[feature story]

Change on all fronts
from Fort Kent, Maine USA

WINTER is rapidly approaching. The canopies of hardwood forests blanketing Aroostook County are showing this change. Just last week, an Italian friend of mine told me that fresh snow now coats the Alps of northwestern Italy. Farther to the west, French authorities declared avalanche warnings after three feet of snow fell in the mountains there.

Even with all of the modern technology we possess today, there is no knowing what the winter will bring. While the changing colors of the leaves is a certain sign that winter is approaching, some skiers look for the most minute changes in the strangest of nature’s signs that the upcoming winter will be a good one. Others take action. They believe their well-tested snow dances are harbingers of good snow. Often these dances just serve as reminders to neighbors that skiers are an odd bunch, especially when undertaken in the backyard while wearing spandex racing suits from twenty years ago.

Regardless of how early or unfortunately late the snow falls this winter, I am looking forward to bringing you all an interesting second season of THE SHOT. Last spring, I asked many of you questions in the annual survey what you liked and disliked about the premier season of this newsletter. Though I have long been told that I have dangerous individual qualities, I have decided to listen, at least this once, to what you wrote.

Many of you asked for more articles in each issue. This season you can read not only a feature article, which will vary between interviews, gear updates, race reports, and adventure stories, but also shorter content, which will now appear in three additional sections:

The first is Q&A. It is your opportunity to ask questions pertaining in some way to skiing or biathlon. If I lack the answer, then I will find another athlete, coach, ski service tech, or random Scandinavian to answer it. Either way, every reader will benefit from your question and the subsequent answer.

The second new section in each issue is the Toko Tip, a timely suggestion for improving your knowledge of ski selection, maintenance, and preparation. Many of these suggestions come from the Toko Tech Team, which is a group of three dozen dedicated ski technicians in the United States. Others are tips from World Cup wax technicians and athletes.

And closing the content of each issue will be the third section: Training Talk. Here you can find old and new ideas to improve your health and fitness, whether your goal is to cross the line before your buddy, take a National Championship, or simple become healthier. Ponder them and try them out. Even if all they do is provide some inspiration for your next workout, I will consider this section a success.

A number of companies continue to sponsor THE SHOT for the coming season. FaCT-Canada distributes a number of training aids, including the Arkray Lactate Pro. Patagonia produces high-performance, technical wear. The Toko Wax & Care Company makes an easily understood line of wax and service products. And, of course, the presenting sponsor of the newsletter, Rossignol Ski Company, manufactures a complete line of ski equipment. I thank them for their support.

So while we are still officially in the summer season, start thinking about the first snow and how you will enjoy even your first fall because you will not have landed on asphalt.

Brian Olsen

[q&a]

Starting biathlon… in Boston

I receive a number of e-mails asking me about how to become involved in biathlon. Here is one that I received in May from a very dedicated father in the normally not-so-snowy city of Boston, Mass.:

My son is 15 and has fallen in love with cross-country skiing. He is interested in becoming involved in biathlon. I am trying to work my way around the biathlon community to find out the best place for him to get involved. Without moving to Vermont or Northern Maine, do you have any other suggestions about how he could get training? We could bring him up for clinics and training, but most of the time he would have to live in Boston.

-- Future Biathlon Father

For most people, the best way to become involved in biathlon is to first check out the list of clubs and facilities located on frozenbullet.com within the “About Biathlon” section. Find the club or facility nearest you and contact them about the programs that they offer. Understand that you might have to drive an hour or more to get to your closest biathlon range, as they are not even as plentiful as badminton courts. If this fails, contact one of the large biathlon clubs, like Maine Winter Sports Center or Minnesota Biathlon, about attending one of their training camps. Keep in mind that the greatest opportunities are for youth and younger athletes. Finally, contact the U.S. Biathlon Association or Biathlon Canada about becoming a member by visiting their websites: usbiathlon.org, biathloncanada.ca.

-- Brian Olsen

Have a question? Send it by e-mail to list@frozenbullet.com with "Q&A" in the subject line. Remember to tell me if you would like your name removed when published. Questions will be modified for clarity and length, when necessary.

