Sunday, May 24, 2009

Golf Games



Good Morning,

It is a Sunny Sunday here in Kelowna! Finally! It has been a cool spring here. Lots of cloudy cool days. Today we are going bike riding with Makaiya and her cousin Taya. Also our house guests David and Melisa.

We are going to Chrissy's Parents for BBQ hamburgers, and some games of lawn bowling.

I have had 3 games of golf this spring. I have shot 80 ,82,and a 83. Not bad but I plan to be shooting in the 70's this summer. I will let you know how it goes.

Bye for now.

Doug

Monday, May 18, 2009

Work projects

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of you are doing well! It was a long ski season. It is very important at the end of the season to look back at it! What were your strong points? What points could you improve on? Did you have the strength to finish strong at the end of the race? Be honest. Now if you feel you need more power more strength. This is the season to improve that. We want to be strong and flexible. "Well, working out is inconvenient." I know that! Of course it is. But those who prepare the most have a better chance to win! Or to move to a new personal best.

Ok, I have to be truthful. I have not been working out as much as I use to. When I was racing. Too busy with work. But I have been doing much more so far this spring. I feel great! And I am building more muscle. I have actually been doing work outs with Chrissy. She bought this DVD set Called "Chalean extreme". http://www.beachbody.com This site is where she ordered it.
Chrissy used it when she was in Japan and lost 5 inches off her waist. She wants to lose much more. All the work outs are done at home. They are 35 minutes to 1 hour in length. There are many different works out so you do many different movements. The only thing you have to do is buy weights. Of course you must make time to do it. I do it early in the morning before work. Please check the site.

I have been very busy. I rebuilt my work trailer. It looks much better. Maybe I will attach some pictures tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Doug

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Mothers Day brunch




Happy Mothers Day !!

It was this past Sunday for all mothers in Canada. We celebrate Mothers and all that they do for us! Great Job to all of you moms out there.

Chrissy invited all the mothers in our family and some friends. She made it very fancy and the food was yummy! I was the helper and dish washer. All had fun and ended up staying for dinner too. I

Bye for now

Doug

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Coaching Summit in Calgary

Hi all!

I am in Calgary now. This is day 2 of the coaching Summit. The Summit is where All head coaches and Nation team coaches come together. We have different speakers on all sorts of topics. I am very excited to use them next year. I will share more next time. It is very cold here. It actually snowed today.

It has been very busy here in Canada. It always is. Catching up with friends and Family, Paying bills, house work in side and out, getting ready for my summer work , cabinetry installing.

Bye For now.

Doug

Thursday, April 16, 2009

More pictures




Hi again!

Disney land and Disney sea were also stops for us. Along with a fun Cherry Blossom festival stop. It was fun to see all that participated! Chrissy and Makaiya loved the whole experience.

Bye for now.

Doug

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Trip to Soryo , Hiroshima





Hi Every one,

First, to all of you thanks for a great season. It was exciting to see good race results and many personal bests! We are committed to continue our move ahead and see more success in the future!

Second, before we left Japan this year we visited different areas. Hiroshima, Kamakura, Onjuku. Thank you to all that welcomed me and my family!!

Soryo in Hiroshima is where my Grand parents are from. I saw the house they lived in the grave site for the Ito Family and met many family members.

In Kamakura we stayed with the Fukashima family and saw old temples and beautiful sites.

In Onjuku westayed with Ono and Mika and had a greatparty at Uematsu Sans new house. Also surfed and actually stood up for the first time. It was a blast. Chrissy and Makaiya loved it too.

Enjoy the pictures.

Bye for now.

Doug

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Accel Party



Hi!

It was a fun party! I wish everyone could come! Here are a few pictures from it.

The conditions for skiing are very good right now. It is cold and the snow is hard!

Thank you all for a great season! I appreciate all of you! I commit myself to helping all of you move towards excellence in ski racing! Muteki!

Bye for now.

Doug

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hot spring day in Sugadaira


Hello Every one!!

What a hot day today. Great Spring weather for GS training. We were on #5 today. It was soft snow on the top, but icy underneath it.

Kasumi Ito raced in the Japan Cup this past weekend. She was 7 th in GS and 11 th in the combi race. The best boys and girls in Japan were there trying to qualify to go to Canada for the Whistler Cup. A world wide race. One of the top 10 racers in her age in Japan. Great Job!!!!! I watched her do her personal best skiing at a camp before her race. We will just keep building from there! As I have seen with many of you this season. We will just keep reaching for new personal bests continually!!

I love coaching here because so many of you are motivated to push yourselves for Excellence!

I hope to see you soon and finish the season strong!

Bye for now.

Doug

Picture is of a future racer?

Monday, March 16, 2009

Rossi Race

Hello!

