Vasa Ski Club Raptors

High School Team

2023-24 Season Information Packet

Welcome!

Welcome to the Vasa-Raptors. We are the Traverse City Area High School Nordic Ski Team. The Vasa-Raptors team is focused on developing junior skiers of all abilities and building a love of the sport through hard work and a lot of fun. Athletes on the team participate in local ski races throughout the winter and are encouraged to participate in regional and national events as well.

Coaches

• Head Coach

• Ethan Goss - tcvasaraptors@gmail.com

• Assistant Coaches

• Amy Powell
• Hannah Goss
• Jordyn Ross

• Volunteer Coaches

• Melzar Coulter
• Melinda Mitchell
• and more!

Parent Board Members

• President

• Ryan Paulson - ryanpdds@me.com

• Members

• Kasey Weirzba
• Julie Kasperowicz
• Mary Beth Myler
• Michael DeBruyn
• Nick Murray

Team Captains

• Ella Debruyn
• Gwen Kudlack
• Robert Myler
• Olin Kasperowicz

Registration

• Registration is open from October 10th until November 12th. Please register through LEAP
• Registration is open to all 8th-12th grade Junior athletes

• 7th grade athletes may register for the team at the discretion of the Head Coach.

• All 7th grade athletes will also be registered for the Vasa Flyers

• Participation fee - $385

• The participation fee includes…

• Hickory Hills season trails pass
• TART Trails donation (for the use of the VASA trail system)
• Team uniform for the season
• Race support at MI Cup and CXC Junior National Qualifiers
• State Championship Registration and any associated registration fees

• Scholarships are available!

• Please reach out to the Head Coach for an application - Ethan Goss (tcvasaraptors@gmail.com)

Team Communication

Every week you will receive an email from the Head Coach outlining what training we are doing that week and any major updates athletes and families need to know. This email will go out to everyone on the team's email list. We will also be using the app TeamReach to communicate with the team. This app allows us to share quick updates and important information in an efficient manner. Please download this app and join our group Vasa Raptors with the group code VasaRaptorsTeam.

Practice

Practice begins on Monday, November 13th! We practice five days a week with practices starting at 4:15pm everyday. Practices will last an hour and a half, unless otherwise noted in the weekly training schedule. Before there is enough snow on the trails to ski we have dryland practices. Generally these practices will start from TC Central high school, Hickory hills, the civic center or The Commons trails near the Greenspire school. Once the snow sticks we will primarily have practice at Hickory Hills. You will receive a weekly training schedule that will outline what we are doing for practice, where it will occur and at what time it will begin/end.

Racing

Local

The Vasa-Raptors team is a dedicated and competitive group. We actively participate in local MI Cup races throughout the winter season, culminating in the MI High School State Championship at the season's conclusion. Throughout the season, there are numerous MI Cup races, and our coaching staff carefully selects and supports the races that we believe will provide the optimal preparation for our athletes as they strive for success at the State Championship. You can easily identify these supported races as they are highlighted in blue on the schedule.

Regional

Our team is affiliated with the Great Lakes Division (GLD) and actively competes in the CXC Junior National Qualifiers. These competitions pit our athletes against some of the most talented individuals in their respective age groups within the GLD and Midwest region. A strong performance in these races can potentially lead to qualification for Junior Nationals or either the U18 or U16 post-season trip.

The coaching staff strongly encourages all athletes to participate in these races, especially those who have aspirations of pursuing collegiate skiing. Unless previously communicated with the team, a coach will be present to provide support during these events. However, it's important to note that transportation and lodging expenses for these events are the responsibility of the parents, with potential assistance available through the Parent Board.

For additional details about these races, please refer to the following link: https://cxcskiing.org/pages/events/cxc-junior-cup.html

Our schedule can be found in the Appendix.

Skier Expectations

Attendance

Athletes are required to be present at practice sessions and supported races for the entire duration of the event, including the award ceremonies. Attendance of athletes will be documented at each practice, and it contributes to their eligibility for earning a varsity letter. It's important to note that arriving late to practice or a race and departing early will not be permitted unless there has been prior discussion and approval from a coach. Skipping practice or a race without a valid reason negatively impacts the team's performance and should be discouraged.

Sportsmanship

As part of our team, we have a strong emphasis on displaying good sportsmanship and conducting ourselves with courtesy and respect. Our team is made up of athletes from diverse backgrounds, and it's vital that we all adhere to these guidelines. This not only ensures a positive and enjoyable atmosphere but also fosters a productive and safe environment for everyone involved.

