ASF-2011-01

www.AdkSports.com JANUARY 2011 3
The cornerstone to any successful youth
sports program is to instill in participating
youth the enjoyment of the sport
– the fun of it! Nordic skiing is no different.
No one enjoys a fresh new snow more
than kids. From snow angels to snow forts
and sledding, they’re all popular ways to
get kids out to enjoy our winter weather.
Adding a pair of well-fitting ski boots and
short skis is just another way of having
fun on snow. Short skis provide a means
of moving from one place to another with
more efficiency than plodding through six
or eight inches of new snow.
Across New York there is a network of
local ski clubs that offer a quasi-formal
Bill Koch Youth Ski League Nordic ski program
for youth 13 years and under. There
are 17 local clubs, which vary in size
from large clubs in the Rochester and
Lake Placid area, to smaller family-based
clubs in Potsdam, Saratoga Springs, and
Southern Saratoga County. Some of these
clubs are school-based programs such as
highly successful Tupper Lake.
This network comprises the youth
program of the New York State Ski
Racing Association – Nordic (NYSSRA-
Nordic). Depending on facilities in the
area, children may be able to try crosscountry
skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined
and ski orienteering – or even tennis
ball, paintball or air-rifle biathlon. A
complete list of local clubs and contacts
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
Youth Skiing in New York
= SHENENDEHOWA KIDS
ENJOYING FRESH SNOW
WITH FOLLOW-THE-LEADER FUN.
= SOCCER ON SKIS CAN BE
A WILD EXPERIENCE.
PHOTOS BY ERIC HAMILTON
can be found at nyssranordic.com (click
on “BKYSL”).
The program is named for Olympic silver
medalist Bill Koch. A native of nearby
Vermont, Bill began skiing in the early
1970s in a local ski club, and was an active
Nordic combined skier before turning his
efforts toward cross-country ski racing. In
1976 he shocked the ski world with a silver
medal in the 30-kilometer event at
Innsbruck, Austria. A few years later, he
won the World Cup series. He is often credited
with starting the “skating revolution,”
which so dramatically changed crosscountry
skiing technique in the 1980s.
This season got off to a slow start with a
BKYSL race in Lake Placid that was rained
out. But a couple of weeks later at Osceola
(near Utica) there were over 30 young skiers
participating from all over the state.
These fun youth races are usually tied to
a more competitive event like an Empire
State Games qualifier or a community,
county or state park’s winter festival.
The program is not all about competition,
though. I have been coaching the Bill
Koch Youth Ski League for 20 years now. It
has been my experience that only about
one in ten children will take to racing.
The biggest challenge is to get kids
into comfortable clothing involving layers
– the colder the weather, the more layers.
The second challenge for parents is to
obtain a comfortable ski boot that fits, but
by Eric Hamilton
has room in the toe area for an extra pair of
socks and a pocket of insulating air. There
are at least three systems of bindings that
provide a secure and flexible connection
to skis. Each works equally well for youth.
I encourage one type in my club so families
can trade and hand down equipment
as children quickly outgrow at this age.
Besides getting from one place to
another, kids love games on snow. Nordic
skis add a new dimension to a game of
soccer. Tag games like red rover, capture
the flag, or Ghostbusters are popular on
skis. Ski games like follow-the-leader
through an obstacle course are a sure
winner for any age group. Play improves
balance, perfects motor skis, and builds
strength without focusing on a particular
skill.
One of the most fun games is a trademark
of fellow coach Jim Underwood, the
Wooly Mammoth Hunt. He picks out a
wooded area with limited undergrowth,
where he will place several dozen balloons
of various colors and sizes, some
near trails for younger children (more
difficult terrain for older kids). The object
is to bring back as many “hides” (balloons
popped with ski poles) as possible.
The high point of this year’s youth
ski season will be the Mid-Atlantic Bill
Koch Ski Festival at Highland Forest (near
Syracuse) on Feb. 19-20. The weekend will
include two championship races for kids
(classic and freestyle), paintball biathlon,
ski orienteering demos, a sprint race,
hodgepodge relay, club relay, a popular
hot dog roast, and an awards banquet to
celebrate the season.
Yes, I have plenty of stories and
memories accumulated during my youth
coaching career. With all the children that
have passed through the program, there
is at least one story for each. Perhaps my
most memorable moment was pursuing
a group of exuberant kids as they scrambled
over a knoll with a newly-acquired
skill toward the rose-colored setting sun
– with snow flying everywhere!
Eric Hamilton (admin@mohawktowpath.
org) lives in Clifton Park. He recreates
along the Mohawk Towpath Byway,
including biking, cross-country skiing
and running.
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