Christmas music of a different stripe

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and good luck in the new year!

Some Christmas music for those a bit tired of the ordinary. Uplifting or melancholy probably depends a lot on your current situation.  Supplied with Youtube video links.

Stop the Calvary - Jona Lewie.  The Cory Band also does a great version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkJHApgKqw

River - Joni Mitchell.  Always one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpFudDAYqxY

Christmas in the Trenches - John McCutcheon.  It really happened.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5on4WK1MpA

First Christmas - Stan Rogers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chTMOuuUZi4

Fairytale of New York.  The Pogues with Kristy MacColl. Voted (by someone) the greatest Christmas song of all time.  First link is an article by   *about* the song.
http://theweek.com/articles/595104/fairytale-new-york-how-soused-irish-punk-band-created-greatest-christmas-song-all-time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8

And just for a little tradition:
O Holy Night - Rhiannon Giddens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa3iGUlNffg

More notes from the BBQ Trail - North Carolina

We took a short vacation to North Carolina last week, and in spite of more than a little rain, we had a pretty good trip - and accomplished what we set out to do.  Along the way, we got to hit a couple of BBQ spots.  I'm learning that NC bbq tends to run from a vinegar base in the east to the more 'traditional' tomato based sauce in the west.  The common binder between the better spots was hickory.  There is something magical about pig butt (really the shoulder) slow cooked over hickory.

For this trip, we were tempted to revisit a couple of spots from past visits, but time and faulty memory ensured that we tried all new spots.  In chronological order, here are the spots we found this time.  To save repeating the obvious, we had sandwiches with pulled/chopped pork in every place we stopped.

Bar-B-Q King, 2900 Wilkinson, Charlotte.  A drive-in.  With order speakers, swing tables, and car-hops.  No roller skates.  No mini skirts.  A uniformed officer walking security, which may give you an idea of the neighborhood.  This place gets great marks from local reviewers, and it was OK. Nothing special, but OK. I had a side of onion rings, and they were pretty interesting - battered in a cornmeal batter.  Service was good and friendly.  B-

The walls are covered with autographs.  

Backyard BBQ Pit, 5122 NC-55.  This is one of those places that you'd look at and drive on by... Unless you follow Yahoo, The Food Network or The Travel Channel.  We got there a little after noon, and the lunch crowd was just winding down.  Sandwich and 2 sides was simply the best.  $5.50 for a big sandwich on a great bun, full of perfectly cooked and flavored meat.  Excellent coleslaw, on the sandwich.  Hushpuppies. Really good hushpuppies, crispy on the outside, perfectly seasoned and cooked.  And the best collard greens I've ever had.  Without question the best meal of the whole trip. Can't wait to go back. Food A+, Service - A, Charm - A

Countryside BBQ, 2070 Rutherford, Marion.  This is a tough one. I went in planning to really like it.  It's obviously the place to lunch in Marion. Pretty typical with lots of booths and tables, lots of local business people, travelers, and cops.  President Obama even ate there. Lunch special of the day was pot roast - which looked good, and should have been my clue. And in truth, the food was OK. Sandwich was good, but uninspired, and not up to the online ratings.  Next time through the area, I'll go back to Bar-B-Que Hut. Food - B; Service - B; Charm C

Herb's Pit BBQ 15735 US-74, Murphy.  Another joint listed in the travel rags as 'best bbq'.  And it was good, but not 'best' in my mind.  Pretty pedestrian slaw and sauce.  Good meat, lots of it.  It's a family place, and was plenty busy on a Friday night.  Food - B; Service - B+

Moe's Original BBQ, 4 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville.  It's.a.chain...  I hate chains.  I'll make an exception for Subway on the road, but I hate chains.  And when I realized I'd been sent to a chain, I was prepared for the worst.  Instead, we got fresh buns, really good meat, slaw, sauce and sides.  They really push the fact that they are "Alabama BBQ".  I am still a little in shock that it's a chain.  Food - A-; Service - B+; Charm - surprisingly B

Bike Tires galore

I've been fortunate enough to check out a bunch of different tires over the past year or so.  Some have been given, but most have been purchased outright.  One caveat - I won't ride or flak something I don't like. I won't wear even a t-shirt for a brand I don't like. And this holds true to things I write about.  If I don't like it, I'll say it.  I want my friends to ride and use good gear.  So this is about the rubber on which you ride.  

Foundry Auger+ with Challenge Gravel Grinders and HED Belgium C2+ rims.  It was a really good day!

For those who haven't seen these yet, Compass is making the very best 'big road tires' on the market. Their heritage is the Randonneur style ride (like 300-800km). I'm still in love with my Challenge Gravel Grinders for off-pavement, but I've been riding the Compass Barlow Pass Extralight (38mm) all summer on-road. They also make a 32mm (Stampede Pass) and 35mm (Bon Jon Pass) for those who don't have clearance on their CX or gravel/touring bikes. The weight is pretty decent - Barlow Pass extralight is around 320 grams, and the feel is very supple. I rode these on my Foundry Auger for RAGBRAI this year, and found that concrete expansion joints (miles of them in Iowa) and rumble strips were no big deal - unlike my Ridley, which told me about every pebble, bump and crack.
One important note - these are definitely 'boutique'. Don't look for a deal - Compass is a small bike company in Seattle who really does live for the sport.
Jan also puts out a magazine called the Bicycle Quarterly that can only be described as 'bike porn'.

Get your subscription today!  And check out this issue for some very interesting reading on tires.  I don't agree with everything here, but it's a great discussion

A couple of thoughts. Bigger tires means significantly less air pressure due to the higher volume. Plusher ride without being 'squishy'. A little different sound when rolling over loose stuff. Instead of 'ping', they go 'pong', but less often.  When buying performance tires, go for the high TPI option when it's available.  You'll feel the difference!

And here are my tire choices for various widths:

23mm - Michelin Pro 4 Service Course

25mm - Michelin Pro 4 Service Course
Lots of good tires in the 23 category, a few in 25mm.  The Pro4 is my reference standard against which I measure road tires.  Supple, sticky, they wear well.  Excellent road feel and a decent price.

27mm - Challenge Parigo-Roubaix
Not a common tire, but with a latex tube, they stack up well against good tublars.  Mate these up with a set of HED Ardennes, and you'll be ready to ride the cobbles - or the streets of Minneapolis.

28mm - Continental GP4000 Sii (not actually tested!!)

I am taking these on faith.  I've ridden a lot of Continentals over the years, and have generally loved them.  Well, maybe not the Gatorskins - that's more of a respect than love.  Gators are great bulletproof commuter tires, but the ride quality suffers badly.  I have high hopes that the GP4000Sii has the typical Conti feel.

30mm - Michelin Jet (hard pack & gravel)

There are a number of really good tires out there like the Vittoria XN, Challenge Chicane, and Clement LAS, all designed for cyclocross hardpack racing.  The Jet has just a little more tread, and hooks up on hard packed gravel like a dream. 

32mm - Compass Stampede Pass Extralight (road)
35mm - Compass Bon Jon Pass Extralight (road)

38mm - Compass Barlow Pass Ultralight

See up page for a my comments on Compass.  You *will* like these tires!

32mm - Challenge Almanzo (gravel)

Another outstanding "open tublar" offering from Challenge.  They do exactly what you expect. Tread life isn't super, so I'd recommend saving them for those days you expect to be mostly off pavement.

