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CCSAM athletes' summer sport successes (updated on August 25, 2010)
Kaitie Dennis won bronze in the Under 17 division at Judo Nationals:
http://www.judocanada.org/doc/doc/00000903_U17_Results%20Bracket.pdf
She also went on to compete in the Under 20 division as well. She again won
bronze, and beat the gold medalist from the Under 17 division in the process.
She then competed at the US Junior Open Judo championships in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida on July 31st. There were over 1000 competitors (under 20 years of age)
from 27 different countries. Kaitie earned a Silver medal in her division, just
losing out the gold medal in a close match to a top ranking US competitor from
Florida. She then went on to train in Saskatchewan under the direction of a
former Olympic athlete/coach.
Keisha Strachan, Theresa Sawkins & Katie L all competed at the Ontario Summer Games for Rowing and Sammi for Volleyball.
Manon Magnon scored 3 goals to advance her soccer team to the semi finals in the Kenora Womens Soccer League. http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2706320.
Nicole Dubois has begun training with the University of Manitoba Bisons Cross Country running team.
Reid Isaak ran for 2 different relay teams at the Manitoba Marathon. He ran the first leg for his River East Collegiate team of grade 10 boys )and the last leg for the Ski team. Both teams did really well placing 10th and 14th overall. The high school team first in the category of "High School Male" and were awarded medals for their performance.
Erik Charabin ran the Manitoba Half
Marathon and also participated in the LSSD ski camp in Thunder Bay.
Alex Druwe also participated in the LSSD ski camp.
Kiernan Broda-Milian participated in the International Canoe Federation National Marathon event in the 8000m Dragon Boat race and the 1200m K2 (2 person kayak). He also participated in a regatta in Regina where he made the finals in the K1 200m and K1 100m events. His crew in the K4 1000m won a bronze medal.
Birds Hill Park Management Plan (posted on June 18, 2010)
Manitoba Conservation advises it is preparing a management plan for Birds Hill Provincial Park to set long-term direction for the park including guidelines for environmental protection and recreational use.
The public is invited to informal drop-in sessions to discuss the park's future that will be held at the Overlook Viewpoint picnic area on North Drive in Birds Hill Provincial Park:
Birds Hill is one of Manitoba's busiest parks with almost one million visitors per year. Located just north of Winnipeg, Birds Hill Provincial Park is a popular area for camping, swimming, special events such as the Winnipeg Folk Festival and sporting activities.
Birds Hill Provincial Park was officially opened in July 1967.
Details on the management planning process for Birds Hill Provincial Park can be found at www.manitobaparks.com, and public comments can be submitted until August 31st. People can also contact:
Birds Hill Provincial Park Management Plan Parks and Natural Areas Branch
Box 53, 200 Saulteaux Cres.
Winnipeg MB
R3J 3W3
Telephone: 945-6797 in Winnipeg or 1-800-214-6497 (toll-free).
Skiing Shannondale with Super Dave by Jacquie Crone (posted on March 14, 2010)
http://www.unexpectedmanitoba.com/author/jcrone/ Sunday March 14th
In 2000, I was helping the Manitoba Recreational Trails Association in their mammoth effort to establish a route through Manitoba for the Trans Canada Trail. Our Province’s portion of the Trans Canada Trail is about 1400 kms – that’s right – 1400 kms.
One of the greatest challenges with this really big Trail was, and still is, getting it through our farming belt. You cannot bisect a grain field, you mustn’t tread where livestock tread, and it is imperative to respect private property. The NIMBY syndrome at its best.
So imagine our surprise when along comes “Regular Dave” (he’d not attained “Super” status at this point). He had heard about the Trans Canada Trail, and the idea of a national trail captured his vivid imagination. He was so excited by the concept that he approached the Manitoba Recreational Trails Association and asked them to run the route through his property – a choice location along the Manitoba escarpment.
Here was a farmer I had to meet, and so I did.
My first encounter with Regular Dave was on the edge of a field he’d been harrowing – just west of Morden, Manitoba. When he saw us, (I was travelling with the Executive Director of the MRTA at the time, Rosemary Dzus), he came right over, tractor and all. He dismounted with some difficulty and I noticed his knees were so stiff that he’d lassoed them together for support. After a minute or so of whacking the layers of grit off his overalls (no temperature controlled cab for this guy) out shot his hand, which engulfed mine, in a hearty, bone-crushing handshake. “Hi, I’m Regular Dave.” (Okay, “Hi, I’m Dave Lumgair).
Ten years later, with numerous visits under our belt, I’m off to see Dave again. I’ve got Rosemary with me. It’s like old times, except Dave has a new knee and a new mission.
