The Vasa-Raptors are the competitive junior Nordic skiing Vasa Ski Club program. With the support of the Club, the Vasa-Raptors provide high level training and race support at local, regional and national ski events. The team's staff of coaches are committed to coaching athletes of all abilities and to pass on their love for the sport to younger generations. The team's goal is to be the premier junior development team in Northern Michigan, and to be a destination for skiers that would like access to the highest level of training, race support, development and coaching.

Values

Fun: Share the enjoyment that skiing can bring through community, hard work and sport.
Excellence: The drive to succeed at whatever the desired level
Passion: Promote skiing as a sport for life through healthy competition and community

The Winter Season

The Winter season begins the second week of November with dry-land training. During dry land training the athletes build on the fitness they gained during the off-season to prepare for when the snow fly's. As soon as the snow sticks to the trails the team will start skiing at Hickory Hills, which boasts some of the most technical trails in Northern Michigan. The trails are perfect for preparing athletes for the local, regional and national races that they compete in. The team focuses on fostering a love for the sport through hard work, competition and a lot of fun!

Off-Season Training

The Vasa-Raptors offer a comprehensive off-season training plan that is broken up into three training periods: Spring, Summer and Fall. The Spring training period focuses on recovery and maintenance after a long, hard competition season. Summer training focuses on increasing the athlete's fitness level and prepare the athlete for the season ahead. The Fall training is meant to supplement, not replace the Athlete's fall sport. The coaching staff encourages all athletes to participate in a Fall sport while supplementing with ski specific training.