Stephen MacShane came back from a week at Dalseter a bit disappointed with his progress – mainly track skiing with coaching from Dagmar. He made a resolution to get out on roller skis and immediately enrolled with XC Ski Nation (https://xcskination.com/ ) and discovered lots of really good tips about cross country ski technique.
After his return from Dalseter he was practising on the cycle track at Hetton Country Park nearly every day, putting into practice the tips he was picking up from XC Ski Nation. The XC Ski website subscription also allowed Stephen to upload video clips of his skiing with subsequent feedback analysis from the experts.
Another breakthrough came when Stephen’s cousin Brian from Alberta was marooned in the UK over the corona lockdown period (Brian was staying nearby in Co Durham and borrowed some of Stephen’s roller-skis and boots). As luck would have it, Brian is a Nordic ski coach in Canada, mainly coaching Canadian junior skiers. Once the lockdown eased, Stephen and Brian were roller skiing at Hetton several times per week and Brian was able to give many tips on ski technique, covering both classic and skate skiing. Stephen also now has a training set-up in his garden which he uses to improve his fitness and core strength and balance. He has lost a lot of weight and says he has never felt fitter! He is now looking forward to the Snowsport England roller ski course in August and is also thinking about doing the training and assessment weekend to become a Level-1 coach.
