Yesterday’s Reindeer Relay was loads of fun! — A big thank you to all of the race organizers and volunteers who made it happen. We would also like to say congratulations to all the participants.

You can find the race results by clicking on this link.

Don’t miss the fun on Sunday, December 30

Participate in the Reindeer Relay  (aka Christmas Family and Open Team Relay and Strathcona Nordic Cup Race #1)! If you do not have a team for yourself or for your child, or if you have a partial team, sign up on Zone 4 as “needing a team,” and we will put you in one.

Note: REGISTRATION CLOSES ON SATURDAY AT 6PM.

Reindeer Relay  (aka Christmas Family and Open Team Relay and Strathcona Nordic Cup Race #1)

* Unattached skiers 12 years and under are in very high demand!

* Parents can accompany young skiers.

* Depending on who registers we may put together some “unofficial” teams who don’t meet the age criterea.

* Find more race information here.

* Register on Zone 4 with this link.

IF YOU HAVE EVER STOOD ON THE SIDE LINES AND HAD EVEN THE FAINTEST THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE FUN TO JOIN IN, THIS IS THE EVENT FOR YOU.

The club has new timing equiment, and we are using this as a training run for our Coast Cup race in March. We are going to attempt to time each leg of the race; however, this may prove too crazy for even our world class timing team in which case we hope to be able to give overall times for each team. To help us with this, please ski the leg you are assigned on the start list.

Teams will be put together as they register. To check who you are on a team with and which leg you are skiing, look at the confirmation list on zone 4, after Saturday 6pm. Find the start list on Zone 4.

Wishing a safe and happy new year to everyone!

Due to the extreme winter weather on the mountain the Coach refresher and all Racer practices have been cancelled.

We will attempt to resume the regular practices on Sunday December 16th. All racers’ practice at 9:30am Classic and the Coaching Refresher in the afternoon.

Look for more news below!!

The trails in the park are scheduled to open this weekend. If you haven’t been up the mountain to enjoy a ski yet, this weekend might be a good time! Check the Mt Washington website for weather conditions and trail reports. Look for news below about gear, free clinics, fun races, and more!

SNSC President Len Apedaile (2nd from the left) is serving jury duty at the World Cup races in Canmore. More below!

Coaching refresher

All coaches–new and returning, beginner and advanced–are encouraged to attend one or both Coaching Refresher classes this weekend! On December 15 and 16, meet with other coaches in the nordic area at Mount Washington and learn some new tricks with Coach Dave and Assistant Coach Andrea.

• Saturday December 15, 10am meet in Stadium*, ready to do some skate technique work
• Sunday December 16, 1pm, meet in Stadium*, ready for some classic technique work

*The Stadium is the flat area above the Raven Lodge parking lot. Hope to see you there!

Coaching need!

The Rabbit program needs more coaches! If you can dedicate a couple of hours once a week for a portion of the ski season–consider coaching. It’s great way to add to your own skill set and to spread enthusiasm for skiing and playing outdoors in the winter. Come to the coaching refresher this weekend and/or contact Alix headharewilson@gmail.com

Rabbits

The all club race is coming up at the end of December. This fun event will contribute towards the new Alex Harvey award for those skiers aged 8 and up. The race is a “team” relay event, which is really fun! You could sign up as a family, a team, or just sign up your Rabbit — and we’ll find them a fun team! See the “December 30 race” info below. Please notice above, we could really use a couple more coaches, for both Saturday and Sunday! Contact Alix headharewilson@gmail.com

SNSC racers in Vernon last weekend taking a short break from racing. Race Report below.

Teck Vancouver Island Snow Camp

All Vancouver Island nordic ski racers are welcome to attend this 4-day day-camp. The camp is free to race program participants, but you must register online for this race camp. Adults must enter their name first on their child’s camp registration in order to “sign” the waiver.

