Down to the Wire

First, apologies to Lou Montana, who I incorrectly identified in connection with his photos last week.  Hard to get good proof readers these days.  Maybe I was thinking back to Leapin' Lou Fontinato.

Now, the last week of racing is upon us.  And don't be late for dinner, while keeping time for some other excitement.  Read on!

GDHL Awards Dinner

Saturday evening is the annual GDHL dinner and awards presentation in the Base Lodge.  Tickets are now on sale through the Club website's members section or the front desk - $45 or $30 for GDHL racers under 35 and their guests, plus HST.  The evening will start at 7 pm with cocktails and tapas.  We'll do a few awards before dinner at 8, featuring live music.  Then we'll do the rest of the awards, including recognizing the winning teams, and taxi and shuttle service will start at 9:30.  And don't forget you can bring your own wine and just pay a $15 corkage fee.  But, YOU HAVE TO BOOK NOW, so we can tell the caterer how many are coming.  Avoid the risk of having your friends tell you what you missed by getting in touch with the Club right now!

Skiing Schedule

• Race 7 of GDHL will be combined with the GS race from the Club Championships on Saturday morning.  (The Fast & Female group is ready to race in the CC.)  Starts will be by age group in accordance with Club Championship practice, and you will need to pick up a CC bib in the South Lodge on Saturday morning.  If weather and course conditions allow, a second GS run will be held for GDHL participants only.  It will not count for Club Championships, but the better time from the two runs will count for GDHL purposes.  If a second run is possible, there will be a delay of 15 or 20 minutes after the first run, so that the Coyotes can complete their results for the Club Championships. The usual SL portion of the Club Championships will be held on Saturday afternoon.

• The final gate training session of the nine week program will be dual paneled SL on Sunday morning at 9:30.  Fast & Female will do the Club Championships as their final session, while Al and his Adult Tech group will have a session on Sunday at 9:30.

• Sandy will be offering Friday GS training at 9:30 on Comet.  Afternoon training will only proceed if there are sufficient commitments.  We know how the sirens of Ladies Day may cause the poor gatetrainers to founder at lunch time!  Contact Laurel if you want to train and are feeling sufficiently Odyssean.  Sandy will also be offering GS training on the Monday of March break week and SL on the Friday.  He is also willing to offer more weekend training if there is sufficient demand.  Contact him directly or let Laurel know.

GDHL Race 6

Race 6 was only the second GS of the season, held on Big John.  J-F Courville took advantage of a donated bib 20 to take an early lead (eventually finishing 19th), but was supplanted by Meghan Barber, who remained first woman throughout and finished 13th overall.  Meghan remained in the hot seat until her teammate Jeff Sutherland squeaked a few hundies past, then the triple digit bib boys went to work.  Greg Cavers was the first to break 32 seconds, and was tied by Scott McLorie soon after.  Two racers later, Phil Ruffolo recorded a 31.21 that held up through the first run.  There were few improvements made by those who took second runs, and Phil was looking in good shape after almost matching his first run time with his second.  Sadly, Chris Barber, although reportedly quite tired, was kept sufficiently alert by the screaming orange of his brand new Volkl 196 cm 35 m radius GS skis (as if Men's Day wasn't punishing enough) to beat Phil by five hundredths, only to be immediately topped by Alec Libert, who broke into the 30 point somethings to take his first GDHL win of the year.  Results were very tight throughout the top half of the standings, with finishers 14 through 25 all in the 33's and 26 through 44 all in the 34's.  Among the day's big gainers over ranking were Warren McD (encore!), J-F, Brad McMullen (returning to old ways), Rich Lavery, Sarunas (although Carrie's forerunning time smoked him), Rob Bruce, Doug MacCon, Dougie Craig, Ed Barnicke, Elspeth Gaukrodger and Murray Sarafinchin.

Going into the final race, several of the individual races are locked up, but the team standings are very tight.  Only 14 points separates second from fourth.  And one member of the third place team is still carrying a ten point absence penalty, that can be overcome with an appearance on Saturday.  Remember that it's important for all team members to show up, even if they have four good races, to make sure that members of other teams don't score more points by virtue of a smaller field.

Elsewhere

At this weekend's AOA Master's GS, Jeff Sutherland recorded the fastest overall time (not just age group), despite being only a week or two into what was to have been six weeks off skis.  Jeff attributes his recovery to using cabbage leaves to reduce inflammation.  Who knew Jeff was so attuned to natural remedies?

And also Marie-Michelle Gagnon took her second career World Cup win, although much of the attention seemed to focus on Lindsey Vonn competing despite what has now been determined to be a season-ending broken leg.

And Finally

Your GDHL committee is working very hard on putting together a great offer for North Face jackets for GDHL members at a very attractive price.  If it all comes together, try on opportunities will be available at the GDHL dinner Saturday.

On more reason I'll see you there!

Cheers,

James Mathers

Illustrated News

Hopefully a picture is worth a thousand words, but a few words first.

This Weekend

• Friday training would be GS, but since it's Men's Day there will only be training if there are sufficient advance commitments. Last I heard, there weren't enough people confirmed, so contact Laurel immediately if you can commit.
• Adult gate training will be GS at 9:30 on each of Saturday and Sunday.  Fast & Female will be 9:30 Saturday.  Adult Tech will be 9:30 on both days.  Watch signage and Natalie's news for locations.
• GDHL is GS on SATURDAY on Big John.  Inspection at 12:15, start at 1:00.  Bibs 10 and 20 belong to John Barber and Brook Dyson.  These guys will want to keep them, so no need to remind you that you can only use a preferred bib once a season.  Please leave your bib in the finish area after the race, or drop it off with Kylie in the race office.

Next Weekend

• Club Championships will be held on Saturday, 5 March, with GS in the morning and SL in the afternoon.  GDHL participants are automatically entered.  If you have friends who may want to join the GDHL in the future, please encourage them to ski in the Club Championships this year.  It will make life much easier for the GDHL ranking committee.  They can sign up on the list on the racing bulletin board in the South Lodge.
• Race 7 of GDHL will be combined with the GS race from the Club Championships.  Starts will be by age group in accordance with Club Championship practice, and you will need to pick up a CC bib in the South Lodge on Saturday morning.  If weather and course conditions allow, a second GS run will be held for GDHL participants only.  It will not count for Club Championships, but the better time from the two runs will count for GDHL purposes.  If a second run is possible, there will be a delay of 15 or 20 minutes after the first run, so that the Coyotes can complete their results for the Club Championships. The usual SL portion of the Club Championships will be held on Saturday afternoon.
• Saturday evening is the annual GDHL dinner and awards presentation in the Base Lodge.  Tickets are now on sale through the Club website's members section or the front desk - $45 or $30 for GDHL racers under 35 and their guests, plus HST.  The evening will start at 7 pm with cocktails and tapas.  We'll do a few awards before dinner at 8, featuring live music.  Then we'll do the rest of the awards, including recognizing the winning teams, and taxi and shuttle service will start at 9:30.  Get tickets quickly, as sales will close before the day of.  And don't forget you can bring your own wine and just pay a $15 corkage fee.
• Check next week's newsletter for details of training, but expect Saturday's programs to be deferred to Sunday.

Interclub Finals

After an unsettled season, it was perhaps fitting that last Saturday's finals on Big John should be held in difficult snow conditions with many teams struggling to field a full complement.  Craigleith, however, was able to fall back on depth of talent and the diligence of team members in getting enough regular season races to qualify for the finals and overcame injuries to big scorers Jeff Sutherland and Jeff Craig to record a fifth consecutive championship.  GDHL alumni Lou Montana has a great collection of photos from the day, which can be found here.  Right click on any image to get Lou's email if you would like to get a copy for posterity.  Some examples are below:

The Winners, except someone forgot to remind Kate R that there was a party after the race :(

Trent Winstone, high point scorer on the day

Paul Atkinson, fastest individual

Kate Ryley, fastest woman

Paul Atkinson was first individual overall for the second straight year, followed by Phil Ruffolo and Scott McLorie.  Kate Ryley was fastest woman, with Kate Veer second, as Craigleith dominated the individual results.  Team results were a bit complicated, as two sets of scores were created, one with all racers included and an official one with only those who were properly qualified.  Trent Winstone stepped up in Jeff S's absence to be high scorer of the day with 30 points.  Anne Mathers, Mary Riopelle, Kate Veer, Kate Ryley, Scott McLorie (unofficially) and Paul Atkinson all won their age groups, while Craig Shibley, Ian Latimer, Al LaChance, Chris Fregren and Chris Shipton all scored at least 24 points.

Diversions

See here for some interesting training drills in Norway.  

And a couple of pics from The Globe and Mail's report on winners of an international photography contest:

Ondrej Bank at Beaver Creek

The offseason has some interesting weather too!

