Good morning GDHL’ers! We had a great time last weekend at the Calcutta on Saturday night, and with our first race of the season on Sunday afternoon.
This week’s newsletter has been compiled by our dedicated GDHL Chair, Brook Dyson. His recount of the fun and excitement can be found below. Following Brook’s message is an update from Glenn Blaylock, our Craigleith Head Coach, Adult Race Programs, sharing details about this weekend’s training, and how to register for Friday gate training ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Slalom race on Comet. That is, only if you need the gate training.
You will also find the entire team list way at the bottom. For those of us that missed the Calcutta we can take a look for our teammates. What you will not find on the website, or here are the detailed results from this past weekend’s race. We are launching a new results and standings page on our website and still in beta testing. The new page should be out soon, but for now you can check your results from Sunday’s race here:
And you can track live timing for Saturday’s race on the same website (mectiming.ca) here.
Onto Brook’s Recap:
What a weekend! A great race and a great introductory Calcutta. In our last email we asked you for a snow dance, and it worked! All of that dancing on Saturday night paid off!
Thanks again to our sponsors for helping us put on the Calcutta and other events:
Budget Propane
Sutherland Insurance
Patty Mac Construction
Dynastar/Lange
Sidelaunch
Squire John's
Calcutta 2023:
After a three year-hiatus, the Calcutta returned with a bang! Host Paul Peterson and Auctioneer Rip Riopelle ushered back our time-honoured Craigleith tradition. You could feel the sense of joy that we could once again gather in the South Lodge to enjoy a night with fellow skiers. Of 135 racers, we have 100 racing on 10 teams (listed at bottom). The teams were auctioned off to the highest bidders, with the final pot to be distributed amongst the top three team owners at the end of the season.
Some familiar heavy hitters were seen bidding and were joined this year by some new team owners. All were looking to score big based on their highly researched analysis or gut feeling. Many in the room enjoyed the fast pace and energetic feel of the proceedings. What a rush!
The Retro Ski theme was embraced by many in the Calcutta, with a few racers being rewarded for their outfits. (For those that are new to the club, there are always lots of chances throughout the season to dress up for an après!)
The final details of team prices and owners are being finalized. Stay tuned for updated info in future newsletters. If you bought a team, or bought back as a team member, you will be contacted in the next few days by Chris Knight or a member of your team.
The #10 and #20 bibs for this race were awarded to Dan Lacey and Carrie Grinter-Lenauskas for recognition of costumes at the Calcutta. Dan was sporting the fancy blue downhill suit Saturday night, while Carrie's bib was controversially given to her by another costume winner – Jenn Price. For details on that, check out TMZ.com.
The #10 and #20 bibs for next week go to Greg Cavers and Gordie Bruce, two great Slalom skiers that will definitely take advantage of pristine course conditions! Their outfits at the Calcutta really did earn them those bibs. Look out for next week's GDHL email for a chance to win these bibs for the January 28th race.
Sunday morning saw some groggy faces prior to the start of the race. No doubt they were thankful for the 1pm start!
Sunday GS Race:
Race #1 of the 2023 season (and Race #1 for a lot of ski racing careers) is now in the books. Thanks to the Coyotes for keeping the course in the best shape that they could. Racing on a hill of artificial snow can be tricky at times, but the care given to the conditions on the course was amazing.
Congratulations to all our first-time racers. You have completed your first ski race! Some say it only gets easier from here…
Welcome back to all our veterans! It's great seeing you all back on the race hill.
Prior to the first run, the start area was quieter than usual. A lot of nervous first-time racers in addition to silent veterans trying to remember what to do. However, that same start area was brimming with smiles and laughter before the second run. The rust and nerves had been shaken off!
Some selected highlights from the race:
Mike Welton managed to win our first race, completing a smoking 2nd run to claim the victory. 2nd was Gordie Bruce and 3rd was Ben Williams. With only .15 seconds between the top three, we are in for a good season at the top of the standings.
Meg Ryley took the women's title this week (6th overall), with Katie Farrow (7th overall) coming second by .21 seconds. Madison Staples rounded out the women's top three (23rd overall).
