x-store-info:sbevkl2QZR7OXo7WID5ZcTGmwL71WNhrr9o2UME2DuB/NBxDb4LOjRhAQ2iUc5A2qV19LbbRIdOQKBkotCOUQ6BAPRAx9y9+r7oTqXxoBVulwinXvW1VMNa6aKJVe0Oa Authentication-Results: hotmail.com; sender-id=temperror (sender IP is 173.192.220.101) header.from=info@kanatanordic.ca; dkim=none header.d=kanatanordic.ca; x-hmca=none X-Message-Status: n:0:n X-SID-PRA: Kanata Nordic Ski Club X-DKIM-Result: None X-AUTH-Result: NONE X-Message-Delivery: Vj0xLjE7dXM9MDtsPTA7YT0wO0Q9MTtHRD0xO1NDTD0w X-Message-Info: V83GvOTZtkFWM46NR8FKi/XLEK/waB1h5HidPeLaNFOzW/aoZm3p3OCWhcHniv94cYCTCkZpGFFQojrXE1gngszVGPz7GmHovRi4dHrIasx70HqpeIEEmwSluGX+nSxRIt3roZsyV+H3Rm4XUwJVUg== Received: from toip27.srvr.bell.ca ([67.69.240.29]) by BAY0-PAMC1-F1.Bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4900); Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:25:30 -0800 Received: from toip17.srvr.bell.ca ([67.69.240.19]) by toip27.srvr.bell.ca with ESMTP; 29 Feb 2012 07:25:16 -0500 Received: from useast12.myserverhosts.com ([173.192.220.101]) by toip17.srvr.bell.ca with ESMTP; 29 Feb 2012 07:25:15 -0500 Received: from ccm32.constantcontact.com ([208.75.123.228]) by useast12.myserverhosts.com with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1S2iao-002YQf-C4 for info@kanatanordic.ca; Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:25:14 -0600 Received: from p2-jbsched10.ad.prodcc.net (p2-pen4.ad.prodcc.net [10.252.0.104]) by p2-mail180.ccm32.constantcontact.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 51AF7112BB8B for ; Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:25:12 -0500 (EST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; q=dns/txt; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; s=1000073432; d=auth.ccsend.com; h=to:subject:mime-version:message-id:from:date:list-unsubscribe:reply-to; bh=Pm0Mtr8XWL5oiDmJS2tDQBCNH32+SVzef+D7GDvXYwU=; b=Cab5h6LQJ3tTw6XdB9Ih9SEXQl+TxjvUALVoIii8UHkPrxvViYZeRsjnnS1MXzbcWfTib8H6jkAQdrONGDRE79fWwdZIe56DdNji9RbZ3hWZKK/F8sbIgL/Zkx/HI5wL2cbqXgpMc3RXseqSVNbYBxCMjRQY8dRQDuDFMuEA4L0= Message-ID: <1109393271353.1106939810926.1.10.10107250C@scheduler> Date: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:25:12 -0500 (EST) From: Kanata Nordic Ski Club Reply-To: info@kanatanordic.ca To: info@kanatanordic.ca Subject: Kanata Nordic News - Leap Year Edition MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_33072427_787521466.1330518312287" X-Mailer: Roving Constant Contact 2009 (http://www.constantcontact.com) List-Unsubscribe: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001Soj93wGy2dnLVfNtZe1nrOuNMnn_e146&t=001FxhoYEsUr_-ASUc5PYcwCw%3D%3D&llr=odfcm6gab X-Return-Path-Hint: ESC1109393271353_1106939810926_1_r20@in.constantcontact.com X-Roving-ID: 1106939810926.1 X-Lumos-SenderID: 1106939810926 X-Roving-CampaignId: 1109393271353 X-Roving-StreamId: 0 X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - useast12.myserverhosts.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - kanatanordic.ca X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - in.constantcontact.com X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: Return-Path: ESC1109393271353_1106939810926_1_r20@in.constantcontact.com X-OriginalArrivalTime: 29 Feb 2012 12:25:30.0767 (UTC) FILETIME=[39F821F0:01CCF6DD] ------=_Part_33072427_787521466.1330518312287 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Having trouble viewing this email? Click here http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=3Dodfcm6gab&v=3D001Fhn5q= KCt466jDzUHVObJWjy9AlAIZ2RDIGviXhdI7xy94ftxRlHq3j05c3IJypI4CLJMDXp4GHJvxVF0= 8mjn0DrNDDYdRknrLnZvtCCHD_YFRhPx1UIUjfUWJRFxErSP In This Issue Meet Big Red My First Ski Season Racing with Earl Racer Season Drawing to a Close KNORCCers Try Their Luck at an Ad Hoc (sort of) Potluck First Aid Training a Priority for Kanata Nordic Recent Trends in Kick Wax The Rewards of Coaching Skiing Up the Valley ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ 2012 Year-End AGM & Club Banquet When: Saturday March 31st AGM 3:00-4:00 pm Banquet 4:30-7:30 pm Where: Royal Canadian Legion Hall, 70 Hines Road, Kanata Cost: AGM is free & open to all members Children 5 years and under: free Children 6 -10 years: $10 Youth over 10 years to adults: $20 To buy tickets: Email Marlene at info@kanatanordic.ca [mailto:info@kanatanordic.ca] specifying all names and the number needed at each price. Join your ski buddies for a fun night out! Tickets will also be sold in the Vail building during Saturday lessons duri= ng lessons. Payment by cash or cheque only (make cheque payable to Kanata Nordic Ski Cl= ub).=20 Sales will be limited to 100 tickets and will end March 15. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Memories of Club Fun Day February 25, 2012 Special thanks to Jason Hergert for the photos. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Issue 13 February 2012 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Meet Big Red The Life of a Grooming Machine Update header [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aG= F3MMYbM_G9Vcrud2lwX8gBxOntMQkE95Gt8Lt7bMwjoJYrIeDbRCzdX7lzHBeX9QKCPbi58V9vk= AgsEaQlxjrobaKd01DE6Ne4y0LdKwcgzVVgkNCDKazLRcRIhOfprGGkWeh6uw1OYMJoG6Ogi-MQ= ZkJcS-Jy] Kanata Nordic's main groomer, the Tidd Tech G2, a.k.a. 'Big Red'. by Marlene Alt | Co-editor and Gene Vigneron | Trails Coordinator Life is pretty good being the head trail honcho at Kanata Nordic. Officiall= y I'm a Tidd Tech G2, but you can call me Big Red. Hook me up to my buddy the Ca= n-Am=20 Outlander 650 ATV and together we do the lion's share of the grooming on th= e trails of the Y Bonnenfant Centre and Riverfront Park. Occasionally I get to go on= a field trip, like to the Mlacak Centre and Earl of March High School last year, wh= ere I crafted some fine trails for the 2011 Pretzel Race. I'm equipped with a mat to groom skate trails and a tracksetter for making = those beautifully carved classic tracks. Though icy conditions can be a challeng= e. After a freezing rain or with hard old snow I lower my blades to cut up the crud.= When I'm given lots to work with -- a big snowfall -- the ATV takes out a rolle= r first, to pack the snow down before I do my more refined work. I should mention my human co-workers, who also have a role in the trail gro= oming business. Currently Steve Tuttle, Pat Kirkham or Gene Vigneron take me out= at least three times a week: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, to prepare for Racer a= nd Track Attack sessions those evenings, and Saturday mornings, before the trails co= me alive with Bunnies and Jackrabbits of all ages and abilities. Each of these groom= ing sessions take about three hours. I like to keep these guys and a few other Club volunteers' on their toes so= I've been known to throw a little tantrum - I mean, electrical malfunction -at = them. I also like to try to get a laugh by falling or sliding off the trail whil= e in=20 use. These antics get me all the attention I need and ensure the guys are s= mart=20 enough (and their hands sufficiently immune to the cold) to repair my wirin= g, plus strong enough to heave me back onto the trail. Despite the good company of this dedicated trail crew, my days off were som= etimes lonely so I was pleased to get a little brother last month, a Ginzugroomer,= which is pulled by the Club's Skandic snowmobile. All things considered it's a good life as the top dog of the grooming briga= de at Kanata Nordic. The smiling faces of the kiddies learning to ski out on my = trails are all the reward I really need. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ My First Ski Season by Nicholas Trindade | Kanata Racer Nicholas racing. My experience with the Kanata Nordic Ski Club has been very fun and interes= ting. When I started with the club, I had been nordic skiing with my family for = one season. Before then, I was an alpine skier for seven years. I remember the first ti= me I=20 started to ski with the club, I was on roller skis going extremely fast dow= n a hill, not knowing how to stop. As I progressed past the not-knowing-how-to-stop l= evel, I found that it was extremely fun just to go skiing down the speedy hills.