See you at the start!

James Mathers

Interclub Interlude

No GDHL race this week, but plenty happening nonetheless.

Rat a Tat Tat

• Regular Friday gate training is GS at 9:30 and 1:00.  Contact Laurel to register.
• Training is on the usual schedule - gates will be GS at 9:30 Saturday and Sunday, Adult Tech will meet at the National chair at those times and Fast & Female will be Saturday at 9:30.  Look for signage and Natalie's newsletter for hill space details.  (I hope you've noticed the detailed signs for gate training and GDHL in the new notice boards at the entrances to the lodges.)
• Interclub final race is at Craigleith on Saturday afternoon - GS on Big John starting at 1 pm, winner takes all.
• Next GDHL is GS on Big John on Saturday the 27th and the final GDHL race will be combined with the GS race in the Club Championships on Saturday 5 March.
• The GDHL closing dinner will be held on the evening of 5 March - Marlene Jackson is arranging another splendid social.  Cocktails at 7 pm, dinner at 7:30.  Tickets will go on sale through the Club starting this Friday - $45, or $30 for racers under 35 and their guests.  BYO wine and pay only a $15 corkage charge.  Also live entertainment, by which I think Marlene means someone other than J-F, Doug and Randy.  And taxis and shuttles to get you home safely.

The Long Slalom

It's become a tradition to have one GDHL slalom each year that's a bit longer than the rest.  Previously on Partridge, we've recently moved to a start at the top of Millennium, a run along the ridge, then a hard left down Venture and all the way to the Millennium finish line.  Sandy Nattress set a generously spaced course that allowed the big shots to fly, but it was still a good workout.  Rich Lavery set the early pace from his preferred bib, eventually finishing 14th, then was surpassed by Cheryl McConachie, who finished 12th and first female.  Allan LaChance had the next turn in the hotseat, but Chris Barber drove no. 111 to his fourth first of the season, thereby establishing an unbeatable mark for the season's spoils.  Alec Libert was second (despite losing a ski at the first gate in his second run), followed by Phil Ruffolo and the Jackson two. Sarah Latimer, who is quietly having a fine season, was second woman, followed by Stephanie Pennal.  Jeff Sutherland, Allan LaChance and Craig Shibley were leaders among the mature gentlemen, while Leslie Morgan, Mary Riopelle and Elspeth Gaukrodger were their distaff counterparts.  Warren McDougald continued his unsurpassed run in the mis-ranked overachievers category, finishing 10th overall, followed by increasingly usual suspects Ed Barnicke and Bob Waite.  Both members of the Jarvis family had good days, while John Barber continued his successful sophomore season.  Full results are here.   Don't forget to check out the team standings as well, since we have a rather tight four way race for three spots in the money.

Meanwhile in Other Competition

Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in her first race after a couple of months recovering from injury, with Mitch Gagnon taking third for Canada.

More importantly, Kate Ryley made her interclub debut for Craigleith at the Caledon SL the day before.  The field was a bit depleted when the usual challenge of the drive to Caledon was compounded by the climate.  Kate prudently remained in her down parka throughout the race, but beat the entire field by nearly a second in a less than 22 second race.  Greg Cavers, Jeff Sutherland and Craig Shibley led the Craigleith men at a respectful distance, while the rest of our representatives succeeded in securing the "regular season" title for Craigleith and setting us up for more success in this weekend's final.  Full results are here and here.  Enthusiasts can make a good case by comparing margins of victory over common opponents that Kate could beat a stronger field of men at the final, but she demonstrated a fallible side at Sunday's GDHL race.  Despite wearing bib 44, Kate started just after Chris Barber.  Whether this was a sporting attempt to level the playing field or the result of a late arrival from the metropolis is unclear.  In any event, Bill Barclay soon declared her to be "abandonnee" and, acknowledging that she was a bit tired, she eschewed a second attempt.

Diversions

HOW TO START A FIGHT – Someone’s wife (to be clear, not mine!) sat down next to him as he was flipping channels.  She asked, "What's on TV?"  He said, "Dust."  And then the fight started...

A bit of a reminder of Saturday's temperatures, but mostly I just like the song.

Watch a few guys who are even older than Mick go ski racing along with the rest of the interclub finals field on Saturday.  See you there!

James Mathers

Elephants, Real Estate and More

More to come on these seemingly unrelated subjects, but first

This Week's Bullet Points

• Track 3 Ski Day is Friday at the Club- Margaret Isberg has organized another great day for a great cause, with gate training, races and much more.  Click here to get more details and register.
• Regular Friday gate training is SL at 9:30 and 1:00.  Contact Laurel to register.
• Training is on the usual schedule - gates will be SL at 9:30 Saturday and Sunday, Adult Tech will meet at the National chair at those times and Fast & Female will be Saturday at 9:30.  Look for signage and Natalie's newsletter for hill space details.
• Interclub race is at Caledon on Saturday afternoon - TSB and his deputies have been busy putting in place the building blocks for the finals at Craigleith on Saturday the 20th - a trip to Caledon is key for many of the team members.
• GDHL this weekend is the long SL on Sunday with inspection from 12:15 to 12:45.  The race starts at the top of Millennium and runs down to Venture, then all the way back to the Millennium finish line.  Oxygen bottles prohibited on course.  Bibs 10 and 20 are held by Rich Lavery and Steve Jarvis, respectively.  Remember, they can be transferred but no racer may use a preferred bib more than once in the season.
• No GDHL next weekend, but we will have a GS on Big John on Saturday the 27th and the final GDHL race will be combined with the GS race in the Club Championships on Saturday 5 March.
• The GDHL closing dinner will be held on the evening of 5 March - find a date and save the date.

So What Am I Talking About?

Sunday afternoon in GDHL land brought the season's second slalom on Comet.  Think back to our opening weekend when Kate Ryley made history as the first female overall winner of a GDHL race.  This time, Kate was busy fueling the overheated Toronto real estate market on behalf of Blue Elephant Realty, but the elephant was still in the room, or at least at the finish line, as spectators wondered whether an asterisk would loom over the day's results.  Meghan Barber set the early pace, ultimately finishing 12th, before being surpassed by Allan LaChance and then the nemesis of the ranking committee, Warren McDougald.  (Warren's continuing success led me to revisit my notes to confirm that I had indeed received advice from an otherwise fairly accurate source suggesting Warren was about on par with a guy who finished 85th last year. There's one every year!)  Jeff Sutherland (5th) and Greg Cavers (4th) had stays in the hot seat, but Chris Barber's first run left little doubt as he finished almost three seconds clear of the rest of the field, helped by DNF's from two of his usually close rivals.  Phil Ruffolo put together the fastest second run of the day to tie Spencer Jackson for second on the men's overall podium, while Kate Veer and Jayne Clarke followed Meghan in the women's overall. There really is some magic in the slalom helmet and poles that Chris and Meghan seem to share!  Other notable performances towards the top of the table included Craig Shibley (9th), Patrick Pedlar (13th), Glenn Blaylock (17th), Jamie Deeks (19th) and J-F Courville (22nd).  The biggest movers, after Warren, were Bob Waite, Ed Barnicke and Dougie Craig (up 45, 44 and 43 places, respectively, with solid jumps from Mark Reidl and Sarunas Lenauskas, as well as all those lower in the rankings who showed up and took advantage of a smaller than usual field to score big points.  Full results are here.

Turning to other business, I had an email about 6:15 am on Monday from a racer wondering why the data base was crediting over 200 points on the season to someone who had only one finish.  The answer is that, after four races are completed, the data base makes season-end adjustments for those who don't have four races.  The formula is that those who are short of finishes receive average points less 10 per race for their missing races.  This means that team standings will now be less affected by poor attendance, but remember that it's best four races to count, so you can at least get rid of the penalty for missed races and hope to replace your weaker scores with strong ones in the last races of the season.

On the theme of growing the GDHL, I've heard that there may be even more younger members ready to join us next year.  If you know them or anyone else who's a candidate, please encourage them to race in the Club Championships this year so that the ranking committee will have some results to review in the hopes of not relying on memories of performances in days of yore.  

And before we forget real estate, your interclub team would be delighted if you stepped up to buy the house that Mary Riopelle is supposed to be having an open house for on Saturday, so she can come to Caledon with a clear conscience, and we'd all be happy if you turned to our loyal sponsor Locations North for some advice in that connection :)

Diversions

Families that cross-block together stay together - Liam, son of Glenn Kilmer and temporarily retired GDHLer Tory McKillop

Nothing to do with ski racing, but very amusing I think.

