If you want to learn to ski quickly, you must first learn to walk – with snow skis on! Take a ski lesson so you can learn what’s called “Stepping” from a professional ski instructor. There are two fundamentals you’ll learn during your first day of ski instruction – stopping and turning. The Stepping Drill [...]
SkiGreat.com
Want to learn how to surf? These guides will definitely help. We’ve got tips, tricks, complete guides and of course, great surfing videos. Nothing beats learning while doing, but if you’re stuck behind the keyboard in the office instead of out at the beach, you might as well pick up some pointers. Are you a total beginner? Fear not! Just check out our beginners section for some really great quick tips and advice for getting up on the board as quickly as possible. And even if you know how to surf like a pro, we’ve got a few tricks that you can learn to impress your buddies.
UPDATE…TUESDAY MARCH 1….11:22 AM…
A winter storm warning is in effect for Tahoe late tonight through Wednesday.
A low pressure system moving south from the Gulf of Alaska should sweep through the Sierra after midnight tonight and last through Wednesday afternoon.
Snow levels will initially be high with this system compared to those of the past week. Snow levels will be at or above 6000 feet at first, then drop to below 5000 feet late Wednesday. This system has the potential to drop about 12 inches of new snow above 7000 feet by Wednesday night.
The early forecast for the weekend looks like another warm storm Saturday night into Sunday, with snow levels around 7000 feet to start.
Stay tuned for details.
Temperature forecasts:
Tahoe City:
Tuesday 43
Wednesday 41
Thursday 36
At 7000 feet:
Tuesday 34
Wednesday 31
Thursday 29
\Regional radar with rain/snow mix:
9
If you are looking to try skiing but have no intention on paying for 0 lift tickets to ski in Colorado then Ski Cooper is one of the many Colorado Ski Resorts that will provide the lift ticket solution for you! What you need is a buddy that has a Season Ski Pass to ANY Colorado Ski Resort, they buy 1 Full day adult lift ticket which will cost you and get 1 lift ticket for free!
SKI COOPER COLORADO SKI RESORT
So the quick and dirty: 1 Person must have a Colorado Ski Area season pass, then you can buy 1 get 1 free which = Lift Tickets per person to Ski Cooper. Yes for a day on the slopes in Colorado you got to be joking around right…. wrong. So here is the next big question? What’s wrong with Ski Cooper? Absolutely nothing, Ski Cooper is located in some of the best ski terrain in Colorado, the ski resort is located on top of Tennessee Pass which is just 9 miles from Leadville and when you stay in our affordable ski lodging your about a 25 minute drive from the slopes.
Ski Cooper discounted lift tickets happen about once a year, primarily because the mountain is already one of the most affordable ski resorts in Colorado. We think you will enjoy Ski Cooper, bring your family skiing in Colorado and enjoy this hidden treasure, do it now and Save a bunch with the discounted lift ticket special they are running from February 22nd until March 6th 2011 so hurry and take advantage soon!
This is a guest post from Craig Bradford from UnitedSportsUSA.com who is an expert on foreign swimmer scholarships in the American university athletic system.
With Michael Phelps domination at the Olympics and the World Championships since he burst onto the scene at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2003 there is little wonder that many young British Swimmers have been looking at the opportunities to improve their swimming and higher education simultaneously in an American University environment.
Unfortunately, swimmers from every country in the world are also waking up to this possibility, so the competition for the best places, especially for boys, is intense. A male swimmer hoping to get to a Top 30 swimming college will need one (and preferably more) of the following:
1. Nationally ranked within the UK
2. International experience in a national team
3. Have the ability to swim multi-events
and, even then there is no guarantee that a full scholarship (tuition, fees, housing, food, books and all swimming- related expenses) will be offered. This is because all universities are limited to a maximum dollar-equivalent of about 10 scholarships and the average squad is 25-30 players.
Girls are in a much better position. Girls teams are allowed 14 full scholarships, so girls swimming at top county level or one event specialists can often get excellent funding.
There are universities and colleges that will look beyond your current swimming ability and base your awards on development potential, academic achievements and desire to attend that institution.
Academic quality in America.
Students, parents and teachers frequently ask about the value of an American degree. In America you will achieve a Bachelors Degree just like you would in the UK and will have to complete an internship in your field of study to enable you to graduate. This will give you the opportunity to gain valuable experience in your field of study whilst still at university helping you prepare for working life upon graduation.
There are 2000+, 4-year, degree-granting colleges and universities in America (as against around 150 in the UK). There are 100 American colleges that would equate academically with the Top 10 from Britain and, then, there would be the next 100 and then the next 100 after that right down to schools that will take just about anyone with the absolute minimum, just as in Britain. If you have good GCSE s and A-levels or Standard Grades and Highers and a good score on the American entrance exam, the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), then you should be able to gain entrance to colleges in the USA that would be on a par with the ones you would normally choose here.