= Then when I was able to go on snow, it was a lot more fun for me. When I had my first race at Skinouk, it was super cold. Still, my family an= d I were happy that I was racing and I would like to thank them for driving me to th= is race and also to some far away races. I would also like the thank the coaches th= at helped me learn how to race, Michael, Harris, and Steve. They are really nice coac= hes and very supportive. In conclusion, the Kanata Nordic Ski Club was an amazing e= xperience. Especially those races! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Return to the top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Racing with Earl The XC Ski Team at Earl of March Secondary School by Brandon Paul | Track Attacker In elementary school you heard of teams for sports such as volleyball and b= asketball. Frankly I was too uncoordinated for either of them and my footwork lacked f= or soccer, but where my talents did lie was with cross country skiing. Twice a year, I= could shine at Mr. Dumouchel's awesome WEJ ski days at Fitzroy, but other than th= at my athletic skiing abilities went relatively unnoticed. Victor, Stephen, Brandon, Chris, David When I arrived at Earl of March Secondary School, all of that changed. I wa= s surprised that among Earl's wide variety of teams, nordic skiing was included and was= even more amazed that we had enough skiers for a team as all the teen skiers I = knew=20 from Kanata Nordic were spread thin throughout the various Kanata high scho= ols.=20 As it turns out, there were many eager skiers within Earl that I was unawar= e of, including fellow Kanata skiers Jonathan MacAskill and Jonathan Roscoe as w= ell as some Nakkertokkers, novices and two guys who had ski experience from doing = biathlon with Air Cadets. Through joining the Earl team I have met several nice kids= who=20 share the same passion for the sport and it has been a great way to meet me= mbers of other clubs with no logo or emblem between us. The Earl team begins training at the start of December and if there's no sn= ow, we do dry land activities such as running and also use the indoor spinning bik= es which are plentiful at Earl. When the snow arrives, we train at the Earl fields a= s well as the Y camp. The high school races take place in February. There are usua= lly two practices a week and the team welcomes all abilities. Brandon at the Gatineau Loppet A great thing about the Earl Nordic Ski team is its opportunities for novic= e skiers who are just picking up the sport. One thing I should mention, the techniqu= e for high school racing is skating. Luckily, to get the essential skills, Earl = has the experienced coaches Ari Neimi and Keith Dustin for guidance. Although I sti= ll have more to learn, I enjoy helping novices with some pointers. I'm really impre= ssed=20 with how initially some new skiers were participating as a fun venture with= no plans to race, but as it turns out, with new ski skills and determination, they a= re equally excited about upcoming races. Fellow students and my peers' attitudes towards skiing have shifted after o= bserving the team in action looping the Earl track. My non-ski friends now realize t= hat it's not always mild-mannered classic skiing through a quaint trail in the Gatin= eaus. Even new Earl team member and friend Derek Smith, a long-time hockey playe= r who just started skiing this year to cross-train for triathlon (ironically tha= t's the same reason my dad Dev started) admitted to the fact that skiing took more = out of him than he anticipated, recognizing it was an actual hard-core workout (as= many have seen in Track Attack). Skiing is a very distinct sport; once while changing for practice, another = student athlete walked in on a few of us and upon seeing our spandex he commented i= nstantly "I'm guessing this isn't basketball tryouts." It's comical that when sharin= g the change room with the basketball team, I am thinking "wow these guys are re= ally=20 intense", but that in turn is exactly what they think of us! The NCSSA high school championship was on February 8th and 15th at the Nakk= ertok facility. For junior boys (grades 9 and 10), the race is 5km and for juni= or girls, 3km. My Earl teammate Keira Neimi from Nakkertok is an exceptionally talent= ed and competitive skier who often wishes her distances were longer. For a skier o= f her calibre, it is little more than a sprint. The actual 5km course I've exper= ienced at the 2011 NSCAA features laps through Nakkertok's trails with the first m= ore moderate than the second. The first has several mild inclines with an equal amount o= f small drops so amassing momentum and carrying through the up-down course is criti= cal. After passing through the main field by the start (don't make the mistake I= did=20 once at the Eastern Canadians; there is one more loop) you will begin your = second lap with steep hills such as the infamous Monte-McCarthy and equally insane= downhills such as Dirk's Dive (I'm sure anyone who's ever raced at Nakkertok is famil= iar with the near 90=B0 slope). To finish off there is a 100m sprint to the winner c= ircle where teammates cheer each other on! (For all the high school results check the R= acer=20 News blo [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMY= bM_EnLTtXHhCbkqPytCi0u3cOAE-GB9mMObfEplKNKm4s_POCaRrPLkoTqwMYIepwts0VakmGtE= tqzvvSIStacMMxcxYt0Q5LZWyalwowZnjg74DfqdbHT3cl]g [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_EnLTtX= HhCbkqPytCi0u3cOAE-GB9mMObfEplKNKm4s_POCaRrPLkoTqwMYIepwts0VakmGtEtqzvvSISt= acMMxcxYt0Q5LZWyalwowZnjg74DfqdbHT3cl].) Szymek at the start line Through the sport, not only do I meet skiers at my own school, but also fro= m others as well. A few weeks ago I was training with the Earl team at the Y and low= and=20 behold, the Track Attack legend Syzmek Wasiak arrives on the scene with the= All=20 Saints High School team. Syzmek skied with the club when he was younger, so= it was nice to cross paths again. He tends to inspire me to push harder by running= me to the ground with his blitz-speed technique. As well, the high school champio= nship is another fantastic opportunity to meet teams and skiers, for example fel= low Track Attacker Stephen Xu and Kanata Racer Robert Lee who both compete for Bell H= igh School. Bell High School team with their race faces on. Racing with the Earl team has been a wonderful experience, one I'm excited = to share with Track Attackers who are coming to Earl of March next year including Ai= dan Kirkham, Jeffrey Vigneron and Zach Leung. There's nothing wrong with a little friend= ly competition: Noah Graham, another proud Attacker, will also be joining his Franco-Ouest = Team=20 in the Junior division next year. I hope to see you all at the NCSSA in 201= 3! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Return to the top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Update header [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aG= F3MMYbM_Gwvo1VePYgbuF90HW7Hh0TBL0disswrzhGRQtTLe4iiaWuLvQ1c-n9kFHfoc8fmpF8e= 0Afb3FKIUXbEpOGM1JYkD_mBe2nKbk=3D] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Racer Season Drawing to a Close by Mike Duivenvoorden | Racing Coach & Coordinator Luckily the Kanata Racers had many weeks of dryland training and roller ski= ing because for most it was after Christmas before we managed to find snow. That left o= nly a few weeks on snow before our athletes were donning race bibs and finding t= hemselves at a start line. For experienced skiers this is a minor setback, but some o= f our Racers have been skiing for a year or less; in many cases taking up skiing= to stay fit for their summer sport. Not a problem, as our Racer program is about at= hletes who want to commit to training to achieve personal goals. Racing helps to p= rovide the motivation to reach those goals, and is a measure of the benefits of th= e training program. In the Ottawa area, not only are we fortunate to have some of the best trai= ls in Canada, we also have a vibrant cross country ski community, and a variety = of races to suit everyone. Examples of prominent events which KN Racers participated= in include the Eastern Canadian, the National Capital Division (NCD) race series, and = the Gatineau Loppet. These races provide opportunity to compete at the highest level. Ma= ny of our Racers were up to the challenge with top ten and top twenty results in= the=20 Easterns, for example. The