ATHLETICS
A Winter Season for the History Books T
here is no question that the 2020-2021 ski and ride season was the most unusual and challenging in the program’s history. A pandemic struck the world and cast life as we know it into doubt. The timeline for getting back to normal was anyone’s guess. Most youth sports and programs were forced to shut down, and many children were unable to participate in the sports that they love and so desperately need for growth and development. When it became clear in the fall that outdoor sports would go on, we counted ourselves among the lucky.
This season, all meetings and interactions were moved outside on the snow. Athlete drop off and pick up occurred at a specified outside MAC Meeting Area. Time was built in before and after training for coaches to debrief with parents on athlete progress and allow time for questions. Masks or face coverings were required anytime athletes and parents were grouping up with coaches, entering lift lines and mazes, or when unable to spread out from one another in a safe manner. We encouraged families to pack lunches and eat at their vehicles.
MAC’s Ski & Snowboard program was brought back to life in September, leaving a short window of time to plan for what would undoubtably be a very complicated and challenging season to pull off. Staff and committee members put in countless hours learning COVID-19 rules and guidelines at ski resorts across the Pacific Northwest, and worked especially closely with our resort partner, Mt. Hood Meadows. Programming, which had been grooved and running like clockwork for years, had to be re-imagined, re-written, and re-invented to fit the world’s new requirements.
Most days our U.S. Ski & Snowboard/FIS Team athletes operated just like summer camps on the glacier, bringing packs with food and water out on hill and taking a break at the top of the training venue each day.
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MAY 2021
Although we were a little apprehensive as to just how well this “all outside, all the time” stuff would work given Pacific Northwest weather, it turned out to be a beautiful change to the program. We saw parents, athletes, and coaches sitting outside enjoying the
