Welcome Letter

November 1, 2023

Dear Southwest High School Nordic Ski Team Families,

Welcome to the 2023/24 ski season!  We have some new and exciting happenings with the team: 

• A new head coach: Greg Rhodes PhD. Greg is stepping up from assistant coach to head coach this year. Greg is a native of Minnesota and skied for his high school in the late 90’s.  Greg has been involved with coaching and teaching snow sports for over 20 years. Greg also earned a PhD in Kinesiology and is actively involved in coach education as well as athlete development at the national and international level. 

• 2-day team option: We have created an option for skiers who are curious about nordic skiing and the ski team to join us 2-days/week. We continue to welcome all skiers at all practices, but we will have a dedicated coach available on Monday and Thursday to welcome these skiers as they learn to ski for the first time, or are looking for a skiing experience less focused on racing. 

• New rental skis: We received a generous donation of a new fleet of Rossignol skis and poles. We now have more skis to rent to skiers who are not ready to invest in ski equipment. We want to make sure that the opportunity to join our team is not limited by access to ski equipment. 

• Athlete wellness program: The Southwest Nordic Booster Club has accepted a proposal from the current SWHS coaches to fund an Athlete Wellness and Well-being Program. The funding of this program will allow the coaches to provide more resources that will help all members of the team physically, mentally, and emotionally. We are committed to a holistic approach to coaching athletes that addresses all aspects that contribute to health, wellness, and performance. 

• A new website: with the help of our captains, a new website has been launched to improve communication with past, current, and future SWHS nordic community members. Please visit www.swnordic.org for information about: 

  • Practice Schedule including time, location, and daily technique

  • Race schedule and results

  • Team photos 

  • Newsletters and Team happenings!

  • Opportunity to donate to the SWHS Nordic Booster Club

If you have any questions about the season, please contact Greg Rhodes (gregsrhodes@gmail.com) or connect with any of the other coaches or captains. We are here to help all our families have a successful winter with the Southwest High School nordic ski team!  Start your snow dances so we can be out skiing as soon as possible...

Sincerely, 

Greg Rhodes PhD.