Gatineau Loppet is a favourite with many as it brings together Racers, = Track Attackers, and adults in this well-known event. With over two dozen KN ski= ers participating we not only came away with more than half a dozen medals, but many athletes= came away with personal bests whether it was surpassing times from last year or= just a target finish time. Beyond the more prominent events, one of the goals of the Racing Program is= to select races that suit the various racer skill levels and that are organized by so= me of the smaller NCD clubs. Kanata Nordic at Forest Lea We also place a big emphasis on our skiers participating in the National Ca= pital and Eastern Ontario Secondary School races to not only represent their sch= ools, but in hopes of qualifying for the Ontario Secondary School Championships = held=20 in Huntsville this year. For many of the Racers these races were the highli= ght of their season with six skiers qualifying for OFSSAA, any for many of the oth= ers exceeding personal targets. For me a few memorable moments highlight what the Kanata Racers program is = all about: * More than 20 Kanata Nordic skiers at the Forest Lea Race in Pembroke, inc= luding Racers and Track Attackers, and even more participants at the Gatineau Lopp= et. * The hospitality, organization and atmosphere of small town events such at= the=20 Forest Lea Race and Silver Spoon in Deep River. * Jacqueline M. for taking the first step by registering for a race and dem= onstrating great technique; impressive for someone who took up the sport in November. * David B. for waxing Jacqueline's skis and doing a better job than he did = on his own skis. * Nicolas C. turning on a beautiful one skate at the half way point in a ra= ce when reminded, and understanding later when asked how it went, that I was not re= ally=20 asking for a result. * Holly B. for excellent performances which are a direct result of a tremen= dous=20 focus and work ethic, and yet the ability to smile and say hello during the= arduous climb up Mont Bleu hill during the Gatineau Loppet. * Maddie and her buddies at the Forest Lea Race for demonstrating that nord= ic skiers are just great people. * Kate F. for taking on the Aerial Park at Camp Fortune during dryland, des= pite=20 her fear of heights. * For very high participation in the secondary school races by Racers and T= rack=20 Attack skiers. * Having Katie D., Robert, Kate F., and Holly F. all helping out with the J= ackrabbit Program on Saturday afternoon. * Trent G. for digging deep to surpass all previous milestones by being the= first KN skier across the line in the Gatinea Loppet 10 km skate race. * And so on, and so on... To stay current on how our racers fare this season check out the Racer News= blog [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_EnLTt= XHhCbkqPytCi0u3cOAE-GB9mMObfEplKNKm4s_POCaRrPLkoTqwMYIepwts0VakmGtEtqzvvSIS= tacMMxcxYt0Q5LZWyalwowZnjg74DfqdbHT3cl] on the Kanata Nordic web site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Return to the top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ KNORCCers Try Their Luck at an Ad Hoc (sort of) Potluck by Anonymous KNORCC's first ever potluck was held on Friday December 2, 2011. It was a f= estival of fabulous foods, fun, folly and friendly faces, all within the modest fur= nishings of the Vail building. We asked the RATPOC (Racer-Andrea-Training Potluck Or= ganizing Committee) what the motivation was behind the event. The following is its r= eply: First, let us explain the ski experience with fellow Racers and parents in = a haiku: Early morning, rise Snow laden Gatineaus, ski How thrilling! With friends! As a group of avid skiers and families, we just could not get enough of eac= h other's company from training. So we struck a committee and organized a potluck to = celebrate our common joys: R: Racer ski training with friends and parents A: Andrea Nichols' dryland training T: Training with great coaches Henceforth, we have RATPOC. But you are probably wondering "What is KNORCC?= " KNORCC is a group of athletes from two clubs: Kanata Nordic Ski Club (the K= N) and the Ottawa River Canoe Club (the ORCC). We wanted to celebrate the coming t= ogether of these winter and summer-based athletes. Maybe we can explain it thus: Some paddlers and skiers from Dunrobin. Joined forces and hollered out "Yeo mon!" A subgroup was formed, (A potential lame duck) To present this first ever KNORCC potluck! Close to 50 people attended. There was no budget for it from any Executive = portfolio, no extended debates around a boardroom table, and a bare minimum for facili= ties=20 -- the Vail had tables and chairs and electrical outlets. Racers David, Brett, and Victor load up at the buffet. David's plate was ac= tually a tray. Everyone contributed to bring the rest: a microwave, hot plate, kettle, cof= fee pot, ice bucket, plates, utensils, and even a green bin to pack out compostables= . There lurks amongst the KNORCCers many talented cooks. Part of the plan was for the Racer kids to contribute dishes of their own m= aking and grab a little culinary glory. The food was superb. The first ever KNORCC potluck was a grassroots effort to offer a social eve= nt to a group of hard-training folks and a great time was eaten by all. Note from the Editor: We thank 'Anonymous' and the RATPOC for this contribu= tion=20 and would just like to mention that the whole affair was made possible by t= he energy, initiative and heart of one particular RATPOCker who we will refer to simpl= y as=20 LY. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Return to the top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ First Aid Training a Priority for Kanata Nordic by Marlene Alt | Co-editor In December Kanata Nordic offered its members the chance to become certifie= d as=20 St. John Ambulance 'Level A CPR/AED' first aid responders -- a handy skill = set for anyone leading skiers out on the trails or even serving hot chocolate at br= eak time. The course fee was covered by the Club for anyone actively volunteering thi= s season. Nine people attended the three-part course, held in the Vail building at th= e Y.=20 The course was led by another Club volunteer, Jim Trach. Jim has decades of= experience in first aid, both in administering it and teaching courses. He has headed = up the first aid program for the Canadian Ski Marathon in the past and is even qua= lified in wilderness first aid, which means he can perform some surgeries if the c= asualty is a significant distance from medical services. Jim shows how to splint a leg injury Jim customized the course to suit the needs of a nordic ski club. The parti= cipants learned everything from how to take charge of an accident scene, to perform= ing CPR, transporting casualties of all sizes, and treating frostbite, sprains, even= gun=20 shot wounds (unlikely outside of hunting season). Thanks to Jackrabbit Coordinator, Elizabeth Brown, for arranging the course= and=20 to Jim Trach for leading it and for sharing his many stories and insights. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Recent Trends in Kick Wax by Alan Mortimer, PhD. | Guest Contributor There have been some new products coming out over the last couple of years = aimed largely at increasing the temperature range of each wax. The result is sim= plified waxing for those in a hurry or with limited experience. But these waxes do = not behave like Jackrabbit red and green or Swix silver and gold of days gone by; thes= e waxes deserve serious consideration by racers. While a number of companies have m= oved=20 in this direction, including Vhauti and Start, the most noticeable are the = products from SkiGo and Toko. By far the gutsiest move has to be Toko's. They have gone from the typical = six wax line to cover temperatures to just three waxes! Blue, Red and Yellow. For = most=20 cases all you need is blue (-7 to -30) and red (0 to -7) and these are now = air temperatures, which is a departure for Toko, although snow temperature is also listed on = the can. Yellow is listed for snow temperatures to -2 (and I don't have any experien= ce with it yet). Anyone who has been skiing for more than 10 years is probably familiar with= the=20 old Toko Red/Blue old/new snow waxes. They were good but weren't great