Now 76 years old, Dave has retired from farming. His energy and fire have not diminished. They have, however, been redirected: “Super Dave” has decided Manitobans should get off their butts and take better care of their health. To that end (pun intended), he has spent the last decade building and maintaining about 20 kms of classic cross-country ski trails and 7 km of skate-ski trails through his property. His motto: “Fresh air is Health Care, help yourself!”
The Shannondale Ski Trails (named after Shannon Creek) wind their way up, down and sideways through the Thornhill coulee. The classic ski trails are rated Gentle – 100’ of elevation to Challenging – a gain of 500’ of elevation. Over 1,000 skiers have visited Shannondale this year alone.
The ideal weather for skiing might have passed, but these perfectly groomed trails still have plenty of snow on them (as of mid-March 2010). There are several choices as to how to descend the 100’ to the bottom of the ravine. Dave kindly directs Rosemary and I to the “easy route”. I found it exhilarating to travel downhill on a gently graded track for an extended amount of time. The scenery is head-turning, which is not advisable when you’re traveling on two sticks! The warm sun has made the snow wet and fast, which is fun on the way down. Going uphill is grueling and there’s no grip, even with gooey klister wax. Unless you’re Dave, who passes us like we’re going backwards (and he hasn’t waxed his skies for 2 weeks).
We’re allowed to stop frequently to catch our breath and that’s when Dave ambushes us. He loves a good joke, but prefers a bad one. He’s a deep thinker and an educator at heart – and he’s more than happy to talk your ear off while explaining his philosophy on life. And he knows the land and the history, even pointing out the spot where “Bruce” was found.
Bruce, of course, is a 13-metre long mosasaur, the fiercest of marine reptiles. Oh, don’t worry - he’s a fossil, and a mere 80 million years old. Bruce is the largest specimen in Canada. The Pembina Hills, which Shannon Creek runs though, is a treasure trove for fossils. In 2 years alone 30 mosasaur and 20 plesiosaur specimens were excavated from the ground. Bruce is housed at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (formerly the Morden and District Museum).
We have a lovely day skiing at Shannondale. There’s plenty of topography – which is as beautiful as it is challenging to ski, but as Dave said, “If you don’t fall, you’re not trying hard enough”. I must have been trying really hard.
If you hurry, you may still get a ski in this year and if you’re REALLY lucky, Super Dave might ski with you . . .
The Boundary Trails Nordic Club supports Shannondale and Burwalde Woods Cross Country Trails. Shannondale Trail is about 1 mile north of the hamlet of Thornhill, which is 5 miles west of Morden, Manitoba.
I can be reached at jacquie.crone@gmail.com or leave a comment. It’d be great to hear from ya.
Winter in Manitoba is ... Bittersweet by Jacquie Crone (posted on March 14, 2010)
http://www.unexpectedmanitoba.com/author/jcrone/ Thursday February 25th
This past Tuesday I woke to Marcy Markusa, CBC Radio’s morning host, cautioning Manitobans about the impending frigid weather for the day: -23°. Add to that the wind chill factor, and – well that’s darn near minus a zillion. Ah, the drama of Manitoba weather.
With such a dire forecast, my inclination was to stay under the covers. Who wouldn’t? But I had a plan and I’d made a sandwich! How much more committed can you get? Plus, my ski pal for the day, Ken, agreed to forfeit a day of watching the Olympic Games on TV – a sacrifice not to be taken lightly.
Our destination was the Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Trails, located south of Bagot, (west of Portage La Prairie), on Hwy. 242 – about 1½ hrs. from Winnipeg. Our strategy was to leave Winnipeg later in the morning with the hope that the heat of the day would be upon us by the time we arrived. Sure enough, by 1:00 p.m. it was a balmy -17°.
Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Trails are unique in the sense that they are located, for the most part, on private property. It has been my experience that landowners, both rural and urban, are leery of ‘outsiders’. I’m sure you’ve heard the acronym NIMBY bandied about – meaning literally: “I support x-y-z, but NOT IN MY BACK YARD”. Yet here we have a collective of 4 or 5 property owners inviting us to share their little bit of heaven nestled along the Assiniboine River Valley.
At one time these ski trails were pasture to Hartley and Margaret Woodward’s golden-brown limousin cattle. I assumed the name “bittersweet” referred to the vine that twists its way around a host tree, (to work its way up to the sun), and then in fall, wows us with its fiery red berries. But I was wrong. Bittersweet was the name of the Woodward’s farm, (although you will see a lot of evidence of the woody vine throughout the forest).
