| Citizen skiers can mingle with Olympians
at NorAm races
By Greg Marr •
photos by Toby Markowitz/skinnyski.com Let's face it – most ski races are local or, at best, regional affairs. Aside from the major events, the Birkies and Mora Vasaloppets, races seldom see faces from the western or eastern United States, Canada or other foreign lands. We'll see our friends, some hotshot regional stars and a smattering of locals up for the challenge. Rarely do we have the opportunity
to mingle with the elites from across North America. Such an opportunity presents itself at Telemark Resort in Cable, Wis., on Dec. 12, 15 and 16 at the Central Cross Country Skiing NorAm.
The NorAm will feature all the best skiers in the United States and Canada vieing for the honor of representing their country at 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The racing will also include young skiers attempting to qualify for either the Great Lakes or Midwest Junior Olympic Teams. For
casual and recreational skiers, the NorAm will be quite a spectacle of high calibar racing – but there's more. Citizen skiers – you, me and your skiing buddies – can jump right in and join the racing action. While the big men and women are trying for Olympic teams, and the young guys and girls are competing for the Junior Olympic squads, we can have a little early–season, competitive fun, too.
"Men and women start separately," says Scott Wilson, program manager
for Central Cross Country Skiing Inc., "and we'll send out the citizens as the latter seeds in each field. End result, they won't get run down by the national team skiers, but will have the ability for direct time comparisons. The distances of 5K for women and 10K for men are great fun, and a good way to start the season. The weekend's interval start format allows for comfortable warm–up periods immediately prior to start, and relatively uncongested trails."
"If you're up for some longer distance, mid–week rock 'em, sock 'em racing," Wilson adds, "the mass start 30K for men and 15K for women on Wednesday will allow you to toe the line with the best in North America in a longer–distance competition. It will be great spectating as well."
The races will be held primarily on Telemark's 10K John Caldwell World Cup Trail, a trail with more than little history behind it. Telemark's World
Cup Trails were designed by Olympic coach Marty Hall and opened by former Wisconsin Gov. Pat Lucey for the American Cup Gitchi Gami Games, the first unofficial World Cup cross country racing, on Dec. 21–22, 1976. The world's first official World Cup cross country races were the Gitchi Gami Games of Dec. 20–21, 1978. Having this stop on the NorAm circuit is a continuation of that top level ski racing at Telemark and in the Hayward–Cable area.
Citizen skiers who are not up to joining the action on the course as race participants will find good viewing at the start/finish area in the large, natural bowl adjacent to Telemark Resort. Skiers can also opt to do do both – watch and ski.
"We really wanted to develop this into something all people interested in skiing can enjoy," says Wilson. "There will be recreational skiing that weekend and ample trails to ski on. Spectators can ski out on trails roughly
parallel to the race course and watch from there, as the World Cup trail criss–crosses the recreational trails at a number of places. There will be marshals at those interesections to make sure spectators don't get in the way of the racers. People can go out, watch, come back, have lunch, ski back out for more if they want to. All the trails in the neighborhood of the race course will be groomed."
In addition to the World Cup Trail, competitors in the classic events will
also use some moderate terrain of the Birkie Loop.
"We counted I think 12 herringbone climbs on the World Cup," Wilson says, "and that's a bit much for the classic events. Skaters can pump through it but to allow for more of a flow, classic skiers will loop off the World Cup onto the Birkie Loop, then back again."
For skiers and visitors to the Telemark Resort area, there will also be more
than just the on–snow action. Look for expos, demos (most manufacturers will be there all day Sunday adjacent to the start/finish area), banquets, receptions, ceremonies and television coverage will be part of the package.
For the citizen skiers and spectators, the NorAm at Telemark – the fourth in the NorAm series – is a great way to get in a little ski compeition while watching top skiers battle for the few Olympic slots. For those top skiers,
the CXC Telemark NorAm is significant in that it's the last sea level Olympic qualifier for the United States and Canadian teams. Skiing at altitude await the Olympic hopefuls, finishing with the U.S. Nationals in Bozeman, Mont., Jan. 5–13, and the NorAm finals Jan. 19–20, at Silver Star, British Columbia. The process will be completed and the actual teams selected on Jan. 21.
Virtually all United States and Canadian national ski team members will be
on–hand at Telemark. Among those to watch are Canadian Beckie Scott, the highest ranked skier in North America. Scott was ranked ninth in the 2001 World Cup Sprint Series and 15th in the 2000 World Cup Series. U.S. skiers of note include Justin Wadsworth and Marcus Nash, highest ranked among U.S. skiers, and teammates Torin Koos and Carl Swenson. Among the U.S. women are the familiar names of Nina Kemppel and Wendy Wagner. Area skiers to watch include Chad Geise of Mora, Minn.,
John Bauer of Duluth, Minn., and Matt Weier, Chris Cook, Melissa Oram and Aubry Smith of Northern Michigan University.
Once the team is selected, it's off to high altitude – approximately 8,000 feet – for acclimation before competition begins in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The incentive of racing at sea level will no doubt be great for many of the skiers trying to make the team, although the Telemark trails will provide
plenty of challenges. According to the unofficial historian of the trails, Phil Van Valkenberg, "The World Cup trails were so difficult that if they had included a mere 10 meters of additional climbing in their length, they would not have qualified for FIS sanctioned competition because they would have exceeded the maximum allowed elevation gain."