Academic requirements
British students are technically eligible upon completion of GCSE s or Scottish Standard grades. However, most students will not attend until the following year giving them the opportunity to develop fully and mature. It is recommended by University and college admissions that students who are capable of doing A-levels and Highers, take this option. You should may get degree-level credit for your work and most people are much better equipped to be several thousand miles from home competing against 18-24 year olds if they are that little bit older. The table below sets out the minimum NCAA(National Collegiate Athletic Association) requirements and for more information regarding the three sports governing bodies, the NCAA, the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) please visit: Swimming Scholarships
MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
A swimming scholarship is firstly an academic pursuit. Therefore the NCAA(National Collegiate Athletic Association) has the following minimum core requirements:
1. C or 3 grade average in a minimum of five GCSE’s or Scottish standard grades, including the four mandatory subjects:
- Mathematics
- English
- Social Studies (geography, religious education, psychology, sociology, economics, history, integrated humanities, Spanish, etc.)
- Science (chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy and physiology)
- Any elective subject (a second subject from any of the above, computer science, or a foreign language, but not drama or PE which the Americans consider vocational . The BTEC National is considered a transfer qualification, but a GNVQ is not accepted.
2. A/S, A-levels and Highers are not necessary but will satisfy the above requirements and you can have your A-levels assessed for degree level credit.
3. Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). This The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge. It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math. The test is offered six time per year at various testing centres across the UK.
Why should American colleges want British Swimmers?
Due to the competitive nature of recruiting swimmers from within the USA some colleges and Universities will cast their net further afield to in order to find talented swimmers to boost a program and raise their Universities profile internationally. Coaches are paid to recruit athletes, organise schedules, arrange practice sessions and develop your technique. The coach faces losing their job if their team continually performs poorly in their leagues (conferences). Most coaches have found that athletes from the UK find it easier to settle in the USA and are generally more committed to their academics and swimming than students from other countries.
How good do I need to be?
To gain scholarship funding you need to be at least swimming at county level and competing nationally. You must also meet the minimum academic requirements to be considered as a coach wants athletes who will be able to adjust to life inside the classroom as well. There is also an opportunity to gain academic scholarship funding meaning that the coach does not need to use as much swimming funding and may be able to make you a larger scholarship offer. Lots of swimmers who go out on partial scholarships and then do well can get more money after a year or two when some of the older players graduate and free up money from the budget.
How much does it cost?
American universities divide fairly equally between public and private institutions. Public (state-funded) universities are usually cheaper and cost between ,000 and ,000 per year for tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Private sector schools do not have access to state and federal grants and are, on average, ,000 to ,000 more expensive each year. Most of the top academic universities such as Princeton and Harvard are private colleges and would require academics equivalent to that of Oxbridge or Cambridge for admission.
How to get a scholarship?
You will not get a scholarship if coaches do not know about you. Some high profile athletes are headhunted by US coaches over here to scout the main junior events, tournaments and meets. Other swimmers contact coaches directly by sending their own CVs. This can sometimes work, but if you are going to go down this route, you need good advice, extensive research and some good luck to make sure that the college you choose offers the academics, swimming and the ambiance that will make you happy over the next four years of your life. Many coaches will not communicate with athletes who send them their CV as they often believe that these swimmers embellish certain details in order to catch their eye. They also struggle to understand the level of
competition or what you have achieved and how it translates to the USA. Alternatively you can use the services of United Sports USA. They are the British based sports-marketing company and help to generate scholarship funding for qualified student-athletes with appropriate universities/colleges. They advise about academic requirements, entrance exams, Clearing House procedures, immigration documentation and visas, as well as giving in-depth information about each college and help to negotiate scholarship offers on your behalf. United Sports USA are committed to putting the client’s needs first and through a tailor made and personal service have helped countless young athletes realise their dream of studying and competing in the USA. Time is precious, so don’t waste another minute just thinking about moving to America, Apply Now For A Swimming Scholarship
Here is some additional information on swimming at an American University and scholarships.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 2….8:02 AM…
Light snow began overnight in the Tahoe basin and will continue off and on for the next 24 hours. Total accumulations will be on the light side, about a foot, perhaps a bit more, at 7000 feet.
Snow levels began around 5000 feet last night with cold air in place but warmer air being pushed ahead of the storm front is pushing those snow levels up to 6000 feet and above. Snow this morning should be light, but a second wave of energy due later today or tonight will make for heavier accumulations, and snow levels should drop back down to the Lake Tahoe shore.
