November 5, 2018 at 12:14 p.m.
RHS/Pines skiers learns the ropes at fall symposium
RHS/Pines skiers learns the ropes at fall symposium
Olson and the team did just that Saturday by holding the team's inaugural fall symposium at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom.
It was the team's first official practice for the upcoming 2018-19 season. Usually, that first practice involves time in the weight room and other exercises, but Saturday's all-day session was much different.
"We said, 'Let's do something like this. Let's do something different so we are not just doing the cookie-cutter stuff every year to inspire the kids,'" Olson said. "We have a facility where we can show videos, we can be outside, we can do different stuff. We can have the kids be with some different people, develop leadership and become leaders themselves."
Olson said the time and location of the event served several purposes. First, by holding the event on a Saturday, the majority of the members of the high school and middle school programs from the RHS/Northland Pines co-op, 21 of them to be exact, could attend. Second, it allowed the team to show a number of videos and do a few ski-related mini-clinics. Finally, the team utilized CAVOC's Challenge Ropes Course to conduct a number of team-building exercises.
"We're going to learn about mental strengths and weaknesses, physical strengths and weaknesses, how the mental can control what the body does," Olson said. "We're also looking for some leaders to emerge, to see how the team helps each other and see who the leaders are. I haven't chosen any captains yet because we have a young team. We have as many junior high kids this year as we do high school kids. The coaches, we have to learn a lot ourselves, too. We're hoping to get a lot of learning out of the day and this is a perfect opportunity."
After graduating a large number of seniors, the upcoming season will be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the program. Olson said, while the numbers on his high school team are down, a rekindled middle school program will help the team build for the future.
"We want to get as many kids out as we can, but when the numbers go down it gives us an opportunity to focus on the individuals more and develop more," he said. "We have a strong number of junior high athletes. I'm real excited about that and building that for the future. We've got some good skiers and boarders that are in seventh through ninth grade right now. The future looks good and we want to try to build that as well as get the upperclassmen through their skiing careers."
Additionally, Olson said the trend of the majority of his athletes choosing the ski side of the program continues, with roughly a 3-to-1 ratio of skiers to snowboarders.
"That is, right now, typical within the state and the Alpine sport," he said. "Snowboard retail has went down 40 percent over the last two seasons and we're seeing that. It's still relatively new and it's similar to what happened to skateboarding. There's ebbs and flows in it and I think that's just what we're seeing."
Saturday's event began with the dryland portion of the Hodags' training. Olson said the team will conduct regular training sessions at the high school two to three times per week in preparation for getting on the slopes. With Mother Nature's cooperation and an assist from Ski Brule's snow-making capabilities, Olson hopes that will be as soon as the middle of the month.
Because Alpine skiing is not WIAA-sanctioned, the team was able to begin practice earlier than any other Rhinelander High School winter sports team. Girls' basketball, boys' hockey, girls' hockey and gymnastics all began practice Monday, the first day permitted under WIAA regulations. Boys' basketball, boys' swim and wrestling practices will begin next week.
The Hodag skiers are slated to begin competition with an invite at Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich. Dec. 21.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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