February 11, 2010 – The Strathcona Nordic Ski Club (SNSC) watched a large group of its members leave for Whistler this week to officiate nordic events at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The large group of officials have been training for several years to officiate at the games, and most of them have been involved in nordic racing for many years.
SNSC members (L-R) Bob Hauser, Wilf Dreher, David Gibson, Susan Denny, Bruce Stevenson, Val Wooton, Dave Battle, and Becky Stewart before heading to Whistler to officiate nordic Olympic events.
“Most of crew we are putting in intensive positions have been involved in the sport for 30 years,” said Susan Denny, who is the Supervisor of Course Marshals for Olympics and Paralympics.
Susan will head a crew of 45 members from across Canada, and 18 of them come from the Comox Valley and Campbell River, Lo Lanning, Kate Pierce, Roz Smith, Karen West, Bruce Stevenson, David Gibson, Jay Dahlgren,, Jerry Feniak, Marianne Muir, and Chris Round. The following members hail from Nanaimo Carol Bell, Iona Belous, Susan Cormie, Harriet Rueggeberg, and Colleen Roy.
The Course Marshall crew will keep the course secure from intrusions and reposition themselves as the course changes for different nordic race events. The action is often so exciting during some races that coaches and spectators will enter the course to cheer the skiers on. “Firm, but friendly is our motto,” said Susan.
Susan’s partner Wilf Dreher is the Supervisor of Course Marking. His crew is made up of officials from across Canada with Comox Valley local Bob Hauser joining Wilf on the crew. The Course Markers must set the course for each nordic event. They will place course markers to open and close sections of trails, depending on the event for the day.
SNSC members Becky Stewart, Val Wootton, Bob Lee, and Len Apedaile will be working in a variety of positions at the Olympic nordic events as well.
Officials, we look forward to hearing about your Olympic experiences. Please email us your photos and stories, or use the comments section below share your Olympic experiences!
SNSC offers Level 1 and Level 2 Officials courses. Contact us for information about officials training info@strathconanordics.com.
