h2odawg79]

Sounds like a Cool endeavor!

I would suggest making sure that the Rope is no higher then 36" above the floor. Many people tie it too High and wonder why their drills dont work...

Dig up as much youtube skiing kids as possible. -stuff that they can relate to... Watching the Pro's is Great but, for a kid, seeing another kid do what you want to do is very inspiring.

Maybe as they progress in their knowledge, you can dig up other video's and test the kids on what the skier is doing wrong in the turn or the pull or basic form, head positioning, etc...! Offer candy bars or something for correct answers...

If it snows, go out and snow ski with a set of dbl's behind the truck, atv or snow mobile!

Take em all to Orlando this winter and let them go for it ALL Day @ OWC! -that would Rock!

[6balls]

Outside the box ideas for fun in addition to the above, but perhaps have them do searches for "virtual equipment" for fun.  Give a budget for different things such as boat and have them find some good deals.  Prize for the student whose choice is voted best (not that you will actually buy it...just for fun). 

Boat, equipment care.

 Take a field trip to a boat/equipment dealer and check out the showroom. 

 Watch videos like Edged in Water or "the secret spot" for fun:

 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6980475619240250988#

 

[ToddL]

Paint one whole wall with whiteboard or chalkboard paint.    Then, put on it a true-scale slalom course 55's to 55's.    They can discuss technique or coordinates, etc. by drawing paths on it, or just have fun describing passes with it...

 

[Mateo_Vargas]

If you ever make tshirts for the kids I have an idea to share: "I'm on the Honor Roll at the Baby Boomers Ski School" Make them look like a bumper sticker.

[Boomer]

These are awesome ideas.  Here is what I am doing so far.

 Painting a whole wall from the perspective of a skier.

Videos so far are Edged in Water, West Coast Slalom, and one more (can't remember right now)  I will look for "The Secret Spot" and the You Tube Idea will be great.

Field Trip to the local Dealer so they can see all the boats.

I love the Shirt idea from Mateo Vargas!!!

The rope is on the wall at the proper hight!

The snow idea rocks. 

 Please keep them commin!  Can't wait to hear from Horton

[Chef23]

I have a pulley with some weight on it that I attach my son's trick handle to for practice during the winter. It gives some pull on the handle and it was great for teaching him to get into his toe harness. I need to rig up a turn table of some sort for more trick practice. A balance board would be good also.

[JohnN]

Sorry Marco, been prepping the new race skis for the season.  Yeah, kids are a ball.  We do the local Jr Dev. camp and from what I've seen probably the most important thing is to give the kids a sense of togetherness.  Then, they want to go to tourneys to see their friends.  Celebrate every victory, from dropping a ski to learning a new pass at shortline.   We try to make sure the kids have time to be kids - two ropes and skiers, wakeboards, whatever, in addition to training.  Get the kids hungry for spring and that first ski ride!

On the technical side, getting the body position right is key!  At this age working on body position over and over will take them a long ways.  The best kids I know have very good body position, even at a young age. Dryland slalom with cones on the street is good for understanding how to stay ahead of the course, but pick your location carefully.  Those Wave things (one wheel front and one back) work well for this, and inline skates are ok as well.  You can pull with a bike, but realize that there will be crashing involved!  For tricks, our friend Ken from Aspen made the coolest trick trainer I've seen.  Basically cut a trick-shaped piece of wood and mounted it to a bar stool swivel on a block.  Fantastic for practicing tricks.  I like the pulley with a weight idea, may incorporate that this winter.  If you're the cerebral type, read The Talent Code. 

The masters videos have been hit with my kids, especially the junior Masters, and there's a ton of youtube videos out now.  I know the Western Regionals posted at least the trick runs as well (very impressive).  If you've got old video of yourself or friends, have the kids critique it.  They'll get a kick out of it and it helps them to think about what should be happening.

 Sounds like you're doing a really good thing! 

 Best of luck.

John

[MattP]

To add to John's post you can find the masters archived video at http://www.masterslive.net under the Archived Videos section. If you start to see their attention waver change the topic and come back to it later. I am a rowing coach and I coach a lot of kids middle-highschool as well as adults and sometimes they just do not get what you are trying to tell them so move on and come back later and see if they have figured it out on their own but if not try explaining it a different way.

 

Good Luck with the kids!

 

-Matt

[PBD]

I've got more years of back issues of Water Ski Magazine than I would ever admit to in public.  If you want some reading material for your club let me know and I'll send them your way.  My wife will thank you for taking them out of our house.

[walleye]

Draw a NSL ski course with chalk on your driveway or open flat area. Take a ski handle and mimic a boat pulling them thru the course keeping a buoy count. You reward good technique by continue a constistant walk thru the course. When they have bad technique you tug on the rope making them short. Then they have to make a split decision to grab a green bouy and continue on or lose the pass...IE lower buoy count. Then you can do a timed bike run thru the course (No ski Handle). This makes them get wide and early and control speed. This really helped my kids learn reference points for gates, 55 meter pull out and overall look at the course. You also can make reference points for edge change and body position.....IE couter rotation.