And finally, a man was seated next to a boy in an airplane.  The man turned to him and said "Let's talk."  The boy replied "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"  Thinking he would have a bit of fun, the man said "How about nuclear power?"  The boy countered "That's a very interesting topic.  But let me ask you a question.  Horses, cows and deer all eat grass, but deer excrete pellets, cows produce flat pies and horses have big clumps of manure.  Why is that?"  Puzzled, the man said "I don't know, what does it matter?"  To which the boy replied "Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear issues when you clearly don't know sh*t?"

See you on the weekend!

James Mathers

Who Are Those Guys?

Newcomers continued to impress in GDHL, although last season's battle for male supremacy continued with the almost narrowest of margins separating the main protagonists.  But first:

What's Coming At You This Weekend And Beyond

• Friday training will be SL at 9:30 and 1:00.  As always, contact Laurel to register.  Many of your competitors are finding that this is the best training opportunity of the weekend and no long-term commitment is required!
• All of the weekend training is on the usual schedule.  Gate training will be SL at 9:30 Saturday and Sunday.  Fast & Female is Saturday at 9:30 and Adult Tech is both days at 9:30.  Watch for Natalie's email to members and signage for hill space.  (Signs are now being posted in the new display cases around the lodges as well as at the National chair.
• GDHL is SL on Comet on Sunday.  Inspection from 12:15 to 12:45 and start at 1:00 pm.  Kate Ryley will apparently be back this weekend, giving the men another chance to step up their games.  Bibs 10 and 20 are held by Mansell Nelson and James Mathers for this race.  These bibs may be transferred by the holders, but no racer may use either of these bibs in more than one race each season.
• And looking a bit further ahead, remember the Track 3 ski day at the Club on Friday 12 February - training, racing, good sluicing and browsing - a great day, a great cause and a good bargain.  See here to register and get more details.
• Finally, save the morning of Saturday 5 March for the combination of Club Championships and the final GDHL race of the season, then save that evening for the annual GDHL closing dinner.  Celebrate your successes with your friends and rivals.  More details will follow, but we anticipate repeating the reduced rates for younger racers and their respective guests and hope that our caterer will agree to repeat the bring your own wine arrangements (paying only a modest corkage fee) that have been offered in recent years.

GDHL Race 3

The weather forecast on Saturday had J-F fretting about cancellation of Sunday's race, but we dodged the bullet.  It was warm, but fortunately the rain held off until the lifts closed.  The GS set from Sandy Nattress on Millennium was universally recognized as fast during inspection, but the reduced offset and great course maintenance from the Coyotes resulted in many racers being faster on their second runs.  And it was not only fast but close.  Alec Libert led the way on the first run over Chris Barber.  Both improved on the second run, but Chris slightly more so, as he won overall by just two hundredths in 27.47.  Jesse Shepherd was third, followed by Ian Malcolm in his season's debut and Trevor Jackson, with Jeff Sutherland finishing first parent and first over 50.  (Order is restored after Jeff twice failed to heed his own advice about the tricky finishing gate in last week's SL.)  On the women's side, Cheryl McConachie made her GDHL debut a short one, finishing in 30.00 on her second run and 19th overall, followed by Meghan Barber in 25th overall and Jayne Clarke in 40th.  Trent Winstone (14th) and Craig Shibley (15th) were second and third men over 50, while Leslie Morgan and Elspeth Gaukrodger were the leaders in the women's over 50.  The tight results weren't just at the top, as there were 19 racers between Cheryl and Ian Latimer (37th at 30.92) and another 13 between 31.03 and 32.05.  

As usual, some racers distinguished themselves in comparison to their rankings.  Those reaching the lodge monitor podium this week are repeaters Doug MacCon and Dougie Craig, tying for third with 33 place improvements, Bob Waite with plus 39 (didn't see whether he borrowed Cyndy's race suit in her absence) and Warren McDougald (again) with plus 42.  Ed Barnicke, Jamie Deeks and Sarunas Lenauskas were close behind.

Full results can be found at http://gdhl.org/results-database/ (i.e. in the database that you get to from the results dropdown on the home page), or just click here.  Remember they're available on live timing (click "live timing" on the same dropdown) and on the finish line monitor (although without the benefit of a touch screen to scroll through).

So Who Are Those Guys?

Cheryl McConachie and Meghan Barber, two of the new fast girls

Warren McDougald - expect to turn that 66 upside down next year!

Interclub

The second Interclub race of the year was contested at the Peaks on Saturday afternoon. There was a big field, although Craigleith now appears to be the only team populated entirely from one club.  Unfortunately, the population was short one woman needed to meet the minimum requirement, so we scored one fewer racer than the other teams.  Full results are here.  Our average score per racer was the best, but in the end it wasn't enough and we lost to Peaks plus by a bit less than the woman would likely have scored.  Captain TSB will be working feverishly to get people into enough races to qualify for the big finale.  

As it was, Craigleith finished 1, 3, 4, 6 in the largest age group of the day, led by Jeff Sutherland scoring 31 points, followed by Trent Winstone, Craig Shibley and Jeff Craig.  Greg Cavers, Glenn Blaylock and Paul Atkinson also scored at least 25 points, while Anne Mathers, George Hayhurst, Kate Veer, Scott McLorie and Justin Kowal all won their respective age groups.  Meghan Barber made her Interclub debut as the second fastest woman on the day, while Paul was the third fastest male overall.

Race Etiquette

Here are a few things to remember as we aim to get races completed quickly and smoothly.  We're working on having a better shot at two runs for the Super G next year, and these will make a big difference then.

• We want to close inspection 15 minutes before start time, so do your best to get to the course in plenty of time.  (We know there are kids to be dropped off and hopefully everything will fit in.)  Do your inspection efficiently and get back to the start.
• Although we have had some fine displays of backwards and one-legged skiing, if you lose a ski, please clear the course as fast as you can, and don't try to resume your run.  If you miss a gate, please don't ski through the finish line or if you can't avoid doing so, be sure to declare yourself to the finish hut.  We have officials watching for DSQ's, not just your competitors, but everything is smoother if we don't have to rely on them.
• Although we all enjoy watching the fastest guys with the final bibs, the price of having an early start is that you need to leave the finish area early to prepare for your second run, if you want one.  We have asked the Coyotes not to allow people to start in random order as that appears to have incited unseemly jostling on Sunday.  If you think about it, if you're a MAMIL, wouldn't you rather wait a moment in your assigned place while reflecting on life's innocent pleasures, instead of having all the young ladies behind you speculating on whether Spyder and Karbon include a bursting volume test in their product quality protocols?

Diversions

Here's another in Morgan Rubes's series of goggle-cam videos, from our 2016 Super G.

As no one has sent me any good jokes recently, I thought I would revive some that received popular acclaim in their first appearances.

Things that are difficult to say when you're drunk: cinnamon, indubitably, innovative, preliminary, proliferation

Things that are VERY difficult to say when you're drunk:  British constitution, loquacious trans-substantiate, passive-aggressive disorder, speciality

Things that are downright IMPOSSIBLE to say when you're drunk:  "Thanks, but I don't want to have sex."  "Nope, no more alcohol for me."  "Oh, I just couldn't!  No one wants to hear me sing."  "You are quite right, I can't jump over that table."

Some places have lots of natural snow right now!

And finally, a song for TSB in his Interclub recruiting role

See you in the starting gate!

James Mathers

Hello, Hello, Hello

Welcome to all of our GDHL newcomers after their first races.  More about their results and others soon, but first here's what you need to know about this weekend:

• Friday training is GS at 9:30 and 1:00.  Contact Laurel to register.
• Adult gate training is GS at 9:30 on each of Saturday and Sunday. Watch for updates from Natalie and signage at the Club regarding location.
• Fast and Female and Adult Tech meet at the National chair at 9:30 on Saturday.  Adult Tech is back at same time and place on Sunday.
• The Interclub team is off to the Peaks for a 1:00 GS start on Saturday.  Contact Taylor today if you're interested.
• The GDHL race is GS on Millennium on Sunday.  Inspection will start at 12:15 and close at 12:45, and the race will start at 1:00.

First Two Races

Handicapping GDHL newcomers is often a challenge.  Some are well known, but others haven't raced since they were 14 or 15, have skied in the park since then or have added a lot of muscle.  Seems to be less of an issue for women, but 20-something men are a challenge.  So, your ranking committee was eagerly anticipating the weekend's results.

