ATTENTION RACERS

Please note: We have to change our start time for the Coastal Cup #4 Race to 12:30 pm due to a Biathlon Race prior to our Coastal Cup  race. We have 137 skiers registered, so we should have a great race! Look for the start list later today.

See you Saturday,

SNSC Race Committee

The Final Countdown Begins!!

With the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games now less than 10 days away, excitement is thickening the air. This weekend will offer many events in the Comox Valley as we build up to the Games, including our annual Coastal Cup Race this Saturday at noon. We urge members to also take in the 9 a.m. Biathlon event where Olympians will show their form. There will be free swim and skate time on Saturday afternoon, and lots of activity at the Sports Center Sunday morning, hosted by the Spirit of BC Committee as part of the Sweden vs. China Women’s Exhibition Hockey game.

This is also great timing for club member Leanne Webster from Victoria to have stepped up for the director position of Club Events. Check out the new Socials page. Leanne is organizing a great opportunity to gather with club members on Saturday, February 20th and cheer on our Canadian Athletes at the Games in front of a big screen at Raven Lodge… sure to be a great time.

Cheers, enjoy the snow,

Rob Grantham Club Veep

Olympic Officials

We would like to send best wishes to our club members and their local crew who are leaving soon to take part in the Olympics — Becky Stewart , Val Wootton, Len Apedaile , Bob Lee ,Lo Lanning, Kate Pierce, Roz Smith, Karen West, Bruce Stevenson, David Gibson, Jay Dahlgren, Jerry Feniak, Marianne Muir, Carol Bell, Iona Belous, Susan Cormie, Harriet Rueggeberg, Colleen Roy, John Elson, Chris Round, Bob Hauser, Wilf Dreher and Susan Denny. We look forward to hearing about your Olympic experiences!

Coastal Cup — Registration Deadline

Registration for the Coastal Cup #4 closes at 6 pm on Thursday. Be sure to register today on Zone 4 for our exciting annual race, which happens this Saturday at noon! If you aren’t racing, come cheer your local club members on. Racers, be sure to select the link on the “Races” page on our website and read the race notice.

Movie Night

Get your advance tickets for our fun Movie Night at Ski Tak Hut. The “Double Bill Extreme Ski Movie Night” at the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College in Courtenay takes place on Thursday February 11 at 7pm. Join us for thrilling movies, food, and prizes. Bring your family, friends, and neighbours. Tickets are $8 each. Proceeds go to the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club. Scroll down to see the movie titles…

Club members can bring some baking for the sale at the at the intermission. Please bring some finger foods like cookies or squares to feed the hungry movie-goers and to help us add to the fundraising pot.

Rabbits

There will be no Saturday Rabbits this week due to the Coastal Cup Race on Saturday Feb 6th, instead the session will be made up on March 21st for the Rabbit Tournament. All Rabbits are encouraged to participate in this race, and register before 6 pm on Feb 4th on Zone 4. Please read the “Important Rabbit News” email which was sent out on Monday Feb 1st for more information about race registration and program events and happenings.

Racing Teams

Our Racing Teams enjoyed strong finishes and good weather at the BC Cup #2 Race in Prince George last weekend. Our club was well-represented by our Coach and by all our athletes and parents who attended. The team had many top 10 finishes. The following racers brought home medals: Emmalee Vandermale – Silver and Bronze, Andrea Lee – two Gold, Freya Westanays – two Gold, Sylvia Watkins – Bronze, Brian Stamp – Gold and Bronze.

Nordic Blogs

Catch up with Kit Richmond at http://skiopedia.blogspot.com/ Find Olympic team member Chandra Crawford’s latest at http://www.chandracrawford.ca/ and George Grey’s blog at http://www.georgegrey.ca/loading-the-bullets/

Coming Soon

SNSC back-country skiing news!

Busy times on Mount Washington!

Club race organizers are getting set for annual Coastal Cup #4 race on Saturday, February 6th, and we encourage all interested members to register for this event at www.zone4.ca . Also mark it on your calendar because that morning at 9 am there will be visiting Olympic teams participating in a Biathlon event that is open to the public.

Do note that with visiting international teams on the mountain, there will be some trail closures, paritcularly on the World Cup trails and sections of the stadium and Jutland. While the Chinese Biathletes were training last weekend, the number of visiting athletes may reach 120 in the next couple of weeks! Coaches are suggested to check the snow report before taking groups out on the trails for programs, but it’s also a great opportunity to see these athletes in pro-Olympic form.

