Too bad this skiing thing is an outdoor sport - it makes planning more difficult :)
Club Championships changed to 0930 Sunday GS on Big John. We will therefore run our last session of the nine week program at 1 pm- dual SL on Birches (single pole, cross-blocking). In the meantime, see you at dinner tonight.
How to Start a Fight
Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.
I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back; now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."
My loving wife of 5 years replied, "And, can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?"
And that's how the fight started...
Overture
Escarpment ski racers
Wherever you turn
Heads up, you will see that
The Peaks has been burned
For TSB's teammates
Have risen to his call
And raced to the line
That much faster
So the seven time winners
Are the leaders no more
And the times they are a-changin'.
There is a great deal more of the same sort, but too dreadfully conceited to be written down. This is one of the milder verses.
Sing along with Bob here.
Interclub Finals
You will likely have heard the results. Hopefully you avoided witnessing the ravages of excess that apparently befell some team members on Saturday evening. Much of the success in interclub races comes from matching up well against the opposition. Taylor shared his pre-race analysis of scoring with me. It was remarkably close to the eventual outcome, although it proved to be a bit conservative in assessing the Craigleith results. There were no disappointing finishes among the Craigleith team. It is a testament to the strength of the performance that Taylor, despite a 4th overall finish, scored so few points (because of being in a small category) that he was dropped in the final calculations. Craigleith had competitors in 11 categories and won 8 of them. Margaret Isberg and Mary Riopelle were 1 and 2. Sharon Munday and Anne H-T were 1 and 5, both beating the lone Peaks competitor, Bill Bigelow and Steve Gailits were 1 and 3, Kate Veer was first despite having to do a rerun, Allan LaChance and your humble correspondent were 2 and 6 of 15, both beating 4 Peaks guys, Bebe Zoricic, Trent Winstone, Craig Shibley and Glen McKay were 3, 4, 5 and 8, all beating the lone Peaks competitor, Peter Rockandel, Randy Dalton and Ross Kappele were 3, 5 and 7, Chris Shipton, Greg Cavers, Doug Deeks and J-F Courville were 1, 2, 3 and 4, Scott McLorie was first, Justin Kowal and TSB were 1, 2 and Pat Wright was first in his category and overall. The end result was a very satisfying 13 point margin, and Craigleith's first win since 1990.
See video from the forerunner's helmet cam and video of Pat's run.
This Weekend
Dan Hadley will be coaching GS on Friday, which will be the last Friday training session of the season.
Club championships are Saturday. One run of GS at 10 am and one run of SL at 1pm. Get bibs in the loft of the South Lodge first thing Saturday morning. The Club champs and GDHL awards dinner is Saturday night at 6:30 for 7:30 (not at 5:00 pm as indicated in one version of the notice of race).
Our last sessions of the season are on Sunday at 9:30 and 1:00. We will be doing dual SL on Birches, probably starting at the cut though from Canyon. Bring your gear for cross-blocking.
In Case You Haven't Had Enough
Consider the Super G event at the Peaks a week Friday. Team race in the morning (teams of 4 including one woman, age group prizes) and individual runs in the afternoon. This is on a tougher course than Partridge, but manageable and a lot of fun. Register here. Paul Woodhouse and I were on a winning team two years ago. Shot skis for winners!
Video
Nothing much to do with ski racing, but worth a watch, compliments of Paul Woodhouse.
Side Slipping Technique
In case we have another big snow day, I'll remind you of our approach to clearing the snow. Many feet make lighter work! The primary goal is to establish wide enough track to allow for a lower than ideal line without people running into the powder. Slippers should focus on one side of the course only, working outside one gate and inside the other, or down the middle if necessary. Try to round the gate with some speed and do a hockey stop into the berm, then carry as much snow as you can downhill, releasing it when you're opposite the next gate so as not to push it into the track below. Start slipping again once you're well into the track below and repeat.
Going Forward
I think we've had a great season, and it has been particularly nice to have so many new participants. However, we do face some challenges with our variable schedule and unpredictable attendance. If you have suggestions about things we can implement to improve the program please let the coaches know or, if you prefer, contact Cindy Baubock.
Fashion News
Carrie's Saturday outfit was a Posh jacket in black with fox fur trim and Ruby pants in Posh (pink). Sunday brought the Pandora jacket in Gypsy with Green Flash trim and pants. (Regular readers will recall that week 2's Sunday jacket was Green Flash with Gypsy trim, so we have come 180 degrees.)
Husband Down
A fine example of the "How to Start a Fight" genre, with illustration, from a contributor who wishes to hide his light under a basket.
A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart. The husband picks up a case of Miller Lite and puts it in their cart.
'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife. 'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans', he replies. 'Put them back, it's a waste of money', demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.
A few aisles further on along, the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.
What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband. 'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife. Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Miller Lite and it's half the price.'
HUSBAND DOWN, AISLE 7
See you on the weekend!
JWM