Hickory Hills and the other practice areas we use are public facilities. Therefore, it's essential that we treat these spaces and our fellow users with the same level of respect that we would expect in return. We should consider it a privilege to have access to these facilities and strive to maintain them in good condition.

Varsity Letter

This year, we will implement a points system to determine the allocation of JV and Varsity letters. We aim to maintain full transparency throughout this process because we understand the significance of earning a varsity letter to our athletes. How does this system function? Athletes will accumulate points based on both their participation and their performance.

To attain a Junior Varsity letter, athletes only need to partake in the activities. They will earn points for their presence at practices, attendance at races, participation in state events, and volunteer work. To qualify for a Junior Varsity (JV) letter, athletes must secure at least 75% of the potential participation points, and they must contribute as volunteers in at least one event. Please note that 7th graders and middle school athletes who are also involved with the Vasa Flyers are ineligible for a JV Letter.

For a Varsity Letter, athletes must demonstrate outstanding performance. In addition to participation points, athletes will accrue race points based on their performance relative to their peers in team-sanctioned races or through a predetermined point system in Junior National Qualifiers (JNQ). A Varsity Letter will be conferred upon the top 7 male and female athletes, excluding 4-year seniors. However, 4-year seniors who meet the participation requirements for a Junior Varsity letter will also earn a Varsity letter.

• Participation based points:

• Practice = 1pt
• Weekly Team Race / Practice = 2 pts
• Race = 5 pts
• States = 30 pts
• Volunteering for at least 1 hr at a team sponsored event = 2pts

• Performance based points:

• Local race points = Where the athlete placed relative to the number of teammates racing. Example: If 10 Vasa kids raced, the athlete who placed highest would get 10pts and the person who placed second highest would get 9pts.
• States race points = Local race points x 2
• JNQ participation = 4pts

For this to work well, we need your cooperation and involvement.

The athletes are responsible for logging their volunteer hours using this form (https://forms.gle/KRcRbs3JqxoFWSRK6).

Equipment

Below you will find a list of required and recommended equipment. It is the responsibility of the athlete to come prepared to each practice and race regardless of the weather. We recommend that each article of clothing and piece of equipment is labeled with the athletes name and phone number. The coaches are not responsible for any lost, stolen, damaged or misplaced equipment.

Important Note

Participants must have Skate Ski boots that are compatible with NNN bindings and both skate and classic ski poles with rollerski tips by Nov. 20th.  

Required Equipment

• Equipment - See Appendix for a Buying Guide

• Dryland Training

• Skate or Combi boots for rollerskiing
• Skate poles with rollerski tips
• Classic poles with rollerski tips
• Helmet
• Running Shoes
• Water bottle
• Water belt or water vest
• Headlamp

• Winter Training

• Skate skis
• Classic skis
• Skate poles
• Classic poles
• Ski boots
• Ski ties

• Each pair of skis must have two ski ties.
• The coaches do not like “ski bones” that come with xchq rentals

• Clothing

• Dryland

• Socks
• Running shorts/pants
• Short and long sleeve athletic shirts

• Winter ski clothing

• Base layers

• Thermal weight long sleeve shirts (synthetic or wool)
• Thermal weight long underwear or tights (windstopper for men)

• Nordic ski pants

• Wind resistant in the front, stretchy softshell in the back
• Swix, craft, bjorn daelie, norrona and patagonia all make good options

• Ski Jacket

• This is not a downhill ski jacket! This should be a minimally insulated jacket with a wind resistant/proof front and a breathable softshell back.
• Swix, craft, bjorn daelie, norrona, arcteryx, OR and patagonia all make good options

• Ski gloves

• A couple of pairs are preferred: a warm pair and a lighter weight pair

• Wool socks
• Mid weight nordic ski hat
• Neck gaiter, similar to a BUFF

Recommended Equipment

• Practice (Rock) Skis

• It is highly recommended that you have a pair of skis that aren’t as nice as your race skis to practice on when the conditions aren’t very good

• Yoga mat or similar for dryland training
• Water belt for longer skis
• Ski bag to keep skis safe during travel
• Wax cork
• Wax scraper

Rentals

XC Ski Headquarters offers junior nordic ski packages at a reasonable price. This is an option for athletes that are just starting out and are still deciding how serious they want to take their skiing. Rentals also work well as rock skis for the season.

Uniforms

Uniforms will be distributed before the first race of the season. Athletes are responsible for the care of the uniform throughout the season. All uniforms will be returned at the end of the year, before the team banquet. All uniforms must be clean and laundered before they get returned.