Look for lingering showers Thursday morning before skies begin to clear, and Friday should be fair. Saturday should start out clear before the next storm system begins to move in. This one will likely be even warmer, with rain possible up to 7500 feet at the start. Most of the moisture from the system will be coming from a plume of subtropical moisture over the Central Pacific. But that liquid will merge with colder air from the Gulf of Alaska low that’s been spinning energy toward the Sierra all week. When the main low moves east on Sunday the colder air should begin to get the upper hand and snow levels should drop back down. But most of the storm’s precipitation will likely be gone by then.
Stay tuned for details.
Temperature forecasts:
Tahoe City:
Wednesday 41
Thursday 36
Friday 43
At 7000 feet:
Wednesday 31
Thursday 29
Friday 33
\Regional radar with rain/snow mix:
9
Based on your comments from the blog and the poll, it looks like you are requesting some information and guidance on how to move your arms when you swim freestyle? So, here we go. Freestyle is what you would call an asymmetric swimming style. Well, asymmetric is a strong word, but almost. What I mean by this? Imagine you are laying on a floor on your stomach, face down and your arms are along side of your body. Move one arm along the floor to the front of your head. Now you have one arm in front of your head and one at a side, this is quite asymmetric, isn’t it. As opposed to symmetric swimming style where both sides of your body do the same things, so both arms would move from the position along side of your body to in front of your head at the same time.
Now that we have that covered, let’s focus on freestyle swimming. It is very similar to what I have described above with your body being on the floor face down with one arm extended in front of your head and one arm alongside your body. Just imagine you are in the same position in the water and start rotating your straight arms at the same time. So the front arm goes down in the water and the back arm comes up. Like a very slow windmill. If someone tells you that you should start the freestyle stroke only when your back arm reaches your front arm, they are wrong as that is not how to properly swim freestyle. This type of freestyle swimming is called the catch up drill (one arm catches the other) and is only used for fine tuning of your arm movements in slower speed. So, do not let your arms catch each other. They should be almost opposite each other at all times.
Chances are though, that it is not the arms that you should focus on first. I’d suggest starting with your body and head position and then moving onto the feat of moving your freestyle arms. Once you have the windmill arm rotation going, you can focus on other things like how to catch more water (how to move your arm/hand through the water to go faster) or how to position your head while swimming freestyle, what to do with your hips or finally what to do with your arms when they are above the water which I will discuss in my next posts, so stay tuned.
I’ve been swimming and coaching for many years and one thing that I see the most room for improvements, even in competitive swimmers, are butterfly and breaststroke turns. Let me give you a few tips and tricks on how to improve and speed up your butterfly or breaststroke turn.
1) Do not be lazy on your turns. This is a very simple rule. You shouldn’t think of swimming walls as a place you hang out and rest. If this is your habit, I am sure you always see your opponent swimmers take off at the wall and then you play catch up the next 25 or 50m before another turn. If you need to rest, just do it in the middle of the pool, but not the walls. To speed up your turns, we’ll use a simple visualization technique. Everytime you get ready to do a breaststroke or butterfly turn, pretend/imagine that the wall is a hot stove and if you let your hands rest there, they will get burned. This will help you to get off the wall quicker and you will not burn your hands twice:).
2) Know your body position when doing a breaststroke or butterfly turn. Some folks tend to touch the wall, then they lift themselves out of the water, using the pool wall as some sort of a box to push upon and then they fall back down and push off. Here, you need to think of yourself as a stationary object which does not move its axis. Once your hands touch the wall, tuck your legs under your body and push off. There is no reason for you to bop up and down during the turn. In other terms, you simple move your hands from the front to back and legs from back to front, sort of switching them around with the chest staying stationary at one place.
3) Definitely do not wait to move your legs until the bottoms of your hands (palms) touch the wall. The first thing that touches the wall during breaststroke and butterfly turn are the fingertips. Once this happens, the momentum will bring your palm to the wall, however, at the same time you should already move your legs forward and start driving your knees to the wall.
4) Finally, focus on switching the direction of your swim as fast as possible. To help you with that, once your hands touch the pool wall, you should right away spring your elbow in the direction you will swim now which is away from the wall and this will help you switch your legs with your arms on the wall. See the video for a great example.
5) Last, but not least, make sure you use your stomach muscles and your core body during the breaststroke or butterfly turn to quickly bring your legs to your chest and to the wall. To practice this, you can just lay face down into the water in the middle of the pool and just practice quickly switching your legs with your ams, so you always end up facing in the other direction.
Some swimmers have experimented with butterfly flip turns, however, from my own experience, do not try it unless you are very very flexible at the shoulders as you might tear some ligament from the momentum and the surgery to get this fixed ain’t pretty. Also, if you go this route, you might notice that you actually end up much closer to the wall then during a regular freestyle flipturn, because you actually have to touch the wall. This will cause you to spring much slower off the wall, but on the other hand, your push off is going to be very powerful.
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