With any luck, the monitors in the lodges at the Club will now display GDHL results, including those who have distinguished themselves by finishing farther above their respective rankings than the others.  Sadly for Brad McMullen, this comes after a hiatus in his two years of almost unbroken over-achievement.  Of course, the monitor will also feature the overall winners, who in our first race were Chris Barber, Alec Libert and Scott McLorie among the men and Kate Ryley, Meghan Barber and Kate Veer among the women.  (This distinction will become more important shortly.)  Kate took over the hot seat by almost two seconds from early leader Jerry Patten and held it until Scott finished a tenth faster in bib 106 and then Chris broke into the 68's.  Kate ultimately finished 5th in the overall overall.  Full Super G results are here.  Also among those in the top 20 were Patrick Pedlar (9th from 25th rank), Colin Gaffney (10th from 30, as it appears we were too generous in allowing for time on twin tips), Jerry Patten (12th from 28), Thomas Squires (16th from 44) and JF Courville (17th from 49).  However, those on the first list will be Warren McDougald (19th from 77, up 58 spots), Doug MacCon (up 42 to 24th, new skis) and Dougie Craig (up 39 to 51st).  

Moving on to Sunday's SL, Kate took the lead at bib 44 and on a deteriorating course Trevor Jackson at bib 107 was the first to come within five seconds of her time.  Phil Ruffolo and Andrew Athey got a bit closer, then Chris Barber came within a second, but no one did any better, except Chris who managed to shave a few hundies on his second run.  Chris was gracious enough to say that maybe the holes in the course slowed him down just enough so he didn't ski out.  I should have such a problem.  So, men's overall leaders were Chris, Alec Libert and Jesse Shepherd, women's overall leaders were Kate, Meghan Barber and Brittany Stainer and, for the first time in GDHL history (as recalled by me), the overall overall winner was a woman.  Congrats Kate!  Full results are here.  Biggest movers were Warren McDougald (up 53 to 24th) and Ed Barnicke (up 50 to 49th), followed by Steve Jarvis and David Arthur, each up 38.  Stephen Kurtz finished just off our virtual podium both days, up 38 on Saturday and 36 on Sunday.  

On to our first GS weekend.  Another chance to adjust our DIN settings and hope that we'll emulate Eric Guay on a good weekend, instead of the one where he skied out before the fourth gate.  Remember, as long as 4 out of 7 ain't bad, your teammates will be happy, and we've got 5 left.  There's a lot of video analyzing crashes at Kitzbuehel, mostly with German commentary, but here's a happier piece from Julia Mancuso via Morgan Rubes.  See you on the weekend!

Special Super G Edition

Quick Updates

• Friday training will be higher speed GS on Birches, morning and afternoon.
• Saturday's Interclub results are (actually) here.
• Pick up your GDHL bibs from Kylie in the race office if you still haven't done so.
• The Coyotes expect to provide live timing of all GDHL races.  To connect, go to gdhl.org, click "results" on the top ribbon, then "live timing" on the drop down.
• Adult gates will be SL on Venture at 1:00 Saturday and on Birches at 9:30 Sunday.
• Both Fast & Female and Adult Tech will move to 1:00 Saturday.
• The Snow School adult apres ski is at 2:45 on Saturday in the South Lodge loft.

Now for the Super G

The Super G is Saturday morning.  (Despite the juniors changing to a GS race for the Pod Cup, we still get Super G.)  The course starts at the top of the Funnel chair, runs along Cruiser to the top of the Comet chair, down Bowie to the bottom of pitch, then along the cross-over past the bottom of Porcupine to the finish by the timing hut on Comet.  Last year, we had over 90 starters.  The winning time was just over one minute, four seconds, the median time was about 1:12 and a few racers were approaching 1:30.  The previous year, the times were nearly 10 seconds slower.  Here is some video that Morgan Rubes shot during last year's inspection, which will give you an idea of what to expect. 

Remember that we need help from all racers in removing the netting that will be erected around the course.  The Coyotes can't do it all, and our big numbers can make a big difference.  We'll have hot chocolate and finger food in the finish area to reward those who help.  Many of these nets are courtesy of the NZ Foundation, so roll for Nik!  Someone suggested that we take attendance and not score the race for those who don't help.  We won't go quite that far, but that's the right spirit, and take your chances if you run into that guy and haven't helped out.

Now for some key special rules relating to this race:

1. You must have a helmet with full, hard ear covering.  It may not have a camera or camera mount attached.  Your ski poles must have baskets and may not have slalom guards attached.
2. You must inspect the course or you will not be allowed to race. Inspection is from 9:10 to 9:40, but you must start inspection by 9:30. You must check in with the appropriate race official at the start, who will check you off on the list.  Inspection ends promptly and early in order to allow sufficient time for final course preparation before the race starts.  We have at least one participant who knows this rule is for real.
3. The ski patrol must be on site before racing starts.
4. Only authorized people may be inside the netting that has been erected around the race course. This means racers, officials, coaches, ski patrol and Coyotes. It doesn’t include friends, family and other spectators.  The Coyotes will try to identify and announce an appropriate place for spectators who want to watch from above the finish line.
5. Movement on the course will be controlled by race officials using radios. If there is any unauthorized movement on the course, racing will be stopped.
6. Racers will be started at regular intervals. This will likely mean every 30 to 45 seconds, but will be adjusted as appropriate.  The spacing will probably be longer at the start, shorter in the middle and then longer for the last few racers to try to avoid waiting for reruns at the end of the race.
7. If a racer falls, the following racer(s) may be flagged down with a big yellow flag. During your inspection, watch for "yellow zones" where flagging may happen.  If you are flagged, stop racing immediately. You will get a rerun.  Even if you aren't flagged, you should stop if you come upon a crash, and you can ask for a rerun.
8. If you are watching the race and see a racer fall, don’t enter the course. The ski patrol and others will assist as soon as race officials have made sure that the course is clear, for the safety of those assisting. Please spread the word on this to spectators.
9. We hope to be able to complete two runs, but time is limited and this race takes longer to run than usual. Therefore, it may have to end without two runs for everyone who wants them. The ability to offer two runs depends on avoiding delays with inspection, being lucky in avoiding delays for crashes etc. and having the course stay in good condition.

This race is a lot of fun if you approach it properly.  We don't often get a chance to ski as fast as possible on a controlled course.  Just be sure to be on your toes at all times.  Here's another of Morgan's videos, this one featuring Maddy Irwin as a forerunner a couple of years ago.

See you on Saturday!

James Mathers

Get Ready to Go!

This Week's Schedule

• Speed-oriented gate and gateless training with Sandy Nattress, Wednesday through Friday, mornings and afternoons.
• GDHL first race - Super G on Saturday morning.  There will be a separate newsletter later in the week with special Super G details, but remember you must be there by 9:30 to check in and inspect, or you won't be allowed to race, you must have a helmet with hard ears and you must hang around after the race to help roll the nets.
• Adult gate training will be SL.  Saturday's session will be in the afternoon instead of the morning and will start at 1:00 pm or when the nets are all rolled.  Sunday's session will be at 9:30 as usual.  
• Fast & Female will start at 1:00 pm instead of 9:30 on Saturday.  Watch for a possible schedule change for Adult Tech on Saturday as well.  Sunday Adult Tech will be at 9:30.
• Snow School's annual apres-ski event for adult participants will be on Saturday afternoon.  I suspect it's in the President's Loft in the South Lodge at about 2:30, but I'll try to confirm details.

Last Call For Team Buy-in

Those who are on a team are entitled to buy a 5% interest in any season-end cash winnings from the Calcutta by paying 5% of the purchase price of the team.  Full details are in the recent Calcutta Wrap-Up edition of this bulletin.  BUT, YOU MUST DECLARE BEFORE RACING STARTS, i.e. before 10 am Saturday.  If you want to buy, send an email to our treasurer, Trent Winstone, including your member account number.

Weekend Results

Saturday afternoon saw the first Interclub race of the season.  Things looked a bit dire when only ten roster places were taken by midweek, but soon after the roster was full.  The Stairway slope at Devil's Glen was certainly firm, but not quite as precarious as at the time of the 2014 final.  Craigleith rolled to a decisive victory.  Full results are here.  Alec Libert and Phil Ruffolo made memorable Interclub debuts, finishing 1, 2 overall, with Alec winning by over a second.  They were followed by Paul Atkinson in third.  Captain Taylor Simms-Brown was fourth fastest man on his new skis and with little recent racing, followed by Jeff Sutherland.  However, Julia Roth of DG was fourth overall, just a few hundies behind Paul.  Kate Veer, at slightly more than twice Julia's age, finished as the third fastest woman.  Jeff Sutherland won the newly introduced MVP award by scoring the most points, i.e. winning the largest age group.  Jeff picked up 30 points, while Allan LaChance won his age group and scored 28.  Margaret Isberg was co-MVP on the women's side, scoring 24. Craigleith won all but two of the age categories in which we had an entrant, and finished second in those two.   Mary Riopelle, Tiana Boyman and Chris Shipton also won their categories, while Craig Shibley, Trent Winstone, Chris Fregren and Rob Burnes all scored 25 points or more.  Next race is Saturday 30 January at the Peaks.   P.S., if you have a bit of time on your hands, see whether you can find someone in the results who did rather better than his GDHL ranking suggests.  Stay tuned for recriminations!  And check out this short article on masters' racing from Escarpment Magazine.  The author might not have been so kind to Jeff S. had he known Jeff would beat him by 14.5 seconds at DG. 