Transportation

Athletes are responsible for getting themselves to/from practices and races. Please reach out to the parent board or reach out to the team using TeamReach if you need assistance organizing rides or carpooling.

Volunteering and fundraising

Parent/Guardian

We strongly encourage parents and guardians to actively engage in our team's activities by volunteering at various team events and fundraisers throughout the year. Building and maintaining this team requires a substantial effort, and we depend on the support of everyone involved. Team fundraising contributes to more than 25% of our budget, and additional contributions are vital in order to keep participation costs reasonable and to retain a coaching staff that is both knowledgeable and dedicated. If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Parent Board. You can locate a donation request form in the Appendix.

For this season, we are thrilled to continue our tradition of hosting Tuesday night sprint races every week. We are currently looking for volunteers to assist with various tasks, including setting up the race course, distributing bibs, registering racers, and timing the races. If you are interested in contributing to these events, please get in touch with the Parent Board or contact the head coach.

Athlete

It is expected that athletes volunteer in Vasa sponsored programs and events. If an athlete volunteers for greater than an hour, they will earn points towards a varsity letter.

Log your volunteer hours using this form: https://forms.gle/4yhTu76HFH3VrZ618

Appendix

2023/24 Junior Race Calendar

Skier Expectations

I ______________________, as a member of the ski team I will do my best to come to practice every day, and compete in as many races as I can. I recognize that my consistent presence at practices and races is not only vital for my own skiing progress but also crucial for the development of my teammates. I acknowledge that choosing to engage in other extracurricular activities that conflict with our practice schedule may affect my eligibility for Varsity or JV Letters.

I willingly accept the following standards:

• I will listen to my coaches and do what they ask of me.
• I will treat my coaches and teammates with respect.
• I will follow the lead of the Team Captains
• I will learn to wax my own skis and will share the work of cleaning up the wax room.
• I will show up to practice early, prepared with the proper equipment, clothing, and positive attitude; ready to learn and have fun!  

Signed: ____________________                                 Date:___________

Nordic Ski Equipment Guide

With spring sales and closeouts, it is a good time to consider investing in equipment for next year. This guide is meant to help you get the best equipment possible for you and to make sure that it fits you properly.

Skis

If you are looking at purchasing your own skis, that generally means that you should be looking at skis towards the mid to upper range of quality. What does this mean? Generally, ski manufacturers make two to three basic lines of skis: backcountry, recreation/touring and racing. Within these lines there are levels of quality. The lower quality or less expensive skis tend to weigh more and be made with lower quality materials. This is the level of equipment that can be rented from Cross Country Ski Headquarters for the season. If the athlete is still growing, newer to the sport, or very rough on equipment it may not make sense to upgrade yet.

Skate Skis

Fitting a pair of skate skis is not as intuitive as fitting a pair of classic skis. It is very important that you purchase skate skis from a reputable and knowledgeable ski shop that knows how to, at the very minimum, read the flex label on the ski. When you talk to the sales associate at the shop you should specify whether you would like a universal flex, warm/soft track, or cold/hard track. A universal flex ski will be appropriate for 90% of the racing that we do in Northern Michigan. Warm skis are for temperatures that are 32 degrees fahrenheit and above. Cold skis are generally for 10 degrees and below. A universal ski should be flexed for approximately 120% of the skier's weight. Hard track can be as stiff as 130% of bodyweight and soft track can be between 105 and 110% of bodyweight. These flex percentages apply directly to Fischer skis, but apply to other brands of skis as well.

Classic Skis

Classic skis are arguably easier to fit than a pair of skate skis. There are measurable markers that will tell you whether the ski is a good fit for you. Just like skate skis, there are three (or more) types of classic skis. The basic types are universal, hardwax only and klister skis. For most of our athletes a universal ski will fit most situations very well. A universal ski can be used for most conditions and be marked for both kick wax and klister wax. The main difference between all of these skis is the height of the wax pocket and the stiffness of the ski. A klister ski needs to have a higher pocket to accommodate a thicker application of klister. If the pocket is too low, the ski will be draggy and slow. A hardwax kick wax application is inherently thinner. Remember, thin to win! This means that a hardwax only ski can have a shorter kick pocket without the ski becoming slow. A universal ski is somewhere in the middle. The pocket is high enough under foot to accommodate klister, but low enough to get a positive kick with hard wax.