35mm - Continental Cyclocross Speed (gravel)

I killed a set of these before I moved to the 38mm tires from Compass and Challenge.  They are fairly supple, grip well, hook up well, roll well, and like most of the CX tires, don't last forever.  If you can't fit the Gravel Grinders, this is a darn good substitute.  Note - this tire has been 'relaunched'. I have not ridden the new version, but it looks like it might be an improved version of the old!

38mm - Challenge Gravel Grinder (gravel)

Soft, supple, wears quickly, so I just bought 2 spare sets.  I've ridden gravel pacelines at 25mph, Almanzo gravel downhills at 40+, and even slippery river bottoms.  No pinch, no problem.  Extremely comfortable tire!

Tubes - I'm having great success with Challenge Latex tubes, but they are not for everyone. They're expensive, a little more difficult to work with, and you *will* have to pump them up every ride. On the plus side, they are much more supple, which contributes to a great road feel and may help cut down on flats.

Challenge Gravel Grinder tires - after the St Paul Box 'o frogs ride.  It was a very good day.

I've also had good luck with Schwalbe ultralight tubes (BikeTiresDirect, Amazon, Wiggle). Good feel for a butyl tube.

It's been a while...

OK, I'll confess to writer's block, lack of time to update articles and a general lack of interest.

Over the past few months, my focus has been on coaching sprint kayak athletes, working the paying
job, and a little bit of riding.
I'll skip the boring details of the paying job, except to say that I'm a)glad I have one, b)glad to have one that I really like, and c)glad that my paying gig recognizes the importance [to me] of my non-paying gig and allows me a certain amount of flexibility to coach.

Since my last real post, I've:

• USA Canoe/Kayak Team Trials
• Canada Day Regatta in Regina Saskatchewan
• Family reunion in Leland, MI
• RAGBRAI
• USAC/K Nationals in San Diego
• Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
• plus being on the water 5-6 days a week (including 4 days a week at 5:30 AM)

It was one heck of a summer...

In the next few posts, I'll recap some of those, and probably talk a little bit about beer and music, too.

Still here...

Just a quick update to the handful of regular followers of this blog.  I'm still here, but non-writing life has been really, really busy.  I'll try to start posting once a week, probably starting next week.  I don't want to post just to post.  I always try to make sure I have something worth saying/reading.

Current fun projects (and future articles):
Big road tires
Kayak training
Adventures in stand-up paddleboarding
Politics (just kidding)
Music

Mini-funding the next generation

I think most of us give something to charity as our means permit.  I would guess that most people donate to their church, their kid's schools, and probably a little (or a lot) to causes like Medicins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders).  And I suspect a lot of people donate to their food shelf, the homeless network or some other community effort through their work or life.  THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS!!!  They do help people, and regardless of how you feel about people needing to get up off their ass and help themselves, sometimes people do need help.  If your attitude is "I've got mine, so screw you" - you can probably stop reading now, turn the computer off and go enjoy your life.  This isn't about you.

I've been doing more and more 'minifunding' of late.  Small donations, as directly as I can, to specific programs or projects that serve a real need.  Most of these are oriented towards kids, education and food safety nets.  A kid who gets breakfast does better in school.  Making sure they get something other than fried chicken products at lunch means they might learn about real food for themselves later on.  And having books to read, robots to program, and widgets to build can mean that they aspire to something more than pushing a wheelbarrow or working at Wallyworld.

I consider myself privileged to have a number of friends who are educators.  I think most of these folks are very good teachers, taking pride in their job, and caring about their students.  I know a few who go the extra mile.  Mark T., an educator here in Minneapolis teaches at a school in a lower income neighborhood.  Mark started a biking program for the kids at his school.  They started out small, but now have 30+ kids riding several miles every afternoon,

My buddy Tegan in Oklahoma City is another teach who cares far beyond the basics.  By choice, Tegan teaches at one of the highest poverty rate schools in OKC.  Her classes are full of kids who have lots going against them in life.  But - they've got a great teacher.  Tegan has built the foundation of a robotics lab for these 5th graders.  Four classes of 5th graders share this small lab, but they are engaged!

Anyway, yesterday Tegan put out a donors choose fundraiser to buy a second laptop for this lab so that twice as many kids can be engaged in writing instruction programs for the robot at any given time.  They met the goal in about a day, so the kids will get more time this year. Direct, low overhead, low cost, high impact.  I'm so happy to see them get the chance.  If you are interested in helping, you can donate to help fund whatever is next on her shopping list by clicking on the 'fundraiser' link at the top of this paragraph.

I'd like to find or fund another pair of laptops this year, and maybe a Raspberry PI or Arduino lab next year. If you are in the Minneapolis area and have a good surplus laptop or other things that would be useful to a lab, drop me a note and I can help with transport.

~marsh

Thought circles - coaching series

I'm a big believer in positive attitude and positive thought stream bringing rewards in just about anything you do.
If you ask top skiers how they mentally preview the course, it's always about attacking the gate, hitting the perfect line, and accelerating to the next gate - making the perfect run.  There is no 'plan B', no 'what if', and definitely not 'watch out for...'  Rehearsing disaster can do more to bring it on than ignoring it - it's a mental game, and really essential to focus on the positive mental aspects on race day.  You *learn* how to dance, ski, paddle, row, ride, run, climb back on the training course, home gym, or lake.  You learn how to deal with disaster there too.  If you are training hard, you'll make mistakes, you'll crash and burn and sometimes, you get hurt. You also learn how to recover - brace with your toes, stick your butt out and regain your balance, and dab your brakes to stay in the trail.  But come competition day, you clear your mind and put it all behind you.  On race day, the only thing that matters is the positive, clear and perfect race.

In the words of Morpheus from the Matrix, "Free your mind." Get to the venue early enough to warm up, collect your gear, Talk to your coach if you have one.  I get calls from some of my athletes at ridiculous hours of the morning on race day just for a pep talk. And it's not really a pep talk - just a chance to clear your mind about what you are doing.

The mechanics of *what* you think about on race day depends somewhat on the sport.  Rule one is always "think only about positive things".  Pre-race affirmations like "I am fast", "I know this course", "I'm feeling good today" are great, but come race time, park them, along with the negative stuff.  You belong here.  If you didn't, you wouldn't be on the line today.  Park it all.

I teach a 'thought circle' to use while racing.  The thoughts vary a lot depending on the event.  When I was racing time trials on bike, back before the days of power meters, heart rate monitors and tri bars, my thought circle was "heart, head, heels" I'd repeat this every minute or so. It's just a checkin for your body - am I going as hard as possible, is my head staying in the game, am I on plan for my legs.  You can vary this to fit your sport, and for a really short sprint, it may be a single word - like "breathe".  The important part is to have something to trigger positive actions and thoughts locked in your mind.

What you think about next does depend to some extent on how long your race is.  If it's a long race, like a ski marathon, you actually have lots of time to think, and if you tried to constantly think about a 3 word circle, you'd wear yourself out in about 2K.  But there are lots of other things to think about in a marathon - the course, your technique, others around you.  It's still very important to keep positive - even when your wax is slipping.  Think about what you need to do to fix it, or correct it, not "my skis are slipping, I'm going slow,"  Reality may be "my skis are slipping because my wax is gone, but I have one climb left and it will cost me more time to stop than to herringbone that hill".  Turn the negative into a positive PLAN.