Meanwhile, Kate Ryley took the opportunity of a vacant GDHL schedule to win both of the women's NZ Cup FIS slaloms at Craigleith over the weekend.  It seems traditional that a retiring star will participate in local races to bring the benefit of his or her low FIS points to help aspiring racers reduce their points.  (Julien Cousineau took this role on the men's side at Craigleith.)  Apparently the trick is to win, but not by too much.  Kate actually lost the first run on Saturday to Jackie Atkins of Craigleith, but won overall by 0.64.  Sunday, she took the first run by 1.40 and beat Jackie overall by 1.99, although I had the impression watching her last run that she remembered the "not by too much" rule about the fourth gate from the finish.

Fashion News

Regular readers will recall that these missives have frequently been graced by portraits of Carrie Grinter-Lenauskas (recently retired adult race coach, chair of the Ladies' Day committee, wife of the famous Lithuanian GDHL racer, Ironman finisher etc.) sporting outfits from her personal collection and the corporate collections of Spyder and Karbon.  One highlight is below.

However, Carrie has, at least for the moment, departed the ski industry and is now working with a swim suit and outdoor apparel company.  No doubt her wardrobe remains well stocked, but we may have to wait until next year to see next year's outfits.

FIS Points Porn

The Internet is a wonderful place for those wanting to exercise their imaginations.  (Gentlemen!! This is about ski racing.  If you can't read "swim suit" and "porn" in proximate paragraphs without losing focus, I don't know what the world is coming to.)  Alec Libert and Phil Ruffolo (1, 2 in last Saturday's Interclub and 1, 6 in last year's GDHL overall) were recalling before their matchup with Julia Roth that the last time they had lost to a female was when they were 13 and racing against Kate Ryley and Larissa Yurkiw.  Many are eagerly awaiting the first GDHL match-up between Kate and her many former Craigleith Nancy Greene and Mackenzie team mates about 13 years later.  But where can we go with handicapping?  Well, Alec beat Julia by almost 1.3 seconds on Saturday, or about 4% on a short course, while Phil beat her by about 0.3.  Then FIS tells us that the last time Kate raced Julia, about 13 months ago, Kate won by 2.50 seconds or about 2.6% over two runs and that Kate beat Julia by almost exactly 4% the day before that.  In the same races, Jackie Atkins beat Julia once and lost to her once.  And checking the results of last year's Club Championships on our own GDHL site, we learn that on the same course Jackie (who was beaten by Kate in the NZ Cup) finished less than a second behind Alec and less than 0.7 behind Phil in GS, and beat Phil by 2.1 seconds in SL.  (Phil may have overlooked this.)  Alec was DNS in the SL, but Jackie lost to Paul Atkinson by 2.6 in the SL and of course Alec beat Paul fairly handily at the Interclub GS.  Still losing focus guys?  This is awesome!  Show up Saturday and Sunday to see rather than speculate.

GDHL Forerunners

Contact Doug Jarvis if you know someone who would like to forerun at a GDHL race.  

Track 3 - A Great Event, a Great Cause and a Sweet Deal!

The Track 3 Friends and Family Race Day is on Friday, 12 February, just before Family Day weekend.  Tickets are $100 for members, and a charitable tax receipt of about $75 brings the net cost below $65, less than what most of us pay for a half day of gate training.  Here is what your ticket buys you:

• morning gate training
• a 2 run GS on Big John in the afternoon
• great food all day...morning, lunch and apres
• complimentary beer, wine and cider until 4PM (please...no RUI's...racing under the influence!)
• guided snowshoeing, morning and afternoon yoga, and lots more for your valentines who don't share your love of snow
• a fun apres and awards ceremony with cool medals
• the chance to support Track 3, and be inspired by the many current and former Ontario Para team members who will be special guests

Buy your tickets here.

Diversions

Here's a nice compilation of highlights from the Norwegians' domination at Wengen last weekend, as a reward for sticking it out to the end.

See you in the start gate!

James Mathers

Season's Schedule

The Interclub team is set to debut at Devil's Glen tomorrow.  As previously announced, our GDHL season will start on Saturday morning, 23 January with the Super G.  But it will be not just a bang, but a bang, bang start, as we will follow that with a SL on Comet Sunday afternoon.

Here's the entire schedule, including the remaining Interclub events:

Race #1             Sat. Jan. 23 AM – SG on Cruiser/Bowie

Race #2           Sun Jan 24 PM – SL on Comet

Interclub          Sat Jan 30 PM - Georgian Peaks

Race #3             Sun. Jan. 31 PM – GS on Millennium

Race #4             Sun. Feb. 7 PM – SL on Comet

Interclub            Sat. Feb 13 PM - Caledon

Race #5             Sun. Feb. 14 PM - SSL on Millennium / Venture

Interclub              Sat. Feb 20th Craigleith Big John PM

Race #6               Sat. Feb. 27 PM – GS on Big John (This could be switched to AM if the Interclub race proceeds)

Interclub              Tentative Sat Feb 27 PM - Alpine

We are investigating the possibility of using the Club Championships GS on Saturday 5 March as our seventh race.  More details will follow.

Train hard this weekend, think about some mid-week speed training, have fun at the Interclub if you're going, check out the NZ Cup on Millennium, and get ready to rock next weekend.

Cheers,

James Mathers

Calcutta Wrap-Up and Looking Ahead

Thanks to everyone concerned for a great opening to our season on Saturday evening.  Rip and Mary did a spectacular job with the auctions thanks to many enthusiastic bidders.  For better or worse, Sunday morning proved that the decision not to race was correct.  Let's try to appear nonchalant as we contemplate the prospect of the delayed start of the season and attend to some administrative details from the Calcutta.

The final start list is here. The final team list is here.  If you didn't get your bib on Saturday evening, you can collect it and your loot bag from Kylie in the Race Office.

The winners of the bib draw, often upon the default of those who weren't paying attention when their tickets were drawn, are as follows (bib 10 followed by bib 20):

Race 1 - Samantha Cowan and Jerry Patten

Race 2 - Andrew Athey and Tom Caswell

Race 3 - Jeff Sutherland and Ian Latimer

Race 4 - Mansell Nelson and James Mathers

Race 5 - Richard Lavery and Steve Jarvis

Race 6 - John Barber and Brook Dyson

Winners may use the bibs themselves or give them to others, but no one may use a preferred bib more than once in the season.  Don't worry about actually getting bib 10 or 20.  Just show up with your regular bib and the Coyotes will be expecting someone in those slots.

After the auction, team owners, with prices paid, are as follows:

Big John - FAB 11 consortium (Tony Ciccocioppo) - $1200

Birches - Team Futures consortium (Tom Dyson) - $1700

Comet - Bobbo (Bob Callow) - $1200

Landslide - Johnny B (John Banfield) - $1700

Millennium - Bobbo (Bob Callow) - $1800

National - Team Futures consortium (Tom Dyson) - $1500

Partridge - FAB 11 consortium (Tony Ciccocioppo) - $1700

Pen - Suds (Jeff Sutherland) - $1500

Team members may purchase a 5% interest in their respective teams for 5% of the price paid (drop the zeroes and multiply by 5).  By my unofficial calculation, the pot is $12,300.  GDHL takes 10% off the top, leaving $11,070 to be split $5535 for first ($276.75 per participating team member), $3321 for second and $2214 for third.  If you didn't speak to Treasurer Trent's Team while leaving the podium and want to buy your share, email Trent right away and let him know that you want in.  You must provide your member number for billing.

Finally, your committee is already looking ahead to the year end social event, which will be on Saturday 5 March.  This has recently involved a sit down dinner followed by presentation of GDHL awards.  Please speak to a member of the committee or send us an email with suggestions or requests concerning this year's event.

This Weekend and Beyond

• Friday GS training with Sandy Nattress is on Big John at 9:30 and 1:00.  Contact Laurel to register.
• Adult gate training is GS on Birches both Saturday and Sunday at 9:30.
• Adult tech meets at the National chair both Saturday and Sunday at 9:30.
• Fast and Female meets at the National chair on Saturday only at 9:30.
• Interclub is at Devil's Glen for GS at 1:00 on Saturday.  At last word, there was room for more team members.  Contact Taylor Simms-Brown today (Thursday) if you want to participate.

Unfortunately all of the Club's race operation resources are dedicated to the NZ Cup FIS races this weekend, so the start of the GDHL season will be delayed until Saturday 23 January.  (All the more reason to visit DG with the interclub team.) But the start will be with a bang!  It will be Super G day, along the Cruiser / Bowie course.  So you will certainly want to take the opportunity for speed training with Sandy next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 9:30 and next Friday afternoon at 1:00.  Sandy will also offer gateless training on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at 1:00.  Contact Laurel to register.

