Head Coach Profile: Eric Bell

My name is Eric Bell; I was raised in the Small Island town of Ketchikan, Ak. where you see far more rain than snow or sun. In fact it rained, on average, 150 or more inches a year; contrast that to the less than 11 inches of rain Pocatello sees per year. Due to the economic downfall seen in Ketchikan as the logging boom ended, I moved to Anchorage Alaska. In a new town that saw an increase from roughly 7,000 people to 250,000 people, I found a new sport. That sport was cross country skiing. I began xc skiing at the age of 10 and was racing competitively by 12. During my High School days I skied for the Dimond High Nordic ski team, a team that boasted nearly 100 members annually. Though my xc skiing began at the age of 10, my true racing and competitive nature of skiing was not fully brought out until high school. During my 4 years at Dimond High I skied every day after school, every weekend from November to March, and typically raced on every Saturday from December to March. During high school, I compiled a strong race record that saw me finish in the top 10 in our region several times, and twice represent Dimond High School at the state championships. In conjunction with the high school races, I raced several Junior National qualifying rounds in Alaska, and twice finished in the top 10 (7th and 2nd) in the 25 k classic style race of the Tour of Anchorage. Because of my time skiing in Anchorage, I learned a great deal about the sport from an elementary level to an advanced racing level. I understand everything from the importance of patience when teaching a new skier the sport, to two-a-day practices featuring weight training and speed intervals. After High School, I took an academic scholarship at Idaho State University and am currently an undergraduate studying either to be a nutritionist/dietitian, or a loftier and more expensive goal of pre-med. I am currently a junior at ISU and though I still spend my summers basking in the cool and long summer days in Anchorage, I spend the majority of my time here in Pocatello studying, xc skiing, downhill skiing, and participating in just about any outdoor activities I can.

Junior Team Update 10/08/09

As we approach another Idaho winter, I thought that an update for the junior team would be appreciated. It has been a great spring, summer, and fall but now it appears that winter and skiing will soon arrive. As we prepare to step foot into another year of skiing, I do so with great optimism. Last year was a learning experience for everyone associated with the team including myself, as coaching proved to be a new and exciting challenge. However, as we move past last year, and into the new season great expectations are on the horizon.

2010 Junior Racing Schedule Not Quite.... Updated!

As the racing season gets closer, I would like to organize a meeting to determine which ski races members of team can participate in. However, for now I will plan on all of the JNQ races, as well as all of the "fun races" at Mink Creek......stay tuned more to come.

Link to racing/training information:

Dimond XC Training Information

The following is a link to my high school XC Skiing web page, where all sorts of information can be found. However, one link in particular in the training section is extraordinarily helpful for skiers that would like to think about racing, and training at a competitive level. If you scroll down on the page, there is a section marked "Training Information" go to this section and select the link Training Zones. This is a great resource to help prepare for the ski season. The page was put together by two former coaches of mine that have made a name for themselves by making good skiers great! If there are any questions about terms or language they use please feel free to contact me at (907) 301-0394 or at belleric@isu.edu.

Some pictures from races 2 years ago.

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Michael and Jackson discuss the wax du-jour.

Michael passes Smokey the Bear like an endangered species.

Jackson skis fast.....real fast

Pocatello's Finest with Coach: Michael, Sarah, Jackson, Scott

Scott showing how it's done.

Faster Skier

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