and = I don't know of many cases where people raced on them, but they were probably the m= ost widely used training waxes by skiers who were honest enough to admit it. Most of u= s ditched one or the other of the 'old snow' or 'new snow' waxes because the differen= ce wasn't that great. Fact of the matter is that I just noticed a blue old snow wax c= an on the kitchen table. These waxes disappeared and were replaced by a traditio= nal wax line. At which point most of us kept using the Toko binder and switched to = Vhauti orange as the go-to wax. I for one was excited to see the waxes back, but these aren't the same waxe= s; they are much better. I have skied on both the red and the blue, in both dry and= wet=20 snow and would say that they work. The older versions dragged a bit and nee= ded more bite. These ones seem to grip well and definitely glide better. Bottom line= is they felt like ski wax should feel. There are a few things to remember. Toko waxes have traditionally worked be= st in Ottawa before the ground under the snow has completely frozen and there is= heat coming up into the snow; in other words until early January (in a typical = year). Secondly, you have to ski a lot to know whether a wax will work as advertis= ed. Or perhaps put another way: how it works in different conditions. However I am= quite impressed so far and will continue to use them. For the casual skier I woul= d say it is miles ahead of other common limited wax systems. A long time coach and wax specialist, Alan Mortimer coached the Nakkertok S= ki Team to a #2 ranking in Canada and led the National Junior and Senior Teams in i= nternational competition, both in North America and Europe. Alan is known for his techni= cal knowledge of xc skiing and is currently working as a World Cup Wax Technician. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ The Rewards of Coaching by Dev Paul | Track Attack Coordinator I had the pleasure to spend two Wednesdays at Nakkertok for the NCSSAA (Nat= ional Capital Secondary School Athletics Association) xc ski championships, watc= hing, cheering and helping out where I could. Great job by Rob D'Arras and the t= eam of volunteers that makes this happen. The most enjoyable part about the two days is seeing all these young athlet= es, out there with their friends, socializing, having fun and horsing around on ski= s with their peer group. It is rare to have a group of several hundred teen skiers= with that level of fitness and ability all concentrated in one place at the sam= e time. These kids really are an amazing group of athletes and individuals. Watching the kids race, you could see the fire and determination in all of = them. I've had the pleasure to coach many of these kids through Kanata Nordic ov= er the past 10 years, some starting out as 5 year olds and today they are 15. To s= ee the transformation of a bunch of children shuffling around as Bunnyrabbits to g= uys and girls who look like they could ski with Alex Harvey or Chandra Crawford is = really amazing. One of the benefits of being a masters athlete is you can stay involved in = the development of the next generation of athletes. On Wednesday, as I watched the kids fly= by,=20 I thought of those famous words of John McCrae, "To you from failing hands = we throw the torch....". I really did feel the fruits of investing a decade in the= development of a number of kids as skiers, whether they emerged as NCSSAA championship = contenders, or teens who love skiing and are competing because they enjoy the sport whi= ch hopefully stays with them for life. Congrats to all the kids from Kanata Nordic and all the NCSSAA division sch= ools=20 and to Coaches Ari Niemi and Keith Dustin at Earl of March who have pulled = me in from time to time to assist them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Skiing Up the Valley by Marlene Alt | Co-editor Most skiers know about Gatineau Park, the world-class trail facility just a= cross the river in Quebec. It should be at the top of any skier's 'to do' list (= and to do many times). But consider exploring some lesser-known trail systems on t= he Ontario side of the river. Some of these may be a shorter drive for you, depending = on where you live, and for the farther points all you need to do is plan a day trip = for the family. Here are three destinations to look into, organized from nearest to= Kanata to furthest: Fitzroy Provincial Park, managed by the West Carleton Nordic Ski Club [http= ://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_FTyqX8QXyqr= NwrEMSPgU-_R5htvV044s2XJm6MPyyAP3ne81JUZRi5i9mjiWwjxlxvxuZLIF2kX2a_XyZ_nCKb= HLMTBjuRmNc=3D]. There are several loops through the forest, with about 15 km of skate and c= lassic trails. Day use fees are $5 per person. Memberships are also available. Fitzroy trails Forest Lea Ski Trails, managed by the Pembroke Area Cross Country Ski Club = [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_GI4IUR= rS_TGMBuv988dbxxVzrdXa1kOAsZ13TRfIqGaCfHUoErEQSrDWPnXw36_BKh5qbg0vP6EuYq7Ui= LZRSMofOwnvOiwKQ4eUCJhEOovw=3D=3D]. Multiple loops of both classic and skate trails, measuring from 2.7 km to 9= .8 km. Day use fees are $5 per person. Memberships are also available. Deep River Cross Country Ski Club [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D110939327= 1353&s=3D1&e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_EHE0101vkli54bd3nzftMu6EFgIZkLE8G9uhD2RDok7iBfu= dXoR_hp7NDMKvPlxDD5218DqGXz8i2S8ACBMce-vB6h5hG53Vo=3D]. The DRXC Club maintains three separate trail networks. The Silver Spoon Tra= ils,=20 where their annual race is held, is closest to downtown Deep River. This 30= km network includes 20 km of groomed and trackset trails. The Cabin Trails extend 50 k= ms through ungroomed wilderness and lead out to their cabin near the border of Algonqu= in Park. This network is accessed 4 km north of Deep River. The Forestry Trail System is based at the Petawawa Research Forest 5 km sou= th of Chalk River. There are currently 19 km of ungroomed wilderness trails. Int= ermingled with the DRXC ski trails are snowshoe trails, built and maintained by the F= our Seasons Conservancy. That trailhead is located at the ski chalet. Visitors are welc= ome to use all the facilities, and should sign a waiver available at several locat= ions. A donation is encouraged to help with maintenance of the trails and cabin.= Memberships are also available. For a quick overview of dozens of trail options in the province check out t= he Ontario Trails Council web site [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=3D1109393271353&s=3D1= &e=3D001aGF3MMYbM_H__bKAZrtsvtm_DKDeywGYmWyMz9H15Alh7L-su-i05fdr-dKE_TJqaxq= PJVkc6HmG95GsEjEN1pCLfWqxjqKP7luN6TQLN6GTlIv5sbcCLIAZIoLO-JaBPOmAuwX0ZdJWMF= tLADZaVpesUlpmGcmlIYNfmqZl1xtb7_ISwm4Mrw=3D=3D]. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ End of Issue 13 February 2012 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ We are always interested in your ideas for the newsletter, and for voluntee= rs to help with each issue, so if you have the inclination pleaseget in touch [m= ailto:info@kanatanordic.ca]. See you on the trails! Sincerely, Marlene Alt and Kaleigh Maclaren, Co-editors Kanata Nordic Ski Club ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~~~~ Forward email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=3Dodfcm6gab&m=3D1106939810926= &ea=3Dinfo@kanatanordic.ca&a=3D1109393271353 This email was sent to info@kanatanordic.ca by info@kanatanordic.ca. Update Profile/Email Address http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=3Doo&mse=3D001Soj93wGy2dnLVfNtZe1nr= OuNMnn_e146&t=3D001FxhoYEsUr_-ASUc5PYcwCw%3D%3D&llr=3Dodfcm6gab Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM) http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=3Dun&mse=3D001Soj93wGy2dnLVfNtZe1nr= OuNMnn_e146&t=3D001FxhoYEsUr_-ASUc5PYcwCw%3D%3D&llr=3Dodfcm6gab Privacy Policy: http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp Online Marketing by Constant Contact(R) www.constantcontact.com Kanata Nordic Ski Club | www.kanatanordic.ca | P.O. Box 72084 | Kanata | ON= | K2K 2P4 | Canada ------=_Part_33072427_787521466.1330518312287 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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=09
=20
= 3D"top"