See you on the hill!
Rob Grantham
Club Veep

Coastal Cup #4
Register now for the Coastal Cup #4 race on Mount Washington! The race takes place on Saturday, February 6th at noon. Registration closes on Thursday, February 4. The race notice is available on the Races page, and registration is open on www.zone4.ca. It’s going to be an exciting event, so be sure to get in on the action by registering and/or signing up to volunteer. Email info@strathconanordics.com to volunteer.

Movie Night
Get your tickets at Ski Tak Hut! Come to the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College in Courtenay on Thursday, Feb 11 at 7pm for a fun event! Help keep your ski club strong and be entertained by two Extreme ski movies. The event is a fundraiser for the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club. $8/person. Bring a friend — Tickets on sale at Ski Tak Hut — Fun, food, movies and door prizes!

Thanks to Ski Tak Hut for lending us the movies! Check out the trailers Seven Sunny Days and In Deep .

Teams Training
Olympic Biathlon teams will be training from now until Feb 10th. They are using Jutland, World Cup and the Sprint Loop, however the Sprint Loop is open to public in the evenings. Watch for racers on West Passage! All other trails are open.

If skiing Raven’s, you will need to ski up the Grind or return Raven’s to get back to the Lodge. The same goes for skiing down the Grind. Jutland is not open to public. Mount Washington will keep as much of the Stadium open as possible, but it will be changing from day to day with the penalty loop sometimes needed.

Note: Jan 30 and Feb 6, the Stadium will be closed for events.

The first 300m of Jutland, to the Lookout is open to public. From the top of the quarry, you can watch the teams training on the World Cup trails. You can walk (not ski) into the Biathlon Range, and there is a viewing area right behind the firing line. Please respect the trails and volunteers marshalling the area. For the latest updates check the snow report after 8am each day.

Marc Lyster — Nordic Operations

Masters Recreational
Beginners: The weather forecast didn’t look good, but we got a good turn out any way. Half the group went out with Rick Morrison and worked on their skating and the rest of us had our first classic day. Ski conditions were OK despite the 30 km winds. We had to keep moving to stay warm. The skater group look like they had improved, and the classic group were all naturals. Everyone got back before the increasing wind and falling snow turned the ski into a survival exercise!

Racing Teams
We wish our racing team members good luck as they head to Prince George this weekend for the BC Cup #2 race!

Rabbits
Rabbits are off to a terrific start this season with lots of smiles and some really fast skis! Perhaps there are even a few future Olympians in the group!

The sunglasses and beanie hats have arrived, so we hope to distribute those to the groups this coming weekend. Please remember to look for your Rabbit booklet if you are a returning skier and submit these to your coach. If you have lost your booklet please let your coach know as soon as possible so we can order a new one for you. The cost for a replacement booklet is $5.

All Rabbits are encouraged to participate in the Coastal Cup Race on Saturday Feb 6th. Registration is done at www.zone4.ca There will be no Saturday Rabbits session on this day, and instead the session will be made up on Sunday Mar 21st for the Rabbit Tournament.

PHP Help
Any members who could help tweak the CSS for club website? info@strathconanordics.com

Missing
As we begin preparations for the 28th Annual Vancouver Island (VI) Loppet, we are reminded that in 2007 a special Loppet item was lost:

“From one of our first VI Loppet’s–a single-use paper race bib that would be attached to a ski jersey with 4 pins in the corners . It is white with black printing, and is hand signed by all the Canadian Cross Country ski team from the time.”

If you have any idea where this special paper bib may be, please contact info@strathconanordics.com

Kit Richmond

While Kit Richmond didn’t make the Olympic team, he was selected to represent Canada at the cross-country skiing World Cup.  The world’s best cross-country skiers will be in Canmore, Alberta  for the Viessmann World Cup FIS Cross-Country event, which runs February 4-7, 2010. This will be the final international race event before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Go Kit!

Lost!
As we begin preparations for the 28th Annual Vancouver Island (VI) Loppet, we are reminded that in 2007 a special Loppet item was lost:

From one of our first VI Loppet’s–a single-use paper race bib that would be attached to a ski jersey with 4 pins in the corners . It is white with black printing, and is hand signed by all the Canadian Cross Country ski team from the time.

If you have any idea where this special paper bib may be, please contact info@strathconanordics.com

Get your tickets next week for Movie Night:

JackRabbits and Olympic Racers on the trails at Mt.. Washington!!

