Another great weekend of racing that ended with a perfect patio Sunday afternoon!
The Friday Night Slalom returned as a special bonus race. Although the heavy snow kept some racers away from Lil’ John, we saw some great performances from those that were able to make it. A twist to the evening saw the brand new Dual Slalom drop-gate used as our start gate. Definitely some good practice for this weekend’s Dual Slalom.
Mark Shillum achieved his first ever top 10 finish, then promptly bronzed his skis and placed them over the Base Lodge fireplace.
Mario Skopek edged out Paul Peterson, who narrowly beat out the Mintz sisters. Those two finished within .09 seconds of each other. Both sisters narrowly edged out their husbands, seeing Stan Liberty finish 19th, while Dave Robinson posted a season-best 20th place.
Some of you may have noticed a special guest racer running the gates. Linsey Ferguson, Chair of Alpine Canada, was spotted laying down some great runs Friday Night as well.
Thanks again to Dave Campbell, Steve Milgram, and the Coyotes for making this happen.
Sunday GS Big John
Our last GS of the season saw a great turnout! The skies were sunny and the snow was fast. The course took a different route down Big John than where you would normally race, leading to some different places in the standings. Some great new warmup routines were spotted at the top of the course, which saw some excellent results for our last GS of the year.
Scott McLorie showed that closing down the Alpine Fundraiser would lead to his best finish of the season (5th). Not to be outdone, Carrie Grinter-Lenauskas had a career best 13th place finish, showing that a new pre-race warmup may be the difference maker she has been looking for.
Richard Usher-Jones and Ed Barnicke pulled away from their usual place in the standings to finish 17th and 20th respectively. Nicely done!
Speaking of pulling away, Brent Addison’s bindings decided that they didn’t want to leave the start gate on Sunday, resulting in our second start-gate ejection of the season. When asked what he had done to fix his bindings for the second run, a grin and a “nothing” was his reply. Smart move as Brent finished 8th.
Not to be outdone, fellow auto baron Alex Addison decided he needed to beat not one but both Dyson brothers this time out, resulting in cries of “Let’s Get Awesome!” all over the patio that afternoon.
Taking offense to the taunting sign duct taped to Libby Barnicke’s pants, Dan Lacey put in a season best 55th place finish to show who’s boss. Don’t poke that bear!
David Staples put in a season best finish this week at 15th, only to be outdone by his daughter putting in her own season best finish at 9th. Blair McDougall showed he’s ready to join the family by increasing his points total with a nice finish this week.
Marie Mintz has a new favourite daughter and her name is Meghan. Joining the three way tie for 52nd with Susie Raymond and Steve Cryer, Meghan edged out former favourite Lauren by a country mile.
“Top Ten” Mark Shillum showed us his best effort of the (points eligible) season, finishing 40th and ensuring Brad Sproule will have to wait another day to take down the mighty Shillum.
Carlin Billington may have won the best Après award, as she was spotted on the patio sporting her bib well after the sun was dipping below the escarpment.
All in all a great race! On to the Dual!
Standings:
Standings are now updated. You can see them at https://gdhl.results.mectiming.org. Your GDHL committee has recently handed full control of the standings to an AI program we purchased from a company called Skynet. In addition to becoming self aware, the algorithm that governs the standings should now be accurate.
Our apologies for not having these linked directly on the GDHL website.
A refresher on points calculation:
Points are the sum of your best 4 finishes
Those that have less than 4 races will have their missed race calculated as an average of actual finishes, with a 10 point penalty added for each missed race.
These averages are calculated to ensure that injuries to team members do not fully tank the team’s season. This has been done to give all team racers a chance at GDHL glory on the trophy skis above the bar
The scoring system will be reviewed and modified this off-season
If you see someone on your team that has less than four races, it may be a good idea to give them a friendly nudge for the Dual Slalom.
