Nordic Racers Ski Club:
The Leading Edge,
March 2002

A Successful Holly Burn

The inaugural Nordic Racers Ski Club Holly Burn 16 kilometre free-technique race was held at Hollyburn Saturday, February 9th. Fresh snow during the week made for excellent conditions on the upper Hollyburn trail system. Bill Cooper devised a new, twisty, Powerline "chicane" to access the bottom of the Unknown Lake trail. The soft snow base on this new trail (a.k.a. "Wet Noodle") made for a technically challenging descent.

The race was run under a crisp, cool (-2°C), high overcast, with some sunny periods to warm the chilled course marshals. The 4.2 kilometre loop up Unknown Lake kept the 74 racers from getting overly chilled on their sojourn around the race course. Tony Chin, the master of organization, supervised and directed the volunteers supporting this race. Brian Hardie, who also skied the 16.8 km race, organized the course marshals and course flagging.

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Brian Charging the Hill
Photo courtesy of April Haffenden

[See also our separate web page of race pictures.]

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At the Upper Warming Hut finish area, ample hot and cold food and refreshments were ready for the hungry race participants. The post-race food was organized by Philippa Wall, Michelle MacMillan, and Tom Dallimore and was both supplied by various club members and partly purchased by the Nordic Racers. Special mention goes to Craig Oliver and Dougal MacDonald for their overnight stay at the Upper Warming Hut, guarding the sound system, and for wrestling with the cumbersome F.A.S.P. generator.

The fancy race brochures and posters were designed by Rich Rawling and printed by Artistat, at no cost to the Nordic Racers Ski Club, thanks to April Haffenden. Thank you April and all other unmentioned, unthanked volunteers for your efforts.

The Nordic Racers Ski Club would also like to acknowledge and thank the various sponsors and prize donors that contributed to the success of The Holly Burn inaugural race.

Many thanks to:

• Artistat Vancouver
• Chroma Color
• Cypress Mountain
• Daniel Le Chocolat Belge
• DesignR
• Dizzy Cycles
• Bob Faulkner
• The Keg (Abbotsford)
• Leading Edge Promotions
• Mountain Equipment Co-op
• Orange Sport Supply
• Sigge's Sport Villa
• Super Valley Market

Club & Other Events

Hollyburn F.A.S.P. Cabin Party

On Saturday, April 6th the Nordic Racers will have their popular, ski season windup party and sleepover at the First Aid Ski Patrol's cabin at Hollyburn. Food will be supplied for an all-inclusive cost of $15.

Appetizers will start at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will start around 7:00 p.m. [N.B.: Times revised.] The food menu has not yet been organized or planned.

The F.A.S.P. cabin access trail is located at the bottom (lowest elev.) corner of the Grand National ski trail. Remember to bring a flashlight or headlamp, as the trails will be dark when the dinner/dance/party will be over. The cabin is a 10-minute ski / 20-minute hike from Hollyburn Lodge. For overnighters, bring sleeping bags.

Come for just the party or stay overnight (cabin sleeps about 20 very friendly people).

If you'd like to attend or help out, please contact Craig Oliver.

Pacific Populaire

On Sunday, April 14th the Pacific Populaire bicycle ride, organized by the BC Randonneurs Cycling Club will be heading out of Riley Park at 9 a.m. sharp (Ontario and 30th in Vancouver, across from Nat Bailey Stadium) to cover one of the three ride distances of 25, 50, or 100 kilometres.

The focus of this event is to encourage participation by all cyclists regardless of fitness level, cycling experience, or age. Last year a large contingent of Nordic Racers (about 18) entered this ride as part of their summer cross-training.

A pre-registration form can be down loaded from the race site at www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pacpop/ and will save adult participants $5, or riders can register at the Riley Park Community Centre between 7:30 and 8:55 a.m. on the morning of the ride.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Nordic Racers Ski Club will be held in May or June on a yet to be determined date. Check our Club web site for the finalized date.

Nickel Plate Loppet

Apex Alpine -- Saturday, February 23/02

We drove up on Friday, through the rain and road detours. It was a balmy 13 degrees in Keremeos. I had never been to the Nickel Plate and was looking forward to the race. When we got to the Nordic Centre parking lot, we met the track setter, and discussed the weather, waxes, and KLISTER.... Man, I hadn't come all the way up to the race to put klister back on my skis, Anyway.... yada yada yada.

My tour guide, pelvic affiliate, and wax technician assured me that all would be well the following morning. Hmm. I had heard this promise before....

We headed into the resort and found our digs. Wow. Our house was great, beautiful view, hot tub, complimentary wine, and treats. Plus, no one had arrived yet. So we enjoyed our few hours of quiet, shared a pasta dinner, and drank more vino. Off to slumber land before all the others arrived.

Saturday morning came with fresh snow and cooler temperatures. Yes! Maybe no klister after all. Got to the race site early, set up, and began the ritual of wax applications. Not really sure what to use, but I put my faith in my techy and said "do it man!" And he did. A combination of blues, no klister, and glide wax that was a little off. But what the hey, it was a race for fun. And I was supposed to beat my previous time, which was okay, because I had never done this race before!

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Click image to enlarge

Beatiful Nickel Plate
Photo courtesy of Tony Chin

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Now, we're at the start, I see many boys and girls I know but keep my head down, hoping nobody will notice me. I look over and there is my cute wax man, grinning from ear to ear. He gives me that thumb up look and I attempt to smile back, and then we are off. At least everyone else is, and I just follow along enjoying the swish of the skis and the general good vibes of being in the crowd. I almost feel athletic! Everyone is so polite! I stay to the left track and let everyone pass me. And pass me and pass me.