When the cattle farm was in high gear, the Woodwards still made time for a relaxing ski after a hard day of chores. Hartley (this being a different Hartley than the star of last week’s blog) rigged up a homemade trail groomer and kept a few kilometres tracked for his own skiing pleasure. Now retired to a choice 10 acres, (with a view to die for), the Woodwards, and apparently their neighbours the McMasters, Henrys and Deleurmes have gone ballistic on the ski thing. The system has gone from those few kilometres to over 20 km of classic ski trails and 13 km of skate skiing trails.
The Woodwards and McMasters maintain all these trails in preparation for us. What makes “us” so special? I can’t imagine – but I’m grateful. Interestingly, Hartley still uses his original contraption for trail grooming. I bet he’s named it. (The McMasters have invested in a Ginsu groomer). There’s also a ski club supporting their efforts and a donation box passively awaits your contribution. Psst: Ardythe McMaster gave me a “scoop” – my first scoop! Next winter there will be a Nordic Ski Centre at the north parking lot.
I bet you’re itching to know how my ski event went. First off, I was happy that my pal Ken was as proficient at skiing me.
I had downloaded the Bittersweet trail maps from the Manitoba Cross Country Ski Association’s web site, which gave us the length of each trail and the degree of difficulty. I found the Special Hills insert helpful – “Knee Knocker Hill” and the “Holler” were duly noted by my survival instinct.
I don’t want to wax on – or off for that matter, but these trails were spectacular. We stuck to the ‘easy’ routes and edged along the moderate trails as we gained confidence. I doubt we managed more than 10 kms because we kept stopping to ogle our surroundings. The location of these trails is something else. The Assiniboine Valley is demanding in its presence, but ski along its ancient banks, on the meticulously groomed trails, and tell me you’ve not been wowed out of your socks.
As for the creature comforts, there was a biffy for skiers (thank-you from the bottom of my bottom) and warming huts stocked with wood and woodstoves. We sat outside one of them and worked on our tans – because even at temperatures of minus a zillion the sun still asserted its authority.
We didn’t descend the Knee Knocker Hill, but we did have a lot of fun whooshing down the gentle, long runs of the Omega Trail. I had my own Olympic Moment as I owned the moguls.
I mentioned earlier that my friend Ken forfeited watching the Olympic Games on the TV to come on this adventure. Trust him to pull out the iPhone at the Ski Hut and find out that Canadians Moir/Virtue won the gold medal in Ice Dancing. After that news he skied with notable style and form.
So there it is: an unforgettable destination just waiting for you – Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Trails.
Here’s something else to pique your interest. At the beginning of today’s entry is a copy of a painting of the Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Trail. The artist is the groomer of your trails, Don McMaster. Don is a seriously talented artist. His interpretations of prairie landscapes are truly noteworthy. Here’s a link: http://donmcmaster.com/
And if that’s not enough, did I mention we saw 3 snowy owls on the drive out and back?
I’ll stop now as I don’t want you to blow your mind.
Final report from the Olympics by Amie Mathews (posted on February 21, 2010)
Hey everyone, I’m sitting in the Vancouver airport waiting to catch my flight home so I thought I would send out one last email. If you haven’t watched the 30km men’s pursuit race yet, you need to get on that. Watching that race live was the perfect way to end my trip. Those men are so powerful and graceful on their skis that it took my breath away. On top of that, it was one of the most exciting races of the week despite it being over an hour long. There were several highlights throughout the race that made it exhilarating to watch. We didn’t get to see the mass start since we were still out pre-skiing the course – we only went out ten minutes before the race started. On our way back up the last hill into the stadium, we were able to see them coming down the first hill on their first lap. That was pretty cool, watching 60+ powerful skiers tucking it down a hill and around the first corner. They snaked along the course in such a graceful way. Watching them all come into the stadium after their first lap before the pack had broken up was pretty cool too. Maria, the head forerunner who is from Sweden, had a party on the sidelines watching Johan Olsson break off the lead group and make his move early on in the race. The exciting finish had all the forerunners in an anxious limbo waiting to see who would take gold and who would win the first week’s forerunning pool where we guessed who would place where in each race.
It was awesome seeing the Canadian men dominating near the front. All four Canadian team men placed in the top 16 and three in the top 10 with Ivan Babikov, the top Canadian, sitting pretty in 5th. At the last Olympics, this showing would have been unthinkable, but in the past four years, the skiing program has advanced enough that this year, Cross Country Canada is calling for a gold medal for the men’s relay team. Talk about dreaming big and striving to achieve your goals!!
In the women’s race, Sara Renner was the big star, placing 10th in the 15km pursuit the day before. This being her last season and one of her last races of the Olympics, it was pretty exciting for her. Utta, our resident mom on the trip, put it well by saying that it’s pretty amazing because not only is she 10 years older than most of the women racing, but she’s had kids and gotten back into the sport after taking a few years off to start a family. Marit Bjorgen, the Norwegian powerhouse, threw down another awesome performance and took the gold again.