Dual Slalom - Saturday 1pm - Little John (PANELLED)
This weekend sees the return of our GDHL Dual Slalom down Lil Jon (Lil Jon Yeah). Some notes on the race:
We will be using our fancy new start gates, purchased with the assistance of the GDHL last year
You will start against the racer with the closest bib to you at the top of the course. (#1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, etc.). If we are missing numbers, you will be assigned by the starter to the next closest racer.
Each racer will have a run in the Blue and the Red course
Combined time determines your finish placing
If you do not finish one of the runs, your total time will be your other run’s time doubled with a penalty applied.
Due to time constraints brought on by rescheduling, we will not have time for more than two runs.
No need for full slalom gear, though some may prefer the added protection
Following the Dual Slalom: A P R E S GDHL Style!
(From Carrie Lenauskas:)
Congrats everybody for making it this far this year! With our final race of the year, and final day to secure those points, we will be following up our epic dual slalom with an Après in the South Lodge right after the race. Let’s reminisce about those near wins, and recount those 'what if' moments. GDHL racers, fans and friends are all welcome. In keeping with the Après in the Base Lodge - let's keep it TIGHT and BRIGHT. We are expecting big things from all of you (especially Mr. Hill, Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Peterson - no pressure lads!)
We will have beer donated by our amazing bib sponsor, Side Launch Brewery - wear your bib to get a beer! Nick from Nicholas Pearce Wines will also be on site to pour some delicious red and white wines. Pizza and munchies will be available as well. See you all there!
To read more about Nicholas Pearce wines, check out below.
Working with industry-leading sommeliers, restaurants, and international winemakers, Nicholas Pearce Wines has been leading the way. with a focus on hospitality and customer service for over a decade. Their highly motivated, professional team of sommeliers and wine lovers source boutique, handcrafted wines from around the world for their clients and customers. The Nicholas Pearce Wines Portfolio is exclusive to Ontario wine drinkers and provides a wide selection in all price points, with many priced under $25 per bottle, all delivered right to your front door.
A Note from Adult Racing Head Coach Glenn Blaylock:
Craigleith Adult Racers: Friday Training
Date: Friday, February 17
Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30
Hill: Lower Millennium
Discipline: Panelled Slalom
Equipment: Slalom skis, forearm guards and hard-shell helmet.
Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe
Register On-Line by Thursday.
Thank you for slipping the hill after your last run through the course.
Coaches Tip from Glenn Blaylock, Craigleith Head Coach, Adult Race Programs
Coaches Tip: Transition
Completing the turn and starting the next; often called the Transition, will depend on many factors including snow conditions, steepness of terrain and how the course was set. On flatter terrain rolling your ankles in a High Tuck position may be enough to change direction. On steeper terrain where the ski is bending the following is more appropriate and based on the Norwegian and Canadian method.
When the ski is carving the outside leg is Standing Against the ski. Start releasing pressure against the outside ski when the direction towards the next gate has been achieved. Maintain some pressure on the ski as it releases to allow the ski to complete its carving action. Edge angle and ankle flexion gradually decrease. Allow the leg to bend or shorten to prevent the body from rising up away from the snow. As the pressure is being released start applying pressure to the new outside ski. At the same time start moving your core forward over your skis and rolling your ankles to tip the skis on edge. With an Athletic Body Stance use Ankle Flexion to build 100 percent pressure against the new outside ski. When skiing short radius slalom turns the Transition happens quickly. With longer radius turns including Giant Slalom there will be a moment when your skis are gliding flat on the snow before the skis are rolled on edge.
Skiing is a sport of movements not poses so these actions are progressive and fluid.
The following short video explains and demonstrates this Transition method well. It’s a bit technical but worth watching.
Watch how World Cup racers move their core forward during the transition between turns. The core action starts early in the transition and finishes with a pole plant/touch or sometimes no wrist action at all. The primary focus is using the core muscles including back and abs to move the body forward. Also watch for the parallel shins.
Ski with Purpose
Glenn
That’s it for this week! See you all on Saturday at 1pm on Lil Jon for the Dual Slalom. Yeeeah!
-Brook