Diversions

Click here to watch an engaging interview with Mikaela Shiffrin concerning her injury and potential return to racing.  Also at the bottom of the page is a pic of her displaying impressive musculature while doing chin-ups.  The interview is from NBC Sports and includes a clip of an unsuccessful backseat SL run by Ted Ligety at Adelboden last weekend.

Meanwhile, the Women's World Cup tour took a page from the GDHL rule book and held a DH consisting of two consecutive runs over the same (shortened) course, with no re-set or second run inspection.  They didn't adopt our "best of" scoring and had a flip 30 start order for the second run.  Interestingly, although there were changes in the standings from the first run to the final, no one improved her first run time on the second.  Most were 0.5 to 1.5 seconds slower.  Places 1 to 5 on the first run finished in the same order on the second run and overall.  Watch here to see Larissa Yurkiw take second behind Lindsey Vonn.

Stay patient, train hard and we'll see you on the hill :)

James Mathers

Calcutta Reminders

Welcome to a number of new GDHL participants who we've added to the distribution list for this newsletter.  It's our main communication tool, but visit our website for much more information.  

Hopefully everyone has already grasped the key information concerning our opening social event, the Calcutta - it's Saturday at 5 pm in the South Lodge.  Here are a few more things to remember:

We have three pairs of skis and bindings and three Pratte training camps on auction.  All of the other things shown below are included in the draw prizes.

Full details of these great items and much more can be found here.  

A big highlight of the night will be the auctions of the teams.  Presiding over all of the auctions will be our long-time supporters Rip and Mary Riopelle, who are pictured below, Mary in a temporary capacity as member of the team under auction.

Bidding consortia must explain themselves to Trent Winstone before the end of the evening, including filling out details on the form he will provide.  Tom D, consider arriving a bit ahead of time to attend to this.  Team members, remember you can buy a 5% interest in your team for 5% of the auction price for your team.  It will be very helpful if you tell a member of Trent's finance team whether or not you want to do so before leaving the area.  All transactions are through member accounts, so please have your number ready.

Finally, for $20 a ticket, you can buy a ticket for our draw.  It gives you a chance to win the prizes shown above (not the skis and bindings) or bib 10 or 20 for one of the GDHL races.  Since our schedule isn't final, we will simply draw for races 1 to 7.  Winners may use their bibs themselves or give them to friends or teammates, but no one may use a preferred bib more than once during the season.  The bibs won't actually be circulated, but the race crew will be aware that people wearing other bibs will start in slots 10 and 20.

See you at the Calcutta!

James Mathers

Quick Update for the Weekend

I neglected to say yesterday that those of you who are featured in videos with a relevant theme are welcome to submit them for the consideration of the GDHL newsletter editorial board.  Having received none so far, not having a video titled Quick Update and not having heard any good jokes lately, this missive will be just an update of the facts first hinted at yesterday, without diversions.  

If you're surprised to be getting this, it's because we've managed to update the newsletter distribution list with the GDHL registration info before 4 AM Friday, and saved you the trouble of signing up.  If your friends are wondering why you got this and they didn't, it's because we haven't managed to do so yet, and they haven't been as quick to sign up at gdhl.org as you were.

• Training will be SL-oriented this weekend.  Bring SL skis (and protective gear if you have it) to Friday, Saturday and Sunday gate training sessions.
• Friday training is on Bowie.  Saturday and Sunday training is on Big John.
• CALCUTTA IS ON SATURDAY AT 5 in the South Lodge.  See here for details of all the good stuff that we've planned and that you can take home with you.
• Interclub is on again this year.  Craigleith is looking for a fifth straight title.  Scheduled races are GS at 1 pm at each of Devil's Glen (16 Jan), Peaks (30 Jan) and Craigleith (20 Feb).  You need to race in one of the first two to be eligible for a Craigleith start.  There may be more races added to the schedule.  Contact Taylor Simms-Brown to get into the loop for team selection.

Succinctly yours,

James Mathers

I'm So Excited!!

I get dissed sometimes for over-using exclamation marks, but I hope that you'll agree it's justified once you've read to the bottom.

This Weekend's Schedule

Decisions regarding hill space etc. are still being considered by the Club at my press time.  I will try to send an update Friday, and you should also watch for news in Natalie's email to the membership at large.  The thinking today was that conditions will be best for slalom rather than GS.

• Friday training with Sandy Nattress (our new adult head coach) will be at 9:30 and 1:30.  It will focus on "get in the groove" drills with brushes and stubbies as conditions permit.  Email Laurel to register and check in with her when you arrive to get details of where.
• Adult Gate Training starts on Saturday at 9:30.  Coaches for the program will be Sandy Nattress, Paul Atkinson, Chris Barber, Glenn Blaylock, James Mathers, Cheryl McConachie and Greg Roe in various combinations.  Meet at the National chair or look for a sign there directing you to the training hill.
• The inaugural session of Fast and Female also starts on Saturday at 9:30 at the National chair.  Coaches are Kate Veer and Andrew Peterson.  The first session will focus on "gateless training."  A few places are still available.  Email Laurel to register.  This program is Saturday only.
• The ever-popular Adult Tech program starts up again on Saturday at 9:30.  Meet Allan LaChance at the National chair.
• CALCUTTA IS SATURDAY AT 5 PM in the South Lodge.
• Sunday Adult Gate Training is at 9:30 at the National chair, or check the sign for hill space.  There are a few spaces left on Sundays although Saturday is full.  Email Laurel to register.
• Adult Tech also meets on Sunday at 9:30 at the National chair.  Space is available for Sunday and guess what?  Email Laurel to register.

So what about the race says the chorus of careful readers?  After much discussion, the GDHL committee and the coaches have agreed that, given everyone's limited preparation time and the less than optimal weather that is anticipated, it would be prudent to defer the start of racing for a week.  Better that we think than advancing the finish of anyone's racing season by eight weeks.  Watch this space for the full schedule as soon as it's set.

So Why Am I Excited?

Well, we now have 28 racers under the age of 30, 11 of whom are women.  The median age of the racers has dropped to about 46.  And the class of YOB 1989 that has been prominently represented at the top of the standings recently by Alec Libert, Jesse Shepherd, Phil Ruffolo and Trevor Jackson has had three more members join GDHL.  They are Cheryl McConachie, Alex Mathers (who I think would be favoured to win GDHL if it required skiing backwards through the course) and Kate Ryley (who beat all the boys when they were 11 and who is rumoured to be likely to do the same 15 years later).  

Back in 2013, when I was working on the GDHL website content, I amused myself by including the following:

Choose whichever of the following applies to you:

• I think that having more FIS points is better
•   I think that having fewer FIS points is better
•   I used to have less than 100 FIS points
•  WTF are FIS points?
• I used to race with Steve Podborski or Kate Ryley at Craigleith.  I was faster, but then ...
•   I used to race with Steve Podborski or Kate Ryley in Europe
• Who are Steve Podborski and Kate Ryley?
•  I'm Steve Podborski or Kate Ryley

This is the first time anyone has answered yes to the last question.  Kate and her sister Megan, who has also joined us, are the first of the distinguished Club members who have raced on the national team to follow that with participating in GDHL  Meg has been away from top level racing for several years, but Kate was racing Nor-Am last season and is currently shown as ranked 110 in the world in women's SL on the FIS website.  See this NCAA promotional video, which is all about Kate (and a bit about Meg)

So that's why I'm with the Pointer Sisters on this one

See you on the snow, and at the Calcutta!

James Mathers

Calcutta Special! All Aboard!

Last Call

Several people have indicated an intention to sign up, but it's time to turn words into deeds.  Go to the Club website, member log-in section, and get it done.  It really helps us if you don't wait any longer.  Even J-F has successfully registered, a feat that rivals the rescue of the Craigleith U-14's from the elevator at the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel for anxiety, calls for assistance and ultimately comic relief!

