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Winter continues. It'll be interesting to see what the local ultimate scene (HS) holds without the tireless leadership of Luke J. He pretty much made Oregon HS ultimate Tick with good coaching, and great league organization.

We are covered in snow/ single digit temps/ etc., and we don't actually have fields as they collapsed in a sink hole and are currently being rebuilt to the tune of like 13 million dollars. We will have a place to practice, but there are no simple solutions.

I assume the program will be pretty usual, a growing core of players (fully 15 or so 3rd year players, a record), supplemented by the usual new crop of seniors trying a different sport. We'll probably have enough numbers for 2 co-ed teams of 15-20. We've always done pretty well, given our short season and remoteness, but last year I think we underachieved (I think we dropped 1 seed) where we've usually overachieved (by a seed or two, so, the program is improving, if not reaching the levels that i'd like). Probably fair: I"m a teacher first, and a coach second, and I try to give my all to whatever sport I'm coaching. We had 3 key injuries last year, which in 4-3 coed is pretty telling, but, it let some younger players grow a bit.

I think we're going to have some sweet unis this year, but in an old school way. Mock - up to follow.

We might get some custom poly, if i come up with a design i like.

I'm still pretty loathe to commit right away to H-stack stuff: my goal is to teach the kids to play; i think that if they understand general field spacing and movement, it's easy to switch to H-stack in college, but that it's harder to turn a cutter into a player, than a player into a cutter. I prefer overlapping play, with cutters coming from anywhere on the field. But I'll have my 'o' run it enough to develop an understanding of the eugene teams offensive 1st and 2nd handler options and primary downfiled options.

Personally, last night i full moon ski'd with the team. It was awesome. Cold (1 degree? maybe 8 degrees?), clear, with the mountains clearly visible reflecting the moonlight. So good. Today, 4 x 4 min intervals. And weights. Core, PT for foot, single leg squats on a bosa ball, vertical row and millitary press with single arm dumbell on a bosa ball, squats x10 (120, 140, 150), chin up, dips.

that's all.

keepin' on

thursday, intervals, but with moderate intensity (the last 2 were hard)
friday, rest. actual, honest to god rest.
saturday, i was supposed to intervals, but it didn't happen (coached a different group) so we did a nice easy 10km with some discussion of technique. weights and PT for my foot. i've included some single leg work on alternating days with my squats (i do squats, fairly light, like 135, full parallel with an explosive aspect, but i've added in single leg press for balance on alternating days)
sunday, 1.5 hour ski, included some 4x4 min intervals. just brutal. i was neither fired up, nor feeling it, but, the workout was quality.
monday, today, lost my keys. my friends graciously picked me up (yeah friends), and classic ski'd 2 hours in about 5degree temps, with similar snow conditions (that's cold: the skis are slow then). my new skis are fast. very fast. or at least, my old skis are slow. very slow. i'm happy.

found my keys, after a 4 hour process. they were in fact, in the last place i looked.

meh

lessee.
really good day. good 'flow.' the school day went great, never a given, you know, intentions are worth whatever...
then skiing. first decent day since the recent foot injury (2 weeks) and beyond that, possibly the best ski day of the season... best of 49 days, some with 2 a days... best, period.

intervals, 4x4min, not perfect workout wise, but learned a couple things, made improvements and adjustments throughout the workout... so hey, when maybe you're not a perfect athlete, the incremental things matter.
and then, my flippin' cd player in my 20 y.o. 800 dollar car (including extra snow tires) started working, and the dome light kicked in! yee haw for the little things in life. and a decent weight set.

yesterday, 4x4 intervals on classic skis, some double poling, lower intensity, but technique specific. then i crashed like a superhero, flying forward about 15 feet, faceplanting on my head and shoulder. humorously, the last thing that went through my head (before my ass did) is that 'boy, i'm skiing great'.

monday, off,
sunday, 16km ski, uphill, weights.
saturday 2 x 11km skis,
friday, 16 km ski downhill, 11km ski...

thursday, messy 1hour skate ski. (pt excercise)
wednesday, 1 hour skate, weights.
tuesday, 1 hour skate (pt excercise)
monday, weights

sunday, 1 hour ski
saturday, 1 hour ski
friday, pt for foot

thurs, rest (and football)
wed, 15 min ski
jan 1, 1min to injury, 9 extra min...

and the new team suits are sweet.

flippin feet.

Done something to my foot at the race tuesday. Dumb, b/c i really had no desire to even try hard... it was just a fun new years costume thing...

So wednesday, i went to the doc, nothing broken, just some kind of acute tendon-o-thing, along with some kind of chronic tendon-o-thing... so basically, it's drugs, and minimize activities that irritate it.

like skiing. so like the mature responsible guy i am, i've really cut back on the skiing, but not really.
mon, 3 hour ski tour, then a 2.5 hour ski practice, tuesday, the race, say 1 minute in popped (audibly) my foot, then ski'd about 11 more minutes... wed, 4 hours at the doctor to find out that it's not broken, thurs, 15min ski (exquisitely painful), friday, PT. So that was really my rest time of functionally no skiing. Saturday, I skied probably 15km, easy, but painful, then weights, then today, hiked /skied for 2 hours, then classic skied for another hour... kind of limpy, but i faked it allright.

So this was like an 11 hour week... weak... lots of swimming this week, probably only do the team practices...

i'm a little cheesed, but this too shall pass.
off to do a little PT...