yyzcanuck Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Anyone that is able to make the trip to Collingwood on a weeknight should check this out. Mike Towers of the Ontario Snowboard Club will be offering a Tuesday night "Masters" program at Blue Mountain. Check out the blog here for more details. The program will run in cunjunction with regular training with some of the High Performance Athletes so you'll get to see the "up & coming" riders on the Ontario team. It's Tuesday night beginning January 6th, running for 8 weeks. Cost is reasonable in my opinion so come on out and have some fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotbeans Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Looks like a cool venue/schedule. ..wish I could make that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Does anyone want to go up this week (the 6th). I think I can make it and have room for a couple more in my truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I'm planning to go up this week but I'm leaving from work (Bolton). It's either snowboarding or lacrosse on Tuesdays for me. Want to come play lacrosse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 OK, so I arrived a few minutes late, just in time to see the course being set and gates being installed by the Ontario Snowboard club. I promise coach... I'll be there to help next time! After a quick on-hill signing of waivers and introductions, it was just me and 5 members of the Ontario Snowboard Club on the hill with coach Mike Towers. These young athletes are quite remarkable to watch and ride with. They are all at various levels in their skill set and each was working on a particular aspect that coach Towers had set out for them. Me, well... I had a lot to learn and frankly was feeling a bit out of place in my first couple of runs. Yeah, I can carve quite well, I know how to make an arc, I know what needs to happen in order to make a board turn and I can read the terrain but... damn it's hard to put that all together as the gates are approaching. Coach Towers was giving each of his riders individual comments on what they were or weren't doing, then sending them back up the hill to work on that skill again. With me... it was more about helping me 'see' the race course. I was focused fine but that focus was about 3-4 metres in front of me! So, I had to look further out, not at the gate I was approaching but at the one AFTER that. BINGO!! I was reading the terrain way too close to me and needed focus on the next turn, not the one I was making. I finally put together a complete run, didn't miss a gate and didn't feel like a NOOB and all it took was a skilled coach to see what I couldn't! I'd like to present an analogy that Coach Towers put forth while working with one of his other riders. This rider was having some difficulty with what I call core body position (inclination of board & angulation of body). This rider appeared to be concentrating far too much on balance rather than core positioning. Coach Towers had this to say about balance and core positioning... Balance is like a light switch. It's ON or OFF when you need it. You're constantly going to be turning that switch ON or OFF as you move down the course. Dave Morgan's brain thinks of this as a DIGITAL signal. On, Off, On, Off. Core Positioning is more like a rythm (and I paraphrase here). It's something that is constantly keeping your body and board in the correct position. Core goes where you want to make the board go. Dave Morgan's brain thinks of this as an ANALOG signal. A nice smooth curve rising and falling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Sorry I missed the training and the opportunity to embarrass myself. I'm going to try get out there in 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 No embarrassment required! It really was a pretty laid back environment. Everyone was concentrating on their own 'problems' to even care about what the other riders were doing. No 360° peer review. Just you and the coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Dear Diary... decided to attend the Aurora Masters Lacrosse League last night instead of running gates with Coach Towers and crew. It's a toss up which venue was colder! Inside the Aurora DOME was none too warm. I will admit that 2 hours of our hybrid field/box lacrosse certainly wears me out more than 3 hours of gate riding. Next week it's gate training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Varsava Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Dear Diary... decided to attend the Aurora Masters Lacrosse League last night instead of running gates with Coach Towers and crew.It's a toss up which venue was colder! Inside the Aurora DOME was none too warm. I will admit that 2 hours of our hybrid field/box lacrosse certainly wears me out more than 3 hours of gate riding. Next week it's gate training. What the hell are you so interested in training for all of a sudden, got something up your sleeve I should know about? I would love to come out buy neither mine or coach Mikes boards are done yet. BV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 You're on to me!! I was planning to kick your ass at the provincials!! Oh, wait a minute... you won't be there to defend your honour. See, I've already scared you away! BTW, love the new metal "Classic" that Santa brought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 OK, Tuesday is fast approaching and it's time for another trip to Blue Mountain to join Coach Towers and his crew. Anyone else coming along? BV? HK? Bueller? Bueller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 I could be talked into it if I don't have to drive alone. Are you leaving from work? Anyone else want to carpool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Varsava Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 I hope you are just joking and coming up to my place to celebrate Leslies Birthday, count me out. Was seriously thinking about it then remembered I don't even have a board. Started working on one today and may race Sat at Beaver valley. As usual, epoxy still not fully cured on and the race course:freak3: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted January 20, 2009 Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 Count me out for tonight. I picked up a cold in Tahoe (lousy pure mountain air) and can't shake it. I will be at BV this weekend watching my daughter race. Happy 29th Birthday to Leslie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2009 I have some "Slum Lord" obligations tonight... Anyone know a good appliance repair service?! Where's the Maytag man? Actually, it's an LG man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towers Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Anyone planning on coming out this week just drop me a line. We also have a new website under construction, but you can find some info there. www.ontariosnowboardclub.com/6552/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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