Song Mountain Ski Team

ALL MOUNTAIN

This  program  is  designed  for  younger  less  experienced  skiers making  the  transition  to  All  Mountain  skiing.      Training  is conducted  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays  from  10:00  AM  –  3:00 PM,  with  an unsupervised  lunch  break  from  Noon  to  1  PM.    All children registering for the All Mountain Team must be familiar with the ski lifts and be able to ski the beginner slopes in a snow plow.  

On-snow  training  includes  a  combination  of  drills,  directed  free skiing  and  an  introduction  to  ski  racing.  Participants  are divided by  age  and  ability  into  groups.    Participation  in  selected  United States  Ski  &  Snowboard  races  is  optional  and  subject  to discussion  between  families  and  coaches. Coaching for  these events  is  included.    A  US  Ski  &  Snowboard  General Membership  is  required. 

New for 2023-2024

All parents of All Mountain athletes will be assigned to be a Team helper for 1 day during the season. Skiing is not required. The duties will be to help assist the staff in any way so athletes can stay on the snow longer with their coaches.

U8 PROGRAM - New for 2023/2024 Season

This program is for 6-7-year-old athletes moving towards racing and establishing a solid foundation of alpine skiing skills on appropriate terrain and in varying conditions to prepare them for the U10 level. This is a weekend program parallel to All Mountain that focuses on fundamental alpine skiing skills, building a solid base, working together as a team, and skiing all appropriate terrain.  Each athlete is placed in a group of similar ages and abilities to enhance learning and progression. U8 skiers MUST be 6 years old by December 31, 2023. Participation  in  selected  races  is  encouraged.  Coaching for  these events  is  included.    A  US  Ski  &  Snowboard  Alpine General Non-Competitor Membership  is  required. 

• Minimum requirement: Skiing experience that allows for skiing on green and blue runs. Must be able to link turns, hockey stop, and side slip.
• Participants need alpine ski equipment, including a helmet.

U10/12  PROGRAM  

The  U10-U12  Program  is  for  the  young  skier  ready  to  move  up  from  the  U8 or All  Mountain  Team.   We  maintain  a  balance  between  having  fun,  building  a  positive team  environment,  and  advancing  our  skiing.  We  want  you  to  love  skiing  as  much  as  we  do.

On  snow  training  includes  a  combination  of  drills  and  directed free  skiing,  and  is  for  intermediate  skiers  looking  to  develop their  fundamentals  while  exploring  Alpine  racing. The  program reinforces  fundamentals  while  giving  the  athlete  the  tools  to be an  entry-level  Alpine  racer.  Participation  in selected  United States  Ski  &  Snowboard  races  within  our  region  is  generally expected.  Coaching  for  these  events  is  included.    A  US  Ski  & Snowboard  Competitor  Membership  and NYSSRA membership is required for racing in events otherwise a general membership is required. 

U14  PROGRAM 

The  U14  Program  is  for  athletes  progressing  with  their  alpine skiing  and  transitioning  to  a  more  comprehensive  training  and racing  schedule.  On-snow  practice,  which  begins  as  soon  as Song  Mountain  is  open  combines  free  skiing,  drills,  and  gates. Technique  (how  to  ski)  and  tactics  (where  to  ski)  are  taught  in tandem.  Coaches  will  present  a  general  training  plan  for  the group  and  customize  some  aspects  to  meet  individual  needs. We maintain  a  balance  between  having  fun,  building  a  positive team  environment,  and  advancing  our  skiing.   

Technical  and  Tactical  Emphasis

Reinforcement  of  carving  skills  while  learning  line  and  strategy.

Emphasize  the  use  of  tactics  to  achieve  carved  turns  in  the most  appropriate  line  for  the  athlete.

Always  work  on  the  very  basic  fundamental  drills  to  insure mastery. 

Develop  speed  and  efficiency  by  refining  carving  and  steering movements  to  achieve  the  desired  turn  radius  in  courses.  

Use  a  variety  of  course  sets,  conditions,  and  terrain  to  teach the  skier  to  adapt  to  different  situations.  

Free  ski  all  conditions  with  competence.  A  US  Ski  & Snowboard Competitor  Membership  is  required. 