The same concept holds true for a sprint race.  Kayaking and rowing are two of the highest energy output sports, and two of the most technical sports around.  So many things *can* go wrong, that it's easy to dwell upon them, and not think about the good that *will* happen when the horn goes off.

The thought circle becomes really important in sprint.  Write down the words you want to key on.  Setup, Catch, Pull, Exit, Return. Add in the elements of your race plan 'accelerate 20 blades at 500m', 'repeat at 750m', 'drive the final 50'  Don't focus on balance, don't focus on steering, don't worry about wind or waves or crabs or other distractions.  Don't even worry about your competition.  You won't be able to see them anyway, Just assume they are all right there with you.  Instead, commit yourself to that positive circle of thought.  You know what each word means, what it feels like when it's on.  How the boat gets 'the glide' when it's running well.  You know what you should feel like 75 or 80 blades down the course as you cross the finish line.  And you *know* how it feels when you do it right.

And when things go well in a race, and you finish well (or maybe win!), lock that moment in your mind.  Remember how you felt after you crossed that line.  Know that for that moment in time, you had the rock balanced at the top of the world.  It's a good feeling.  And it can become part of the circle next time.

~marsh

What am I listening to?

I've been on an Austin kick lately.  Old guys, roots, blues, Americana - but don't label it.  It isn't rock, it isn't country, and some of it doesn't qualify as folk.  We'll just call it Austin for lack of a  better description. You can call it what you want to.

Robert Earl Keen - The road goes on forever.  Feeling good again. Shades of grey. Gringo Honeymoon. One of the most talented songwriters on the Texas music scene.  I'm less a fan of his new bluegrass standards album.  I prefer the more boisterous stuff - and his ballads like Gringo Honeymoon and What I really mean.

Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Messenger, Mother Blues, Choctaw Bingo, Conversation with the devil.  The same guy who wrote "Up against the wall redneck mother" back in the 70s.  RWH pretty much dropped out of music for a while, but since the 90s, he's done a series of very good albums - if you appreciate his music!  He writes stories set to a blues beat.  'be careful what you wish for - you might get it."

Hayes Carl - KMAG Yoyo, Down the road tonight, Another like you.  A little different. More of the 'bro country' look - except he can actually sing, write, and play.  He can go a whole song without mentioning trucks, jean shorts, or down to the lake.  Much more blues vibe than country.

James McMurtry - Painting by numbers, We can't make it here, Levelland.  One of the most talented songwriters in Texas (or anywhere else).  Son of writer Larry McMurtry, he obviously inherited writing chops.

Indispensable Gravel Tool Kit

Everybody has a tool kit when they ride. If you don't, you probably deserve to walk the last 5 miles back to civilization, your car, the beer your buddies drank while waiting on you, and that hamburger you wish you'd eaten.

It doesn't require a super mechanic to use a tool kit. Most things are pretty minor. The 'big things' like a broken chain or wrapped derailleur may take some serious bike mechanic skills.  Don't fret - one will come along momentarily!

The essentials are pretty obvious
Tire levers
Patch kit
Spare tube(s) - pre-talc'ed
CO2 inflator and spare cartridge - know how to use yours!
Pump
Yes, a pump is 'belt and suspenders', but if that first tube gets caught in the rim, and you blow it, the second one is essential.  If it happens again - or you find out you didn't get it caught, but had a cut sidewall that it popped thru... Well, you'll be happy to have the pump.

20 dollar bill

A good multi-tool.
Make sure it's got all the bolts on your bike covered - 4,5,6,7mm, maybe a 2 or 2.5, spoke wrench
Also make sure you can get *to* all the bolts on your bike with your tool.  If not, you may need a solo hex wrench or two.  And make sure your kit includes the necessary wrench for any random Torx brand bolts as well. Chain ring and disc brakes are both candidates for this special foolishness.

Chain break tool
Master link (or 2)
...Oh, shit!!! What was that?  Oh, you mean the fact that your crotch is now on the top tube and your pedals are freewheeling, or the one where your bike. just. died.  ...with the rear derailleur wrapped around the dropout.  Now is the time to be really thankful you've got a master link.
If you wrap a derailleur, it's pretty unlikely you're going to salvage it (or the hanger) on the side of the road.  You can try to straighten it, but in all likelihood, the best you can hope for is getting the derailleur back in the middle position, and maybe use it as a chain tensioner.  If that doesn't work, find a gear combination that will give you a snug chain once you put it back together with that master link.  Here's a big hint.  when you break the chain to remove it from the broken derailleur, find the bent section of chain and break it there!  And yes - there almost certainly will be a kinked link.  Remember - you'll need to leave an INNER plate on both ends for the repair link to slip onto.  Eyeball it, test it, and when you've got it right and think it'll be ok, slip the chain off the chainrings (up front) and slip in the master link.  Don't worry about tightening it yet.  Put it back on the chain rings.  If it's right, the link should 'snik' into place as you get the chain installed on both ends.

unused tie wrap
Multitude of purposes - like tying up that busted rear derailleur.
duct tape -bandage, tire boot, repair busted cable clamp.  You name it!
20' braided twine - with a nice stick and some duct tape, you can even bandage up that carbon fiber handlebar I told you not to get.  Also good for sewing a jersey back together,
basic first aid kit

And for a spring century -
rain cape (jacket for us Americans)
dry gloves
helmet liner
extra socks (useful as shoe covers in a pinch too)
Extra food (bar&gel)

Important Questions in coaching

I think too much is made of success and failure measured in finite results - "we won", "I lost", "We were second [third, fifth, fifteenth,...]", "we got beat", "you kicked their...".

As a coach, I'm obviously thrilled when athletes I work for do well.  I'm also pleased when they have a positive learning experience, be it having someone do better than they did, or because they stopped to help a competitor who flipped their boat, and then sacrificed their race to stay with them to the finish.  Those are great moments.

Other great moments are the minor victories and losses.  I have a set of questions for athletes after every race.  Not every athlete gets every question every time.  Asking "where could you have saved 5 seconds" is pretty meaningless when the athlete wins by a full minute - or when they crashed off the course, fell down a tree-well, and had to take their skis off in order to get back on the trail, losing 2 minutes.

But in general, the questions ring true in any kind of race against the clock.
Questions:
Where could you have saved 5 seconds/kilometer? (5 km cross country ski race)

• Every athlete needs to develop a 'replay' loop in their head.  Thinking about the handful of spots where you got complacent, or didn't read the hill well and bogged down, picked the wrong pace or the wrong line.  None are catastrophic, but in races where the difference between 3rd and 13th is often less than 10 seconds, finding 10 seconds can be huge.  Learning how to process your race, take away a few thoughts, and put those lessons into practice are a huge part of becoming a complete athlete (not to mention lessons for the rest of your life).  It's a subtle but important change to move from "You were 11 seconds out of 6th place" to "I bogged down on both of the hills today and lost about 5 seconds on each one. I also eased up coming in to the finish and didn't pass that girl. I need to work on my endurance when climbing."  That's a maturing athlete.  Knowing that you bogged down (which the coach standing on another part of the course can't see) and telling your coach what you need help on allows your coach to adjust your workout to add more climbing power work - or closing speed in a sprint.  Not knowing that would perhaps spend too much time doing technique work on the flats.  Athletes need to be the main part of their coaching team.