3D"Mashead"
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09In This Issue =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 M= eet Big Red =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = My First Ski Season =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = Racing with Earl =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = Racer Season Drawing to a Close =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = KNORCCers Try Their Luck at an Ad Hoc (sort of) Potluck =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = First Aid Training a Priority for Kanata Nordic =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = Recent Trends in Kick Wax =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = The Rewards of Coaching =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 = Skiing Up the Valley =09=09=09=09=09=09=09
=20 =20 =20

2012 Year-End AGM & C= lub Banquet 

 

When:

Saturday March 31st

AGM 3:00-4:00 pm Banquet = 4:30-7:30 pm  

 

Where:

Royal Canadian Legion Hal= l, 70 Hines Road, Kanata

 

Cost:

AGM is free & open to all= members

Children 5 years and unde= r: free

Children 6 -10 years: $10

Youth over 10 years to ad= ults: $20

 

To buy tickets:

Email Marlene at info@kanatanordic.ca

specifying all names and = the number needed at each price. 

 

Join your ski buddies for a fun night out!=

 

Tickets will also be sold= in the Vail building during Saturday lessons during lessons. Payment by ca= sh or cheque only (make cheque payable to Kanata Nordic Ski Club). Sales wi= ll be limited to 100 tickets and will end M= arch 15.

 


 

Memories of
Club Fun Day
Februar= y 25, 2012
Special thanks to Jason Hergert for the photos.

3D"Update







3D"Update

3D"Update







3D"Update
=
Issue 13 February 2012=
=20 =20

Meet Big Red  <= /p>

The Life of a Grooming Machine
3D"Update
Kanata Nordic's main groom= er, the Tidd Tech G2, a.k.a. 'Big Red'.

by Marlene Alt | Co-editor and Gene Vigneron | Trails Coord= inator

 

Life is pretty good being the head trail honcho at Kanata Nor= dic. Officially I'm a Tidd Tech G2, but you can call me Big Red. = Hook me up to my buddy the Can-Am Outlander 650 ATV and together we do= the lion's share of the grooming on the trails of the Y Bonnenfant Centre = and Riverfront Park. Occasionally I get to go on a field trip, like to the = Mlacak Centre and Earl of March High School last year, where I crafted some= fine trails for the 2011 Pretzel Race.

 

I'm equipped with a mat to groom skate trails and a tracksetter for= making those beautifully carved classic tracks. Though icy conditions can = be a challenge. After a freezing rain or with hard old snow I lower my blad= es to cut up the crud. When I'm given lots to work with -- a big snowfall -= - the ATV takes out a roller first, to pack the snow down before I do my mo= re refined work. 

 

I should mention my human co-workers, who also have a role in the t= rail grooming business. Currently Steve Tuttle, Pat Kirkham or Gene Vignero= n take me out at least three times a week: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons,= to prepare for Racer and Track Attack sessions those evenings, and Saturda= y mornings, before the trails come alive with Bunnies and Jackrabbits of al= l ages and abilities. Each of these grooming sessions take about three hour= s.

 

I like to keep these guys and a few other Club volunteers' on their= toes so I've been known to throw a little tantrum - I mean, electrical mal= function -at them. I also like to try to get a laugh by falling or sliding = off the trail while in use. These antics get me all the attention I need an= d ensure the guys are smart enough (and their hands sufficiently immune to = the cold) to repair my wiring, plus strong enough to heave me back onto the= trail. 

 

Despite the good company of this dedicated trail crew, my days off = were sometimes lonely so I was pleased to get a little brother last month, = a Ginzugroomer, which is pulled by the Club's Skandic snowmobile. 


