Snowshoeing, cross country skiing and more lure thousands of Wisconsitees out-of-doors for winter fun |
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2000 Badger State
Winter Games
Get Classical By Eric Wuennenberg It takes a stout heart and a strong stomach to plan a midwestern winter festival at the century's end. Just ask the folks who organize the Badger State Games. Sometimes, like in 1996, conditions are so brutal that events must be cancelled in
the interests of athlete safety. But more often during the 11 years the games have been held, staff, volunteers and athletes have held their collective breaths to see if winter will actually appear in time for the games to go on.
Last year was no exception, as organizers sweated through some anxious moments as the last events ended literally hours before a ruthless heat wave swept across the Snowbelt.
Their tenacity was rewarded, as a record total of 5,833 athletes registered for the 1999 games. That easily broke the old record of 5,551 competitors set in 1996, the year the games were essentially cancelled due to cold temperatures. This winter, with forecasts calling for more typical winter temperatures and precipitation levels, organizers are hoping for another record turnout for the events scheduled for February 4-6, 2000.
The 2000 games will again be centered in the Wausau area; however, some ice hockey events will be played in arenas as far away as Fond du Lac, and freestyle snowboarding will premier at Cascade Mountain near Portage.
The 2000 edition of the games will feature Nordic skiing and ski jumping, snowshoeing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, quadrathlon, curling, figure and speed skating.
Cross country skiers will see some of the biggest changes at this year's games, both in the registration process and in competition. Nords are being offered the chance to play cyber guinea pig for the entire state games movement by testing out a new online registration system. The process, developed by ActiveUSA.com, has been created specifically for mass, multi-event festivals like the Badger State Games.
The inventors must feel that the XC field of some 1,200 participants competing over two days in a dozen different events, each with its own set of age groupings, represents a valid test for such ambitious software. According to BSG Public Relations Director Jack Eich, if the prototype ActiveUSA system works for the Winter Games XC registration, it will be implemented for all events at the 2000 BSG summer games.
The registration program can be accessed through the main BSG site – www.badgerstategames.org – or else at www.ActiveUSA.com.
The advantage to early registration, which ends Friday, January 21, is you save some money and can pay by credit card. First-event fees range from $10 for youth nine and under, to $18 for juniors (ages 10-18) to $25 for adults. Each additional event costs $5 and there is a $5 surcharge for the 43K race.
If you register late, you'll be hit up for an additional $10, with no plastic allowed. You'll run the risk of crashing into the 1,200 skiers per day registration limit and you'll also have to wait until spring for your BSG T-shirt.
Nordic procrastinators, especially those who have made a habit of waiting until the last minute, are advised that late registration has been moved to the race site at Nine Mile Forest. Late XC registration was previously held at Marathon
Park in Wausau. Registrations will be accepted between 5-9 p.m. on Friday, February 4. No registrations will be taken on race days!
The upside of coming to late registration, even if you've already signed up, is having the chance to ski the new 5.7K of lighted trails that are expected to be up and glowing this winter.
The biggest change in the race schedule will be the addition of a classical division as part of the 43K marathon on
Sunday. According to BSG Cross Country Commissioners Pat Meyer and Gary Zimbric, event organizers feel confident there will be enough room to run both a classical and freestyle event simultaniously. The classic racers will leave the start at 10 a.m., with skaters taking off 15 minutes later.
"We're expecting about 100 skiers to enter the classic race," Zimbric said. "We'll have double tracks for the first two kilometers, with single track the rest of the way.
"We've seen that most skiers will have settled into position after a couple of kilometers, but tracking rules will be in effect," Zimbric added. "The slower skier will be expected to step toward the center of the trail, then return to the track after being passed."
Cross country skiers will have an incentive to take the day off on Friday and get up to Wausau early. The race trails at
Nine Mile Forest will generally be open until 5 pm., although some grooming and signage will be going on during the day. The lighted loops will be open until 9 p.m. The BSG courses are also marked throughout the winter, allowing visitors to tour the competition loops before the race.
The 10K adult freestyle race will again be held on Saturday, but moved back an hour to 2:30 p.m. That 10K skate will
follow the four classical races. In order, these will be the 7K junior (ages 10-18), 20K adult, 10K adult and 4K junior races.
The Sunday freestyle events will start with the 7K junior race, followed by the 43K adult, 21 adult and 4K junior races. The first starting gun will go off at 9:30 a.m. on both days. A 1K youth race (with a 2K option) for kids 9 and under, will be run at 1:30 p.m. each day.