Did you leave it all out on the course?  (especially important after a bad race)

• Sometimes, no matter how hard you go, the results go against you.  Yesterday, I watched Marit Bjoergen, the most dominant cross-country skier in the world right now, finish 31st at the World Championships.  (Jessie Diggins was 2nd, and Caitlin Gregg was 3rd!!!)  Conditions changed, and Marit's wax techs didn't hit the right combination.  By midway through the race, it was pretty obvious she was not going to be on the podium, but there was no quit, no 'saving it for another day'.  She still went for it with everything she had.  While I was in awe of Charolette Kalla, and near tears for Jess and Caitlin, I really felt for Bjoergen.  She left it all on the snow. Every race, every time.  No athlete wants to face the questions from their coach, their parents, their fans - or themselves - about "Did I try as hard as I could?" Everyone has bad days, bad races, mediocre outings.  But there is a big difference between "having a bad day" and not trying.  If you did all you could given conditions, health, overwhelming competition, mechanical breakdowns, hold your head up, see question number one, and figure out how to do better next outing.  

What do you need to do to get ready for next time?

• Again, see question number one.  If you are assimilating what you learned about your race, then you can sit down with your coaching team and plan out the improvements.  Finding that one or two points to work on in a given week may make the difference next time out.  It's not often an instant fix. Usually, it's absorbing behaviors, lessons, and working to make it perfect.  

And then again, if it was a great race...

• I live for the moments where I get to stand with an athlete just after they have crossed the line and processed that they had a great race, preferably while they are still hot, sweating and riding an endorphin high.  It's less a question than a concept at that moment. "I want you to take a deep breath, close your eyes and focus on how you feel right now.  Fix it in your mind.  You just had the best race you've ever had.  Fix it.  Remember it.  You own this. Enjoy it. Great race."  

It's *all* about the athletes.

Sportsmanship

Photo: John Millea, MSHSL media specialist

I am not knowledgeable on, nor really a fan of dance line, but I do respect  the athletes who participate.  Like any judged sport, there is a built in subjective criteria to judging, and sometimes the wrong team wins for the right/wrong reasons.   However in this case, it looks like Faribault won with a routine that was pre-adjudicated to be legal, and must have been executed well.  It would appear that the choreography was within the rules as written, and they won.  I wasn't there, I wouldn't be able to judge it in any case.  All I've been able to review has pointed to actions taken *before* competition by the Minnesota State High School League to remove the origins of the routine as an issue.  My sense is that dance choreography borrows from all sorts of sources from NFL cheerleaders to Martha Graham and the Bolshoi.  I could be wrong - I'm a coach in a different arena, and there are no style points awarded for keeping a boat upright.
Bring me the news coverage

All that said, I am disappointed for the kids/athletes who were shunned by the other competitors at the awards.   It's a judged sport, for heaven's sakes. They won. They didn't cheat.  They didn't kneecap anyone else to win or bribe judges. Congratulate them and move on.  If rules need to be changed, the time to do that is later.  The video of the now disqualified 2nd-5th place teams' actions should be evidence at their disciplinary hearing for further sanctions for the coaches.

There is no place in high school sports for actions like this.  "Honor the game" - even if you don't like the results.  To act as the other teams did dishonors the sport, themselves, and their competitors.  As coaches, parents and schools, we work hard to build up kids' true sense of self worth and self esteem.

Right now, I'm feeling a lot of sympathy for the girls who stood proudly on center stage, and not much empathy whatsoever for the 4 teams who stood off to the side, and frankly pouted.  Just plain out bad sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship and grace - Two years ago, an athlete I coach placed 4th at US National Team Trials for sprint kayak.  She had possibly the worst spring (in terms of training conditions) possible - ice on the water until 3 days before trials, horrid conditions on spring training trip south, and her coach did not do an adequate job of preparing her on the ergometer (indoor training). But she sucked it up and went for it.  She finished 4th (3 to qualify), and with far more grace than I could manage, congratulated the girls who beat her. I had never been so proud of an athlete.  A month later, she was elevated to join the team when one of the other athletes had to decline, and made 2 semifinals at Jr Worlds.  
Last year, I watched a high school boy from a conference rival school hand his race skis to a young lady whose skis went 'missing' due to a communications issue with her dad.  No questions asked, just I'm about the same weight, mine were fast, you can have them.   That the skis wound up securing her state championship is almost beside the point.  It's now legend, and an act of true sportsmanship.  *THAT* is the kind of legacy you want to see at State, not a 4 team pout.

If I ever have an opportunity, I'd like to go shake hands with each Faribault athlete and coach, and tell them simply - "Congratulations - you won it".

Bottom line, you can't always win.  If you don't, accept it with as much grace as you can muster and congratulate the winners.  If the truly unfortunate happens, and it turns out there were issues, accept the new results and move on.  Sour grapes and boorish behavior simply have no place in sport.

First Gravel Grinder - Training for hills

In an earlier post, I laid out a five week plan for your first gravel grinder. I assumed that most people were somewhat fit, have done some riding, but probably aren't used to riding long distances on unpaved roads. And I've heard from a couple of people that maybe it should have been a SIX week program with a couple of 10 mile rides just to get used to being on a bike again - especially if you are planning to ride a fat bike!

On several of the weekly rides on the above plan, I list 'ride a few hills' as the goal.  Depending on your fitness level, and what's in the area, that can mean anything from a freeway overpass to a 300 climb from the river to bluff-tops.  Generally, I look for climbs that are around a mile, and nothing steep.  the first few should be at easy grades - 3-4% (200 vertical feet in a mile of riding).  This is enough to raise your heart rate and make your quads burn a bit without straining knees.

First, pace is not important on the first few - just ride them.  Find out what pace feels comfortable,

and use that as a mental benchmark (baseline really).  Try to time that mythical mile long hill - or whatever length you have to work with, and watch your average speed.  If it takes you ten minutes, fine.  If it takes 20, it may be a little long for now.  Cut back to around 8 minutes for the first 2 weeks.

Try to do 5 repeats of the hill - that will be a total of around 15 miles on an 8 minute climb. (level 2-3 if you are used to heart rate).

So now you've got your pace sorted out for something that you can accomplish, let's crank it up a bit. If you've been tracking your speed, try to increase that by 5% a week on your hill.  See how long you can hold your speed.  It's not essential you ride the whole thing without fading, but do try to hold a steady speed for most of the way. Now turn around, ride back down, and do it again - a total of 5 repeats.  See how you feel.  If you've never done repeats or not done them in years, it may not be much fun, at least the first time or 3.  Take a breather, and then ride the rest of your ride.

I'm big on interval work (what we just did).  Improvements come rapidly, and can be really rewarding.  If you can increase that speed up the one mile climb by 5% each week, that's a 20% improvement in 4 short sessions, which is probably 2 MPH or more!  The quicker you get over long slow climbs, the sooner you get to enjoy the flats and downhills again!

You should also find something steeper and maybe longer for the last 2 weeks.  Miesville offers about a dozen climbs of anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes, with the last two climbs being 10 minutes or more.  None of the grades are really steep, but they are challenging, and will take some mental energy to complete.  If you are training for the Pisgah monster cross, it's probably more like a 50 week program instead of 5, but the same general elements apply.  Good climbing is mental as well as physical.