All things considered it's a good life as the top dog of the = grooming brigade at Kanata Nordic. The smiling faces of the kiddies learnin= g to ski out on my trails are all the reward I really need.

My First Ski Season  

by = Nicholas Trindade | Kanata Racer

=
Nicholas racing.

My experience with the Kanata Nordic Ski Club has been very fun and = interesting. When I started with the club, I had been nordic skiing with my= family for one season. Before then, I was an alpine skier for seven years.= I remember the first time I started to ski with the club, I was on roller = skis going extremely fast down a hill, not knowing how to stop. As I progre= ssed past the not-knowing-how-to-stop level, I found that it was extremely = fun just to go skiing down the speedy hills. Then when I was able to go on = snow, it was a lot more fun for me.

When I had my first race at= Skinouk, it was super cold. Still, my family and I were happy that I was r= acing and I would like to thank them for driving me to this race and also t= o some far away races. I would also like the thank the coaches that helped = me learn how to race, Michael, Harris, and Steve. They are really nice coac= hes and very supportive. In conclusion, the Kanata Nordic Ski Club was an a= mazing experience. Especially those races!  

 Return to the top

Racing with Earl
The XC Ski Team at Earl of March = Secondary School

by Brandon P= aul | Track Attacker 

 

In elementary schoo= l you heard of teams for sports such as volleyball and basketball. Frankly = I was too uncoordinated for either of them and my footwork lacked for socce= r, but where my talents did lie was with cross country skiing. Twice a year= , I could shine at Mr. Dumouchel's awesome WEJ ski days at Fitzroy, but oth= er than that my athletic skiing abilities went relatively unnoticed.=

3D"Update
Victor,= Stephen, Brandon, Chris, David

 

When I arrived at E= arl of March Secondary School, all of that changed. I was surprised that am= ong Earl's wide variety of teams, nordic skiing was included and was even m= ore amazed that we had enough skiers for a team as all the teen skiers I kn= ew from Kanata Nordic were spread thin throughout the various Kanata high s= chools. As it turns out, there were many eager skiers within Earl that I wa= s unaware of, including fellow Kanata skiers Jonathan MacAskill and Jonatha= n Roscoe as well as some Nakkertokkers, novices and two guys who had ski ex= perience from doing biathlon with Air Cadets. Through joining the Earl team= I have met several nice kids who share the same passion for the sport and = it has been a great way to meet members of other clubs with no logo or embl= em between us. 

 

The Earl team begin= s training at the start of December and if there's no snow, we do dry land = activities such as running and also use the indoor spinning bikes which are= plentiful at Earl. When the snow arrives, we train at the Earl fields as w= ell as the Y camp. The high school races take place in February. There are = usually two practices a week and the team welcomes all abilities. 

 

Brandon at the Gatineau Loppet

A great thing about the E= arl Nordic Ski team is its opportunities for novice skiers who are just pic= king up the sport. One thing I should mention, the technique for high schoo= l racing is skating. Luckily, to get the essential skills, Earl has the exp= erienced coaches Ari Neimi and Keith Dustin for guidance. Although I still = have more to learn, I enjoy helping novices with some pointers. I'm really = impressed with how initially some new skiers were participating as a fun ve= nture with no plans to race, but as it turns out, with new ski skills and d= etermination, they are equally excited about upcoming races. 

 

Fellow students and= my peers' attitudes towards skiing have shifted after observing the team i= n action looping the Earl track. My non-ski friends now realize that it's n= ot always mild-mannered classic skiing through a quaint trail in the Gatine= aus. Even new Earl team member and friend Derek Smith, a long-time hockey p= layer who just started skiing this year to cross-train for triathlon (ironi= cally that's the same reason my dad Dev started) admitted to the fact that = skiing took more out of him than he anticipated, recognizing it was an actu= al hard-core workout (as many have seen in Track Attack). 

 

Skiing is a very di= stinct sport; once while changing for practice, another student athlete wal= ked in on a few of us and upon seeing our spandex he commented instantly "I= 'm guessing this isn't basketball tryouts." It's comical that when sharing = the change room with the basketball team, I am thinking "wow these guys are= really intense", but that in turn is exactly what they think of us! <= /span>

 

The NCSSA high scho= ol championship was on February 8th and 15= th at the Nakkertok facility.  For junior boys (gra= des 9 and 10), the race is 5km and for junior girls, 3km. My Earl teammate = Keira Neimi from Nakkertok is an exceptionally talented and competitive ski= er who often wishes her distances were longer. For a skier of her calibre, = it is little more than a sprint. The actual 5km course I've experienced at = the 2011 NSCAA features laps through Nakkertok's trails with the first more= moderate than the second. The first has several mild inclines with an equa= l amount of small drops so amassing momentum and carrying through the up-do= wn course is critical. 

 

After passing throu= gh the main field by the start (don't make the mistake I did once at the Ea= stern Canadians; there is one more loop) you will begin your second lap wit= h steep hills such as the infamous Monte-McCarthy and equally insane downhi= lls such as Dirk's Dive (I'm sure anyone who's ever raced at Nakkertok is f= amiliar with the near 90=B0 slope). To finish off there is a 100m sprint to= the winner circle where teammates cheer each other on! (For all the high s= chool results check the Racer News bl= og.)

  

Szymek at the start line

 

Through the sport, = not only do I meet skiers at my own school, but also from others as well. A= few weeks ago I was training with the Earl team at the Y and low and behol= d, the Track Attack legend Syzmek Wasiak arrives on the scene with the All = Saints High School team. Syzmek skied with the club when he was younger, so= it was nice to cross paths again. He tends to inspire me to push harder by= running me to the ground with his blitz-speed technique. As well, the high= school championship is another fantastic opportunity to meet teams and ski= ers, for example fellow Track Attacker Stephen Xu and Kanata Racer Robert L= ee who both compete for Bell High School. 

3D"Bell
Bell High School team with their race faces on.

 

Racing with the Earl team= has been a wonderful experience, one I'm excited to share with Track Attac= kers who are coming to Earl of March next year including Aidan Kirkham, Jef= frey Vigneron and Zach Leung. There's nothing wrong with a little friendly = competition: Noah Graham, another proud Attacker, will also be joining his = Franco-Ouest Team in the Junior division next year. I hope to see you all a= t the NCSSA in 2013!

 

 Return to the top

3D"Update<= /span>
Racer Season Drawing to a Close

by&nbs= p;Mike Duivenvoorden | Racing Coach & Coordinator     

 

Luckily the Kanata = Racers had many weeks of dryland training and roller skiing because for mos= t it was after Christmas before we managed to find snow. That left only a f= ew weeks on snow before our athletes were donning race bibs and finding the= mselves at a start line. For experienced skiers this is a minor setback, bu= t some of our Racers have been skiing for a year or less; in many cases tak= ing up skiing to stay fit for their summer sport. Not a problem, as our Rac= er program is about athletes who want to commit to training to achieve pers= onal goals. Racing helps to provide the motivation to reach those goals, an= d is a measure of the benefits of the training program.

