It is officially March which means Spring Skiing, Ski-Nanigans, Après Skis on the patio, and… The END of YEAR GDHL BANQUET!
If you have not bought your tickets, do so now! If you would like more details on the event, which is this Saturday, March 5th, keep reading.
This past weekend was reserved for the Interclub Finals (which Craigleith won, obviously), so there are no GDHL races to report back on. Usually that would make for a boring newsletter, however we still have a lot of unfinished business. Beyond the detailed description of Saturday night’s GDHL End of Year Banquet, you will find more information on the following:
Club Championships – this Saturday, March 5th Starting at 8 30 am
Interclub Finale – The Story of Craigleith’s dominance
Fantasy GDHL – Who won, which skier was the best pick?
Coach Glenn’s Weekly Skiing Tips
Mackenzie Irwin & Al Lachance of Craigleith’s Interclub team show off last weekend’s hardware
The Banquet
We are ecstatic to be hosting our annual GDHL end of year Banquet! At the start of the year, our main concern was just getting you on the hill, now we get to host you in person, inside, while serving delicious food and drink. The banquet starts at 7 PM this Saturday, March 5th in the Base Lodge. The bar will be serving, but the GDHL happily encourages you to BYOB of wine, for only a $10 corkage fee. There will be a lot of additional libations to enjoy from our sponsors and friends. Tickets are $35/per person, and all are welcome! We are happy to host you and your partner, and friends or potential recruits for future GDHL seasons!
Now there is obvious interest in how the event will be handled, as some of us are still emerging from our COVID shells, and slowly feeling out the social sphere in which we are comfortable. In order to best address some of the questions we have received, here are the FAQs:
Q: Where is the dinner being held?
A: The dinner will be hosted in the Base Lodge Great Room, in front of the fireplace. Seating at tables will be far more spread out than previous years that we have hosted in the Georgian Bay Room.
Q: How many people will be attending?
A: We have allocated 100 seats for this dinner, we hope and forecast all will sell out.
Q: How is seating arranged?
A: Tables will be rush seating, however if you arrive on time there should be no issue to find a way to keep your group together at a table
Q: What awards will be handed out during the evening?
A: The evening will feature many awards including the top male and female racers, as well as the top teams for 2022. Knowing the GDHL committee, there will be a couple fun awards to honour skiers of all skill levels.
Q: If I show up in a full downhill suit will I be provided complimentary drinks?
A: Yes, there is a high chance that if you show up in your downhill suit, that’s been shoved in your closet all season, someone will ensure your cup is full all evening.
As stated above, the committee will be handing out all awards for our 2022 season which you will not want to miss! We also do not want to miss you. If there is something you need from us to accommodate you, please reach out to GDHL@GDHL.org. We look forward to seeing you there.
Club Championships
This weekend is ALSO Club Championships! Remember the whole busy calendar comment above? Yah, it is a busy month! All GDHL racers are automatically entered, but there are some details for you to know ahead of the races this weekend.
There will be two races, one GS in the morning, and one Slalom in the afternoon. Each are only one run… make it count! Both Races are on Big John, and you are invited to wear for FULL DOWNHILL SUIT.
Saturday’s schedule is:
8 am – 8 45 am: Bib Pick Up at Race Office
8 40 – 9 10 am: GS Run Inspection
9 30: GS Race Start
12:10 – 12:40: Slalom Run Inspection
1 pm: Slalom Race Start
Following all the races there will be a Tequila and Tacos Après at Base Lodge, which sounds like a perfect way to compound any injuries you suffer during your races. Or maybe give yourself a head injury in the way of a hangover for Sunday morning.
All Club Championship Awards will be handed out on Sunday at Noon on the South Lodge Deck.
You too can win awards, like Taylor Simms Brown and Meg Peterson do, by racing in this weekend’s club championships!
Interclub
Again, and again the Craigleith Interclub team is proving to the Niagara Escarpment, nay, the entire Ski Community of Canada, that our Adult Race program is incomparable! The Craigleith Interclub team won their 10th season in a row last weekend with spectacular performances from all the racers on the team. Captain Taylor Simms Brown had the following to say about his team’s victory and recent dominance:
What a weekend!
We absolutely crushed the competition with Sims, Veer, Mack, Ryley, LaChance, Sutherland, Cavers, McLorie, and Murdison winning 10 of the 11 age categories that the team entered.
Notable VIE's were The Timeless LaChance (29), Fregren's PB (28), The Return of Raymond (27), Caveman (27), Sudsy (27) and Lady Mack (24).
Meg took the overall for the ladies, solidifying her first Interclub Championship (of many we hope) and I was lucky enough to earn a spot to get a pic with her!
Craigleith has won this title a bunch since 1978, but this win marked our 10th straight victory which is insane.
Thanks to Kathy and Jeff for bringing us together over a really nice meal. It was great to get out there with this crew again.
Get your tix to the GDHL Banquet so we can keep this party rolling!
That's a wrap for 2022.
What a weekend indeed!
Craigleith’s Winning Interclub Team 2022
Fantasy GDHL
Thank you to all those who participated in another year of Fantasy GDHL. We had great participation with 45 teams being submitted, amassing a $900 kitty! With the double header weekends, it was a bit difficult to keep everything up to date, however our hamsters have finished spinning the wheels and the monkeys at their typewriters have the final tally for this year’s winners.
Drum Roll Please…
1st Ski Team - Steve MacDonald – 1,166 Pts
2nd The Slippery Petes - Paul Peterson – 1,135 Pts
3rd Super Awesome Team - Riley Keast – 1,062 Pts
There were a lot of great teams that were put together by the participants, but none could keep up with these three. Truly a spectacular performance in picking the RIGHT ski racers this season. Congratulations to Steve, Paul and Riley.
For those of you curious as to who were the highest point getters this year, feast your eyes below!
1st Philip Ottaway – 255 Pts
2nd Leslie Sims – 250 Pts
3rd Andrew Turnbull – 247 Pts
4th Brandon Popalis – 246 Pts
5th Carrie Laurencelle – 243 Pts
Each of these skiers skied consistently, showed up at races, regardless of weather or distractions, and performed well above their ranks. Congratulations to Philip, Leslie, Andrew, Brandon, and Carrie!
Full results for teams and athletes are available here
Another great fantasy GDHL awaits us next year, looking forward to having you all involved.
Glenn’s Coaching Tip!
Coaching Tip: Shortening the inside leg
Shortening or flexing the inside leg will apply more pressure against, and create more edge angle of the outside ski, resulting in more powerful turns. When the inside ankle and knee roll towards the fall line the inside leg also flexes or shortens under the body while the ski stays on the snow. This action allows the outside leg to extend and become more lateral as demonstrated by this video. Its important to press the outside arm down the hill and keep your inside arm in front of you. (LINK)
World cup skiers are working on technical skills in the following video. Watch for the shortening of the inside leg as the outside leg extends. Also watch for constant shin pressure on both boots, the body moving forward rather than upwards and 100 percent pressure against the outside ski. (LINK)
That is all for today. March is a great month to get out and ski, see friends and re introduce yourself to all those things we have forgotten about since Covid started. Enjoy yourself and see you at the Banquet!
-Doug