So that's another element to training for your first grinder.  If you have any questions or comments, use the link below and I'll be happy to answer them.

~marsh

Shiny objects and game changers

I spent the weekend at the USA Canoe/Kayak annual Coaches and Leadership Assembly.  This is a great opportunity to get many of the coaches and leaders from all clubs around the country to come together.  Part of it is always organizational administrivia, sessions on technique, training, and psychology, but there are usually a couple of sessions on new technology (and always some time to socialize after all the work is done).

This year was no different.  Except that we came away with some interesting technology.

In general, Americans look for a technical cure for every ill, whether it's weight loss, power, or speed.  And in general, we get *way* too wrapped up on numbers like wattage for cycling, fluorine content of ski waxes, and the precise size of tennis rackets.  Or we'll worry about getting lots of threshold work when all our racing is at L4/L5.  Tech is great when it complements your ability to perform, not so great when it's relied upon instead of your ability to perform.  The classic example of this is cycling, where riders will spend thousands of dollars to shave a few ounces from their bike, while ignoring the extra ten pounds hung around their waist.

So three pieces of tech that I'll track and hopefully write more about in the coming months:

Sportlyzer (http://www.sportlyzer.com)
This is one of the most interesting sport management packages I've seen.  It's not perfect, but it does provide a very inexpensive way to manage the team, workouts, and track things like attendance and performance.  Coaches and managers build the calendar and workouts, athletes load the app on their phones, and can even track their workout via the app
I'm starting to populate it to see if it makes sense for my program.  So far, it's pretty easy to work with, and easy to understand. .
Roughly 25 bucks a month for 10 athletes. Full version with all bells and whistles for trial period.



Motionize.  http://motionize-inc.com   This could be a game changer.  The Motionize puck attaches to your paddle, and a deck mounted waterproof housing holds the other half of the sensor system, a speeaker, and a smart phone.  The app uses Bluetooth to communicate with the paddle sensor, and gives instant feedback on stroke rate, paddle position, distance traveled per stroke, speed and other factors ON THE WATER, in real time.  The speaker will *tell* you to lengthen stroke on the right side, take the blade out sooner, or whatever you need.  And that's as a stand-alone athlete.  If you are working with a coach, this is opened up to include interactive work with your coach, the ability to tune your workouts for specific technical features.  And they will add additional features for other functions.
Price - not available yet, expected launch 2Q2015, price not available.  (My guess - 3-500USD)


The third item is something I heard about not something I saw or had a session about, but hearing was enough to get my interest up.  Using blood lactate levels AND heart rate is a much more accurate method of setting training zones, and measuring improvement. Most heart rate users train in the wrong zone - HR zones alone usually set anaerobic threshold several beats higher than the true LT.
Moxymonitor.com has introduced an infrared blood lactate level monitor.  No more lancing earlobes, no need to pause workouts to record levels, or feats of gymnastics hanging over the edge of the coach boat trying to prick the athlete's ear while the athlete is trying to hang on to the coach boat without being sucked under it.  Moxy Monitor also has interfaces to a couple of sport watches, pc app interface, etc.
Pricing is still out of reach for most individuals, but it may be something a club or clubs could afford. Around $1000 bucks.

More on these and other technical tools to come over time.  Also note that I have no stake in any of these.  I may buy or review one or more of these in the future - if it's given to me, I'll let you know that as well.  My opinions are my own.

~marsh

Bikes for sale

I'm going to leave this post almost as a teaser.  I have two road bikes that I'm selling to fund my Fat bike build.  They are both excellent bikes - a top of the line Ridley Noah sz M (54-55), and a very, very competent Colnago CLX 2.0 (sz Small -50cm).  They are for sale, and all you need to do is hit the contact form at the bottom if you are interested.  The prices ($2200 for either bike) are very reasonable and the bikes are very, very good.


But that's not the point of this post.  The point of this post is that in order to further junior and women's road racing, I will significantly discount my price to either a junior or woman racer.  No strings, no BS.  I would like some proof that you are who you are, and that you are making a serious effort to further your racing career, be it toward National Team, or just trying to move from Cat 5 up the food chain.  There are so few opportunities for juniors and women who are just getting revved up to get decent equipment.  This is my attempt to help move someone's career forward.

Want more info?  Drop me a note in the 'contact me' link below.

~marsh

Crowdsourcing the 'ultimate' Fat Bike

I fully admit that two short years ago, I did not 'get' fat bikes.  Why have a bike that's heavy, slow and clunky when I could ski?

And given the generation of bikes that dominated the scene two-three years ago, I still agree with my assessment.  They were (mostly) an assortment of heavy, sort of homely, steel things that looked like they were welded up in somebody's basement.  I'm most emphatically *not* talking about the majority of the craftsman-built bikes, many of which are works of art on wheels.  I'm talking about some/most of the pure production bikes.  Steel. Mid tier components. Odd offset geometry to accommodate wide wheels. Homely looking forks,  Functional, but homely.  Not interested. Not me. No way...  Rather snowshoe...

Last year, I started to see the light.  Lots more carbon and Ti options, Sexier production designs, more options for racks and gear - or not.  And the advent of the 10x42t, single chainring setup.  OK, this is back country skiing, still gotta work your butt off going uphill, but the downhill should be a screamer.

And - I get it.  If I do this right, I will wind up with a bike that can go almost anywhere I'd want to, get there in a reasonable amount of time, and do it with a certain amount of style.  A bike that's worthy of a trip to the single track or lift served area, and still capable of doing snow covered trails in the winter.  I'm looking forward to a new adventure, and a new reason to get off the road.  It'll be slightly slower than my mountain bike, and a lot slower than my gravel bike, but I suspect my yet to be built bike will be more comfortable than most bikes I have, and should be fun. Of course, I'll have to buy a pair of winter riding boots.  It's going to mean a lot of re-education about parts, and a few new tools, I'm sure.

And while I can do lots of testing and research on parts, but let's make this a little more fun - let's make this a crowdsourced project.  Here's how it will work:

I'll put out a 'poll' for opinions and ideas on a couple of parts each week.  Please feel free to provide your favorite component for the category - and why.  I'll publish the results, and what I plan to do.  If I like the opinions and they fit with my design goal, I may very well go with them.  If not, I'll try to explain why I go a different direction as well.

Vendors are encouraged to submit their ideas/components, provide parts for review.  I'll be happy to look at almost anything as long as it makes sense, and fits within my project goals.  And I'll try to be honest about my opinions, regardless of whether a component is provided by a supplier at no/reduced charge, or I pay full retail.  And if I like it but it wouldn't fit in my plans, I'll still give it an honest review and return it.

I'll put up a poll widget soon.  In the meantime, use the 'contact me' area down below to provide your feedback.  Oh yeah, I will not [ever] use your contact info to spam you with 'puppies for sale', sell your info, or anything else.  It's just a contact.  If I email you back, it's because I want to discuss something.  You can tell me to buzz off it you don't want to continue the discussion.

Want to play?  Here's the first design goal and a question:

Design goal - utilize Gate Carbon instead of a chain.  Yeah, that does make a statement.  I'll expound upon my reasoning in the next post in this series.  In the meantime, what frame should I build around?