Last weekend was the start-up of our Skill Development Programs, and it was great to see so many young BunnyRabbits and JackRabbits on the trails.  Huge thanks to the many volunteer coaches who do such a great job introducing these young kids to our sport.  In many ways these programs are the core of our club, as a lot of our members first enter SNSC through Jackrabbits and move up through our other recreational and racing programs over time.  Beginning very soon you may also see slightly faster skiers on the trails from the many National Teams that have chosen Mt. Washington for their final training before the 2010 Olympics.  These will include the Canadian Olympic Team, some of whom no doubt began skiing as a Jackrabbit somewhere in Canada.

Looking ahead we have the annual Coastal Cup Race on Saturday, February 6th.  Look for details from race organizers on this full-family fun day of racing that this year just MIGHT involve an appearance from some visiting Olympians who will be informed and invited to participate if they so choose.  The noon race will be preceded by a Biathlon event that will be well worth watching prior to race warm-up,  as National Biathlon Teams from 2 or 3 countries will be training here as well.  This is a rare chance to see Olympic-level Biathletes right here at our own Biathlon range.

See you on the hill!

Rob Grantham

Club Veep

Movie Night!

Come to the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College in Courtenay on Thursday, Feb 11 at 7pm for a fun event! Help keep you ski club strong and be entertained by two Extreme ski movies. The event is a fundraiser for the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club. $8/person — Tickets on sale next week at Ski Tak Hut — Fun, food, movies and door prizes!

Thanks to Ski Tak Hut for lending us the movies. Check out the trailers Seven Sunny Days and In Deep.

Coastal Cup #4

Our club is hosting the Coastal Cup #4 race on Mount Washington on Saturday, February 6th. The race notice is available on the the Races page,  and registration is open on Zone 4.  It’s going to be an exciting event, so be sure to get in on the action by registering and/or signing up to volunteer. There is a special volunteer need for 4-5 more assistants on the timing crew. Email Doug for details herch@shaw.ca

Look at some photos from our January 2 race in the Gallery.

Rabbits

Good snow-dancing everyone! It looks like we have a healthy amount of snow on Mount Washington once again. Rabbit parents may want to register their children for the exciting Coastal Cup #4 race. The race starts at noon on Saturday, February 6, and the last day for registration is Thursday, February 4. You can read more details about the age categories and distances on the race notice. All racers in the Atom category receive a ribbon and a cookie.

Masters Recreational

Send in photos and anecdotes from your Masters class to help us liven up the webpages! info@strathconanordics.com

Racing teams

The Racing Teams are preparing for the BC Cup #2 race in Prince George this weekend. Go teams!

Select the race notice link for the Coastal Cup #4 Race on February 6, 2010.  CoastCup2010RaceNotice

Rabbits and Powder Pack

The Rabbit and Powder Pack programs begin this weekend. Although the forecast looks better going into the weekend, it might be a good idea to do a little snow dance this week for good measure. Remember to give yourself enough time for driving and to dress for the weather — whatever it might be. You can check the weather conditions on the Mount Washington website or call their weather hotline 250-338-1515 or 1-888-833-1515. The Ministry of Transportation also issues reports for Mount Washington Roads in the By Popular Routes section on their Drive BC website. Happy trails!

Masters

The Beginner Masters group got together for our first ski on Sunday despite wind and rain of almost biblical proportions. Luckily the Raven Lodge rental shop provided us with plastic vests which helped get us out the door. Once out on skis the rain eased, and we made our way to the meadows for a warm up and skating drills. Snow conditions were good with very fast snow. Perfect conditions for free skating without poles and a bit of double poling.  Got in a few loops around the meadow and got back to the Lodge just as the rain started up again. It was a bit concerning to watch the water levels rise in the small streams and it looked more like late spring than mid winter. Snow permitting we’ll get together again in the lower part of the lodge on Sunday at 10:00 AM to work on skating techniques.

Racing Teams

In racing action, the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club (SNSC) teams enjoyed strong finishes and won medals last weekend at the BC Cup #1 in Kelowna. Race Highlights include many top 10 finishes and a Bronze medal to Ariel Becherer, Gold to Andrea Lee, Freya Wasteneys, and Sarah Peters for classic technique races. In the skate technique races, there were again many top 10 finishes and 4th place finishes to Michael Ravensbergen and Sylvia Watkins, Silver to Andy Walker, Gold to Andrea Lee, Freya Wasteneys, and Sarah Peters. Well done team! For more race results visit Zone 4. If you are wondering how Kit Richmond is doing, you can check out his blog called skiopedia Go Kit!