When you are buying a pair of classic skis, make sure that the ski shop flexes the skis for you and marks the skis using your weight. If the salesman squeezes the pair of skis in their hand to test flex, walk away. At a bare minimum the shop should perform the “paper test” on the skis to make sure that the skis fit. This test is a reasonable way to mark the ski’s pocket and tell if it fits the skier. Some skis own a flex tester that can be used to perfectly fit a pair of skis to a skier. This is the best option and highly preferred over the “paper test”.

Bindings

Skis do not usually come pre-fit with bindings. We recommend that you buy NNN or Prolink bindings rather than SNS. This will give you the most boot options.

Poles

There are three things to think about when buying a pair of poles: swing weight, stiffness and durability. The lighter and stiffer a pair of poles are, the more efficiently they will translate force into forward motion. Unfortunately, they also tend to be a bit more fragile the lighter and stiffer they are. Generally, you will start to see diminishing returns when you look at moving from the mid/high range to the top of the line pole. There is a huge difference from budget poles to the mid/high range pole. If you are investing in poles, do not buy aluminum or fiberglass poles. While they are more durable, they are significantly heavier and less stiff. This detrimentally impacts ski technique.

Ski Pole Sizing

The basics: skate poles should be longer than classic poles. The actual length of the poles are personal preference as long as they fall within competition guidelines. Skate poles should come up to approximately the athlete's nose and be no shorter than their chin with ski boots on. FIS rule 343.8.1 states that classic poles may not exceed 83% of the athlete's height. In practice classic poles should be around shoulder height. Keep in mind that poles are typically measured in centimeters.

Boots

Boots should be comfortable! Every brand and model fits a bit differently, so it is important that you try them on before you buy them or are able to return them if they do not fit. When buying boots, the fit is the most important decision factor, but you should keep a few other things in mind as well.

• Combi boots are a compromise in performance. They will do the job, but they will not perform or feel as good as a boot specifically made for that technique.
• Skate and Classic boots will last longer than combi boots because they do not receive the same wear and tear.
• The boots need to match the ski bindings
• More expensive skate boots tend to provide more support and better power transfer
• More expensive classic boots tend to be lighter and provide more stability

Suppliers

• Local

• Suttons Bay Bikes
• Brick Wheels
• Don Orr Ski Haus

• Do not keep race skis in stock, but will order flexed and fit skis

• XC Ski Headquarters

• Other - Call to order skis and will also provide hand picked factory skis

• Caldwell Sport

• You will get the best skis possible from here

• Boulder Nordic Sport
• Gear West
• Pioneer Midwest

Cross Country Ski Headquarters

9435 N. Cut Rd.

Roscommon, MI 48653

800-832-2663

info@crosscountryski.com

crosscountryski.com

High School Ski Rental Program

2023-24 Season

Cross Country Ski Headquarters (XC Ski HQ) will offer a cross country ski equipment season rental program to junior racers* this season. Free to call if you need any additional information or if you have any questions. *Due to rental equipment sizes, junior racers need to be at least 90 lbs and at least 5 feet tall to enroll in this program.

RENTAL PROCEDURE:

1. Rental         equipment will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Skiers         and parents may come to XC Ski HQ to enroll and pick up equipment         anytime during business hours, EXCEPT         Black Friday (November 25th)
2. We do         not take call-ahead reservations for rental equipment.                  
3. While         our supply of rental equipment is large, it is limited, so we         recommend getting your equipment sooner rather than later.

High school rental package cost:

$200 for the season for skate AND classic package

$150 for the season for Skate Only or Classic Only

Equipment included:

Rossignol Zymax/Delta Sport Skate w/ bindings

Rossignol Zymax/Delta Sport Classic Waxable (or Fischer equivalent) w/ bindings

Swix Racelite/Focus Comp poles for skating

Rossignol XT700 poles (or equivalent) for classic

Rossignol X6 Combi boots (or equivalent) to be used for both

Return Policy: Ski equipment is due back to Cross Country Ski Headquarters no later than March 31st, 2024. We will provide one “equipment drop-off” date in Traverse City at a date, time and location in TC to be determined (we will let coaches know ahead of time). If equipment is returned later than March 31st, skier will be charged a late fee of $50. Equipment must be returned in clean condition, in their ski bones, with all wax removed from bases.

We look forward to working with you this season!

Cross Country Ski Headquarters hours of operation (effective October 28th, 2023):

Sat: 9:00am to 6:00pm | Sun: 10:00am to 5:00pm | Mon - Thur: 10:00am to 5:30pm | Fri: 10:00am to 6:00pm