~marsh

Multi-sport youth

In the past few days, I've read a number of articles and blog posts regarding why college football/basketball coaches like to see young athletes pursue more than one sport.  The reasons are numerous, but they really come down to better conditioned, more versatile and more engaged.  I'd add to that less jaded, more energetic about sport, and in general better rounded as people and students.  And I'll add my voice to the hum of coaches who firmly believe that single sport athletes are being led down the wrong path for life.

I just left a strength training workout for my kayak racing team - athletes ages 12-18.  These kids/athletes are all there solely because *they* want to be there, to get stronger for kayak racing, but also to be stronger in general and for their other sports.  All participate in multiple sports, including gymnastics, rock climbing, track and cross-country running and volleyball.  I'll add the Nordic skiers in a couple of weeks as their seasons end.

The challenge facing a coach in this kind of environment really isn't getting the athletes to take part, it's crafting a program that is complimentary - and respectful of - their current in-season sport.  That means that the volleyball player who had a tournament today and still wanted to come may not do her normal weights, or maybe skips out on something that engage overused muscles.  It also means programming around the rock climber who had a meet (yep, competitive climbing is a club sport outside the high school) might not do the same lifts.  It's all about working with the individual programs that are currently 'in season'.  I know the volleyball player's coach is happy with her progress - stronger, more leap, harder serve.

It requires being aware of the individual athletes, expecting them to communicate about their off-season activities, and as a sport outside the high school system, sometimes meeting with their AD to develop an understanding of what your sport is providing that's not available inside the system.

And it requires a *lot* of parents who may, or may not have grown up playing sports.  It's often easier to deal with the parent who didn't grow up playing sports through high school.  They have fewer preconceived notions about athlete development, and usually more concern about the roundness of their particular athlete.  Parents who grew up playing sports, particularly those who 'made varsity' are much more difficult to convince that the path [they've often forgotten] to success leads through being a well rounded athlete and person, not just a great sophomore playing football/soccer/hockey/whatever year around.

The 'year around sport' phenomenon is a recent one.  Most varsity athletes in past generations played 2 or 3 sports - linemen were often the 'field' part of track and field, and the 'skill' positions doubled down on the running events.  A lot depends on the region and sports at a particular school or region.  There certainly have been specific coaches who pushed the 'only my sport or the highway' mantra, but they were certainly fewer and farther apart.

There's a great blog post making the rounds right now about Urban Meyer's preference to recruit multi-sport athletes.  Since coming to Ohio State, Coach Meyer has shown a nearly 10-1 preference for multi-sport athletes. Is it possible this has something to do with winning a National Championship?

So the message for parents is simple - if your child wants to play several sports, please encourage them.  If they are committed to doing only one, still encourage them, but try to suggest other sports activities as a break, cross training, for injury prevention, or any other reason you can find (except perhaps that they should play it just because *you* did).

And in the end, what we really want to see are young athletes who are well-rounded, energized, and on a path to be fit for life.

~marsh

First Gravel Grinder - 5 week training plan

Congratulations! You sent your postcard in for the Miesville 56, so you are all signed up for your first real gravel event.  Of course you haven't ridden all winter, and and your gravel skills are - wait - what gravel skills?  The closest you have to gravel skills are riding on the Luce Line trail.  Which is pretty much enough!

If you've ever ridden a metric century ride, or even a 40 mile ride, you can step up to riding 56 miles of gravel in just 4 short weeks.  We do need to make some assumptions - you haven't been completely idle this winter - some time on the trainer, or maybe you've been skiing or running all winter.  Just basic fitness.  And we aren't talking about racing - we're planning to finish this ride at a respectable touring pace - around 10.5-11 mph average, which means you are probably riding 15 mph on the flats.

For starters, make sure your bike is all tuned up, and that you have good tires for riding on gritty roads.  I'm partial to either gravel tires like the Challenge Gravel Grinder, Clement MSO or maybe a cyclocross tire intended for hard pack.  Make sure you have clothing that fits your riding style and the weather - booties, long fingered gloves, multiple layers, tights, and a jacket.  And try to pick the weather.  Riding your first ride or two in the rain is a lousy way to start the season!

The goal of this program, like any training program is to build gradually toward the target event.  In our case, we are looking at 56 miles of pretty good gravel, with a few hills, a little mud, and about a mile of road you may have to walk part of depending on your bike skills.  And don't worry about bombing the downhills.  Just ride them as fast or slow as your courage and common sense suggest.
Also, this workout should be something you can do in about 2 hours except for the long ride.  With the return of daylight, you should be able to do this after work.

Week 1.  Goal - get comfortable on the bike, get legs used to spinning.
Five days of riding (out of 7) Note that days aren't specified since the weather may dictate riding.
3 days 15-20 miles
1 day 25-30 miles
1 day 35 miles

Week 2 Goal - build distance base, add a few easy climbs.  Nothing long or hard, 1/4 mile is plenty.
Again, 5 days of riding
2 days 15-25 miles - try to build your pace just a bit (remember our target is 16-18 on the flats
2 days 20-35 miles
1 day 40 miles.  Throw in a few climbs.  If you are local to Minnesota, consider River Falls as a riding area.

Week 3 Goal - add in a few gravel sections and more hills.  Slight increase in miles 6 days riding this week
2 days  20-30 miles - build pace, add a few short hills
2 days 25-35 miles - work on pace - 17-18 on flats, climb both in and out of the saddle
1 day 40 miles - again work on pace and some climbing.  A few short sprints (like really short, and not that hard)
1 day 10 miles - go find some gravel, a park, horse trails or whatever.  Play with technique in sand, mud, loose rock, find out what the bike does in those situations.  Don't forget to give your bike a bath after!

Week 4 Goal - raise the miles just a bit, find a few more hills, preferably later in your ride.
2 days  20+ miles. Mix it up, ride some trail or path, some road, and hills.
2 days  25-35 miles.  As above, try to mix it up
1 day 10-15 miles, lots of unpaved surfaces and/or hills.
1 day 40-45 miles 'grinder pace' - really try to keep your pace up (but not crazy).  This is also a good time to feel out what your target finish time might be for the 56.  Are you likely to do 5 hours, 4 hours, 6?

Event week - We're cruising in to the event.
Monday or Tuesday - 20 miles one of the two days.  Easy ride
Wednesday or Thursday - 30 miles, a little faster
Friday - off. Change tires if you need to.
Saturday - 25-30 miles, then clean bike, lube chain, but try not to adjust anything!
Sunday - Event day!

If you've been diligent with the program above, you'll have no problem riding 56 miles.  If you started with good intentions, but came up short, you might look at cutting the course, maybe lopping off a hill, or one of the loops.  You can figure 1/3 of your weekly miles as a rough guess of what you can safely do.

I'll do another training article next month with some specific ideas on food and drink.

Ride safe. Wear your helmet.

Boat Show time

Urban Boatbuilders - skin on frame canoe built by apprentices.
Electric picnic launch built by class at Boys Totem Town. 