Coastal Cup

SNSC will host the Coastal Cup #4 race on Saturday, February 6th with a 12:00 pm start time. The details are beginning finalized and the race notice will be posted soon. Registration will open soon on Zone 4 as well. We need volunteers to help run this exciting event — Email info@strathconanordics.com and sign up for a few hours of Coastal Cup fun!

BC Games Team Update

SNSC is happy to report that Michelle Boham, Sydney Vandermale, and Maya De Vos have also joined the team of Ariel Becherer, Emmalee Vandermale, Sarah Stewart-Grantham, Malia Irvine, Jamie Wasteneys, Sheridan Meckert, Alec Stapff, and Alex Brown. The Zone 6 team will travel to the BC Winter Games in Terrace in early March with coaches Marilyn Atkinson and Dave Battison.

First Local Race of 2010 — A Big Success!
This past weekend was another successful first of the season for our club,
as we hosted 44 skiers in the Zone 6 BC Winter Games Trials and Club
Race.  Many thanks to the organizers Sara and Brian Vandermale, Bob Hauser
and Doug Herschmer who were helped by many other volunteers.   Events such
as these are simply not possible without a good deal of volunteer effort,
and these people have stepped up not only over time, but even more so
recently as we have needed to rely on “new blood” for event management as
so many of our “regulars” are busy with Olympic Games prep.  

 
  
Congratulations to the 13 and 14 year olds who qualified to represent our
Zone at the Winter Games in Terrace this March.  They include:
Ariel Becherer, Emalee Vandermale, Sarah Stewart Grantham, Malia Irvine,
Jamie Wasteneys, Sheridan Meckert, Alec Stapff and Max Brown.  Full race
results are available at www.zone4.ca .
 
Hopefully everyone was able to enjoy the fresh snow over the weekend.  By
now most programs are in full swing, with the Jackrabbit invasion ready to
take place the weekend after this.  We have lots to look forward to in the
coming weeks, so stay tuned!!
 
Cheers,
Rob Grantham
Club Veep 

Rabbits
New to the website! There is a lot of great information about the Rabbit
Program including preparing for the season, passes, rentals, program
awards, the tournament, race details and more.  As this section of the
website is under development, let us know what other kind of information
you would like to see included. 

Remember to keep track on your calendar the number of extra skiing days.
These count towards your child’s Snow Goal Program Award Sticker.  Every
day that your child skis one hour or more will count towards the award.

Thank you to everyone for selecting your volunteer opportunity.  There are
still a few positions left, so if you think you might be able to provide
some more of your time to support your child’s program, please check out
the remaining positions by going to the club website and clicking on the
Rabbit Icon. In particular, we need one person to put out the group signs
every Saturday morning at 9:45am and a few more to help with the set-up at
the Rabbit Tournament.

Masters Recreational
Masters recreational classes begin this weekend. Meet in the Raven Lodge
at Mount Washington at 10 am. Make sure you have your trail pass from
Mount Washington and are ready for a couple of hours of skiing. See you
there!

Coaching
A reminder that the “Learn to Train (on Snow)” coaching course is taking
place this weekend in the Nordic Area of Mount Washington. Also remember
that you can use the Coaching & Officials page on the website to ask
questions or share information with other coaches!

Racing Teams
The SNSC Racing Teams have been busy training and racing the past few
weeks. At the Haywood NorAms in Canmore, Alberta, Kit Richmond enjoyed a
top 10 finish, Andrea Lee won a silver, and Freya Wastenays won a bronze!
Freya Wasteneys and Syliva Watkins are returning this week from NorAm
races in Valcartier, Quebec. We’ll have to get the scoop on those races!

On January 2, our BC Winter Games Trial and All-Club Race enjoyed a good
turn out and decent weather. The racers ranged in age from 6 to 60+. Based
on those race results, a team of 13-14 year olds was selected to represent
Vancouver Island at the BC Winter Games in Terrace in early March. Check
out their photo by scrolling
down to the SNSC News for January 2, 2010.

Many members of the Devos, Junior Racers, High Performance Racers, and
Masters Racers will travel to Kelowna this weekend for the first race of
2010 in the BC Cup series. They’ll be looking for some racing fun, CCBC
points, and hoping to bring home some hardware. Go Team!

Congratulations to all of the skiers who raced in the Zone 6 Winter Games Trial and All-Club Race ! Thank you to the Vandermales and all of the volunteers who made the race happen!

