Have you ever wondered what the morning routine of a U10 coach looks like? We touched base with two U10 coaches, Sonya Tesanovic and Caitlin Wallin, who grew up racing for Tyee. Our first conversation was with Caitlin, who gave us a glimpse into a grounded morning routine that primarily focuses on physical wellbeing. While you will see Caitlin’s routine below, Sonya’s routine will be featured in part two of this series.

Coach Caitlin’s Weekend Morning Routine

Before coaching, local North Vancouver resident, Caitlin grew up racing for the Tyee ski club. She has been coaching for four years now, having garnered experience at both the U8 and U10 levels. Since working with kids on snow is not considered an easy early morning task, Caitlin relies on a morning routine that cultivates a balanced blend of physical and mindful wellbeing.

• 5:30 AM - Wake-Up  As soon as I wake up, I go to the bathroom. It’s a quick step-by-step of washing my face, brushing my teeth, and putting on my base layers. Once I finish my bathroom essentials, I usually do half an hour of yoga. Often it's flow yoga to stretch and open up the body, preparing it for a day of skiing. I then make myself a mint tea with honey alongside my breakfast, which is a bagel. Shortly after, I get dressed in my ski gear and am out the door a little after six.
• 6:30 AM - Transit  Whether I catch the bus or get a ride to the mountain, this is the time I review my plan of the day. I have a weekly training schedule that I plan out every Monday, so the morning of a coaching day, I will run through what I have planned. At this time, I’ll either stick to what I have planned out or adjust depending on the group of athletes I have as well as the weather I am dealing with. Currently, I am transitioning my coaching focus from stance and balance to dynamic movement and core engagement.
• 6:50 AM - Coaches Check-in  Once I get to the base, I immediately put my boots on. From there, I am either chatting to Vlad or other coaches to ensure no drastic changes in schedule have been made. Sometimes we’ll do a coaches circle, but oftentimes we do a quick recap of what we had been told the night before through email.
• 7:00 AM - Team Gathering  By 7 am, I’m starting to gather my group for the day. I’ll ensure all my athletes’ parents are aware that I’m their child’s coach when pick-up is and such. Once I’ve done attendance and gathered the entire group, we head to the tram.

Early mornings aren’t the easiest to deal with, especially when you’ve had a busy week or overwhelming evening the night before. However, coaching has taught me how important it is to create a balance between sport and other life obligations through a routine. Once I realized a routine that catered towards my needs kept me on track both physically and emotionally, I started to dedicate time to planning out my week ahead of time.