Though I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to while I was at the Olympics. I’d say it was a pretty spectacular (I’m trying out new words to replace ‘amazing’. I need more adjectives to describe the experience) two weeks. I learned a lot about myself and my sport and though my schooling probably suffered a bit- I wrote a midterm while I was there, talk about being distracted- I would take a not so good mark any day to experience what I did. My goal here, after a hard season of sickness and frustration, was to be in the moment, to be part of the Olympics in a way that not many people would be, to meet new people, and to finish my season off on a positive note. Looking back on those goals, I’d say I achieved every one of them and more that I hadn’t noticed I had. I love travelling with people that I don’t know because now when I go to races, I know one more person and have just a little more fun reconnecting with people. In a way for me, this trip has been a way to prove to myself that I can overcome all the adversity that I have been faced with this year and to move on.
I had some difficult moments on this trip, but my mom is super good at getting me back on track, calming my nerves, and reminding me to be in the moment, always. All the enthusiastic people back home and in Thunder Bay who let me know they were thinking of me and cheering me on gave me the drive to keep trying my hardest and not taking a back seat in this experience. Thanks everyone for the support, you guys made my trip as fulfilling as the actual Olympics part!
And I know I said this before, but I swear there will be pictures up soon, just let me get back to reality for a few days.
Thanks for reading.
3rd report from the Olympics by Amie Mathews (posted on February 18, 2010)
Hey guys!! I hope you have all been watching the Olympics lately. It’s been pretty amazing with our athletes pulling out all the stops to land themselves in the medal position in several events. Maelle
Ricker, Madeleine Williams, Jenn Heil, and Marianne St-Gelais are my female Canadian Olympic heroes so far. Madeleine Williams, when asked about her performance in her first Olympic race ever where
she placed 51st, replied by saying that she was at the Olympics so it went great. That response to me is very valuable because even though she didn’t win a medal or have a high ranking, she still took in the
experience, learned from it, and didn’t put so much pressure on herself. She was happy with simply being there and taking in the Olympics.
Jenn Heil, a gold medalist four years ago in Torino, won silver in moguls this week. Though she could not defend her gold this year, she held her head high on the podium and accepted her medal with
a smile on her face. I’ve seen a lot of previous gold medalists on the podium with sour faces because they weren’t able to defend.
Marianne St-Gelais is the short track speed skater who won a silver medal hours ago in the 500m race. Her face when she crossed that line showed her pure joy and happiness with her performance.
On top of that, it was her 23rd (I think) birthday. What an awesome present.
Maelle Ricker is the snowboard cross racer who won Canada’s second gold medal of the games. Watching her heats, I was encouraged by her optimism and lack of self doubt as she faced
competition that should have obliterated her.
A shout out goes to Sara Renner who competed in her last sprint race of her career today, missing out on qualifying for heats by only a few spots but having an amazing race where she passed he
skier in front of her coming into the finishing stretch. Chandra Crawford, forever a role model for me, qualified for quarterfinals, coming back to the sport after a year full of injury. She wrote in her Best Buy
blog how she was just happy to have made it out here and competed this year.
Yesterday was a day of rest for some of us and training for others. I stayed back and did laundry and (tried to do) homework. I had a nice walk through the woods to the Laundromat with a couple
of the guys who also had sweaty and stinky clothing to wash.
Today was a challenging but incredibly exciting day in the sprint races. While forerunning for the qualifiers, I has some bad wax and a fall on the first downhill which left me discouraged and hesitant to
forerun for the heats. The coaches and I both agreed that it would be better to sit this one out as I was not comfortable with the course or my wax enough to ski the course in the way it’s supposed to be
skied. That was difficult for me to accept, since I want to grab at every opportunity to experience the games. I soon forgot about the mishap when the racing got started. It was amazing to watch the skiers
charge the hills and master the downhills. I can’t describe the awe I felt when I watched the women’s and men’s finals with all of their power as they fight it out. I suggest going on
YouTube and looking at some of those finishes. They are breathtaking.
I was so excited while I was out testing wax to find myself skiing up the hill alongside none other than Chandra Crawford as she warmed up. I know it sounds funny to say, but it’s weird to think of
these people as normal people, not superheroes. When you’re out skiing around all of them, seeing them after races, and watching them warm up, you realize that the only thing special about them is their
dedication to the sport and to their dreams. OK and maybe a tiny bit of genetic help along the way.
Another thing to note is that the bronze medalist in the women’s race took a hard fall in training, having to be brought to the hospital before heats because of a concussion. She was carried out from
the finish line after managing to win the bronze. Her determination and drive to reach that medal spot amazed me.