See the Camp notice here, and fill in the Teck Vancouver Island Snow Camp registration on Zone 4 before Thursday, December 20 to receive a technical shirt (ages 9-16 are eligible for the technical shirts).

Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, December 27
9:30 am – morning session
1:00 pm – afternoon session

Friday, December 28
9:30 am – morning session
1:00 pm – afternoon session

Saturday, December 29
9:30 am – morning session
1:00 pm – afternoon session

Sunday, December 30
9:30 am – arrival to begin race prep
11:00 am – race start

Note: There is a $5 race registration fee for the Sunday race.

December 30 race

Our race organizers are busy preparing for the fun and fabulous December 30 Family and Open Team Relay Race! This event is race #1 of 8 races in the Strathcona Nordic Cup. One point will be earned by each participant in this event and will be applied to that individual’s points in the Strathcona Nordic Cup. Awards for the participants with the most points in the Strathcona Nordic Cup will be given at the Awards Banquet April 20, 2013. Races@StrathconaNordics.com

See the race notice here and registration on Zone 4 opens on Monday! Registration link (coming soon!)

Gear

If you are looking for ski gear, check the Gear page. Be sure to scroll down. There are many times and more items are posted every couple of days.

BC Cup #1/Noram race report

Last weekend, our team competed in the very challenging BC Cup #1/NorAm race in Vernon. There were more than 30 teams competing from across BC, Canada, and as far away as Sweden and New Zeland. The event at Sovereign Lake Nordic offers a challenging course at higher altitude.

Highlights for our team include some top ten fishes by: Andrea Lee – 8th place in the very competitive, large field of Senior Women; Tallon Noble – 5th; Ross Lamon – 5th; Madeleine Guimond – 9th; Jessica Reynolds – 10th; Avalon Wasteneys – 10th; Alec Stapff – 8th; Jamie Wasteneys – 9th; Ariel Becherer – 9th; Andy Brown – 6th; Rick Morson – 9th; and Marilyn Atkinson – 3rd!

Coach Dave says, “It’s a great event, and we learned a lot. The races were tough, but everyone persevered, no one gave up. We are inspired to train harder, get stronger, and do better!”

World Cup action

The World Cup circuit swings into Canmore, Alberta this week, December 13-16. Once again there will be a large Canadian contingent of racers! There are 2 distance events and a sprint on the program. Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast live on CBC Bold and Eurosport Internationals!

Learn more on the official website.

Meet the directors

The Strathcona Nordic Ski Club Board of Directors have been hard at work since the AGM took place on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at Mark Isfeld Secondary in Courtenay, BC. In fact, they have been working so hard, they haven’t had time to write their bios and update this information on the website until now!

Your club directors for the 2012-2013 season are:

President – Len Apedaile
Vice President – Alison Stocks
Treasurer – Scott Prager
Secretary – Andrea Stapff
Membership Director – Richard Barry
Sponsorship and Fundraising Director – Shannon Reynolds
Director of Communications – Barb Kelly
Chair Skill Development, Director – Alix Wilson
Chair Athlete Development, Director – Berend Henckel
Chair Recreational skier development – vacant
Chair Coach Development – Doug Herchmer
Chair Club Events – vacant
Chair Competitions and Officials Development Programs – vacant

You can learn more about the directors on the new BOD page on the club website.

If you have a few hours a month to spare and you are interested in one of the vacant positions, contact info@StrathconaNordics.com.

Biathlon

The Vancouver Island Biathlon Club (VIBC) are offering biathlon programs for young and old alike at their Mt Washington facilities. They have programs for ages 10 and up. For more information and to register, contact vibiathlonclub@gmail.com

Happy December, the ski season has arrived! When you are going up to ski, you can check the nordic snow report, web cams, and Raven Lodge hours on the Mt Washington website.

The road conditions are listed on the Drive BC webpage — just click on Vancouver Island on the map, and zoom to see if there are adverse conditions on the Highway or Strathcona Parkway. Look for more news and information below.