This past weekend was a fun one! Different from our normal schedule. I enjoyed watching some compete in the Rossignol race. We had some winners, but I believe I saw many ski new personal bests! Great Job! Thanks to Matsura San and Iwaya San for putting on a great event! And of course all of the support staff.

Chrissy and Natsumi were gate keepers for a race today. A first time experience for Chrissy. She did great! Had to write down a few DQ's. She burnt her face in the process. She looks cute. Kind of like a raccoon! Hee Hee! I hope she does not read my blog!!!

By for now.

Still great snow here in Sugadaira! Come join us!

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Sunny Monday!




Looks good out there today! Sunny and clear. Icy too!

We have close to 10 racers today training. The Tea Clipper guys and season members. We are training GS /SL. Should be a good day.

Makaiya is going to join us today. First time out without Chrissy.

The past weekend was good. Some new guests came which is great to see! Focused on Line, timing, and a smooth balance change. Hmmmmmmm.... pretty much every thing! That is the key for fast skiing, they all go together.

The pictures were from the other days girls day party.

Bye for now

Doug

Thursday, March 05, 2009

March weather

Hello every one!

What a day it was here today! Very wet! I was surprised that 3 people wanted to ski SL in such conditions. We were all soaked after but it was a great experience. I love winning over challenging situation. It helps toughen us up! All 3 skiers really focused and were able to reach their goal for the day! Nice job!

Some news from the family side. Chrissy , Makaiya, and myself went to one of Makaiya's friends house. It was to celebrate girls day on March 3rd. That was a first time experience for me. It was fun! We had sushi for dinner and cake for desert ! Happy Girls day to all of you beautiful girls out there!

Pictures later!

Bye for now.

Doug

Monday, February 23, 2009

Winter is back!

Hi every one!

Yes, it is true. Winter is back1 It was a little scary 2 week ends ago. Rain and melting snow. But since then it has been cloudy, and snowy. Heavy snow, but that makes a great base.

Chrissy and Makaiya are happy to be here! I am too! They are enjoying meeting all of you!

Ono and I are very excited to see many of you focusing intensely on you training! Many of you skiing at new personal bests! It is our goal to do exactly that! Keep up the great work! See you soon.

Doug

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Feb, 5 Update


Hello!!

I hope you are all doing well and are feeling confident with your skiing!

We have been working on line alot lately. The biggest point is that we have enough room to carve the turn above the gate. And pressuring the ski down the fall line. We need a round shape before the gate. Of course we are not just looking gate to gate. We must be looking the fall line looking at the terrain ahead of us and the up coming gates .

I hope to see you soon!

Doug

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Feb, 3 Update


Hi Everyone!

Well, I must say Hisashiburi!! Sorry for the long span between Blogs.

It has been a good season so far. I am very impressed with results that I have heard about. Great Job! I do have high expectations for us and I will continue to strive for excellence!

Chrissy and Makaiya are here and we are all very happy to be together again. They both love Japan.

Tonight we took part in Setsu Bun ! I was the Oni! I hid in the corner and surprised everyone! Then they got me with pea nuts!

Snow has been good this week. It is very icy now and is smooth again1 Much Better than the weekend. The weather has been nice too! Not like the week end.

Bye for now.

Doug

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Jan, 15 Update

Good morning!

Finally we are getting some natural snow here in Sugadaira! It really looks like winter. I am very grateful that Tsubaburo and Omatsu yama are so good at making snow. We have been able to good training on hard snow. There has been no sign any rocks or dirt for quite awhile.

There has been some good race results from some of our guests. Great job! I always expect good results and you all should too. That is the secret for success! Set a high standard or expectation for your self.

Bye for now!

Doug

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Jan, 7 Update


Hi Racers!

So we are in full swing now. Finally we are getting better snow conditions. All man made snow. Great for us. Nice and hard!

So now that races are just around the corner just a little reminder for you all to keep focused on your own pre race plan and do not worry about anyone else you may think is better than you. Infact it is vital you feel you have every chance to win! Why not choose to win?! Your destiny comes from your choice to see and believe what you want to happen !

Ok from there comes your preparation. From the snow up. Skis tuned properly, bases waxed every day after use, edges sharp and smooth. Side walls smooth. When tuning always positive imagery. Picture your skis running fast on the snow, and cutting into the ice!

Make sure you have a good warm up and stretch before skiing and before your race. Drink lots of water. Breath properly. In through the nose out through the mouth. If you are nervous focus only on your breathing, 4 seconds in 4 out! repeat until you feel grounded. Also you can focus on some one that inspires you, or someone you respect, or love!

Well enough for this message. I will share more next time!

Doug

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Dec, 21 Update





Oh Boy!!!