(Editor's note: http://fasterskier.com/2010/02/bjoergen-takes-womens-sprint-gold-as-an-injured-majdic-gets-a-bronze.)
I’m so proud of all the Canadian skiers that rocked out today in this beautiful weather (blue bird day and
+8C, a unique experience in this area, so I’ve learned). I can’t wait for Friday and Saturday’s
races, men’s and women’s pursuit. Tomorrow is going to be a technique day for me. I might as well take advantage of the knowledgeable coaches that are around me and the pristine trails that I can ski on
while I’m here.
Spruce Woods trails by Darryl Hrechkosy (posted on February 17, 2010)
Sunday February 14th
My wife Rosemarie and daughter
Amber, cousin Mike Winkler, and friend Ed Innes departed Winnipeg at about 8:00
AM for Carberry Motor Inn to get
keys for our overnight rooms which we had pre-arranged. Upon arrival around 10:00
AM, we picked up the keys to our rooms and unloaded some gear. So for $56 a night including taxes it is a good deal,
considering the proximity to the Spruce Woods Trails. Also they have a fantastic breakfast
smorg at the hotel every Sunday morning. We didn't partake, but it sure looked delicious and a good way to fuel yourself up before hitting those trails.
Spruce Woods received 10 to 15 centimetres of snow Thursday and Friday accompanied by blowing winds that made for big drifts on the trails, which were not groomed. Roads out to the park were cleared and fine, but the parking lots to the three trail systems were not done until sometime on Tuesday February 16th, because Monday was a Provincial Holiday.
We skied half of Sandhill Stag, half of Sleeping wolf, Chaska and Snowy Owl trails on the Seton Cross Country ski trails. Breaking virgin powder snow, sometimes knee deep, the skiing was slow, but most enjoyable under sunny skies and slight winds, which was a blessing. We proceeded later over to the Yellow Quill ski trails where we skied the Cree trail up to Cabin 2. The trail had been skier-tracked and easier on us. Here we fired up the stove with crappy wood, cooked our supper and did a night ski back to the parking lot. It was a beautiful clear night with a zillion stars winking at us.
Monday February 15th
We drove into Epinette Creek parking lot at about 9:30
AM. Skiers before us had carved a path into the parking lot with their vehicles, meandering around deep snow and drifts. There had been a group of 8 skiers that had skied out to Jackfish Cabin and spent
Sunday night there. They had quite the ski in as the trails had not been tracked since the new snow dump. I may note here the trail systems here have some significant
changes. The trail going out to Cabin 2 used to be the return to the parking lot. There is no longer the route to the Epinette crossing on the South side, where you used
take your skis off and walk down to the Bridge crossing. As far as I can make out, the bridges have been removed, the route is
inaccessible and probably will remain that way for years to come. So if you've never done that route you have missed the most amazing and picturesque crossing in all of Manitoba. New maps put out by Spruce Woods do
reflect these changes. So now both sides of the Tamarack route are on the North side of the creek, and commonly share the bridge crossing on that side that used to be the
Tamarack return. After the bridge the trail splits with ingoing to Cabin 3 being 5
km, and the return being 5.5 km of the Tamarack route. The North and
South Newfoundland routes into Jackfish Cabin are virtually the same except for an alteration on the South route. This route when it reaches the Cabin has
a steep decline down which you must walk, but now it has an alternate route that connects to the North route coming down to the cabin by the gate on top. Here it also recommends
walking down, but it is definitely skiable down if you're adventurous.
We spent Monday night at the Cabin, again under clear skies and a zillion stars out. The loft of the cabin is nice for sleeping, but is like a sauna up there. If you have a smaller group I would suggest sleeping on the 3 benches or on the floor. The South Tamarack and South Newfoundland routes to the cabin had been broken by the previous skiers, which made our ski in easier, again under sunny skies and slight winds.
Tuesday February 16th
We skied back both North routes which had not been broken yet. Cutting virgin powder snow and drifts sometimes knee deep was slow but worth our efforts. Again skiing under sunny skies and slight winds made our ski back most enjoyable. We were delightfully surprised when we reached the parking lot -- it had been cleared. We topped of the trip back to Winnipeg by stopping in Portage la Prairie and going to Boston Pizza, where we thoroughly enjoyed our pizza, pasta, and pitchers of Richards' Red.
