This weekend saw the return of mother nature to Craigleith’s hills. Worries about course conditions due to snow were expertly handled by the Coyotes crew again this week.
In this newsletter:
Standings Update
Race #2 Recap
Night Race - Friday 6pm
GS Race - Saturday 1pm
Bib Auctions - Friday and Saturday
Note from Glenn Blaylock
GTHS Event Notice
Interclub Race Saturday
Standings Update
A reminder that your best four races count towards team points and placing. If you’re on a team, please do your best to get in four races. Your teammates (and owners) are counting on you!
Race #2 Recap
Saturday’s GS was our second race on Big John in 2024. The course was fast and chattery, with extra bounces thrown in. Some skis were lost on each of the runs, but in general the course held up. Most of our racers are now in mid-season form, with new and old rivalries coming to the forefront.
A record 143 racers scored points for themselves and their teams. It’s safe to say the rust is gone, bad habits are forming, and everyone has their eyes glued to the live timing site after the race.
Griffin Copp took his first victory of the season, followed closely by Ben Williams and Mike Welton. Last week’s winner Gordie Bruce came fourth and edged out Alec Liebert and Austin Gust by the narrowest of margins. The season is shaping up to see a variety of racers on the men’s podium.
Katie Farrow was victorious on the female side, followed closely by Meg Ryley and Mackenzie Irwin. Less than a second separated the top five females, rounded out by Madison Staples and Cheryl McConachie. As with the men, the prize for top female is definitely up for grabs this year.
As always, family competition in the GDHL is alive and well. The latest entrants to the Irwin team saw some improvements over last week, with Keegan moving up a few spots and rookie Gareth Imrie shaving significant seconds from last week’s effort. Sarunas Lenauskas is quietly closing the gap with wife Carrie, while Dylan Raymond edged out father Dave by 19 hundredths.
The Popalis boys finished within 7 hundredths of each other, with Petey taking top spot. Rumour has it that proud parents Flo and Peter are opening up their bar tab to whichever brother comes out on top!
90s-era Mackenzie All-Stars Justin Burul, Doug Mac Con, Allison McMillan and Jordan White have reappeared on the racing circuit after a multi-decade break, putting up respectable results in their first two races back. Brad McMullen and Mark Shillum renewed their rivalry by finishing right next to each other, only one place apart.
Chris Clark made his return to the GDHL from a multi-year hiatus, after learning of the break-out performance in 2023 of son-in-law David Singh. Keep an eye on this matchup!
Fan favourite Dave Robinson has begun his much-anticipated ascent up the GDHL standings, narrowing the gap on better half Meghan, who herself is pulling ahead of sister Lauren Liberty.
Former GDHL committee member James Coulter welcomed daughter Alex to the GDHL, showing off by narrowly beating Richard Usher-Jones by 2 hundredths. Defending his family’s honour, Richard’s son Nicolas snuck ahead of Alex Coulter by 3 spots.
Sporting Bib #10, Ed Barnicke placed an impressive 29th, while Bib #20 owner Phil Ottaway opened up a gap of 19 places this week over brother Andrew. These bibs are up for auction again this week, and can be a good investment in yours or your team’s fortunes.
By managing to stay on two skis this week, Paul Peterson closed the gap with wife Meg by 12 spots! Vegas bookies are keeping an eye on this incredible breakthrough, and are now expecting big things from Paul this year.
Race #3 - Slalom - Little John - Friday at 6pm
Our first night race, and first slalom, of 2024 is this Friday at 6pm. The front half of our weekend doubleheader is sure to be a great night! A reminder that the Little John chair is open to all members from 5pm to 8pm. Bar and food services are open throughout the night.
Inspection is from 5:15pm - 5:45pm.
This race is also open to non-GDHL’ers. If you’ve been doing some Adult Gate Training and looking to put your skills to use, shoot us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org and feel free to drop by the start area prior to the race. We will do our best to get you in.
A friendly reminder to check your goggle lens. Dark shades aren’t the greatest at night!
Yellow lenses are great for the night!
Race #4 - GS - Comet - Saturday at 1pm
The second half of our weekend doubleheader is this Saturday, with the return of Giant Slalom racing to Comet. This is our last GS race of the year, so let’s make it count!
Inspection is from 12:10pm to 12:40pm. Race starts at 1:00pm.
A reminder that Downhill Suits and their long-lost cousins are not permitted. Hard ear helmets are mandatory.
Bib Auctions
Similar to this past week, there will be auctions for bibs #10 and #20. ANYONE is open to bid on these bibs, with all proceeds going to Craigleith Cares Foundation (tax deductible).
The bibs for the Friday Night Slalom will be auctioned off LIVE at the top of Little John at 5pm on Friday.
The bibs for the Saturday Afternoon GS will be auctioned off LIVE at the top of Comet at 12pm on Saturday.
As mentioned above, last week’s bib owners Ed Barnicke and Phil Ottaway saw some nice runs with a clean course, for a small price!
Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs
We will be training Slalom this Friday (January 19) as outlined below.
Coach’s Tip: A good start technique will improve your race results. To learn how you can start a race like World Cup racers, click on this link: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/the-start-86e9acf46da7
Friday Training
Date: Friday, January 19
Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Hill: (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).
Discipline: Slalom
Equipment: Slalom Skis, Helmet and Guards for hands, face and shins.
Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe
Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates from the hill at the end of the training session.
Ski with Purpose
Glenn
Georgian Triangle Humane Society Event - February 1st
Enjoy the day on and off the slopes at SKI FOR PETS 2024, Feb 1 at Craigleith Ski Club in support of critically needed day to day operations to care for the animals at GTHS. Purchase tickets HERE.
$200.00 Ticket includes lift, light breakfast, lunch + après ski snacks. ($50 tax receipt)
$100.00 Ticket for non- skiers and Craigleith Members includes light breakfast, lunch + après Ski Snacks. ($25.00 tax receipt)
SKI FOR PETS ITINERARY
- 9:00 - Registration opens w light breakfast w coffee, tea, juice
- 9:30 - Free Ski
- 12:00 - Lunch
- 1:30 - Fun Race + Guided Snowshoe
- 3:00 - Apres w Jenny Howes Duo Live
- 4:00 - 50/50, Fun Race Winners Announced
- 5:00 - See you next year for SKI FOR PETS 2025!
Equipment Rentals Available HERE
50/50 + Much More!
Food
Provided by in house caterer Pease Marsh Farms. Enjoy a delicious light breakfast, buffet lunch with tasty après treats.
Tickets Non-Refundable.
Hope we see you there! Your support would mean the world to us and 1000's of Pets in Need.
Interclub Race - Saturday
The next interclub race will be at Georgian Peaks this Saturday at 1pm. For more information or to inquire about participating, please contact Taylor at tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com or check out www.interclubski.org. Open to all racers looking for an elevated racing experience.