PERFORMANCE TIPS
SKI RACING TIP Coach Louis Florjancic U16 OCup Head Coach
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself in this season’s Skidoodle. My name is Louis Florjancic, and I am very excited to be part of the Alpine family. I started skiing around the early age of three or four; like most of us I don’t remember any of this, but some photos still get passed around to remind me. Our family is almost always the first people to teach us on our first days on snow. I was very lucky to grow up with a father that loved skiing and I can honestly say that the love that he has for the sport was infectious for me and many of his friends. Between the ages of 10-20, I was enrolled in racing programs at Georgian Peaks and was lucky to have a bunch of coaches that were fun and engaging. We continued to work on my craft and I was able to move up the ranks, and when my family felt the National Ski Academy would provide the best opportunity for my future goals we enrolled. I was thrilled as I knew many other successful athletes had come out of the Academy. From there I advanced to the Provincial Ski Team and competed for a couple more years until it was time to go away to school. I feel grateful that most of my friends today I met through my years of ski racing. Ski racing and skiing, in general, provide lifelong friendships that only grow stronger at clubs like Alpine. Many of these friends I’m speaking about are current Alpine members. These members will be teaching their kids the basics very soon. Creating an environment so that it is fun (at any age) is most important, in my opinion. A fun environment engages an athlete to do their best. You will not accomplish much in 20 one-minute runs if it’s not any fun. For instance, I like to set the focus for each day’s session and then ask the athletes what drill may work best with this focus. Example: “This morning’s session will be focused on the downhill ski. What is a good drill that isolates this?” A common response would be lifting the inside ski. Then I may ask the group “what slope would be appropriate for this?” Now they have chosen the drill and the slope within the framework I have set. Lastly, I would ask my group to remember to keep their tip lower than your tail as that will keep your body stacked and balanced. The goal here is to enable the athlete to take some ownership over the lesson while keeping them engaged. So, if you understand my story, I truly believe the coach, instructor, family member or friends’ duty is to create a fun environment to learn in, keep it simple, and share your love of the sport. When we do this, we will have talented lifelong skiers, creating lifelong friendships. When you see me around the Club, if you would like to introduce yourself, please don’t be shy.
SKIDOODLE 2022 20