I spent the evening volunteering at the Minneapolis Boat Show for the Urban Boatbuilders program.  This is a great local program providing a working apprenticeship for at risk youth in the Twin Cities.  The program teaches basic woodworking skills, has the apprentice build their own paddle, and they work on projects like a skin on frame canoe, or perhaps a lapstrake copper rove launch.  While the boats may not be made with the same level of artistry as the Wooden Boat Schools down east, they are very well made, attractive and functional.  Whether a 40 lb canoe, or a 16' electric powered lapstrake picnic launch, they are boats of worth, and a program to be valued for the skills taught.  If you live in the Twin Cities, consider a donation or dropping in on Wednesday night for their volunteer program.

Aside from working the booth, I had time to wander around the rest of the booth we shared with the antique boat society.  My phone was running very low on battery, but I did get a few pictures.  The next few are of the 1926 Barnes Boat Company "Princess Paige".  Beautiful does not begin to describe the attention to detail, both from the original builder, and the restoration done by Muller Boatworks in New Hampshire.

26 feet of incredible brightwork

Scripps 4 cylinder, 60 horsepower. You could eat off the engine compartment floor

Leather, brass, stainless and bright varnish.  

the perfect afterdeck for sharing a bottle of wine and perhaps a cold chicken picnic

The reflectors blind out a pretty cool stern shot - big wheel of a prop, polished rudder, stainless fittings over a bright planked transom

Another view - note the line connected to the fenders (which are works of art in their own right).  It ties all the fenders together, and leads forward to an uphaul, allowing all the fenders to be pulled back and secured at one time.  Also note the canopy retracted to the center of the lateral rails.

Overhead view

Original bow figurehead.

Chris Craft runabout

Front view

Beautiful workmanship on this restoration

Uncas - a one-of-a-kind 'convertible' top.  Very interesting deck line!

Ice sculpture out front of the convention center.  After all - this is a big plastic power boat show.

Riding gravel - mud...

Source: CXMagazine.com -- USA Cycling 2015 Nationals

Gravel + rain = mud.  Or not.
A lot depends on the geology, geography, and who maintains the road.  In parts of the country, gravel roads are no different wet or dry, except that a little more grit gets kicked up when it's wet.
in other regions, 'gravel' is just a code word for clay with a little native rock mixed in.  And trying to ride these is, well, interesting.  More like trying to ride road slicks on ice, covered in cooking oil, And then there's your average "B" road along the edge of Farmer Brown's bottom 40, where tractors dare not tread in the rainy season.  THAT is serious mud in any context.

Most promoters are going to avoid more than a short stretch of this stuff - at least if they want people to come back to their event again.  You can't always avoid it, and a little makes for great stories about epic struggles and adventures "There I was.  My shoe was at the bottom of a sucking hole, I'm up to my ass in the stuff, and Monica goes riding by like it's just no big deal..."  A lot makes for death marches, broken gear, and a plan to find something else to do that weekend next year.

So what do you do to survive the stuff?  Three tips -
PAM cooking spray on your bottom bracket, fork crown, pedals and other spots where mud typically clings.  This really will help keep it from building up quite as much, and will wash off pretty easily.
Good fenders (and PAM the undersides!).  Fenders will make your ride cleaner and drier, and make you much more popular with anyone riding behind you.
If you *know* there's going to be a lot of mud, go with a more aggressive open tread, like a Challenge Grifo.  The bigger blocks are slower, but shed mud much better.
The rest of it is experience. In order to be good at riding mud, you need to ride mud.  It's all about learning where to be, when you can ride the center between the puddles, and when you should ride through the slop.  It's quickly sizing up the mudhole and realizing that it's hub deep, sticky, and there's no way to ride it.  When that happens, look for the 'dry line' if it exists - the spots that look a little drier or less trampled, maybe a bit higher, or have a little grass to hold them together.  Or check for the wet line - where it may be a deeper hole, but it's wet sand instead of mud.  Or look for the sneak path through adjacent field.  Not that I condone tromping a farmer's crop, but maybe there's a line up on the grass verve that can be walked without being knee deep in the slime.

And don't forget to have a wash cloth, towel and a gallon of water in your car for cleaning up after the finish.  A quick wipe down, towel off and warm, dry clothes can really make the difference between a memorable day and a miserable one. And you can use any leftover water to sluice off the worst from your bike before you put it in/on the car.  An appropriate beverage and some good food help a lot as well.  Especially if you have those "So there I was..." stories to share!

Savor the mud - just in moderation!

~marsh

Kids and sport - making a case for less structure

note: the first three paragraphs are written from the coaching perspective.  The remainder is written directly to parents.  

Recently I was invited to be part of the coaching staff at a kayak racing camp for juniors. I learned a lot through the camp - not only about coaching, or about the personalities of athletes with whom I'll likely have an occasional coaching relationship for some years to come, but also about making it fun.
Typically at these camps, you plan 3 workouts a day, for the duration of the camp.  Young athletes invariably give it their all at the start, but eventually start to get tired of the routine, it's not unusual to see some tears, and you definitely don't help them deliver their best.

However - if instead of 3 hard core workouts, you sneak in 2 or 3 'anti-workouts' like a hike up a mountain, paddleboard relay, rock climbing adventure or similar, they'll work harder than ever - and not even think about how hard this 'special' activity really was.  The net result *will* be athletes who are more energized, perform better in their other workouts, and generally have a much better experience.

Even Olympic caliber athletes enjoy a day off to do something unusual, and many spend months in their 'off' season doing something completely unrelated to their primary sport - skiers go surfing, paddlers go mountain biking, riders go swimming.  The goal is simple - use muscles that are not normally used for your sport, maintain a high level of fitness, and mentally remove yourself from the triggers and actors required for high level competition.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Given the above, why in the world would you put any kid through a year around diet of one and only one sport?  Far too many elementary age athletes are scheduled 'to excel' with specialty camps in the off-season, power camps during the pre-season, tournaments every other week for 3 months, and -if they aren't 'good enough', another round of leagues, individual practices, speed camps, technique camps, power camps.  Pretty soon, mom and dad have shelled out a year's tuition at the state university -- for an 8 year old!!!  And what did the kid really want to do?  Get skates and a stick so he/she could go play on the park rink with their buddies.  It happens far too frequently.  Sports like hockey, figure skating and gymnastics seem to be the worst for this, but all sports can attract parents who are convinced that their little darling is the next incarnation of... well, whomever.  And they *might* be right.  But by focusing all their efforts on one sport, they increase the chances for asymmetrical injury, burnout, a very narrow social circle, and a loss of the fun of childhood.

It's hard in these days of helicopter parenting, tiger moms and wolf dads to find a chance for kids to play.  I don't mean 'play dates' with scheduled activities.  I mean PLAY.  I realize that in most larger communities you don't have the option to go roaming wild in the woods, but at least go to the park and just play.  Climb trees, swing, slide, jump, run, get messy, take chances.  And occasionally, get hurt. And make stuff up - invent.  Instead of soccer practice, kids will figure out soccer golf, with a tree, hydrant or sewer grate as the pin.  Or invent a game where the ball has to pass around 2 trees, under the bench, over the porta-john, and through the arch before it can go in the 'goal' - an overturned garbage can.  Or create 'kick ball cricket' with local rules to fit the field.  I read the other day about a new soccer concept that features an irregular field, mounds, and other 'natural' features.  "Great" I thought.  And then continued to read how they were forming "LEAGUES" for this great new anti-competition format for sport.  Sorry, leagues = competition.  You can't escape that fact, no matter how cool the concept is.