And After You've Registered

Check here for background reading on what the Calcutta is all about, and why everyone cares about teams and bibs.  Saturday 9 January, 5 pm in the South Lodge is when.  Here's what to do when you arrive:

• Pick up your bib
• Express dismay and disbelief to Woodhouse and Clark when you discover that you're not in the single digit bib numbers
• Learn that you're not the only proponent of an elder-centric hierarchy (although what they really want is a lowerarchy) 
• Have a beer and some tasty snacks while considering enlisting the aid of the AARP
• Put away your "smart" phone in disgust when you discover it takes you to the NRA instead of the AARP
• Realize there's a bright side to your start number when you find out who is starting immediately ahead of you
• Introduce yourself and casually mention aerodynamic benefits and sales at Squire John's when you learn she doesn't yet have a lycra race suit
• Pick up your swag, including a $25 gift card to apply to that race suit - more details below
• Enter the draw for chances to win bibs 10 and 20 in each race, plus other great prizes - more details below - $20 cash or member charge per entry - non-racers are welcome to participate and give bibs to their family members or those on teams they've purchased (see below)
• Listen respectfully to J-F's opening remarks, but reserve the right to have another beer if they drag on
• Bid enthusiastically for the fastest new race skis and trips to Michel Pratte's training camps (again, see below)
• Have another beer and try to convince people to join your syndicate to buy teams in the auction
• Think about seeking legal advice concerning whether insider trading rules and that unfortunate misunderstanding with the OSC affect your bidding in the team auction
• Have another couple of beers and bid enthusiastically for teams
• Realize just in time that it is futile to try to be more enthusiastic than our hero Bob C
• Claim your prize in the draw
• Go home by some responsible means of transport to prepare your skis for what will hopefully be the next day's opening race

Below, More Details

Here are just some of the gift cards (part of Squires' sponsorship) and ski straps (courtesy of our sponsor Locations North) that will be part of this year's swag:

And we have a great big box of high quality scrapers, also part of the swag from Squires.

Here are the skis and bindings that will be auctioned (mostly thanks to our sponsor Lange/Dynastar/Ron Warren, with a top-up from Squires), and the draw prizes (thanks to Squires for very advantageous terms, on top of their sponsorship). 

Details, Even More - Auction Items

• For auction, we have two pairs of the new COURSE WC PREMIUM from Dynastar, which is a "super-charged Masters GS racing weapon."  We will have the 175cm (Radius: 18m) and 180cm (Radius: 21m) on hand, but you can trade for a different size at Squires, inventory permitting.  These are the real deal for Masters GS and you don't have to have skis that say "Hero" like the Rossi version.  You are too under the radar for that.  And they come with high end ski straps too.
• We also have a pair of the OMEGLASS FIS R21 WC from Dynastar.  These are FIS slalom skis.  We will have the 157cm version on hand, but you can ask Squires for the 165 if you're feeling particularly charged up.
• The skis come with Look bindings, either the SPX 12 ROCKERFLEX or the SPX 15 ROCKERFLEX.  We have two of the 12's and one 15.  First buyer gets first choice.
• MSRP for skis and bindings is north of $1200, and they would cost around $1100 plus tax at Squires.  You can probably do better at the auction, and proceeds go to GDHL.
• Also available for auction is one trip to Michel Pratte's camp in Zermatt from 17 to 26 September 2016.  This includes single occupancy hotel accommodation, breakfast and dinner, coaching and lift tickets.  Training on the glacier beside World Cup athletes is a fabulous experience.  With the embattled exchange rate, this will be $3750 regular price for 2016.

This is the view from your hotel room when you're training in Zermatt!

• For those who would rather train closer to the start of our season, we have two trips to Michel's camp at Sun Peaks.  You can choose the first session, from 20 to 25 November 2016, or the second, from 27 November to 2 December 2016.  This is for coaching and lift tickets only, regular price $1200.  Lots of ski-in, ski-out accommodation options are available at Sun Peaks.

Details, Still More - Draw Prizes

• We have a Toko T8 Wax Iron.  Toko is another of Ron Warren's brands.  Gotta have an iron unless Chris Barber has talked you into letting him do your skis.  I have one, so I would be willing to trade if I win this, even though mine's not yellow.
• Also Rossignol shin guards.  My own shin guards are still in distressingly pristine condition, so again I would be willing to trade.
• And Oakley Canopy goggles with Prizm lenses.  I stood outside my back door and looked through these.  Amazing in dull conditions.  By the time you read this, I may already have bought a pair at Squires' Boxing Day sale.  But if I haven't I would definitely trade for them.
• Then the Leki World Cup slalom poles.  We have 125 cm on hand, but you can trade at Squires if you win.  I will be sad if I win these, 'cause I had to buy a pair after I broke my old SL poles a little while ago.  Very aero, and the hang tag has lots of pictures of their famous users.  
• Sticking with the Leki theme, very cool carbon fibre forearm guards.  Definitely would like to win these.
• And finally the Leki World Cup Ti S gloves, in black / cyan / yellow.  Cunningly selected to match the Dynastar skis, not to mention some of my jackets.  Come with titanium knuckle guards and built-in loops for connecting to your Leki poles.  Top of my list!

The Club will be working very hard to finalize schedules, and I'll let you know as soon as I have details.  Things look good for Friday training on the 8th.  Watch for more news!

Cheers,

James Mathers

Things Are Looking UP!

Finally (although I suspect sooner than our neighbours), we're skiing at least a bit at the Club!  Here's an update on things pertaining to adult racing chez nous:

• After consultation with the Club's management, the Calcutta is being delayed a week.  Same time (5 pm), same place (South Lodge), but now on Saturday, 9 January.  Come and enjoy Strange Potatoes at the Base Lodge apres on 2 January instead.  
• There will be no Snow School programs this weekend.  If the weather forecast holds up, gate training and the other programs will start on 9 January.  Friday training will be offered on 8 January if the Club is open that day.  Watch for more info from Natalie or next week's GDHL newsletter.
• The race schedule remains uncertain, but we hope to have our first race on Sunday, 10 January.  Likely GS in the afternoon if it happens.  Watch for more details in next week's newsletter.
• We continue to get more GDHL registrants, especially 20-somethings.  Online registration is still open for now.  It's not too late, but don't delay!  For registrants at this stage, being part of a team will depend on the numbers working in your favour, as we can make say 70 or 72 work, but then 80 is the next number that's good.  You'll be able to participate as an individual if you choose to or the team numbers don't work out for you.

Diversions

Aksel Lund Svindal working out - some interesting balance work to warm up!

Craigleith has had a drone policy for a while now - I guess FIS will be getting one soon!  The video below shows all of Marcel's nearly tragic SL run.  His concentration despite the sky falling behind him, not to mention his skiing, is pretty impressive.

And here Christof Inerhofer gets the line a bit low during a downhill, takes out a panel with his head, takes a jump while blinded by his displaced goggles, skis nearly 140 kph while trailing a breakaway gate and ultimately finishes fourth in the race.  Didn't manage to play the harmonica at the same time, but fortunately no animals were harmed.

Watch for more updates in the next newsletter.  Happy New Year!

James Mathers

Important GDHL News - What To Do When There's No Snow

So, the snow guns are on at the Club, but we're not there yet.  What's going on?  Although going to law school is generally conceded to make one an expert in everything, I will not offer climatological opinions.  I will tell you that the GDHL committee, like everyone at the Club, has been considering the options for the next little while.  Here's the story for now:

• There will be a GDHL race season this year.  It may not start as early as planned, but it will be great when it happens.
• We have almost 80 people already signed up, of whom 15 have either never been in GDHL before or have been absent for a while, which is a lot more than usual.  The word is getting out.  These include several under 25 and Howard Cole, who is a new member of the Club and was at one point on the national masters' team and was probably the fastest guy in the country in his age group (unless it was a year when Al LaChance was in his age group, in which case it was a good battle).
• We are going to move the start for the second group of women further up the list this year.  Probably around bib 30 instead of 60 last year.  The fastest women will get a bit of a ranking penalty because of this advantage, but the rest will just enjoy a smoother course and have a different group of admirers behind them. 
• There is going to be a lot of activity at the Club after Christmas, whether or not there's skiing.  There are over 500 people attending the family New Year's party and the Club is adding lots of extra events.
• We normally get a big surge of sign-ups at this time of year, when people get into the swing of things.  Getting into the swing of things will be a bit more challenging this year, so we really need you to sign up if you haven't and chase your buddies if you have.  Or if you're a guy who would otherwise be starting number 118, spread disinformation and hope that you'll move up to 85 this year.
• We haven't set a hard date yet, but if you want to be on a team, you need to sign up quickly, because we need some time to get teams organized.  No later than 28 December to be certain of being on a team if you want to be!  We can usually accommodate racers who will be scored as individuals only after that, but we would rather you just sign up now.  
• The Calcutta is scheduled for Saturday 2 January at 5 pm in the South Lodge.  We will have the usual good socializing, Dynastar race skis and Pratte camps for auction along with the teams, some nice raffle prizes as part of the preferred bib draw and a Squires gift card and other good loot for everyone.  It's possible that the Calcutta will be delayed a week, but that wouldn't be a good outcome, so please plan on being there on the 2nd and get your friends geared up too!
• If you have questions or suggestions, send us an email.

Diversions

So if you're feeling a bit dispirited by the anomalous meteorological situation, what can you do to alleviate your symptoms?