Faster than a speeding moose by Alan Besson -- Winnipeg Free Press - C6, February 17 (posted on February 17, 2010)
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Baird puts training to good use in Pinawa You could have excused Jordan Baird if he had blamed his two third-place finishes at the Western Canadian Cross-Country Ski championships last weekend in Pinawa on the fact there were no bears or moose to push him to faster times. But the fact of the matter is, the 16-year-old Rossburn skier figured he finished right where he should have, considering the two skiers who beat him both trained with the Kimberley, B.C., Nordics, and both finished in the top five at the national championships last year. Baird, who trains mostly alone in Riding Mountain National Park, was third in the junior boys 1,000-metre sprint behind Stefan Sander-Green and Colin Ferrie on Friday. In Saturday's 12-kilometre classic, Ferrie was first and Sander-Green second in front of Baird. During both winter and summer training the Red River Nordic Club member has on more than a few occasions crossed paths with the natural residents of the park, and found himself doing a little tip-toeing around the critters to avoid trouble. "I train where I live near Deep Lake Warden Station in the southwestern corner of the park," said Baird in a telephone interview Monday. "I've had bear encounters while training in the summer. This past year I had a bear charge me when I was biking the trails. She had a cub, but I backed off and she left me alone." The bears, he points out, are not that plentiful during the winter when they hibernate, "but I am especially careful in spring and fall, when the bull moose are in their rut." Baird's father Roger is a warden in the park, and Baird says that he has helped him deal with the wildlife. "I know there are animals out there, and occasionally you are going to meet them. You just try to not get too close, and respect their space. It's their habitat." Still, he says he'd rather come across a bear than a bull moose in the fall. "They can be pretty dangerous," he said. "Also a cow in the spring with a calf. I've had a few encounters with bull moose, but they've always ran away." Baird also finished fifth in the 6-kilometre skate competition, saying that while his sprints and classic were fine, his body had worn down after two days of competition. "In the sprint I was close to as good as I could be," he said, "but in the classic, I felt I could have paced myself a little bit better. "In the skate, it was not a good day, I got fifth. I felt good going out, but it was the third day of racing. About half way in where the hills start, it is more technical, and I felt the two days of racing getting to me." Much of his learning comes from his brother Kieran (19) who skis with Augustana, a branch of the University of Alberta in Camrose. "I feel I have improved a lot in comparison to the other skiers in Manitoba," said Baird. "When he (Kieran) comes home he shows me things he's learned there." The older Baird also competed on the weekend, finishing third in the open men's 1,000 metres and fourth in the open men's 18-km classic. The Grade 11 Rossburn Collegiate student is now looking ahead to the national championships in Whitehorse, March 14-21. |
 Jordan Baird trains mostly on his own in Riding Mountain National Park. |
Another update from the west coast by Amie Mathews (posted on February 15, 2010)
Hey guys, here’s another update from the west coast. I left off telling you about the
4x2.5K Nordic Combined camera test. It went well, with everyone skiing at their own pace, and the course being short and relatively flat course (for Whistler
anyway). The camera crew was happy with our work, so we were given Saturday off. That night, some of the group went into Whistler to watch the opening ceremonies on a big screen in the middle of the village, while the rest of us
stayed back at the Inn and comfied up on the couches to get a warmer view of the ceremonies. As I watched our Olympians come in, I had that usual longing to be
there with them, to experience this through an athlete’s perspective, and to reach that level. As I watched Clara Hughes’ face as she carried our country’s flag, I
could see how proud she was and how happy she was to be there in the moment and with the honour of carrying the flag. It made me so proud to be a Canadian
athlete seeing her there with everything she represents to me and to others through her work with Right To Play.
Saturday was a day to train, relax, sleep, and of course, shop. I had to go up to Whistler Olympic Park to write a
mid-term while the other people skied, and then we all went into Whistler to do a bit of shopping. There was some promising sun in the morning, but in the usual west coast way, the clouds came and the rain
started just as we got into Whistler. If I thought that there were lots of people the last time I was there, I was sorely mistaken. The stores were packed and the
merchandise had already been picked through. Luckily, I was able to snag some cool swag for my family. We spent a couple of hours there, then started on the
trek home, a good two hours worth of waiting for and sitting on buses. I think I know the transit system here better than I do the one in Thunder Bay. Never have I
appreciated my car more than I do when I’m here and can’t use one.
Today is the day we had all been waiting for, the first day of actual forerunning duties. It was for the men’s Nordic
Combined 4x2.5K race. We caught a late bus to WOP and then relaxed or went for a ski until 1:15 when we had our athlete meeting before heading to the stadium. I hadn’t seen the stadium before heading
over and I was amazed once I got there. There were so many people and the cheering was so loud!! As we did our forerunning loop, the spectators cheered us
on. We were to ski in two lines so that the whole course gets skied in and everyone has the same advantage on the trails. As we got back into the stadium, the
cheering got louder as racers started. We got the best seats in the house, in between the lap lane and the finishing lane. We could see the big screen TV and the
whole spread of the stadium. Each time the pack would come through the stadium, the crowd would get louder. After the last racer came through for their final lap,
we were sent out to do our post running lap. Since we didn’t get to see the finish from the stadium, we all stopped part way up the first hill where we could still see
the finishing lane. After the post-running, we went in to eat, shower, and go home. As we were waiting for some people, the whole Canadian National Team came in
and sat two rows back from us. I was so excited. It was the one time I didn’t bring my camera, and it would have been an awesome photo moment!
