NWSC Jamboree Recap

This event shows the endurance side of the athletes, who knows which technique best and if they know them well enough to suffer through the second leg. Both races had a clear leader. The boys race leader built it up through the event, and the girls leader got her big gap from the field with a strong classic race and from the closest competitor in the transition. Doing the transition fast isn't just practice, but having the mental calm to get the equipment switched and make the transition to the other set of muscles. Having skis with the same brand of binding helps a lot as well. As in swim or canoe triathlons the race isn't won in the transitions, but it can be lost there. The big difference in this pursuit as compared to the state meet format is everyone always knows where they are, not just in the second leg. Spectators knew from the start to the finish who was doing well and who wasn't. Even as a coach up at the state meet it is mental gymnastics to figure out how your athletes are doing. For spectators it is almost impossible. This was a joy for everyone to watch. Each time the athletes came through the stadium we got another shot at seeing how the lead was progressing. Athletes will have to work hard year round practicing both techniques and their transistions from technique to technique to be successful. No successful multisport athlete goes without practicing the transitions.

Sprints:

This event showed who has the quick start, the great handling, the tactics and the fast twitch muscle fibers. The preliminary round was very straight forward and the organizing of heats was complete well before it was needed. The progression of the subsequent heats for the sprints were so efficient the starter had the semi heat for the girls before the quarter finals heat for the boys was even complete. The heats were posted in two locations and every athlete was present and on time for their start. The starts were pretty clean, except for a little skating in the double poling zone. The course was lined with spectators and there was no question in anyone's mind as to who was leading at any point and who the winner was at the end. Both the girl's and boy's winners had experience with this format and knew when to go and how to stay tough to the line. High speed video would have helped with one of the place calls. Our video was not fast enough to accurately decipher the lunge at the line. There were falls, there was one broken pole, but that's sprinting. As we progress with sprinting there are all sorts of skills and tactics that will develop. Two of my athletes were in the same semifinal, and one was sitting in third with the other one right behind in fourth. I yelled for the one to move up to give his partner a shot at the third spot without knocking his teammate out. It was a lesson too late, but one that will not happen again, with those two anyway.

Relay:

As with the Charlie Banks relay before the state meet, this was a fun race to watch. It shows the depth, especially when athletes aren't allowed to ski every event. It's sort of a middle distance event and takes some team work to get it flowing smooth from one athlete to the next. The girls race was a little closer than the boys race. Four days recovery was too close to the big Mesabi race for some athletes to want to put in a big effort at this meet. In a normal state meet format this would not be the case and with the best schools all going after the big prize it might actually be too exciting for some spectators with heart conditions to watch. Like in track, relay exchanges are something most schools would have to work on.

Fun Day, a little long for some, but if it was the state meet, very easily an acceptable length.