The kilometres roll along, I have no idea what lies ahead but I prepare myself for hills. I hope they are not too long or too many as in previous loppets. I am pleasantly surprised for a while as I ski along rolling terrain, no hills in sight. I try to practice my technique and all the tricks and head stuff I have learned in the "Learn to Loppet" course from previous years. For a few fleeting kilometres all is right with my skis and soul. I actually feel good and I think I am skiing pretty well. Then, I begin to slip and slide...over and over.... I wonder if I should quit at 15, but no, I continue on. I imagine everyone at the finish line, all done hours ago. I pray not to finish last, I pray to finish. My groin hurts from catching the slips, but I ski on and on, trying to weight my skis, get low, and use my arms and gut. One skier catches me and then grunts out some rude comment. I keep my head down and just keep going. I go on for a long time, alone. Then, I am on the home stretch, I ski faster downhill, no glide wax to slow me down now, I have scraped it all off. I come to the one-kilometre mark and am so glad. I know I am not last cause I did pass someone. And then I am at the finish. My waxman is there to cheer me in and I can hear my name over the loudspeaker. I made it.

Yeah, hot tub, potluck, and dancing at the bar later on tonight. Not so bad after all. My family will be proud of me and I'll get the half-hour massage I was promised. It was fun, hard, but fun! A friendly race, with great prizes, good grub, and beautiful terrain. Thanks to all for making it a great weekend, especially Tony, our great booking agent. Yeah, maybe I will do it again, after all! Maybe.

Signed,
Anonymous

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Click image to enlarge

View from Bucks Trek
Photo courtesy of Tony Chin

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Top Ten Signs You're Cheating in a Loppet

1. Your personal "wax technician" is Ben Johnson.
2. Race-day breakfast consists of an IV drip.
3. You suddenly look like a deer in headlights when a race organizer casually jokes that there will be urine tests after the race.
4. At a post-race buffet someone tells you that he's heard of an IPO for a company that could be promising. You agree, stating, "My friend, EPO is more than just promising, it allowed me to kick some serious butt today."
5. Fedex package arrives for you from Johan Muehlegg on night before race, along with cheery good luck note.
6. You remove a Powerbar sample from the race packet, stare at it and chuckle, and then toss it over shoulder.
7. For a regular everyday Nordic Racer, you seem to know a helluva lot about EPO.
8. At post-race pot-luck you use a centrifuge as a salad spinner.
9. You get all squirmy when people start talking about the Olympic cross-country doping scandal.
10. Those suspicious looking, red-coloured vials in your wax kit? ......... it ain't Swix Special Red.

-- Jeff Teachman

BC Biathlon Championships

Silver Star -- February 16th and 17th

Martin Utley continued to dominate the Senior Boys competition, winning both his races at Silver Star. Mioi Sawada continued to fight it out, for the silver and bronze, in the pack of five Senior Boys following Martin, but narrowly missed medals on both days.

In the Senior Girls category, sickness took its toll, with Jen Martin and Karen Douglas out sick. Britta Tilgner chose to slog it out with her cold and did very well to win the sprint race on Sunday.

Aletha Utley and Claire Corbett sharpened their very friendly rivalry by splitting the silver and bronze medals in the Junior Girls category in two very close races. More significantly, they have really narrowed the gap between first and second place over the course of the season.

Our two beginners, Tyler Ronaghan and Laurel Priest, put in two good days learning a lot about travelling and racing, and skiing personal best races.

Three of our coaches -- Alan Ball, Rob Douglas, and Celine Feagan -- chose to race the Sprint, discovering once again that it is just as hard as it looks. Alan and Rob came in first in their respective Masters' and Men's categories and Celine placed second in the Women's Sprint race.

Results:

Individual	Finish	Sprint	Finish
Sr. Boys
Martin Utley	1	Martin Utley	1
Mioi Sawada	5	Mioi Sawada	4
Sr. Girls
Britta Tilgner	3	Britta Tilgner	1
Karen Douglas	4
Jr. Girls
Aletha Utley	2	Claire Corbett	2
Claire Corbett	3	Aletha Utley	3
Laurel Priest	4	Laurel Priest	4
Jr. Boys
Tyler Ronaghan	5	Tyler Ronaghan	4

BC Winter Games -- Biathlon

Williams Lake -- February 21st - 24th

Local biathletes were on target at the recent B.C. Winter Games 2002 in Williams Lake / Quesnel. A small contingent of 13 young athletes from Lower Mainland municipalities won 14 medals in the biathlon competition. Three of the athletes -- Martin Utley, Mioi Sawada, and Jennifer Martin -- travelled to Valcartier, PQ, for the Canadian Championships -- March 12th-17th.

Results:

Individual	Finish	Sprint	Finish
Sr. Boys
Martin Utley	1	Martin Utley	1
Mioi Sawada	3	Mioi Sawada	2
Sean Eno	6	Micha Smirnov	5
Alex Butskyi	8	Sean Eno	7
Micha Smirnov	11	Alex Butskyi	8
Sr. Girls
Jennifer Martin	1	Britta Tilgner	2
Karen Douglas	2	Jennifer Martin	5
Britta Tilgner	6	Karen Douglas	7
Jr. Girls
Aletha Utley	1	Claire Corbett	2
Claire Corbett	3	Aletha Utley	3
Laurel Priest	5	Laurel Priest	5
Jr. Boys
M. Kramarovski	6	M. Kramarovski	5
Tyler Ronaghan	7	Tyler Ronaghan	6

Super Sprint	Finish	Home City
Sr. Boys
Mioi Sawada	1	Vancouver
Sean Eno	4	Abbotsford
Micha Smirnov	7	Burnaby
Sr. Girls
Jennifer Martin	4	Abbotsford
Jr. Girls
Aletha Utley	1	West Vancouver
Claire Corbett	3	West Vancouver