We’re off to watch Valentines Day at the theatre. Happy skiing!
Diary of an Olympics Forerunner by Amie Mathews (posted on February 10, 2010)
OK, so here's the scoop:
I have to do something to share my experience of the Olympics with everyone I can, so I
thought "why not email everyone on my list since then I can reach way more
people".
I'm a forerunner for Nordic Skiing at the Olympics, along with 13 other skiers from across Canada this week. There is a fresh set of 16 coming in for the 2nd week of the Games. We are the people who ski the course to open it up for the athletes, and close it down after the race.
During the first few days, we have been helping with the testing of the camera equimpment by doing mock races. I got here on Monday afternoon along with Stephanie and Caroline Drolet and Michelle Workun-Hill, all from Quebec. Over the next few days, the others have slowly filtered in, and finally all of us were here in time to do our duties yesterday.
On Monday, we got into the hostel at around 11:00 because of transportation confusion. We had a shuttle bus from Vancouver to Whistler to pick up accreditation, and then had to find our own way from Whistler back to Squamish. It took us a while to find the bus stop, but we ended up finding a guy who was able to help us get to the right bus to Squamish. James Cuningham, the Western Coordinator for Cross Country Canada, and one of our coaches this week, picked us up at the Walmart bus stop, and dragged our sorry butts back to the hostel.
On Tuesday we went up to Whistler and shopped around a bit for some Olympic swag. Pretty much every store has some sort of Olympic line of clothing out right now, so we got some pretty cool stuff.
We take a workforce bus up to Whistler Olympic Park and then a transit bus to the cross country skiing venue, so it’s a long trek up. There are some days where we have to be there at 7:30 AM, which means leaving at 5:30 because of such a long commute. I would normally mind getting up this early, but at the moment, I’m just happy to be there.
Yesterday was the first day of skiing at Whistler Olympic Park, and it was so exciting!!! I was OK with the early morning because once we got up there, there was so much activity going on that it was mind blowing. We have access to pretty much everything at the site that the Olympians do and that means free food, a wax room, an athlete lounge, and of course skiing on the race course.
We got our uniforms Tuesday night, and had a blast trying them on for the first time and trading sizes so that everything fit most people. The jacket and pants are pretty hilarious, but the actual race suit is pretty cool. And, we get to keep our forerunning race bib!
On the course, there were athletes from almost every team out training and testing wax, and everywhere you looked, there were people doing important things for ski teams. We walked right through the wax area for all the teams and saw their countries posted on the doors. Some of my greatest heroes were sitting not twenty feet away from me. The word "amazing" does not even cover what I felt as I walked around amongst these people. In fact, I need a new word.
Our job this week is to test the cameras for the TV crew. We had to ski the 7.5K loop twice yesterday so they could test timing chips and get practice using the cameras on the course. I honestly didn't think I was going to finish. What motivated me to keep going was a particular hill that we skied when Nationals were held here that held a pretty funny memory.
I had to go do the second lap just so I could relive that moment again. The cool thing about racing was that at the starting gate, they have us projected on the megatron screen in the stadium and each of us had an Olympian's name underneath our picture. The announcing crew was having a blast announcing for us because the skier that came in first was named as a person from a team that would not be a contender for a medal at all.
The best part of all this is that we're just hanging around all the athletes and can go up to them and talk to them if they're not busy. It's just so cool to be let into this side of sport.
Today was the TV rehearsal for the 4x5km relay. Instead of skiing the whole 20K together, as was planned originally, we opted to break up into two groups, and each group skied two 5K loops. I for one am okay with only skiing 10K when I know that we have tomorrow’s races as well as 6 days of forerunning with only three rest days throughout. There was heavy snow all day and that means we got to use our harries, skis that are sandpapered on the grip zone and have no actual grip wax on them, just anti-icing chemicals to keep them from freezing at higher elevations on the course. These types of skis are used regularly out here because of the wet, heavy snow. It was my first time using them, and it’s a tad bit different from regular skis since you can’t really ever get perfect grip and you have to be gentler when you push off your ski.
Tomorrow holds the 4x2.5K, and it’s a later start which is good for all of us haggard racers. Saturday is a rest day unless the media crew needs to do more tests, and Sunday is the first day of forerunning when we will be opening and closing for the Nordic combined racers.