In a very short time, the NorAm is having a significant impact on ski racing
and cross country skiing in general. Begun in 1996 as a partnership between the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC), the NorAm Continental Cup started as an eight–race series. A qualifier for World Cup competition, the series doubled in just four seasons to 16 races. And while the early fields drew perhaps a half dozen ranked athletes, today 30–40 top skiers compete in each event, plus many junior, collegiate and citizen competitors.
Last year the NorAm stopped in St. Paul and Marquette, Mich. For Wilson, having a prestigious event like the NorAm in our back yard again this year – and at a historic venue like Telemark Resort – is yet another shot in the arm for skiing and ski racing. Not only does it again shine a national spotlight on the area, it gives up–and–coming skiers a chance to mingle with the elite of thier sport in an Olympic year.
"The racers need to know how important it is for them to act as role models for the youth and juniors. These collegiate and national team skiers are promoting skiing and competitive athletics as a lifetime activity for good health for the entire family."
"The average age for citizen skiers at marathon events is growing older," Wilson adds. "The only way to keep the sport vibrant and alive is to support those younger skiers in their beginning years of lifetime
participation."
The very existence of CXC Skiing is a testament to that effort. CXC Skiing is the designated body for the development of cross country skiers in the 10–state Central Region of the U.S. and the Midwest pipeline to the U.S. Ski Team.
According to CXC Skiing's Web site, "The board of directors of CXC Skiing has been organized for the purpose of ensuring that all CXC Skiing activities will be conducted in concert with the CXC Skiing Mission – to
provide an organization which enables athletes to achieve excellence in cross country skiing through education, cooperation, communication and competition."
To that end, Wilson says "Money donations are great and needed, but time and energy spent are very valuable and extremely gratifying to the donor, too. Just participating in our races is a great way to show support. All CXC Skiing races – not just this NorAm – are open to the public. Many require a
$15 CXC Skiing membership. That is not USSA's $75 membership, and the money stays in Central to help develop programs for young skiers."
"There's a tremendous pool of talent in our region," explains Wilson. "Our job is to provide support in every way possible to the coaches, officials, parents and athletes themselves. From training camps to coaching clinics to high–level competitions – we'll offer financial and organizational support to
anything deemed helpful to existing programs."
For more information on the NorAm or CXC Skiing, log on to www.cxcskiing.org or contact CXC Skiing Inc, 10850 N. Stewart Road, Hayward, WI 54843; Scott Wilson, 715/462–9911; wilson@cresthillresort.com
NorAm Race Schedule
Sat., Dec. 8: Last day for both online and mail–in registration to be received. No race day registration.
Mon., Dec. 10: Tentative start lists for all races posted at www.cxcskiing.org for review. All courses groomed and marked for inspection
Tues., Dec. 11:
9 a.m.–1 p.m.: Official course inspection for 15/30 km freestyle.
4:30 p.m.: Coaches meeting, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
7 p.m.: Coaches reception Parlour Lounge, Telemark Lodge.
8–10 p.m.: Wed. bibs available, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
Wed., Dec. 12: 8–9 a.m.: Bib pick up, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
10 a.m.: Male mass start 30K freestyle (3 X 10 km). Flower ceremony following.
Noon: Female mass start 15K freestyle (1X 10 km + 1 X 5 km). Flower ceremony following.
Thurs., Dec. 13: All weekend courses groomed and marked for inspection.
Fri., Dec. 14: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.: Official course inspection for Sat. Classic and Sun. Freestyle.
6:30 p.m.: Coaches meeting, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
7 p.m.: Coaches reception Parlour Lounge, Telemark Lodge.
8 p.m.–10 p.m.: Sat. bibs available, race headquarters, Laukka Theater,
Telemark Lodge.
Sat., Dec. 15: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Classic Bib pick up, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
9:30 a.m.: 5K classic, all females and J2 males. Race Order: J2–f, J1–f, OJ–f, J2–m, NorAm/Collegiate–f, Citizen–f.
11:30 a.m.: 10K classic male. Race Order: J1–m, OJ–m, NorAm/Collegiate–m, Citizen–m.
12:45 p.m.: 3K classic, J3, J4 male and female.
1:30 p.m.–4 p.m.: Sun. courses open for inspection.
5:30 p.m.: Awards banquet and ceremony, Namekogan Room, Telemark Lodge.
Sun., Dec. 16: 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Freestyle technique. Bib pick up, race headquarters, Laukka Theater, Telemark Lodge.
9:30 a.m.: 10K freestyle technique men. Race Order: J1–m, OJ–m,NorAm/Collegiate–m, Citizen–m. Flower ceremony following.
11:30 a.m.: 5K freestyle technique, female and J2 males. Race Order: J2–f, J1–f, OJ–f, J2–m, NorAm/Collegiate–f, Citizen–f. Flower ceremony following.
12:45 p.m.: 3K freestyle technique male and female J3, J4. Flower ceremony following
.
Junior Age Groups: OJ–year of birth 1982, 1983; J1–1984, 1985; J2–1986, 1987; J3–1988, 1989; J4–1990, 1991.
Citizen Age Groups: 5 –year–age groups.
NorAm–Collegiate: Open.
Accommodations: Telemark Resort Lodge and Condominiums. On site lodging and meal packages for individuals and teams, 715/798–3999; www.telemarkresort.com
| |
