The area we went to for our second day of cross country skiing was in Jegersberg.  Getting into Jegersberg was a bit challenging for those of us that were not very skilled on skis yet.  It took us about 1 hour to get into Jegersberg to the spot we wanted to have lunch.  We had a lunch at a small picnic table covered in snow.  Next to our lunch site was a small little slop where we went to practice some of our ski skills after lunch.  We practiced on the slop next to a kindergarten.  Naturally all of the kids from the Kiterngarden were on their ski’s and skiing around like professional skiers since we all know Norwegian’s are born with skis on their feet.  Once we were done practicing our techniques on the slop we split up into two groups.  One group was more advanced and the other group was still beginning, so we took two different paths that helped our learning abilities better.

The role of a veileader is to lead a group of people without putting themselves above anyone they lead.  This type of leader is good at leading the group but still including themselves in the group among different tasks.  The leader always has control of every situation that the group encounters.  Even if the leader is unable to do a skill as well as the group he is still able to keep control over the group and the situation in case something goes wrong.  A good leader knows how to change his leading dynamics according to the situation.  For example if a skill has many different ways of being able to be completed then the leader might take up a democratic type leadership in order for the group to build their own decision making skills and have a since of ownership and responsibility with a task.  The day is planned by a leader in order to accomplish goals for the day.

There are back up plans in case something goes wrong.  The leader has the realization that all goals might not be accomplished and is able to adjust the goals if that are not reached.  This leader knows when to be an autocratic leader and take control of a situation if need be, in case the group is not competent. Len was our veileader when we went to Jegersberg.  He did a good job at controlling the group and giving tips for what type of ski skills a dynamics we should work on.  Len was mostly an autocratic leader this particular day because most members of the group were not competent on how to use skis so it was necessary proper instructions were given on how to improve everyone’s ski skills.  Len did a good job at observing the students ski technique and giving back feedback on how to improve their technique.  Even the students that were having a hard time with the ski’s and it was apparent that they were getting frustrated, Len was able to step in and help the student calm down and still improve their technique.  The equipment used was cross country skis provided by the university.

The role of the student was to motivate each other and improve their own ski techniques.  For some students this was easy and for other students it was not so easy to get the hang of the skis.  The students helped each other out  by motivating each other, for example if someone was having a hard time getting the ski technique another student would step in and help them out with some positive encouragement or motivational sayings.  The activity for the day was to cross country ski into Jegersberg, eat lunch, learn different motor skills on the cross country skis and then practice with the cross country skis.  The area used was paths into Jegersberg, a picnic table for lunch, a small hill for practicing techniques and a path in Jegersberg with different obstacles to help the students improve their techniques.  The learning outcome for the day was that people improved their ski techniques and got better as a cross country skier.  Everyone had a different quality level of motor skills.  For cross country skiing I had a hard time getting the rhythm of the skis and trying to relax.  Once I master those skills along with keeping my feet flat I should become a great cross country skier.

Compared to my home town this activity was different because we would never have class outside.  Cross country skiing isn’t big in Nebraska either so we would not be doing this activity.  I thought I learned a lot for the day and definitely improved, even if I did get a little frustrated at times.  It was important for me to look at my own progress and not compare myself to others otherwise I just get more upset.   Pros for the day I got better, cons for the day I fell so much I got upset. Another pro is that I did not get coldJ  Overall a good day.  I appreciate the Len as a leader for the course, at home there are very few teachers with the skills Len has for engaging everyone in the course and helping everyone learn.