It has been way too long since my last update ! Sorry! Since my arrival here it has been non stop. I have been focusing on getting everything prepared for the season.

It has been warm here so far and there are not many ski hills open. We are lucky here in Sugadaira that they can make snow! We are able to train in poles but the runs are not fully open. I believe if it stays warm we can still do excellent training using more free skiing. That is where we need to focus more anyway. Make a strong technical base to take into gates.

Miho and I took part in a Rossignol ski test last week. It was great! We meet the top leaders from Rossignol France . I actually know one of them from when I raced Pro. He was also racing at the same time. He is involved in product management.

I am looking froward to seeing all again this season.

Bye for now

Doug

Friday, November 28, 2008

Accel Canada camp

今回のカナダ合宿ではターンの前半を徹底的に練習しました。低速で足首の使い方を繰り返し練習したおかげでターン開始時の自分の中のイメージが変わりターン開始時にバランスをくずしたりずれたりする事がなくなりました。かなりターンが安定したと思います。このシーズン早い時期に充実した基礎練習が出来てポールに入るのが楽しみです。またこの合宿ではスキーの技術面だけでなくチュンナップから大会前の準備気持ちの持って行き方まで盛りだくさんでした。ダグとこの合宿中おいしい食事を作ってくれたダグの奥さんに感謝です。あまりに美味し過ぎてかなり太りました。この体重増加もスキーにプラスになるかな? ゆうじ

昨年に引き続き一年に一度のまじめなスキー練習として、このウェイトアップじゃなくてベーシックレベルアップキャンプに参加しました。シーズンが始ってしまうとじっくり練習できないポジションの確認や股関節、足首関節の曲げ方、同調のさせかたなどを徹底的に具体的にビデオを見ながら確認・修正できました。こういう練習は何百回も繰り返す事が大切ですね。ここではそれができます。残念ながら練習しすぎて膝に水が溜まってしまいましたので帰国したらすぐに抜いて一ヶ月は安静にしますです。 mosmos

 海外スキー初体験の私にとって、全てが新鮮&緊張…でしたが英語堪能かつ海外経験も豊富なお2人と一緒だったおかげで楽しく快適にトレーニングができました。
 キャンプでは切り替えのタイミングと方法・加重のかけ方・上半身の使い方…などなど今まであったイメージの細部がより具体的に!さらに滑る技術だけではなく、チューンナップ・メンタル・フィジカルなどなかなか学べる機会がないスキーに関わるさまざまな要素が詰め込まれた、とても内容の濃いものでした!!
美味しいものに目がない私にとって、奥さんが作ってくれた美味しい食事+素晴らしいデザートの数々で日々幸せと加速度アップを感じながら…今年もスキーを楽しもうと思えるキャンプでした Shibaccch@Half Pint!

Nov, 28 Update



Snow!!!!!

Yes, it snowed today! Too bad because the snow condition was actually better with out it. Yes, us racers liked the ice way more than soft snow. More speed, more movement, more fun! Every one did adapt to the change though.

Yesterday was thanks givings day in the US. As we always do we prepared a turkey dinner for the group. Hmmmmmmm... I guess Chrissy did the preparing! We all ate too much so after dinner we went for a walk to pack down the food. We need room in our stomachs for dessert.

I must say the group accomplished what we set out to do for the camp. Do a early, simple, balance change, roll both ankles in , and incline to make more edge angle all at the same time. They all look very smooth. I believe they all change their image of how to ski. They all say they feel like they are doing less and skiing feels easy! They all have changed how they imagine doing certain movements though.

Another point we have worked on is the image we look at ourselves. Do we picture others being better than us? The most important point is that we look at our selves as winners. That we are the ones that are strong, consistent skiers! We all need to make a pre race plan too. Plan our race day and training day out. What do we need to do to be prepared and feel confident to ski at our personal best. Make the plan, but if the time schedule changes we must be ready to change the plan on the fly. And do not freak out about it. Stay calm!

Ski tune up. Edges sharp , yet very smooth, bases saturated with wax.

Body warmed up, and stretched out.

Have a simple mental check list of things you need to do for technique and visualize them.

Control how you breath. In through your nose out through your mouth. 4 seconds in 5 out. When you breath in your stomach should push out, not lift your shoulders up! If you are nervous do this and only think of your breathing. You will be surprised to how it helps you over come it.

We can go over more later.

Bye for now.

Doug

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Nov, 27 Update




Hi!!

Another great day here! Nice and icy snow! The group had to think of their own warm up and mental plan for their first video run. And to be able to ski as they did the day before. They were all able complete their goal! Great pre race planning for all of them!

In the afternoon we free skied on the pole training hill. It was very icy and the slope is very challenging. Lots of rolls and terrain changes.

Bye for now.

Doug