Calder sprints to the finish in last weekend’s Coast Cup #1 in Whistler Olympic Park. Story below!

Date change!

The dates for the Community Coaching (CC) workshop have been changed from December 7-9, 2012 to January 4-6, 2013.

The course will be held at the Vancouver Island Mountain Centre with the Saturday and Sunday sessions on snow demonstrating both classic and skate technique.

Pre-requisites for this course are completion of the Intro to Community Coaching (ICC) (10 HRS.) workshop and membership in the Strathcona Nordics (members are free and non-members costs $ 100).

Contact Doug to register dhrecreation@shaw.ca

Calling all Rabbits!

Mount Washington has opened for the season, so dust off that gear and spend some time in the snow. Remember to keep track of the times that Bunnies and Rabbits spend on skis, even before sessions begin. Each time you head out on skis for at least an hour — that counts as one point towards earning Snow Goal awards.

Although the early bird deadline has past, there is still time to register for the Rabbit Skill Development program. We will be accepting registrations until the end of December. For those families that have already registered, please remember to sign up for a volunteer position by clicking the Rabbit Volunteer button on the SNSC sidebar.

See you on the snow!

The Strathcona Cup * Awards, Glory *

This year, we are introducing a fun race series that culminates in even more fun and prizes. The Strathcona Cup consists of 8 races spread through the season. Skiers will receive a point for each event they participate in. There will be awards for the skier or skiers with the most points in each of the age categories. Awards will be given at the end of season banquet. Points will be given regardless of winning or losing, participating is the only requirement!

The events are:
* Club race Sun Dec 30th
* Twoonie race Sun Jan 27th
* Twoonie race Sat Feb 9th
* Twoonie race Sun Feb 17th
* Coast Cup #3 Sat March 9th
* Coast Cup #4 Sun March 10th
* Twoonie Sat March 16th
* Loppet Sat April 13th

More details to follow on the format of each race.

Last year big and small club members, like Alexandra and her dad Len, enjoyed the Twoonie Races.

Race report

Last weekend under the green Olympic Rings at Whistler Park, Strathcona Nordics racers put in a fine showing at the first race of the season.

Sixteen racers, ranging in age from 8 to 58, attended the Coast Cup #1. The snow conditions were challenging and the course was demanding, but the team came through and brought home seven medals for the club.

Eight-year-old Naomi Swift set a fast pace and captured the first medal of the season, first place in the PeeWee Girls division. Avalon Wasteneys took first in Juvenile Girls 2, and Morgan Meckert third in Juvenile Girls 1. In the Junior Boys category, the team made a clean sweep with Jamie Wasteneys winning first, Alec Stapff second, and Alex Brown third. Ariel Becherer took second in the Junior Girls 2.

Calder Guimond and Zander Swift put in a fine showing in the Bantam Boys category. In Midget Boys racing, Ross Lamon missed third by a few seconds, and Max Brown also had a fine race. Maya Swift and Madeline Guimond represented the team very well in Midget Girls. Sally Brown raced with excellent form in Juvenile Girls. Alison Stocks raced well in the Masters category, and the coach was impressed with Andy Brown’s performance in the very competitive Open Men’s category. [All skiing families take note, the Brown family now has a head start on the "Ski Family of the Season" award with all five members racing last weekend.]

“What a fantastic start to the year!” said Head Coach Dave Battison. “We are really looking forward to next weekend’s big race (BC Cup #1/NorAm) in Vernon, where there will be racers from the National and provincial teams.”

Best wishes to the team and their support crew as they head off to Vernon on Friday. Go team!

Keep smiling

Thanks to everyone using their Smile Cards when they shop. Thrifty Foods recently put another $242.88 in the club’s fundraising account. Contact Berend if you are a Thrifty’s shopper anywhere on the Island and if you want to get a Strathcona Nordics Smile Card. bhenckel@telus.net