Sports & Outdoors

ASPEN, Colo.—Now in his eighth year as an alpine J5 coach (ages 8-10) at Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, Veteran Willie Volchhausen sat down with ABJ to discuss the finer points of turning "raw material" into some of the world's most passionate skiers.

How did you get your start in ski racing? I ski raced for Sunlight Mtn. We were the 'Bad News Bears' of the division, and we thrived on that. We were skiing all disciplines and a lot of freesking with my buddies. If it was a powder day we rarely made our starts.

What do you bring to the AVSC? Passion for skiing, knowledge for sport and a lot of enthusiasm. I have a philosophy that they are skiers first and racers second - or whatever discipline suits the athlete or competitor.

Walk us through a typical day as an AVSC coach? A cup of coffee in the morning to get me going and then I prepare the training program for the day. We work hard from 9-11:30 and then we eat lunch. Afternoon is playtime - then I do the admin part of the job and all the video uploading. When we are hosting races the hours are much longer−and we do an unbelievable job of hosting events−and these days are very strenuous for the whole staff, like for NORAM and World CUP and USSA races. This year the snow is a major concern.

Explain Sprongo? This is an online video library where we post videos of our skiers. The racers can watch and learn. It's a great tool for coaches and racers.  Also, anyone can follow−like your Grandma in Chicago.

Toughest part of the job? Putting up the B net on the course. This protects racers and keeps them from going in the trees. Its physically demanding and time consuming. We have to move them a lot from Ajax to Highlands−part of the job that no one notices.

Why did you choose to be a race coach rather than an instructor? I get to work with the same athletes year after year and watch them grow with the club. I am naturally good at this, and they respond to me. I really enjoy skiing and coaching the J5 group. They are kids that are very capable, and very accountable. I bring kids to the next level, and make them grow up a little bit. The program teaches self reliance and the 'I can do it attitude.'

Favorite mountain? Ajax - best mountain in the world.

Favorite restaurant? Bonnies   

Something that no one knows about you? No one knows how bad my feet hurt everyday. I have bone spurs and I have to wear ski boots everyday.

A ski racer that you are following closely? I like Tina Maze. She is from Slovenia. This year we over-injected the GS course on Aspen Mtn. Conditions were unusually challenging and she nailed the run like no one else.

What does the future of AVSC hold? We are headed to the top. We have one of the best programs in the country. AVSC is very focused on developing well rounded skiers. Neighboring large ski clubs are on the snow earlier than us, but we catch up by not burning our kids out. The freestyle team is growing rapidly, we have a lot of great coaches. Also, the Freeride Tour is getting very popular. If our alpine team could merge with the Freeride team it might help create a new avenue for our young skiers.