Lots of information to absorb, including changes to the weekend's schedule. The final GDHL race (SL) has been moved from Sunday morning on Venture to Sunday afternoon on Comet. Start is at 1:00, with inspection from about 12:15 to 12:40. Bibs will be collected at the finish line, failing which you will need to return yours to the race office on pain of the pecuniary penalty to which you agreed as a term of registration. As a result of the race time change, Sunday's training will be held as usual at 9:30 am, on Big John, rather than being rescheduled to Saturday. Also on deck for the weekend:
The Track 3 Friends & Family Ski Day is Friday. Details are here.
Friday training is SL on Birches. Contact Laurel to register.
Saturday training is SL on Venture at 9:30. Timing will be set up both Saturday and Sunday. Remember to check in with the coaches by radio before each run.
Technical training is at 9:30 on each of Saturday and Sunday. Meet at the National chair.
The fourth Interclub race is SL at Caledon on Saturday afternoon. Contact Taylor if you're interested. Races at Caledon have often been an opportunity to get your first start on the team.
GDHL Closing Dinner and Other Fun
Plans are quickly coming together for the annual GDHL awards dinner on Saturday, 1 March in the Base Lodge. (Note that Club championships medals will be presented separately after the races.) Cocktails are at 6 and dinner is at 7. New features this year include a dance band for apres-awards festivities and BYO wine arrangements. You can bring your own wine and pay a corkage fee of $10 per bottle. This can most elegantly be done when requesting glasses and the use of a cork screw at the bar. BYOW is a generous accommodation from our caterer, so let's play by the rules! Anyone found drinking from a broken-necked bottle will be dealt with harshly. Public humiliation will be the least of it, given our esteemed chairman's avid endorsement of this program. Ticket sales will begin shortly at the front desk and online. Tickets are $45 each, or $30 for GDHL racers under 30 and one under 30 guest each.
Remember also to sign up for the Athletic Fundraiser on 22 February, and click here to bid on the GDHL's contribution to the online silent auction, among other things.
If you're worried about keeping in top racing form between the Club championships and the final Interclub race, the Peaks will be holding their traditional Super G on Friday, 7 March. Details will be available shortly.
And this just in - AOA is presenting a two day masters' camp at Osler on 26 and 27 February. One day of SL and one of GS, with morning, afternoon and video sessions. Coaches will be Jacques Reid and Scott Barrett. Registration will be available on the AOA website beginning on 18 February. Jacques can provide more details in the interim.
A Quick Diversion
Just to introduce a splash of colour into an otherwise text-heavy narrative, here's someone's take on difficult conditions on the Sochi mogul course.
Results and Standings
Results of Sunday's GS on Big John are here. Alec Libert again won handily, with Ian Malcolm edging out Scott McLorie by two hundies for second, followed by Doug Macmillan and Trevor Jackson. JF Courville almost halved his 24th ranking to finish tied with Trent Winstone for 13th, while Brook Dyson jumped from 33rd ranking to 16th. Rob Cassels joined the Rossi Masters users, at least temporarily, to record a season's best 29th, while Brittany Stainer was the leading lady in 38th, 0.01 ahead of Lisa Warll. Familiar faces among the climbers included Rob Bruce (42nd from 67th rank), Jamie Coulter (45th from 82) and Brad McMullen (46th from 103), while Tory McKillop, Brad Sproule and Anne Mathers improved on their rankings by 31, 30 and 25 places, respectively.
You will have observed that our new database means that the final results will no longer be a closely guarded secret up to the final dinner, but the upside is the chance to readily analyze who needs to do what to whom going into the final race. Alec Libert's lead in the individual overall standings remains unassailable with a perfect 464 points from his best four races. Ian Malcolm is at 457 and would reach 460 with a win Sunday. Things are very tight behind them, with Scott McLorie and Greg Cavers tied at 453, followed by Doug Macmillan at 452. Scott is presently counting a 6th, so he could reach 458 with a win. Greg's max is 457, while Doug could also get to 458. Special mention in next week's news to anyone who figures out what's needed for a four way tie for second!
In the women's race, Brittany Stainer has a seemingly comfortable 39 point lead, but Leslie Morgan could improve her score by precisely 39 points with a win, so who knows? Brittany needs to finish 34th to get the one point needed to assure overall victory.
And finally, who's in the money for the teams? Landslide, on the strength of over-achievement from Jamie Coulter, Brad McMullen and others, has an apparent lock on first with a lead of almost 300 points. Millennium has a 29 point cushion in second place and has two racers who have only three finishes, so they can each drop their current 10 point penalties by showing up Sunday. Conversely, Venture in third has had almost perfect attendance all season and its members will have to lay down some solid runs to defend slim leads over National, which is carrying one 10 point penalty, and Funnel. Keep your calculators ready!
Ms. Manners
I have written a bit recently about GDHL not taking itself too seriously, but not tolerating abuse of race crew and others. Time for a bit more. We have recognized that, on the race course, GDHL hasn't ever had a formal structure of officiating. Our course setter, Jacques Reid, has now accepted responsibility for making decisions concerning course safety if conditions are difficult and generally acting as the senior race official. It has also been noted that some racers are not inspecting the course efficiently, by making numerous passes, stopping to socialize on the way down or showing up late. Sometimes extra slipping is welcome if there is a lot of snow to clear, but more often it is best to clear the course and let the Coyotes do the final preparation. Absent unusual circumstances, we will close inspection 20 minutes before the race start. Before then, consider joining Shelley Johnston or one of the other coaches on the course for a single thoughtful inspection.
And finally, if all of the wisdom you thought you absorbed during inspection and training doesn't stick with you and you're disappointed with your run or some part of it, remember that we're a family club. I recall seeing a mother in the finish area struggling to explain some particularly colourful self-reproach to her stripling. These episodes are best eliminated, and egregious examples may require the miscreant to explain herself to our chairman.
Self-Improvement / Live in Hope
Just as I was despairing of some content for this area, along came three pieces from the New York Times regarding Ted Ligety. Click here for an article about Ligety as a late bloomer, among other things. Click here for a neat scroll-through video compilation concerning Ted's technique. And here are some pictures he's taken of life on the road.
One Last Diversion
A man was stopped by the police around 2 AM and asked where he was going at that time of night. The man replied, "I'm on my way to a lecture about alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well as the dangers of smoking, and staying out late." The officer then asked, "Really? Who is giving that lecture at this time of night?" The man replied, "That would be my wife."
See you on the hill!
James Mathers