Here is the Zone 6 Team for the BC Winter Games in Terrace in March 2010. Go Team!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL STRATHCONA NORDICS!!

On behalf of the Board of Directors, warm wishes for an enjoyable and ski-filled holiday.  As we gear up for the start of our programs, we look forward to seeing club members out enjoying our wonderful terrain and facilities while 

learning and improving their skiing. 

May 2010 bring you good glide and all of the right wax choices!  

Best wishes,

Rob Grantham

Club VP

The view from Lake Trail last weekend.

RACE NOTICE

January 2nd – Club Race and BC Winter Games Trial Race. Come out for the first local race of the season. It is an individual start classic race.

For those born in 1995 and 1996, it is the trial race for the BC Winter Games, so be sure to enter. Entries are on Zone4, and close at Noon on December 31st. See the Race Notice on the Races page for more details.

MASTERS RECREATIONAL

We would like to apologize for mixing up the dates on the Masters Recreational programs. The start dates for the Master Recreational program for the 2010 ski season are:

Intermediate Masters — January 9th

Beginner Masters — January 10th

More Masters rec details coming your way soon. Note: these programs usually run concurrent with the Rabbits program, but the Rabbits are starting a week later this year to accommodate coach training. 

COACHING — REFRESH!

New and returning Rabbit coaches of all levels are encouraged to take advantage of the Coaching Refresher Clinic with Head Coach Dave Battison on Sunday, Dec 27 from 9-11am.  This is a fantastic opportunity to review ski skill breakdown and evaluate your own technique.  Everyone who has attended it in the past has greatly benefited.

RABBITS

Registration deadline for Rabbits is Dec 31.  Parents who have not yet selected a volunteer opportunity can do so by going to the club website and clicking on the Rabbit icon in the top left corner.  Thank you to those parents who have already made their selection.

All Rabbit parents are encouraged to check out the newly expanded Rabbits section on the club website.  Here you will be able to find information about your child’s program and events and lots of additional information which you will find helpful throughout the season. Look for new additions and improvements each week. 

RACING TEAMS

Congratulations to all our Elite Racers for their great results at the intensely competitive Haywood NorAms in Canmore these past 4 days!

Camp–All racing team members can enjoy a Holiday Race Camp with Coach Dave starting December 27 10 am. Meet at the Raven Lodge each morning. See Coach Dave for details! 

NEO OVERBOOTS

Mount Washington Nordic is doing a one-time special order for Neo overboots, which they have extended to SNSC members. Cost will be $56 for Villager, regular  $80.  This is the one they have in rentals.  Non-insulated. The cost is $94.50 for Explorer, regular $135.  This is the one that the Canadian Ski Team wears.  Insulated. The cost doesn’t include taxes. Order your boots from Nordic Retail in the Raven Lodge by Jan 3rd. Boots should be here with  in 2 weeks.

A CHRISTMAS STORY for you from the Head Hare!

T’was the morning before practice and all through the course

Not a skier was stirring, and none had remorse.

The ski bags were hung on the wall with care,

In hopes that the coaches soon would be there.

The skiers began stretching on the outside deck

While visions of racing formed cramps in their neck.

And Coach Dave in his skisuit and Marilyn in her touque

Tim M, Laura J, and Mark B, arrived with fresh fruit!

Before we jump in said the coaches to all

Let’s look at the poster, we stuck on the wall.

The four food groups it showed and examples from each,

This is something; however, coaches didn’t want to preach.

Nutrition is important to ski your very best,

Just as training is, goal setting and rest.

But you don’t have to eat fresh broccoli and beets,

We just want you to think before you go to heats.

Whether fresh from a tree or sliced in a bowl,

An apple or orange will fill that hungry hole.

Maybe some crackers or how ‘bout some cheese

Anything that’ll last a day in cool breeze.

Yogurt is good for those pre-race hours,

Get rid of those chips, chocolate doughnuts and sours.

If you must have something for your true love of sweets,

Eat fruit gummies or ju-jubes, only after all heats.

If you only remember one thing, and no more,

The most important foods are the ones you can pour.

Be it water or juice – apple or peach;

You must remain hydrated to keep goals in your reach.

Saying “I’m thirsty” is unfortunately too late,

Sip readily from a bottle, do not hesitate!

After practice was over and the kids had gone home,

The coaches went skiing, in the forest all alone.

They left from the lodge with clear sky, not a storm,

And away they all skied with technique and good form!

But they were heard exclaiming as they skied out of sight,

“Healthy eating tomorrow and to all a good night!”