Monday is when the cross country races start in earnest and our real job begins. This is the most exciting time of my life right now, and I’m so glad I can share it with as many people as possible! I’m just bursting with excitement and can’t stop smiling.
Here’s an interesting tidbit of information: There are spy cameras in the air over the venues hooked up to balloons and they just float around. There are snipers in the bush every 200m on the race course dressed in white. One wrong move and I'm dead.
Pass this on to as many people as you can and keep the Olympic spirit alive!
Editor's note: Scroll down to September 25th to find out why Amie is at the Olympics.
Car break-ins at Birds Hill Park by MH (posted on January 25, 2010)
While I was walking the Cedar Bog Trail this morning, my car window was smashed while parked in the Cedar Bog parking lot. I know vandalism in the park has been an on-going problem, but in talking with the RCMP, they say that the problem has highly escalated since the summer and is now a major concern (in fact they were patrolling the park when I contacted them). They asked me about descriptions of the cars that were in the parking lot when I arrived, but I regrettably could not provide that information. The RCMP suggested that individuals may be in the parking lot areas watching for cars to arrive, and then knowing that if people are walking/skiing/cycling or whatever, they will be gone for at least 30 minutes so the vandals have enough time to break into the cars. I did not have any valuables in my car, and I don't think anything was stolen, but I am nevertheless out for the deductible and the time hassle of getting the window repaired and the awful feeling of having been invaded.
Whenever you are in the park, please be vigilant and look at the cars in the parking lot, especially if there is someone sitting in a car. The RCMP said they will very much appreciate any clues/help we can give them. License plate numbers or descriptions of suspicious vehicles is what they need. The RCMP need our help to eliminate this problem.
MH
Windsor Park trails have been shoveled (posted on January 20, 2010)
Seven hearty souls braved the beautiful night sky
above Windsor Park on Tuesday (January 19th) evening to shovel snow for 2.25
hours. They were Andy Dwilow, Laurie Penton, Wayne Oike, Groomer Jim, Alan
Adamson, John Anthony, and Rob Kirchmann.
They added significant amounts of snow to the hill that runs onto the stone
bridge, the trail leading toward the pimple hill, the downhill on the pimple, as
well as the first corner on the second river trail after the black diamond.
Hopefully this holds us over for awhile.
Sandra Kirby has been selected as an Olympic Torchbearer (updated on December 5, 2009)
CCSAM High Performance Director Sandra Kirby, a former Olympic rower who participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, has been selected as an Olympic Torchbearer.
Pre-event UofWinnipeg news story
Post-event UofWinnipeg news story
Congratulations Sandi!
Bittersweet Open House by Ardythe McMaster (posted on November 16, 2009)
When: Sunday December 6th from
noon until 3:00 PM
Where: Bittersweet Trails --
at the new north trailhead / parking lot. Drive just past the old north
parking lot on Assiniboine Hills Trail, about 1 1/2 miles west of Hwy #242.
Watch for the Bittersweet sign!
What: Meet some skiers willing to advise re newer equipment options. Meet
skiers willing to give a lesson or two, classic or skate. Walk or ski the
trails. Select a beautiful Club crest for your jacket. Enjoy hotdogs and
refreshments on the deck. Purchase a Bittersweet club membership for the
season.
Snow or no snow, we welcome you to Bittersweet at our new trailhead.
CANSI Fall 2009 newsletter: Chris McCubbins Inner City Schools Ski Program story (posted on November 13, 2009)
The Fall 2009 issue of XCitation, the Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors newsletter, contains a story written by Jeff Hampshire about the Chris McCubbins Inner City Schools Ski Program.
The story (PDF)
Cross Country Canada's Living History Project by Jean Bristow, Cross Country Canada (posted on October 29, 2009)
We want to reconnect with as many people as possible who have been involved at one time or another with Cross Country Canada, going back as many years as possible.
Have you ever been a member of the
National Ski Team?
Were you on the CCC Board of Directors at any time?
Were you the chair or a member of a national committee?
If the answer is yes to any of those questions, or if you know someone who could answer yes to those questions, read on!
CCC wants to forge a stronger link to its past, so that we can build a strong bridge to the future.
For more information please go to https://www.zone4.ca/register.asp?id=596
Jean Bristow, Chair of Clubs and Membership Committee, CCC
Cross Country Canada's Student Athlete Leadership Grant program (posted on October 1, 2009)
Info (PDF)
Amie Mathews has been selected as an Olympic Forerunner (posted on September 25, 2009)
As part of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, 27 athletes are required as official Olympic Forerunners.
Amie Mathews of Kenora Nordic Trails has been selected to represent Manitoba as an Olympic Forerunner. Congratulations Amie!
http://www.cccski.com/main.asp?cmd=doc&ID=5735&lan=0
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