So what to do?  As parents, there are a couple of things:

• Agree not to worry about 'making the best team'
• No double scheduling (soccer and baseball, hockey and soccer, paddling and gymnastics, etc) that run concurrently or have major overlaps.  
• Take the money spent on specialty camps while at the elementary level and spend it on a good summer camp experience.  Your kid will gain independence, learn new skills, social interactions, nature, and who knows what.  
• Commit to not overcommitting. You can't bake cookies for Matt's soccer on Tuesday, bring pizza for Jon's baseball Wednesday and drinks for Lyssa's volleyball on Thursday.  Learn to say 'no'.  You can bring the drinks next week.  Your kid won't suffer, and if they do, you are in the wrong group.
• Make school the priority.  There are only a handful of athletic scholarships available, and unless your backstory includes pro athletes, better not count on it.  
• Insist on an off-season.  Pro and elite athletes in the prime of their careers take 4-8 weeks off at the end of the season.  Why shouldn't young athletes and their families?
• If the coaching isn't what you expect, be sure your expectations are aligned with reality.  I've seen parents get upset because their U-7 coach wasn't teaching strategy - to a bunch of kids who were more interested in the dandelion puffs than scoring goals.  The coach focused on 3 passes, and taking a shot - even if it was had no hope of succeeding - just to keep everything interesting.  Parental expectation fail.
• And if, after checking your ego at the door, the coaching still isn't up to par, talk to the coach. Find out their goals. Offer to help.  If you really don't like it, offer to coach next year. 
• Finally, one thing I took from coaching youth lacrosse - "Respect the game".  No yelling at the other players, riding your team, yelling at the coaches, officials, volunteers.  Cheer for everyone.  If you can't do that, go sit in your car!  THIS IS ALL FOR FUN and for the KIDS!

And guess what? When that 8 year old becomes 14, maybe they will show promise and the drive needed to train nearly year around for one sport.  And maybe they will be gifted enough to win a State Championship.  In which case I certainly applaud their efforts. They may well get that college ride!  But when that 14 year old has played hockey since age 6, and now wants to go out for cross country skiing instead, don't be disappointed. It happens!

~marsh  

Coaching philosophy - LTAD

I read a friend's post on Facebook the other night about his daughter's tryout for volleyball.  My friend is one of the most positive people I know, and he was not at all 'up' about the process of team tryouts for middle school volleyball.  I agree.  As a society, we have hit a point where parents spend thousands a year (hockey - $2500-12,000/year) for their young athletic prodigies to attend sports camps, away tournaments and in some cases, specialization and position camps for team sports - IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!  Hockey, in particular, is a disease among Minnesota parents, but I know you can find the equivalent in most regions (like Texas and Football).

I'm certainly not saying that kids shouldn't play sports.  Far from it.  I'm talking about the idea that parents seem to expect kids have to become great at a sport while they are still in elementary school, make the regional travel team in middle school, and be on the college scouting reports by high school, winning that college scholarship and then being drafted to the pros or National team.

Sadly, many of the kids who specialize in a sport in elementary school won't be playing it when they exit high school, and most will have their (or their parent's) dreams crushed by those awful college scouts and coaches before they start college. Hopefully, they have a 'Plan B'...

There are lots of reasons for this tailing off process - career ending or cumulative injury, burnout, lack of athletic ability, even being on the wrong team at some point.  Lack of athletic ability often gets blamed on coaching, but in reality the opposite is often true - good coaching can make the most of poor talent, teach fundamental skills and take you all the way to a point where physical ability of other players 'catches up' as everyone else passes puberty and starts to mature into their bodies. Malcolm Gladwell talks about the blessing of having a January birthday in Outliers.  Kids born in January are more likely to be the oldest in their age group, grade, and will likely have more opportunities to do well in sports while still young simply because they *are* the best in their particular year.  Assuming of course they don't flame out...

Injury is another whole kettle of fish.  Football and Hockey players are 4-5 times more likely than other high school sports to incur concussions.  Other sports like soccer or basketball may also have career ending injuries from torn tendons and fractures.  And I'll rile some parents by this, but I believe competitive gymnastics is one of the *worst* in terms of injury and burnout.  Gymnastics injuries seem to be more hand/wrist and back, but the burnout toll... wow.  Not only burning out mentally from a high volume of workouts, competitions and pressure from parents and coaches (who generally have a financial stake in keeping kids coming), but also from pain and injury.  NOT exactly a ringing endorsement of the club machine.

And don't think that just because little Bart or Bettina is in climbing camp, running camp and power soccer camp plus canoeing and soccer practice 6 hours a day all summer means they avoid the issues of a single sport focus. Personally, I think this is throwing gasoline on the fire and then playing with matches - just increases the likelihood of major burnout or injury.

As I've become more involved in coaching and developing my own personal philosophy, I've become a big believer in the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD).  The Canadian Sport for Life organization has a great description of this model, broken into seven stages, running from birth to early 20s.  The first two stages, encompassing ages 0-8or9 can be lumped into "Learning to Play", moving into "Learn to Train" and "Train to Compete" and "Training to Win".  The model spells out expectations and cautions for each age level in very common sense terms.

"Inappropriate or premature specialization can be detrimental to later stages of athlete development if the child is playing a late specialization sport. Premature specialization promotes one-sided development and increases the likelihood of injury and burnout." (Canadian Sport for Life)

The entire process is meant to remove the pressure of conformity, and sport specialization from younger children, allowing them to run, jump, climb rocks and trees, exposing kids to a broad range of activities without imposing leagues, traveling teams and competitive pressures to *most* kids, and hopefully setting them up for 'sport for life'.

This is not to say that for some young athletes who show particular prowess and drive at a fairly young age in a particular sport (like figure skating, gymnastics, and yes, even hockey) that leagues, meets and regular practice are not appropriate or encouraged.  They can be great activities - but make sure that the activity is right for the kid, not right for the parent.  It's one thing to for a girl who loves tumbling (a great class for all kids), is likely to only grow to 5'2" and has trim bodied parents to take up gymnastics and 'climb the ladder'.  It's another entirely for parents to insist that their son who is likely going to be very average size, average height and doesn't particularly *like* cold to go to hockey 4 times a week in hopes that he may make the traveling team like dad did.  Odds are by 15, he'll be burned out, beat up and hate skates.

In general, I'd like to suggest that up until age 8 or 9, most kids should be in mixed play - park/rec programs to expose them to many sports, riding bikes, skiing, paddling classes, swimming classes, tumbling, etc.  These are usually inexpensive and require little commitment in terms of time, travel or equipment.  9-12 can be more of the same, or focusing on 2-3 sports, but still not an all-encompassing effort to make the traveling team.  Kids who show a particular interest in a sport after this point can do so.  If their aptitude and size lend them to the potential of doing well, but their skills are less than their peers (since they haven't been doing the camps from age 5), NOW is the time to sign them up. The desire and maturity will help greatly to move them toward competitive levels with their peers.  And coaches *will* see the desire at the same time that their peers who have now been in sport for 10 years but aren't doing the same level of work may well be fading.

Again, there are exceptions to every 'rule'.  This post is intended to at least push some parents to think about what's best for their child, not what they'd like to see their child do.  I welcome dialog about this process.  It's something I feel applies to most sports and most kids, but maybe not to you/yours.

~marsh