U12 RACE PROGRAM
Program Goals: LEARN THE SPORT, BECOME A GOOD TEAMMATE, CONSOLIDATE SKILLS
Program Details: November 29 - April 6
8:30am - 3:30pm - meet outside the back of the VSC Cabin
- U12 A 3 day / week program: 58 days
- U12 B 2 day / week program: 42 days
Costs: (included in the program fee is: BC Alpine Membership / Okanagan Zone Fee, Club Cabin improvement fee)
- Payment schedule for program fees is ½ by Sept 15, the remaining by Nov 15 – e-transfer to payvsc@gmail.com or cheque made out to Vernon Ski Club
U12 A 3 day / week program Early Bird - Best Price (July 1 - Sept 14): $2,173. Early Bird (Sept 15 - Nov 14): $2,2822. Regular Price (Nov 15 and after): $2,390.
U12 B 2 day / week program Early Bird - Best Price (July 1 - Sept 14): $1,959. Early Bird (Sept 15 - Nov 14): $2,057. Regular Price (Nov 15 and after): $2,155.
Calendar: You will be connected with the TeamSnap calendar when you register.
- Race accounts: each athlete from U12-U16/U18 has a race account with Vernon Ski Club from which the club can quickly and easily withdrawal costs affiliated with races and camps (lift ticket, race entry fee, applicable food costs, applicable transportation costs, applicable accommodation costs, coach costs) that each athlete attends. Families are required to keep a positive balance in the Race Account and payment schedules are offered as a way to disperse these costs throughout the season. For U12, many athletes spend approximately $800 through their Race Accounts so please pay $200 on Dec 1, Jan 1, Feb 1, March 1. Payments are to be made to payvsc@gmail.com or by cheque to Vernon Ski Club. Any positive balance at the end of the season will be returned to the athlete’s family.
Skiers who are at least 10 or 11 years old (2014, 2013 Year of birth) and who have come through U10 Race Tigers are encouraged to join the U12 Program (consistent with Alpine Canada's "Learn to Train" stage https://ltad.alpinecanada.org/stages/learn-to-train) for either the 2 day per week or 3 day per week option (Friday - Sunday). There are many pathways to skiing excellence however, and if you did not come through U10 and feel prepared for U12, contact Rodger Poole at rodgerpoole@gmail.com to ensure the program is a good fit for your skier.
This program starts as soon as the snow flies and runs through to the end of the season. U12 runs from 8:30am - 3:00pm and strives to get the most out of each day, in terms of number of laps, turns, jumps, gates, games, races, etc. The goal in U12 is to refine movement skills and ski skills as much as possible prior to the adolescent growth spurt.
This program prioritizes fun and skill development in the sessions. Much of the training time in U12 will be spent free-skiing outside of training courses and skiers will be exposed to a variety of terrain at a variety of speeds in a variety of conditions every session. Free-skiing with intention is one of the most effective ways to develop strong alpine ski racing skills and the U12's do TONS of this work. Variety is everything at this stage, and it also keeps training fun and engaging. In addition, being challenged by different course sets, radius’, amounts of offset, and terrain on a regular basis is very beneficial to the development of skills and this type of training is also a feature of this program.
A well-established skill set at this age can help to contribute to a more rapid improvement following the growth spurt and is a main goal of the U12 program. Many adolescents drop out of sport, especially those who don't feel they are achieving success or improving as quickly as their peers. Putting oneself in the right environment during these important years can help with the motivation to remain in sport for life and to develop healthy lifestyle choices in the future.
Parents are welcome to come into the Cloud Nine Race Centre and observe the training sessions, or help slip the race courses or volunteer in other ways.
If you have questions about this or any of our programs, contact Rodger Poole at rodgerpoole@gmail.com