1.  Get jealous about friends and family who are skiing someplace else.  This is my son Rob (also the GDHL webmaster) at Big White a couple of weeks ago.  They have had quite a lot more snow since.

2.  Resolve to plan better for next year.  Those of you, like Jeff Craig and me, who bought Pratte camps at last year's auction, have already had great skiing in Zermatt or Sun Peaks.  The shot above is looking down towards the training hill in Sun Peaks during the last week of November.  A good base to start, 20 cm. of fresh on the second day and then four days of sunshine!  The adult coach this year was Jacko Gratton, recently retired head coach at Tremblant.  His cues included pushing on the outside ski while pulling gently up on the inside ski, "hooking" or tilting in the inside knee, co-ordinating lead change with edge change and clearing slalom gates to the outside when cross-blocking.  Always good to get new insights. 

3.  Play skill-testing ski related indoor games.  Visit the instagram page of Manny Osborne-Paradis and see how many of the donors to his helmet collection you can identify.  Thanks to Morgan Rubes and Paul Woodhouse for this.  

4.  Check out some good video.  Here is Larissa Yurkiw winning bronze in the Val d'Isere downhill on Saturday.  Here is Marcel Hirscher winning gold in the Val d'Isere GS last weekend.  And here is a 360 degree video taken by Bode Miller as a forerunner at Beaver Creek.  By clicking and dragging on the screen, you can rotate the image, but be warned that the video doesn't work with some web browsers.

5.  Do some dryland training with Lindsey Vonn.

6.  If nothing else works, put on your ski boots and have fun inside like Julia Mancuso :-)

See you at the Club soon!

James Mathers

The Worms Are Almost Gone!

Today, Sunday 15 November, is the last day for the early bird discount on GDHL and Snow School registrations.  Well over 50 of your friends have already signed up for GDHL.  Don't be in the bottom half of the class with those who paid full price!  Thankfully in the digital age you can go to the Club's website before midnight and enroll for all of your training and racing while saving yourself enough for a few ski tunes, maybe a pair of low-light goggles. Don't delay, act today!

Once you've done that, have a look at our friend Ted training and talking about it.

And if you've got a bit of time and are feeling inquisitive, watch this CSCF video with Matt diStefano :(also of the Collingwood medical community), who talks about boot fitting.

Some of us will be on snow soon, maybe at a Pratte camp, maybe at the Club.  Will you be there?  Sure hope so!

Cheers,

James Mathers

Today's The Day!!

The day that Lori meets Sally - Saturday at Hard Candy Fitness

• What?  A group exercise session led by Lori, with a sampling of core exercises, boot camp and power yoga, followed by a presentation from Sally on her techniques for activating under-performing muscle groups - see recent newsletters linked below for more details
• Where?  Hard Candy Fitness, on the fourth floor of the Aura tower on Yonge at Gerrard (College subway)
• When? Session starts at 1:45 pm, but get there early to sign in and get changed.  (HC will give you a card for their snappy lockers, but apparently there's a dryer problem so the usual supply of towels isn't available and you should bring your own.)
• Who? You and your friends!
• What else?  We'll be finished well before 4:07 pm.  Tout le monde chez vous J-F?

Diversions

Here's an interview with Dustin Cook, interspersed with some training footage.  Some interesting insights concerning the importance of fitness, training runs etc.

And just remember that Jose Bautista wasn't the first guy to flip his equipment.

See you Saturday afternoon - gonna be great!!!

James Mathers

The Countdowns Are On!

Hope you've had a great summer, but it's time to think skiing!  Read on for news about our special fitness event next weekend, signing up for winter programs at the Club, our new adult head coach and more.

Hopefully you're remembering about Lori and Sally from the last couple of newsletters.  (Check them out on our website here if you've had a busy summer and are fuzzy on the details.) Our event is on Saturday, 17 October at Hard Candy Fitness Toronto.  A special group exercise session will start at 1:45 pm, so arrive before then to get changed, or arrive even earlier if you would like to participate in Lori's Tornado class at 10, Hard Drive (cycling) at 11 or Electric Yoga at noon.  We will also have a special session with Sally Belanger, who specializes in helping athletes activate under-performing muscles.  Hard Candy is conveniently located in the very tall Aura retail and condo tower on Yonge Street at Gerrard (College subway).  There may have been a time in your life when you could ski to get fit, but those days are long past.  You need to get fit to ski, and this is a great chance to learn from some experts and check out your competitors.  Less than a week to go.  See you there!

The next countdown is to get the early bird discount for winter programs.  The Club has extended the deadline for the discount to 15 November, but that doesn't mean there's more room in the popular programs.  Sign up now for Christmas Camp and Saturday morning gate training!  And this year the calendar allows a three day pre-Christmas camp (should be mid-season snow conditions with a bit of luck) and a ten week weekend program, beginning immediately after New Year's Day.  And if you qualify, consider the new Fast & Female program - race training for women only during the Christmas Camp and the ten week program (or the ever-popular Adult Technical Training, especially if you aren't female).  Finally, the under-30 GDHL discount is now available to everyone under 35, and for only $79 for seven races, how can you go wrong?

And who's in charge of all these programs?  We are pleased to welcome Sandy Nattress as our new head coach for adult racing programs.  Sandy is known to many of you, having had two stints coaching in the junior race programs at Craigleith.  He has also coached adult and junior racers at Blackcomb, Bishops University and Devil's Glen and most recently served as head coach and program director for Kelly Vanderbeek Racing.  We look forward to Sandy building on the great foundation we have for adult racing at the Club, thanks most recently to the leadership of Jacques Reid, who has taken on new responsibilities as head coach of the junior extended programs at the Club.

And don't forget that time is ticking on signing up for a Pratte camp before skiing starts at Craigleith.  Three week-long sessions in Copper, Colorado begin on 25 October, two sessions at Sun Peaks begin on 22 November and a session at Tremblant begins on 6 December.  Click on Michel's logo to link to his website for more details!

Finally, another video visit with Ted.

See you at Hard Candy on Saturday!

James Mathers

Save the Date - When Lori Meets Sally

Thank goodness we're finally past the summer solstice, the days are getting shorter and surely snowfall and ski racing can't be far away.  No doubt you're all busy with your dry land training programs.  Hopefully some of you are planning a trip to a Pratte camp in Zermatt, Colorado or Sun Peaks.  Now, I'm delighted to announce a bonus GDHL contribution to your racing preparation.   

In the last issue of this newsletter, I introduced Sally Belanger (disrespectfully aka Sally the Ass Teacher), who has helped me and others learn how to better activate lazy muscles and improve their athletic performance.  Some of you have mentioned that you long knew I was a lazy ass and were just too polite to say so before I came out.  Others have suggested that a bit more work would be in order.  In any event, Sally's exercises aren't strenous, but are highly effective in, for example, getting your glutes to work so that you stay out of the back seat and in a position to turn much more quickly.  Conversely, Lori Kirwan, whose group exercise classes I attend almost daily, is all about action and sweat.  So what could be better than bringing these two together?

Lori is waiting for you! 

Lori is the group exercise director at Hard Candy Fitness in Toronto, as well as teaching at the Adelaide Club.  She has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and I have never met anyone more devoted to anything than Lori is to running exercise classes.  And they are awesome!  Lori has agreed to open the doors of Hard Candy for a special GDHL training day with Sally as a guest instructor.  It is tentatively set for 1:45 pm on Saturday, 17 October.  Lori has said you can come early and participate in her regularly scheduled classes at HC.  These include the Tornado circuit class at 10 am, Hard Drive cycling at 11 am and Electric Yoga with a live DJ in a nicely heated studio from noon to 1:30.   Lori will also design a special exercise class for us, which will likely feature a combination of core work, plyometrics and stretching.  (One of the other HC instructors may lead it, given how much else Lori does every week.)  And to top it all off, Sally will lead a session in which she will explain the work she does for athletes of all kinds and give us some exercises to work on.

We'll confirm all of the details in the fall, but mark your calendars and let us know what you think.  Tell us if you're coming, or if we've forgotten some conflicting event.  These are top notch experts and it'll be well worth your while.  Lori's class will be tough, but if you can't do it, should you really be racing gravity down an icy slope?  And if Sally can unlock some unused power for you, I assure you it will be a revelation!  If you can't wait until October, click on the link above for HC, or visit Sally's website.

Since You're Here

Click here for the Wall Street Journal's explanation of why skiing is the secret to Novak Djokovic's success as a tennis player.

And more analysis of Ted Ligety skiing GS

Here's a nice compilation of people you know from Alpine Canada.

Finally, here is an hour long video of Candide Thovex free skiing.  The first nine minutes, after you get past the bears and mountain goats, are jaw dropping.  And HD!

Enjoy the summer and train safely!

Cheers,

James Mathers