TVR Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) My son started GS racing this year (He's 9). I put him in hard boots and found him (here on Bomber) a A145 board, and he has been ripping it. He has a great mentor who has been training him, and has made great progress due to the training. The issue I am seeing slowly creeping up is mentally, disruptions like this past weekend can play havoc with him and so I think (and have been advised) putting him in a more group atmosphere with team support might be the best for him. I am wondering if anyone has any advise on which mountains have the best weekend programs and coaching. I don't want to put him in school (weekday grade school) , but can dedicate the weekends and vacations as needed. He is extremely into the sport, and likes the speed of GS / SL / Boardercross so I am looking for a program that isn't focused on the park or freestyle. Any experiences and thoughts are appreciated, as I have looked at Loon and Waterville Valley, and each has there respective advantages and disadvantages.... Thanks in advance.. Edited February 8, 2016 by TVR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckmann AG Posted February 8, 2016 Report Share Posted February 8, 2016 Can't recommend a specific program, however: Find a situation that is close enough to be convenient, that has variety of terrain, where gates are set regularly and consistently, and where there is some dedication to building and maintaining a BX venue. Granted, the social aspect is important (for a number of reasons), but quality mileage weighs heavy on the outcome. Also, if your 'mentor' is willing to continue the relationship, and you are happy with his/her work up to this point, your time and money might be wasted on an 'official' program. From what I've seen over the years, many promising athletes prosper despite, and not because of, coaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) You will have a hard time finding a program that doesn't include some sort of freestyle/park incorporated into it. There just isn't enough heads around to sustain a program that only focuses on alpine/BX. Holderness always seemed to have their erm.. "stuff" together when it came to coaching and course setting. I don't know if they have a weekend program though. Gould Academy runs a weekend program (I did 6 years of it until I hit the max age), but again it is not alpine or even race-specific due to the numbers behind it. Expect random gate training (or none at all). CVA seems to have put together a good support program for BX, but none of their kids raced SL/GS seriously during my time with Gould. As with any private institution team, unless your kid is enrolled full time $40k a year, expect to be put second when it comes to training and scheduling. As Beck said, find a spot that can get him consistant (and plentiful) opportunities to race gates or a BX course. If you can find a spot like this, your chances of finding other adults and kids interested in the same thing increase, and you might not even need to place him in a strict structured program. Good luck on your search! Edited February 11, 2016 by MikeC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVR Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 Thank you all for the great advise. I will look into these suggestions and continue to work with my kid. Boarding is truly one of the great joys in life and I am glad my kid caught the bug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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