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Nordic ski team signs coach
Jeremy Frost was hired as full head coach of the SCSU Nordic ski team after a search committee made its official decision to offer Frost a fixed term contract.
Frost, originally from Blaine, was first introduced to the Nordic ski team as a graduate student.
"I worked with the team for two years as a grad assistant while I got my master's degree in exercise physiology," Frost said.
After former Nordic ski team coach Susan Shobe left, Frost became the interim head coach. Now he begins his fourth year with the team as the official head coach.
According to fourth year student and team captain Jaime Petsch, Frost's progression to the new position is one that feels natural to the team.
"Jeremy has always been there," Petsch said. "He knows our team and we know him, and there is a trust there."
Both Petsch and Frost have similar goals for the team in the upcoming year, including expansion.
"We want to continue to increase in our numbers and create a greater presence here at SCSU and within the collegiate realm of skiing, " Frost said.
According to Frost, the women's ski team, that has been active for about five or six years, is looking for 15-20 new recruits and is expecting anywhere between 8-10 to participate in the upcoming season.
Petsch echoes Frost's enthusiasm for team growth.
"Last season we had about five skiers," Petsch said. "I would like our team to at least double that size, so we have a higher amount of stronger skiers."
The season for the Nordic ski team begins in Jan. and runs through Feb., but training begins much sooner than that to prepare the team for meets that could qualify skiers for competition on the national level.
The team trains 5-6 days a week, several hours a day starting in autumn.
"We begin dry land training in October," Frost said. "We run and do roller skiing, then have some preseason races in December and early January."
While team members have yet to qualify for national meets, Frost is confident in the team's progress.
"We've made steady improvements over the last several years and we are coming closer to sending someone to the nationals," Frost said.
As new head coach, one of Frost's strategies: to realize that goal is to improve technique.
"There are two different disciplines, skating and classic skiing. If we improve the technique in both we will have a much more solid team," Frost said.
What the team doesn't have to worry about this season is adjusting to a new coach.
"We are already comfortable with him, so we don't have to make any big adjustments, and we can concentrate on having more depth with our skiers," Petsch said. "He has a lot of knowledge on training techniques, and because he is younger and a newer coach he is excited and willing to go out there and give it a try."
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