 

In the Ottawa area,= not only are we fortunate to have some of the best trails in Canada, we al= so have a vibrant cross country ski community, and a variety of races to su= it everyone. Examples of prominent events which KN Racers participated in i= nclude the Eastern Canadian, the National Capital Division (NCD) race serie= s, and the Gatineau Loppet. These races provide opportunity to compete at t= he highest level. Many of our Racers were up to the challenge with top ten = and top twenty results in the Easterns, for example.

 

The Gatineau Loppet= is a favourite with many as it brings together Racers, Track Attackers, an= d adults in this well-known event. With over two dozen KN skiers participat= ing we not only came away with more than half a dozen medals, but many athl= etes came away with personal bests whether it was surpassing times from las= t year or just a target finish time.

Beyond the more pro= minent events, one of the goals of the Racing Program is to select races th= at suit the various racer skill levels and that are organized by some of th= e smaller NCD clubs. 

 

Kanata Nordic at Forest= Lea

We also place a big= emphasis on our skiers participating in the National Capital and Eastern O= ntario Secondary School races to not only represent their schools, but in h= opes of qualifying for the Ontario Secondary School Championships held in H= untsville this year. For many of the Racers these races were the highlight = of their season with six skiers qualifying for OFSSAA, any for many of the = others exceeding personal targets.

For me a few memorable mo= ments highlight what the Kanata Racers program is all about:

  • More than 20 Kanata Nordic skiers at the Forest Lea Race in Pembrok= e, including Racers and Track Attackers, and even more participants at the = Gatineau Loppet. 
  • The hospitality, organization and atmosphere= of small town events such at the Forest Lea Race and Silver Spoon in Deep = River.  
  • Jacqueline M. for taking the first step by regis= tering for a race and demonstrating great technique; impressive for someone= who took up the sport in November.  
  • David B. for waxing= Jacqueline's skis and doing a better job than he did on his own skis. = ; 
  • Nicolas C. turning on a beautiful one skate at the half way= point in a race when reminded, and understanding later when asked how it w= ent, that I was not really asking for a result.  
  • Holly B= . for excellent performances which are a direct result of a tremendous focu= s and work ethic, and yet the ability to smile and say hello during the ard= uous climb up Mont Bleu hill during the Gatineau Loppet.  
    • Maddie and her buddies at the Forest Lea Race for demonstrating that nord= ic skiers are just great people.  
  • Kate F. for taking on = the Aerial Park at Camp Fortune during dryland, despite her fear of heights= .  
  • For very high participation in the secondary school r= aces by Racers and Track Attack skiers.  
  • Having Katie D.= , Robert, Kate F., and Holly F. all helping out with the Jackrabbit Program= on Saturday afternoon.  
  • Trent G. for digging deep to su= rpass all previous milestones by being the first KN skier across the line i= n the Gatinea Loppet 10 km skate race.  
  • And so on, and s= o on...

To stay current on = how our racers fare this season check out the Racer News blog on the Kanata Nordic web site.&nb= sp;

 Return to the top

KNORCCers Try Their Luck at an A= d Hoc (sort of) Potluck
= by Anonymous   

 

KNORCC's first ever potluck was held on Friday December 2, 2011. It= was a festival of fabulous foods, fun, folly and friendly faces, all withi= n the modest furnishings of the Vail building. We asked the RATPOC (Racer-A= ndrea-Training Potluck Organizing Committee) what the motivation was behind= the event. The following is its reply:

 

First, let us explain the ski experience with fellow Racers and par= ents in a haiku:

 

Early morning, rise

Snow laden Gatineaus, ski

How thrilling! With friends!

  

As a group of avid skiers and families, we just could not get enoug= h of each other's company from training. So we struck a committee and organ= ized a potluck to celebrate our common joys:

 

R: Racer ski training with friends and parents

A: Andrea Nichols' dryland training 

T: Training with great coaches

 

Henceforth, we have RATPOC. But you are probably wondering "What is= KNORCC?"

 

KNORCC is a group of athletes from two clubs: Kanata Nordic Ski Clu= b (the KN) and the Ottawa River Canoe Club (the ORCC). We wanted to celebra= te the coming together of these winter and summer-based athletes. Maybe we = can explain it thus: 

 

Some paddl= ers and skiers from Dunrobin.  

Joined forces and holl= ered out "Yeo mon!" 
A subgroup was formed,=

(A potential lame duck)

To present this first ever KNORCC potluck!

 

Close to 50 people atten= ded. There was no budget for it from any Executive portfolio, no extended d= ebates around a boardroom table, and a bare minimum for facilities -- the V= ail had tables and chairs and electrical outlets. 

<= /tr>
Racers David, Brett, and = Victor load up at the buffet. David's plate was actually a tray.

 

 

Everyone contributed to = bring the rest: a microwave, hot plate, kettle, coffee pot, ice bucket, pla= tes, utensils, and even a green bin to pack out compostables. There lurks a= mongst the KNORCCers many talented cooks. 

 

Part of the plan was for= the Racer kids to contribute dishes of their own making and grab a little = culinary glory. The food was superb.

 

The first ever KNORCC po= tluck was a grassroots effort to offer a social event to a group of hard-tr= aining folks and a great time was eaten by all.

 

 

 

Note from the Editor= : We thank 'Anonymous' and the RATPOC for this contribution and would just = like to mention that the whole affair was made possible by the energy, init= iative and heart of one particular RATPOCker who we will refer to simply as= LY.

 

 Return to the top

First Aid Training a Priority for Kanata No= rdic 
by Marlene A= lt | Co-editor  

 

In December Kanata Nordic= offered its members the chance to become certified as St. John Ambulance '= Level A CPR/AED' first aid responders -- a handy skill set for anyone leadi= ng skiers out on the trails or even serving hot chocolate at break time. Th= e course fee was covered by the Club for anyone actively volunteering this = season.

 

Nine people attende= d the three-part course, held in the Vail building at the Y. The course was= led by another Club volunteer, Jim Trach. Jim has decades of experience in= first aid, both in administering it and teaching courses. He has headed up= the first aid program for the Canadian Ski Marathon in the past and is eve= n qualified in wilderness first aid, which means he can perform some surger= ies if the casualty is a significant distance from medical services.=


<= img vspace=3D"5" border=3D"0" width=3D"418" style=3D"text-align: right;" sr= c=3D"http://www.kanatanordic.ca/wp-content/uploads/leg_splint_sm.jpg" />
Jim sho= ws how to splint a leg injury
 

Jim customized the = course to suit the needs of a nordic ski club. The participants learned eve= rything from how to take charge of an accident scene, to performing CPR, tr= ansporting casualties of all sizes, and treating frostbite, sprains, even g= un shot wounds (unlikely outside of hunting season). 

 

Thanks to Jackrabbi= t Coordinator, Elizabeth Brown, for arranging the course and to Jim Tr= ach for leading it and for sharing his many stories and insights.

