18-WEEK PROGRAMS

 

FUNDAMENTALZ

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The ideal athlete in this program has completed 2+ seasons in a structured program and is comfortable on a black run. Our coaches are NCCP trained and passionate about developing young athletes to be well-rounded, confident skiers. Our club mission is to help athletes realize their potential and passion for the sport of freestyle skiing. Along with developing freestyle ski skills, athletes learn to respect the terrain on which they train and the etiquette required when skiing on the mountain. At Southern Alberta Freestyle Ski Club, athletes learn how to ski the challenging and varied terrain at Sunshine Village, along with the basic freestyle skills.

 

Minimum requirements for entry into our Fundamentalz program: 

• Being able to load and ride a chairlift unassisted; 

• Knowing the skiers' responsibility code of conduct; 

• Being able to make small, medium and long round turns on blue runs; 

• Being able to ski with parallel skis - no snow plow. 

 

 

FREESTYLERZ

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The Freestylerz program is a progression of the Fundamentals, with a focus on more advanced skill development.  Athletes will begin to learn more difficult freestyle skills including a variety of tricks and spins while continuing to advance their overall ski skills. At this level, athletes are very comfortable on their skis and are capable of maneuvering all of the challenging and varied terrain Sunshine Village has to offer. Athletes will be challenged to progress in moguls, jumps, rails, halfpipe and freeskiing. At this level, athletes have the opportunity to develop their competitive skills by preparing for club level events. The focus is still on the progression of skills and having fun! 

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Athletes at the Freestylerz level are expected to attend weekly training sessions to better prepare for competitions but are still developed to be well rounded passionate skiers for life. In addition to the Saturday training, athletes also have the option of attending mid-week COP training.  Freestylerz athletes have the opportunity to attend summer airbag training and water ramp sessions, to further develop their air awareness and variety of tricks in a safe and fun environment. These athletes are also highly encouraged to attend fall dryland and trampoline training in preparation for the on snow portion of the program.

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COMPETITION DEVELOPMENT

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Now that the athletes have graduated from the Freestylerz program they are ready to start their competitive path and train a little more seriously, while still having fun.  

 

At this level athletes will have the opportunity to compete in 3 events per season, consisting of a mix of both club level and provincial level events. Athletes will continue to learn more challenging freestyle ski skills (inverts, more complicated spins, etc.) and focus on improving in all areas of the freestyle sport.  Athletes will start at the Competition Development level and have the opportunity to move to the Competitive Team once their skill level has increased to be suitable for the next step up, as determined by the Head Coach.  

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At this level, athletes will begin to increase the intensity and volume of their training and will train both Saturdays and Sundays, as well as mid-week training at Winsport during the winter season. Athletes will be expected to attend regular training sessions to better prepare for competitions.  Athletes in this program will continue to focus on having fun and developing their skier for life mentality, while further developing their freestyle skills. By skiing the challenging and varied terrain at Sunshine Village, athletes will continue to learn to respect the mountain and develop their well rounded skiing skills.

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Along with the on snow portion of the program, athletes at this level will be strongly encouraged to attend as much of the summer and fall training opportunities as possible as the skills developed during this “off season” training will help athletes to develop their strength, endurance and performance and skills, which will ultimately improve their competitive performance and safety during the on snow portion of the program.​

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COMPETITIVE TEAM

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Team is determined based on skill level and Head Coach's discretion. 

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This program is designed to help skiers in our club achieve their competitive dreams. Athletes in this group are expected to attend the majority of scheduled training sessions, including dryland and trampoline. In addition, off season water or airbag ramp training is essential, and attending summer glacier camps is highly recommended. Along with further developing their freestyle skills, athletes still maintain and continue to develop their freeskiing skills and skier for life mentality.

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10 WEEK ON SNOW PROGRAM FOR ALL LEVELS

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All skill levels are also available in a 10 week program format. Join us for a free meet and greet ski any weekend before the December Holiday break to see if Southern is a fit for you and your athlete. In December your athlete will go through an evaluation with one of our coaches to evaluate which level will be most appropriate. You will need to register your athlete with Canada Freestyle for the coach evaluation to take place. The 10 week program starts in January and goes until March. After completing the 10-week program your athlete will have the opportunity to join Southern for the remainder of the training season for an additional charge. Your athlete will also be invited to our year end rap up competition, the Mustache Olympics, at the end of April.

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In every program, your athlete will ski Saturdays with Southern coaches at Sunshine. Seasons pass or lift tickets for Sunshine Ski Hill will be required to board to the gondola.  The weekly training programs start at 9:00AM and run until 2:30PM with a break for lunch.  At a minimum, your athlete will need to be able to load and unload the chair independently, they should also have the ability to ski a blue run independently and stop on their own.

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