Email: skateaxelinc@aol.com

Fax: 612-925-4919

3600 West 98th Street
Bloomington, MN 55431-2746

Nutrition and Health

How to Pack a Lunch Parents assume the lunch they make is healthier than the one served at school, but the Canadian Institutes of Health Research found that the typical lunch box is a nutritional nightmare, filled with sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Here's how to do better-By Lisa McLaughlin

• Milk: Fat Free Skim Milk is better! Whole milk is the largest source of saturated fat in children's diets.
• Fruit: Whole fruit or homemade fruit salad is always the BEST choice. Or, look for fruit snacks WITHOUT added sugar. Stay away from applesauce and fruit cups. They are usually drenched with calorie-and sugar-laden corn syrup.
• Fruit Strips: These chewy treats might seem like a healthy dessert, but they often contain more sugar than fruit. Try Tropicana FruitWise instead. They are natural! Read labels carefully!
• Bread: ONLY Whole Grain Bread! Make sure that whole wheat is the FIRST ingredient. If the list starts with wheat or unbleached wheat flour, it's not whole-grain bread. You can also find 'white' whole grain bread!
• Sandwiches: The best intentions will fall short if kids leave their fruits and vegetables sitting on their plate. Incorporate lettuce, tomatoes, and pepper strips in sandwich fillings. Alternatively, try adding shredded carrots, diced apples, and raisins to tuna salad (with low fat mayonnaise).
• Sandwich Fillings: Lunch meats can be highly processed and can be a hidden source of sodium and fat. Roast chicken, turkey, or beef that you have cooked yourself is BETTER! Water-packed canned tuna is also a good choice; low-mercury tuna is even better. If you buy cold cuts, choose only lean ones.

Remember, you are what you eat! You wouldn't dream of putting milk into your gas engine and expect your car to run properly. So, don't expect your body to operate efficiently if you are not giving it the 'fuel' that it needs!

Technical

Basic Techniques of Jumping

Diagram or Pattern of Jump on the Ice
• avoid extremely tight curves
• correct EDGES must be used

Body Preparation
• Rotating your shoulders and hips before you jump is a common error that must be corrected and avoided. This is usually caused by lack of 'edge control' and 'body position' during this phase of the jump.
• It is necessary to always have a straight back.

Lift Off or Jumping
• The ankles, knees, and hips must ALL be used for most explosive jumps possible.
• On toe jumps the timing between the skating leg and the toe tap is critical
• On edge jumps the skating knee will bend before jumping and extend to a straight leg during the explosion of the jump, with the toe pick being your last contact with the ice.

Rotating
• The toe tap (and proper edge control prior to toe tap) initiates rotation on toe jumps.
• The increase of curve on the take off edge initiates rotation on edge jumps.
• Excessive HEIGHT is not always necessary to do triple jumps. Fast, quick rotations are.

Air Position
• The body must be straight from head to the toes.
• You should always be 'tall and skinny' like a pencil in the air.
• How tight the arms and free leg are depends on how many rotations you wish to do.

Landings
• Rotation must be controlled.
• A flexible and soft skating ankle and knee is necessary in cushioning the landing against the ice.
• An excellent landing position is VERY pleasing to watch and often times is a somewhat different from skater to skater.

Rhythm and Timing
• Good rhythm and timing works when all of your body parts work harmoniously together
• A good rhythm in the jump preparation phase is crucial as it assists in proper lift off with the toe or explosion from the edge

Combination Jumps
• Combination jumps are easier if the first jump is fast, long, and low.
• The landing of the first jumps, which is the take off position for the second jump, must be clearly understood and done correctly.
• The first jump in the combination should be faster, longer, and lower. The second and/or third jump in the combination should be higher and will most likely be slower.

"Good Jumps are NOT Luck. They are achieved with proper technique and hard work!" -Kathy Casey

Parental

Being a Role Model

• Values Kids Learning Through Skating
• Your child can benefit greatly by participating in skating-but those benefits aren't guaranteed. They're the result of a cooperative effort among local skating clubs, coaches, officials and parents. Those benefits come more readily when adults put the interests of children first and leave their own egos and desires about winning at home.
• Through skating your child can:
  • ..acquire an appreciation for an active lifestyle
  • ..develop self-esteem. self-confidence, self-discipline and self reliance by mastering and performing skating skills,
  • ..learn to manage stress, perform under pressure and test emotional and physical balance,
  • ..develop social skills with other children and adults,
  • ..learn about managing success and disappointment,
  • ..learn about fair play and being a good sport, and
  • ..learn respect for others.
• Children learn behavior from many different people-coaches, teachers, other adults and peers, but the people they learn the most from are their parents.
• Your child not only soaks up what you say; your child soaks up what you don't say. Non-verbal messages-like disgust or disappointment, often speak louder than words. Your attitudes toward your child and other people are not as easily hidden as you might believe. "Do as I say, not as I do" is an unnatural maxim for children to carry out, because they follow your example not your instructions.
• If you tell you child to respect others, that's great, but the message is lost if you don't model that respect. You'll have many opportunities as your child skates to model good behavior and attitudes. By putting your child's development and welfare ahead of winning, you'll be better able to display a healthy attitude toward sports and life-so will your child.
• Skating Parents' Do's and Don'ts
• Focus on effort, participation, fun and skill building, not winning.
• Practice good sportsmanship
• Teach your child how to lose gracefully and respectfully.
• Show interest, enthusiasm, and support for you child and other skaters.
• Be in control of your emotions.
• Read the rulebook or ask your head coach. Do not assume that other parents know more than you do or less than you do.
• Parents need to parents and coaches need to coach. Please allow your coach to do the coaching.
• Don't make negative comments to skaters, parents, officials or coaches.
• Don't compare your child with other skaters.
• Volunteer-take an active part in you child's skating experience.