 

Recent Trends in Kick Wax 
by Alan Mortimer, PhD. | Guest Contributor

 

There have been some= new products coming out over the last couple of years aimed largely at inc= reasing the temperature range of each wax. The result is simplified waxing = for those in a hurry or with limited experience. But these waxes do not beh= ave like Jackrabbit red and green or Swix silver and gold of days gone by; = these waxes deserve serious consideration by racers. While a number of= companies have moved in this direction, including Vhauti and Start, the mo= st noticeable are the products from SkiGo and Toko.   

 

By far the gutsiest = move has to be Toko's. They have gone from the typical six wax line to= cover temperatures to just three waxes!  Blue, Red and Yellow. For mo= st cases all you need is blue (-7 to -30) and red (0 to -7) and these are n= ow air temperatures, which is a departure for Toko, although snow temperatu= re is also listed on the can. Yellow is listed for snow temperatures to -2 = (and I don't have any experience with it yet).    

 

Anyone who has been = skiing for more than 10 years is probably familiar with the old Toko Red/Bl= ue old/new snow waxes. They were good but weren't great and I don't kn= ow of many cases where people raced on them, but they were probably the mos= t widely used training waxes by skiers who were honest enough to admit it.&= nbsp;Most of us ditched one or the other of the 'old snow' or 'new snow' wa= xes because the difference wasn't that great. Fact of the matter is th= at I just noticed a blue old snow wax can on the kitchen table. These waxes= disappeared and were replaced by a traditional wax line. At which point mo= st of us kept using the Toko binder and switched to Vhauti orange as the go= -to wax.  

 

I for one was excite= d to see the waxes back, but these aren't the same waxes; they are much bet= ter. I have skied on both the red and the blue, in both dry and wet snow an= d would say that they work. The older versions dragged a bit and needed mor= e bite. These ones seem to grip well and definitely glide better. Bott= om line is they felt like ski wax should feel.  

 

There are a few thin= gs to remember. Toko waxes have traditionally worked best in Ottawa before = the ground under the snow has completely frozen and there is heat coming up= into the snow; in other words until early January (in a typical year).&nbs= p;Secondly, you have to ski a lot to know whether a wax will work as advert= ised. Or perhaps put another way: how it works in different conditions.&nbs= p;However I am quite impressed so far and will continue to use them. For th= e casual skier I would say it is miles ahead of other common limited wax sy= stems. 

 

A long time coach and = wax specialist, Alan Mortimer coached the Nakkertok Ski Team to a #2 r= anking in Canada and led the National Junior and Senior Teams in internatio= nal competition, both in North America and Europe. Alan is known for h= is technical knowledge of xc skiing and is currently working as a World Cup= Wax Technician. 

The Rewards of Coach= ing 

by Dev Paul | Track Attack Coordi= nator  

 

I had the pleasure = to spend two Wednesdays at Nakkertok for the NCSSAA (National Capital Secon= dary School Athletics Association) xc ski championships, watching, cheering= and helping out where I could. Great job by Rob D'Arras and the team of vo= lunteers that makes this happen.

 

The most enjoyable = part about the two days is seeing all these young athletes, out there with = their friends, socializing, having fun and horsing around on skis with thei= r peer group. It is rare to have a group of several hundred teen skier= s with that level of fitness and ability all concentrated in one place at t= he same time. These kids really are an amazing group of athletes and indivi= duals.

 

Watching the kids r= ace, you could see the fire and determination in all of them. I've had= the pleasure to coach many of these kids through Kanata Nordic over the pa= st 10 years, some starting out as 5 year olds and today they are 15. To see= the transformation of a bunch of children shuffling around as Bunnyrabbits= to guys and girls who look like they could ski with Alex= Harvey or Chandra Crawford is really amazing.

 

One of the benefits= of being a masters athlete is you can stay involved in the development of = the next generation of athletes. On Wednesday, as I watched the kids f= ly by, I thought of those famous words of John McCrae, "To you from failing= hands we throw the torch....".   I really did feel the fruits of inve= sting a decade in the development of a number of kids as skiers, whether th= ey emerged as NCSSAA championship contenders, or teens who love skiing and = are competing because they enjoy the sport which hopefully stays with them = for life.

 

Congrats to all the= kids from Kanata Nordic and all the NCSSAA division schools and to Coaches= Ari Niemi and Keith Dustin at Earl of March who have pulled me in from tim= e to time to assist them.

 

 

Skiing Up the Valley
 

by Marlene Alt | Co-editor

 

Most skiers know about Gatineau Park, the world-class trail facilit= y just across the river in Quebec. It should be at the top of any skier's '= to do' list (and to do many times). But consider exploring some lesser-know= n trail systems on the Ontario side of the river. Some of these may be a sh= orter drive for you, depending on where you live, and for the farther point= s all you need to do is plan a day trip for the family. Here a= re three destinations to look into, organized from nearest to Kanata to fur= thest:

 

Fitzroy Pro= vincial Park, managed by the West Carleton Nordic Ski Club= . There are several loops through the forest, with about 15 km of skate and= classic trails. Day use fees are $5 per person. Memberships are also avail= able.

Fitzroy trails

 

Forest Lea Ski Tr= ails, managed by the Pembroke Ar= ea Cross Country Ski Club. Multiple loops of both classic and skate tra= ils, measuring from 2.7 km to 9.8 km. Day use fees are $5 per person. Membe= rships are also available.  

 

Deep River Cross Country Ski Club. The DRXC Club main= tains three separate trail networks. The Silver Spoon Trails, where their a= nnual race is held, is closest to downtown Deep River. This 30 km network i= ncludes 20 km of groomed and trackset trails. The Cabin Trails extend 50 km= s through ungroomed wilderness and lead out to their cabin near the border = of Algonquin Park. This network is accessed 4 km north of Deep River. =

 The Forestry Trail System is based at the Pe= tawawa Research Forest 5 km south of Chalk River. There are currently 19 km= of ungroomed wilderness trails. Intermingled with the DRXC ski trails are = snowshoe trails, built and maintained by the Four Seasons Conservancy. That= trailhead is located at the ski chalet. Visitors are welcome to use all th= e facilities, and should sign a waiver available at several locations. A do= nation is encouraged to help with maintenance of the trails and cabin. Memb= erships are also available.  

 

For a quick overvie= w of dozens of trail options in the province check out the Ontario T= rails Council web site. 

End of Issue 13

February 2012
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We are always interested in your ideas= for the newsletter, and for volunteers to help with each issue, so if you = have the inclination please get in touch.

See you on the trails!

 

Sincerely,

Marlene Alt and Kaleigh Macla= ren, Co-editors
Kanata Nordic Ski Club

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This email was sent to info@kanatanordic.ca by info@kanatanordic.ca | =  
Kanat= a Nordic Ski Club | www.kanatanordic= .ca | P.O. Box 72084 | Kanata | O= N | K2K 2P4 | Canada
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