Craig Sievenpiper made a return from his multi-decade hiatus to finish an impressive 20th. Was it the 90s race sweater that did it?
Speaking of hiatuses, Susie Raymond came out of retirement to be the latest member of the Raymond family to start a GDHL race. She's coming for you Dave!
Former President Chris Fregren edged out current President James Mathers by .62 seconds. Keep an eye on this political dogfight.
Jeff Sutherland came dangerously close to sanctions due to his new race suit. When questioned, Jeff replied he was modelling a fashionable new outfit from his daughters' winter line. Hopefully no gate marks on there!
Paul Peterson edged out Brayden Irwin this week by .46 seconds. Rumor has it that Brayden's confidence level is sky-high without any sisters looking over his shoulder this year!
Let's also recognize Chris Knight (16th) for a phenomenal first race of the season. You've set the bar high!
The coveted Family Award is once again up for grabs this year, with a record 15 families racing in the GDHL. Some family rivalries of note this weekend:
Brook Dyson sneaked by brother Peter Dyson, Andrew Ottaway finished ahead of brother Phil, Brent Addison took out brother Alex, Dax Cavers narrowly beat father Greg (but not by much!) and Carlin Billington put brothers Harrison Simms-Brown and Taylor Simms-Brown on notice that she's not yet done her ski racing career!
Kyle Farrow (5th) returned from the tropics to squeeze out Cousin Katie Farrow (7th) by .42 seconds, while Ed Barnicke squeaked by recently un-retired cousin Libby Barnicke.
The extended Mintz family made a four-person debut this weekend, with Meghan Robinson beating out her sister Lauren Liberty, brother-in law Stan Liberty, and most importantly husband Dave Robinson.
Jackets:
If you didn't get to order a jacket and would like to, please email us at gdhl@gdhl.org. Jackets are $80 and are embroidered with the GDHL logo. We will fill orders based on when they are received. More jackets will be ordered if we are able to.
Questions?
Registration for the GDHL is at a record high, with about 135 racers this year. Your committee has been working hard to ensure that all racers get a chance on the course and a beer in their hand. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know at gdhl@gdhl.org
Next Race:
SLALOM - Saturday at 1pm on Comet.
Shin guards, pole guards, face guards are NOT required. Helmets are mandatory.
Adult Race Training is Slalom for Friday all day and Saturday morning. If you would like to participate in training, you will need to register on the club website under Alpine Programs.
See you on Saturday!
-Brook
Coaches Corner: From Glenn Blaylock, Craigleith Head Coach, Adult Race Programs
Coaches Tip: The Athletic Body Position
Picture a tennis player ready to receive a serve, a football player preparing for a tackle and the stance of a soccer goal keeper about to stop a penalty shot. They all apply the optimum position of the human body to be balanced and strong on their feet.
To achieve the athletic body position when skiing, the feet are shoulder width apart, ankles are flexed forward so both shins pressure the front of the boots, arms forward and a bit to the side, there is a slight tilt forward at the waist so the back is about the same angle as your shins and the chin is level to the ground with eyes forward. The following video demonstrates why this position works so well in skiing.
Watch Erik Krisoffersen of the Norwegian Ski Team for a superb demonstration of the athletic body position in the following video. Also watch how Erik’s outside leg is always stacked without the knee tipping inwards. His shins are also parallel throughout the turn which is achieved by rolling his inside knee and ankle away from the outside ski. He will also be applying 100 percent pressure on the outside ski at the apex of the turn.
The Javelin Drill and the Importance of keeping your ski tips level
When watching Erik you will see the tips of his skis are close to level; the tip of the inside ski is not ahead of the tip of the outside ski. Keeping the tips level will allow the body to be stacked over the outside ski throughout the turn. If the inside tip is forward the body will twist and apply pressure to the tail of the outside ski. Alpine Canada has identified the Javelin Drill as one of the most effective drills to help develop the optimum body position with the ski tips level. Watch Deb Armstrong; former U.S.A Ski Team, demonstrate the Javelin Drill in the following video.
