NASTAR RACING
Race for the gold! Bear Creek features NASTAR racing on Timberline every Tuesday and Wednesday evening from 7pm-9pm for all ages of skiers and snowboarders. Compare yourself to your peers, Olympic athletes and other skiers and riders from mountains across the country.

Registration starts at 6:30pm at top of Timberline. The cost is $5 for two runs or $10 for unlimited runs.

BEAR CREEK RACING TEAM

About the Program
The two programs available at Bear Creek are part of a continuous progression towards the elite level of ski racing. Both programs emphasize the fun of skiing in general. The Grizzlies development team will focus primarily on development of solid technique through free skiing, free skiing drills, and gate drills. Children in the Grizzlies program will also be introduced to some competitive situations through the intramural racing series. The objective of the Grizzlies program is to compete, but to PREPARE to compete, by focusing on the FUN-damentals.

The Racing Team training regimen will also involve a lot of free skiing drills, and gate drills, but will also incorporate discipline specific gate training, and introduce racing tactics and skills. All athletes will also be learning what types of training are most beneficial to them, and what areas of their skills require more or less attention. The less experienced athletes in the Racing Team will focus on “training to train”, learning how to become better racers. The more experienced athletes in the Racing Team will be entering the “train to compete” phase, where their time in training is preparing them for competition. Ultimately, these steps will all lead those who choose to continue in ski racing to the “train to win” phase of an elite competitor, where year-round training programs and intense on-snow training prepare the athlete for the rigors of top level competition.

Bear Creek Racing Team
(for children ages 9 through 14 as of 12/31/06)
The Bear Creek Racing Team is for children who are interested in participating in the Pennsylvania Alpine Racing Association (PARA) racing series. Children in this program are registered with PARA and USSA, and enter the Junior Olympic and Regional competition qualifying ladders. The Racing Team training will divide time between free skiing drills and gate training based on the coach’s assessment of the progress of the athletes and the upcoming competitions. Prior racing experience is not required, but athletes entering the racing team should have solid skiing skills, preferably with some prior formal instruction.

Bear Creek Grizzlies Development Team
(for children ages 6 through 10 as of 12/31/06)
The Grizzlies program is for younger children who are interested in learning racing technique and skills. Grizzlies will focus on racing technique and skills primarily through free skiing exercises, with 25-30% of the time spent in gate drills. Grizzlies will also be able to participate in an intramural race series, with points awarded over the course of the season for end of season awards. Athletes in the Grizzlies program do not require prior racing experience, but should be able to ski any trail on the mountain, and must be able to ride all lifts independently.

Training and Racing Schedule

Pre-season Training
There will be at least two pre-season training opportunities. Pre-season conditioning may also be combined with social activities to allow parents and children to meet the coaching staff personally prior to the winter season. Conditioning activities will be coordination/game oriented, and include ski specific low impact strength training activities.

Weekly Training

Seasonal race development program begins January 5 and ends March 9.  Race training will be held on Thursdays from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, Saturdays from 8:30am-3:00pm, and Sunday from 8:30am-2:30pm. Holiday Camp will be held December 27, 28, and 29.  Camp hours are 8:30am-2:30pm.

Racing Schedule
PARA has not yet released the schedule for the 2007-2008 season. As soon as it is available, it will be posted to the web site.

Program Staff

Consulting Racing Director: AJ Kitt
AJ Kitt is virtually a household name in the ski racing community. A member of the US Ski Team for over 10 years, AJ was the first American male to compete in 4 Winter Olympiads. AJ has a World Championship bronze medal in the downhill from 1993, a World Cup downhill victory at Val d'Isere in 1992, and over twenty top 10 world cup placings. AJ was also US National Champion twice in downhill, and twice in Super-G, taking both championships in 1991.

In AJ's role as Consulting Racing Director, he will be overseeing the creation of the Bear Creek Competition Program and providing input on all aspects of pre-season and in-season training and competition. AJ will also be providing training for the coaching staff, including familiarization with the new coaching and development programs being introduced by the USSA.

Coaching Staff
Our Head Coach, Richard Wagner, is responsible for all aspects of the Competition Program, including taking the feedback and input from AJ and implementing it for the athletes.
Bear Creek is currently looking for other interested individuals to join the coaching staff. Any racing or coaching experience would be a great asset, but is not mandatory for all positions. Contact Richard at richard.s.wagner@gmail.com or at 215-766-4939.

Program Fees

Cost of the 2007-2008 program: $375 (does not include lift tickets or equipment)

Cost of Holiday Camp: $150 (Holiday Camp cannot be purchased separately from Race Program)