Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Best Season Ever.

A final post before the blog signs off for the summer ... fittingly, this is the 100th post for the blog.

Last season, we didn't start official club ski workouts until January 12th and had about 7 weeks of skiing.  This year we got out November 13th and had club ski workouts for 5 months!  We even had some club members out skiing on Sunday.

Here's a re-cap of the Best Season Ever.

Windsor Park .. .Remembrance Day 2012:


First Wednesday Night Race of the year, and rookie Ruth makes an appearence (and would be our first Skier of the Week this year):
An early season road trip to Birch (Birch didn't have any skiing last season):

Rambuncious Tim couldn't wait to get skiing (I think):

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We ran into Joel Peltz and his brother Harvey:


We also got a rare photo of The Legend (Wayne Oike):


World Cup in Canmore:


Downtown Nordic showing the Russians how to double-pole:


Our Head Coach Tim was stolen from us by Saskatchewan early in the new year:



Here is Tim at his 30th birthday party.  I didn't think Tim was much past twelve:


A photo of WIndsor Park during a flyover by the Downtown Nordic private jet:



An early season training race at Birch.  Downtown Nordic on the start line:



Levi took home gold and bronze from the Ontario Cup races in Lappe ... here he's receiving his bronze:



January 1st interval workout:

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More photos of that workout by Hal here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/halloewen/sets/72157632405937129/


Paul Lapointe won the Windsor Park Grand Prix.  He's pictured here in 1989 during a Canmore world cup behind Olympic medalist Maurilo Dezolt:.  Showing off some late 80's endurance fashion ...



Went to the upper peninsula of Michigan for a ski race, and all I got was this picture:


Birch Open in January ... lots of snow, but a little slow that day:







Manitoba Loppet in Pinawa ... sheer domination by DN.  Can you tell the difference between these two photos?





Provincial Championships at Birch:




The Axe:


Downtown Nordic at 5AM before the Birkie:


Downtown Nordic on the podium after the Birkie:


Riding Mountain:



Boundary Trails Distance Challenge:


Late season race addition ... the Burwalde Berkie:


Levi battling it out at Nationals in Whistler:


Jean was up skiing (and working) in the North-West Territories:


Alex was up in Greenland and found this incredibly cool ski area!!!



Meanwhile, Al was off doing intervals on Kaui:


Ken, on April 20th, managed a paddle, ski, and bike on the same day:


Jacek:  Our skier of the year ...


Leo made these cookies himself:


Who was club of the year?



Our last club ski of the year (5 months after the first):


There's that axe again:



Thanks for a great season!




The Big News


Our head coach is off to Camrose, Alberta to coach one of the top university ski programs in Canada:



http://news.augustana.ualberta.ca/2013/04/augustana-names-new-cross-country-ski-coach/

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Windsor Park - April 17, 2013

Back in 1994, Luke Bodensteiner wrote a great book titled "Endless Winter" about his travels around the world preparing for the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.  Well, we haven't had to travel to get an "Endless Winter" in Winnipeg.  And it's become pretty clear to me these last few weeks listening to fellow Winnipeggers that I'm one of an extremely small percentage (perhaps the definition of 'negligible') that gets a really positive feeling from the phrase "Endless Winter".


Anyways, I managed to get an hour ski in this afternoon at the Windsor Park Nordic Centre.



The trails hadn't been groomed with the last bit of snow that fell Monday, but the signs were still up.


Not bad conditions for April 17th.  In fact, this was about as good as we got almost all of last season!


A few bare spots here and there, but fairly easy to navigate around.


The finish of the blue trail.  Had several flashbacks to our club interval workouts here ... remember "This is where all the gains are made" :)


Be careful around the descent towards the "backstop".  Either take your skis off ... or ... if you attended a Downtown Nordic downhill technique session, I found there is just enough snow for you to descend on one ski!


I can confirm the clubhouse is still there.


Hey, what's that on the picnic table???


Looks like some sort of trophy ...


Oh right, it's the Ski Associations's "Club of the Year" Award.  I can't quite remember who won that this year ... Oh now I remember, it was Downtown Nordic.