U16  &  ABOVE  PROGRAM

Skiers  in  this  phase  are  starting  to  grow  into  their  new  bodies after  the  growth  spurt,  with  the  benefit  of  increased  stamina. Strength  gains  can  be  quite  rapid  in  this  phase,  and  skiers  can be  expected  to  generate  more  power  through  their  turns throughout  the  course.  The  anaerobic  system  starts  to  become developed,  allowing  skiers  to  ski  with  greater  intensity  from start  to  finish.  This  will  be  a  general  guideline  with  some individual  planning  necessary  in  some  cases.  U16  and  above often  have  had  6-11  years  in  the  sport.  At  this  age  athletes should  begin  to  specialize  in  their  sport,  note  athletes  are encouraged  to  play  one  complementary  sport  to  support  their skiing  skills . 

Conditioning  Emphasis

With  increased  physical  development,  conditioning/recovery sessions  becomes  more  important.  With  training  schedules  and studies,  these  conditioning  sessions  can  be  difficult  to  schedule. The  athlete  will  often  need  to  find  some  personal  time  that works  best  for  fitness  maintenance.  Coaches  will  give recommendations  of  workouts  that  can  be  performed individually.  Playing  complimentary  sports  when  possible,  is helpful.  Increased  aerobic  conditioning  and balance/agility/coordination  is  key.  Resistance  training  will  help develop  strength.  Older  athletes  should  be  utilizing  Olympic lifts  for  power. 

Technical  and  Tactical  Emphasis

Refinement  and  event  specific  stage  for  technique  and  tactics.   Integrate  the  increased  strength,  power  and  body  size  to achieve  a  more  optimal  line.  Incorporate  jumps,  terrain, traverse  and  long  turns  into  training.  Advanced  tactics  for difficult  situations  (a-rhythmical  course  sets,  difficult  conditions and  terrain). 

Performance  Psychology  Emphasis

Develop  and  refine  race  day  plan.  Develop  mental  rehearsal routines.  Refine  goal  setting  process;  what  to  focus  on,  what works  on  race  day,  develop  “ athletic  plan”    to  approach training  sessions  and  life.  Document  through  journaling. Parents continue  to  support  the  commitment  of  the  athlete  in  the sport. 

Competition  Emphasis

Appropriate  level  and  number  of  races.  

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

Ski a lot and train hard but have fun doing it! That combined with a lot of natural ability will lead to fast times at the bottom of the hill. 

The After School Program focuses on skill development applicable to ski racing.  Athletes have Weekends, Holidays and 3 afternoon training sessions available per week.  Weekday training is Tuesday Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:30 PM to 6 PM directed by the Ski Team Head Coach.  Weekend training will predominately be with the athlete’s regular coach for his or her level.

Coaching in this program requires individual attention to a specific athlete for specific reasons to create specific reactions. Only the basic skills can be addressed to a group as a whole so this program is designed to be very individualized.

Athletes will be selected by a committee and based on an application process. Please send an email to songraceteam@gmail.com if interested.

WE HAVE WAIVED THE VOLUNTEER FEE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS FOR THE 2023-2024 SEASON

There is a Family maximum for the VOLUNTEER FEE in place of $100. If registering multiple athletes please do so at this time by selecting "Register another Player" on the review page. This will ensure that your bill does not go over the $100 maximum.

***Failure to do so will result in a forfeiture of your Family’s discounted rates.***

More information about the Volunteer Fee can be found on the 'Waiver' page.

You must register with USSA before the start of training.  No athlete will be allowed to train unless their membership is confirmed. If you have not already signed up with USSA, please follow these steps:

• Step 1:  Obtain current USSA Membership
  • IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CURRENT USSA MEMBERSHIP:  CLICK HERE to go to USSA Registration and register your athlete(s). Be sure to PRINT and SAVE their confirmation code(s). Remember to register EACH of your athlete(s) with USSA. Each athlete must have their own unique USSA Membership ID.
  • TO LOOK UP/RENEW AN USSA MEMBERSHIP:  CLICK HERE to go to USSA Membership Lookup.
• Competitors U10 and up must be registered with NYSSRA. Please visit https://nyssra.org/user/login

Please direct any questions regarding this registration to:

Songraceteam@gmail.com