Introduction to gdhl.org, Late Season Results, Self Improvement, Fashion and Social News, Diversions

Hard to believe that this is the last racing and training weekend of the nine-week season at Craigleith.  Let's make it a good one!

At the risk of having less to discuss in next week's missive, I'm moved to bring you news from the front.  Craigleith 430, Peaks 413, Osler 385, Jozo Weider and Caledon also ran!!!

Here we are, heading into the penultimate weekend of our program!  If you were kids, we would be busy polishing up your new Step level pins and finalizing your report cards.  As it is, I guess the GDHL results are something of a proxy.

Not sure where everyone was last weekend.  We had super snow and weather, giving us great training with little waiting.  This will be a busy weekend, with the last two GDHL races, followed by the Family Day opportunity to recover and begin mental preparation for the Interclub finals next weekend! 

A little respite from GDHL before the big final weekend, and an opportunity for good training to prepare for the final push.  Hopefully the snow will have ended by the time most of us are able to drive north and will be timed so as to be groomed out, rather than side slipped.  Not that we should be fussy about snowfall, but I think we’re entitled to a bit of consideration from the weather for a change.  See the side slipping reminders at the bottom of this message just in case!

Sorry for the publication delay.  Here we are at the midway point of the program, and at least the third round of building or rebuilding our snow pack.  Thank goodness for snowmaking technology and people to manipulate the output.  Thanks also to those of you scheduled for Sunday who co-operated with our crowd control requirements last Saturday.  Sunday turned out to be an excellent training opportunity, with better snow conditions than Saturday and very few participants on hand.

Here we go for the biggest race weekend of the season – Kitzbuehel World Cup downhill and the GDHL Super G and long Slalom!  (Chris Clark has apparently forsaken GDHL and his own training to watch Kitzbuehel live.)  Plus added bonuses of an interclub race on Sunday afternoon and the Snow School Adult Apres-Ski on Saturday in the Loft of the South Lodge, right after our training.  Have a beer and munchies on Cindy after you sideslip!

Current temperature is minus 12 in Collingwood, so guns will be blazing at high efficiency!

On to week 2 and slalom!  We will be training SL Saturday at 0930 on Birches and Sunday at approximately 1300 on Birches.  Watch the board at the National Chair for any updates, particularly if the weather is difficult.  We expect to have timing set for both sessions.  I have attached some previously circulated material regarding SL and timing towards the end of this message.  Sarunas (Mr. Carrie) may be here this weekend to shoot some more Dartfish video.  We expect that he will be available several times during the year and we will let you know in advance if possible so you can adjust your schedule and wardrobe accordingly.

Thanks to the 60 or so of you who participated in our last minute New Year's sessions.  Now on to the nine week program!  We have over 50 signed up for the Saturday and Sunday sessions.  While I expect we will often be able to accommodate attendance adjustments as in the past, those signed up for a particular day will have priority on that day.  This will be particularly relevant tomorrow morning.

It has been a slice!  I hope you got your fill of skiing, or are able to supplement your Craigleith experience with some at other venues (more about which later).  Those of you who ween't at the Club this past weekend would be amazed at how little snow is left.  I think there was more on the hill last May. Hard to think we were skiing the previous weekend.

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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.

I hope Men's Day is experiencing different weather conditions than I'm seeing outside my office window.  In any event, here is a link to an article with a nice description of the mechanics of a carved turn.  Note references to equal edge angles and parallel lower legs.  This is not, of course, to say that you can or should make a perfect carved turn in every situation.  

And since I'm sending this anyway,

How to Start (Another) Fight

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Here is more to dwell on.  By the way, those of you who, like me, normally work a five day week, will be distressed to know how many of your competitors are emulating their children and skiing Fridays.  (I was at the Club with a client group, but many were clearly seeking that extra edge.)

Time flies when you're having fun!  Here is this week's news.

Here's the second edition for this weekend.

GDHL Results

I've attached the results in case you didn't get them.  (Race 3 Individual and Team and Race 4 Individual and Team)  There are a couple of unexplained DNS's (my wife and my teammate) so there are changes to come.  

I realize that I forgot to commend Margaret Isberg for her most successful leadership of the inaugural Greg Lee event last Friday.

In the meantime, two new items of interest have arrived.  [Bode Miller video and a couple of good jokes]

 Weekend Schedule, Friday Training, GDHL Results, World Cup, Fashion News, How to Start a Fight

 Friday, This Weekend, Attendance, New Participants, GDHL Results, World Cup, Idea of the Week, Timing, Fashion News, How to Start a Fight (No. 1)