The Paskapoo Alpine Racing Team (PART) is pleased to introduce the ‘FASST’ program for 2006 & beyond.  The ‘FASST’ program is a purpose built athletic development program for Paskapoo Skimeisters & Paskapoo Alpine Racing Team athletes designed to promote the advancement of athleticism & knowledge / awareness in all athletes while building a positive attitude towards a healthy and active lifestyle.  The PART ‘FASST’ program is designed to take advantage of the ‘Windows of Opportunity & Trainability’ for all athletes during the Learning to Train, Training to Train and Training to Compete phases of development.  The below listed information is a brief guide to assist you in understanding the program. To begin with, let’s take a look at a couple of definitions;

Health; ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and the absence of disease or illness’

Physical Fitness; ‘the capacity to carry out everyday activities without excessive fatigue and yet have sufficient energy in reserve to enjoy leisure pursuits and for emergencies.  Physical fitness is gained through exercise and is not a natural attribute. 

Window of Opportunity; ‘a short period of time during which an opportunity must be acted on or missed.’

For our purposes, ‘everyday activities’ include on snow and physical training.  If you can’t get through an on snow training session without excessive fatigue then you can’t expect to learn or improve on your current skills.  Learning and developing new skills require clear thinking and adequate energy levels for a sustained period of time.  A high state of fitness will mean that you are able to train harder for longer and therefore get a better training effect.  Simply put, if you run out of gas after four runs of slalom training, and your competition and teammates are able to ski 10+ before running out of energy, then it goes without saying that they will quickly rise to a much higher skill level due to extended periods of on task activity and prolonged learning. Getting fit isn’t easy, however it is a vital component in ensuring consistently high quality performances in training and in racing.  We believe that fun and variety are key…if it’s not fun, then why are we doing it?

PART ‘FASST’ Program

The ‘FASST’ program has the following short term objectives;

      Increase fitness levels to ensure that all athletes are able to ski large volumes in season while ensuring productivity and safety

      Increase contact time between athletes and coaches during the ‘General, Specific & Pre Competitive’ phases (late summer & fall)

The ‘FASST’ program has the following long term objectives;

      Increase athleticism in all participants

      Ensure the development of a wide and varied base of athletic and psychological skills 

      Ensure the development of ancillary knowledge and competency  

The ‘FASST’ program is designed with the following principles in mind:

      Development of large muscle groups first

      Development of core muscles before the limbs

      Participation in a number of sports and activities

      Develop tendon strength before muscle strength

      Major skill learning stage; wide base of athletic skills

      Develop joint flexibility (range of motion) before strength

      A minimum of 16 hours of activity per week; structured & unstructured

      Prioritized development of the ABC’s of athletics; running, jumping, wheeling and

      Prioritized development of the ABC’s of athleticism; Agility, Balance, Coordination & Speed throwing