The BSG marathon will again serve as a Birkebeiner qualifying race. This will allow Birkie participants, particularly first-timers faced with starting in the back row, the chance to move up as far as the fifth wave. BSG racers who want to use their marathon time to advance in the Birkie starting grid will have to submit their request to the Birkie office by 2 p.m. on Monday, February 14. Requests can be faxed (715/639-5663), e-mailed birkie@win.bright.net or posted (P.O. Box 911, Hayward, WI, 54843).
A $10 fee (check, money order or credit card) is charged for adjusting a starting position. For more information on procedures, contact the Birkie office at 715/634-5025.
The other major scheduling change of interest to Nordic skiers comes in the ski jumping competition at the Iola Winter Sports Complex near Stevens Point. These events will move back to the traditional Saturday schedule. Freestyle snowboarding will be a new exhibition sport at the 2000 games. Competition will take place in the half-pipe and terrain park at Cascade Mountain near Portage. Organizers are encouraging only experienced snowboarders to compete.
However, a citizens class for novice competitors is being offered. Participation numbers this year will determine whether the event returns in 2001.
Short-track speedskating will return for a second year in 2000. Unlike the more elegant long-track events, which feature pairs of skaters racing the clock in separate lanes, short-track speedskating has been likened to roller derby on razor
blades. Contestants will race in packs in few-holds-barred sprints around a 110-meter track laid out on the perimeter of the Greenheck Ice Arena in Schofield. Helmets, shin guards, hand protection and full-length clothing will be required.
Short-track events, which range in length from one to nine laps, will be held on Friday afternoon and evening. Each age-class of racers will compete in three events. Long-track speed skating events will be held again on the 250-meter
outdoor ring in Marathon Park. Distance events, up to eight laps depending on age class, will be run on Saturday. Here again, each racer will need to compete at three distances to qualify for a medal.
Speed skating fees will be $18 for one day or $30 for both days. Early registration is required and no race day entries will be accepted.
The quadrathlon, set for Sunday, February 6, at Wausau's Sylvan Hill Park, combines four distinct disciplines –
mountain biking, running, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, into a single 20K race.
At the sound of the gun, racers will leave the starting line on foot, completing a 5K course on paved roads. The second leg will be astride mountain bikes (helmets are required) over a 5K course of dirt and paved roads, which may be snow and ice covered. When the bikers return to Sylvan Hill, they'll don snowshoes for 5K of rolling hills. Finally, they'll
change into cross country ski boots for the final 5K – a freestyle loop on a fast, flat course to the finish. Participation is limited, so preregistration is strongly recommended. Competition is open to individuals or teams of either two or four members. Registration fees are $20 per individual, $30 per pair and $48 per relay team. Late registration, if available, will cost $5 more per person.
Snowshoe racing continues to grow in popularity and BSG officials expect another big turnout this year. On Saturday, flat-land competition will take place at John Muir Middle School, across from Marathon Park. A variety of individual and relay events, in distances of up to 5K, will be held.
Sunday's five-mile Mountaineer race and tour will again start and finish at Rib Mountain State Park. Racers in the
mountaineer division will be required to carry a 15-pound pack and wear shoes at least 45" long. Participants in the tour can use lighter gear.
Snowshoes will be available for newcomers to the sport on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve a free pair by January 21 by calling the BSG office at 608/226-4780.
Regular registration will cost $7 for the first event for youth (12 and under) and $12 for adults. Additional events will cost
$5 each. Late registration will add an addition $5 per person.
Alpine skiing and snowboarding events will be held at Rib Mountain. Competition will be in slalom and giant slalom only. Once again, there are no Telemark events. The early registration deadline for alpine events is Tuesday, January 25. However, there will be no late or on-site registration.
The opening ceremonies for this year's games will be held on Friday, February 4, at Marathon Park in Wausau, beginning
at 7:30 p.m. A pre-ceremony party will be held between 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Participation in all Badger State Games events is limited to Wisconsin residents.
Complete information on registration, rules, schedules and venues for the 1999 Badger State Winter Games is compiled in the "BSG Winter Athlete Handbook." It can be obtained at most local American Family Insurance offices, chambers of
commerce and visitors and convention bureaus. The handbook can also be ordered by writing or calling the BSG office, P.O. Box 7788, Madison, WI, 53707-7788, 608/226-4780.
Registration materials can also be downloaded from the BSG website, www.badgerstategames.org.
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