[toko tip]

Check on your skis

One of the issues I sent out last spring detailed how to prepare your skis for a long summer of non-use and protect them from the temperature changes and humidity that damage the base material and spoil the camber of your expensive skis. This involved: cleaning the skis of kick wax, klister, and spring skiing grime; applying a generous coat of a medium glide wax to the base; binding the skis together loosely with ski ties; and storing them, pairs of skis taped together, in a ski bag in a cool location. If you failed to do this last spring, I dare you to look at your skis now. I hope you are lucky to find happy skis.

For the good bunch of you who did properly prepare your skis last spring, now is a good time to check on them. Take them out of the ski bag, cut the tape, and examine each ski individually. Is wax still covering the entire base of the ski? If not, scrape the entire base of wax -- you do not want to melt into the ski base the dust that has accumulated on the surface. Then reapply a new generous coat of a medium glide wax, like Toko System-3 Red.

Also, check to see if there is any damage to your skis. Are there any new dings or scratches in the wax on the base? Examine the sides and top surface of the ski. Is there anything wrong there? If you pull out a ski in two pieces from your ski bag, that is probably something that needs no explanation here, but perhaps from your roommate, kid, or spouse. Whether a ski is broken or damaged, knowing now that you need a new pair is far better than knowing amidst the first snowstorm. Re-applying wax where it has scratched or worn off during the summer ensures that your skis will continue to be protected for the next few weeks before you actually get to use them.

[training talk]

Ascribe to specificity

Just as the colors of the leaves are changing in anticipation of autumn, so too should your training. Specificity is one of the few principles of training theory to which coaches of all sports, whether they know it or not, ascribe. Skiers and biathletes will progressively use training that is more specific as the on-snow ski season approaches. Specific training for skiing includes methods that are alike to the actual movement of skiing. Of the methods not requiring snow, rollerskiing is the most specific.

The point is to be able to transition fluidly to nearly 100 percent skiing once the snow gathers on the ground. Moving from mostly running and kayaking in the fall to all skiing in December can result in not only lagging performances and deranged technique, but also overuse injuries and frustration. Gradually increasing the amount of time you spend rollerskiing now will prevent these unwanted, but common, disasters from occurring.

You can also start modifying your other activities to better prepare for the movements involved in skiing. Instead of just running, take along -- and really use -- a pair of short poles. Though running intervals on a track will improve your running efficiency and speed, they will do much less for your skiing. Head to a hill with those poles again and do bounding intervals. Like classic striding, in bounding we push off one leg and the opposite pole, driving forward the knee and arm of the other pair. So, push off your left leg and right arm, while driving forward your right knee and left arm. Bounding should also conjure up a bouncy, leaping image. It is odd that Norwegians relate bounding to a moose or elg; instead, think about deer or rabbits racing uphill. Replacing simple running with bounding or running with poles also improves the specificity of your training.

[fyi]

02.WHAT'S NEW ISSUE to be released in mid-September

In the next issue, you can expect to read about the new innovative technology from Rossignol Ski Company and the Toko Wax & Care Company that will hit stores in the coming weeks.

Help your uninformed friends. Tell them to sign-up for THE SHOT by visiting www.frozenbullet.com/theshot.htm. After this issue, only those subscribed will receive THE SHOT.

THE SHOT from Frozenbullet.com is presented by the Rossignol Ski Company and sponsored by the Toko Wax & Care Company, Patagonia, and Fact-Canada Consulting, which distributes the Arkray Lactate Pro.

Subscribers to THE SHOT receive a 5 percent discount on their initial purchase of a Lactate Pro and supplies from FaCT-Canada. Order via their secure website and mention that you are a subscriber in the comments box at the end of the ordering process. Your total order will be adjusted before billing.

Content may not be copied, published, or forwarded for more than your personal use without my express permission. All rights are reserved. Images in this issue are used courtesy of Rossignol/Zoom Agence and Brian Olsen. Please accept to download the images used in this newsletter; it looks horrible without them.