Snowshoe racers Wisconsin bound
Who's coming to Wisconsin? Snowshoe racers, that's who. The United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) will bring the 11th annual 2011 Dion Snowshoes U.S. National Snowshoe Championships to Cable, Wisconsin, March 11-13.
Wisconsin should be honored to be selected as the U.S. snowshoe championship site for the very first time. It will give snowshoeing athletes from the upper Midwest an opportunity to showcase their athletic talents on their home turf. That's exciting!
A quaint little Wisconsin town of 803 people, Cable is nestled in the northwest corner of the state. This winter haven, 17 miles northeast of Hayward on State Highway 63, is well known as the official starting point of the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race. Cable can now add to its claim-to-fame as hosting the USSSA Championship snowshoeing race.
The racing events will actually take place eight miles east of Cable on County Road M at the well established Lakewoods Resort that sits on picturesque Lake Namakagon.
The snowshoe nationals will be held in concert with the annual Hot Air for Hearts Balloon Rally, a charity event. The combination should produce quite a colorful and exciting weekend.
"The folks in Cable have lots of experience hosting winter events and are situated in the Nordic cradle of the U.S.," USSSA Sports Director Mark Elmore said. "We expect to start the second decade of U.S. Snowshoe National Championships with a wonderful event tailored to meet the needs of all winter sports enthusiasts."
Elmore anticipates athletes from at least 25 states will compete in the traditional junior boys and girls 5K and men's and women's 10K. There will also be a 5K citizen's run-walk, a kids' 1K and a 4x2.5K team relay.
New this year will be two age groups for the junior racers. Although they will race together, the Junior A division will include 15 to 19 year olds and Junior B will consist of competitors 14 and under. The senior divisions will be classified in five-year age groups from 20-24 to 75 and over.
Also new in 2011 will be an international division in which athletes who are USSSA members but not U.S. citizens can race. The top five male and female athletes in this event will earn awards.
Amnother first is the "All-Military" division open to any current member of the U.S. Armed Forces who is a USSSA member. Participants will represent their military branch. They do not need to qualify at regional events to race in the national. The top five male and female military finishers will earn awards.
To qualify for the national championships, snowshoers must first be a member of the USSSA prior to the regional qualifying event. Athletes may join the day of registration as long as it is prior to the race. The membership fee is $30. You can go to the website www.snowshoeracing.com to join.
Those athletes who compete in a regional qualifying event and have a "qualifying finish" can go on to compete in the national event. The top 10 male and female junior finishers and top five male and female seniors in each age group at each regional qualifying event will qualify for the big event in Cable. There are a few other detailed qualifiers for the national competition that can be found by going to the USSSA website.
Participants in five Midwest races will compete for slots at nationals.
It all begins on January 8 in River Falls, Wisconsin, at the Whitetail Ridge Snowshoe Race. The next event is the Boulder Lake Snowshoe Race in Duluth, Minnesota, on January 16.
The traditional Bigfoot Boogie at Traverse City, Michigan, is scheduled for January 22, followed by the Glacial Park Snowshoe Race in Ringwood, Illinois, on January 29. The final qualifying race will the Twin Cities Snowshoe Shuffle in Minneapolis on February 5.
Two senior men from the Midwest placed earned spots on the 2010 U.S. National Snowshoe team. Scott Gall of Cedar Falls, Iowa, placed second in this division. Gall is an endurance racer who also placed fifth in a Mountain Running World Championship competition. He also mountain bikes and competes in triathlons.
Greg Hexum of Esko, Minnesota, placed fourth at the 2010 snowshoeing nationals. Hexum is a former NCAA cross-country All-American from the University of North Dakota and has been involved in snowshoe racing and trail running for over a decade.
Among the top senior women was Erin Ward from St. Paul, Minnesota, who placed third at nationals. She first raced in snowshoes in 2005, receiving inspiration from the late Cindy Brochman. In 2007, Ward finished fourth in her division at nationals when it was in Minnesota.
In the junior girls division, Michayla Heil, 18, of Medford, Wisconsin, placed third to locked a seat on the 2010 National Team. Heil took the Junior Girl's Championship in 2009 and raced on the U.S. team in Japan and Italy. We are hoping our Midwest champions return to the snow in 2011 to compete again.
Three legends live on in the hearts of the Midwest snowshoers for their significant contributions to Midwest snowshoe racing.
Dar Vollrath passed away in April 2005 while bicycling in Italy. He demonstrated his passion for silent sports as a coordinator of both WiSport Cycling Series and the Midwest Snowshoe Championship Series that served as regional qualifying races for USSSA national championships. The name of the event was later changed to the Dar Vollrath Memorial Snowshoe Series.
Tim Dusick is another Midwest snowshoe great who passed away in January 2008 from cancer. From Eau Claire, Wisconsin, "Timmy," as he was called by his peers, was known for competing and organizing biking, canoeing, triathlons and snowshoeing races, including the Rumble in the Jungle snowshoe qualifier in Eau Claire which he was instrumental in starting in 2007. Dusick helped Vollrath put on Midwest Snowshoeing Championship Series and took over as organizer for the events after Vollrath's passing.
Cindy Brochman, who died of cancer in December 2009, hailed from Minnesota. She was not only an avid Midwest snowshoe racer and runner, but a devoted USSSA organizer, having served as the Membership Chairperson for three seasons and a lead organizer in the 2007 National Championships held near Minneapolis. Brochman was a member of the U.S. National Team in 2005 and 2006 and named Snowshoe Magazine's first "Person of the Year" in 2007.
So mark your calendars so you're in Cable, March 11-13. Let's show the U.S. snowshoe racing community how Wisconsinites put on a top-notch national championships.
For details on all 21 regional qualifying events, go to www.snowshoeracing.com. For information about Lakewoods Resort, the event weekend or to reserve accommodations, call 800/255-5937 or go to www.lakewoodsresort.com.
• Jan. 8: Whitetail Ridge Snowshoe Race, River Falls, WI; Paul Marietta, marietta121@gmail.com
• Jan. 16: Boulder Lake Snowshoe Race, Duluth, MN; Clayton Keim, sales@rollerskishop.com
• Jan 22: Bigfoot Boogie, Traverse City, MI; Jeff Gaft, runfittc@aol.com
• Jan. 29: Glacial Park Snowshoe Race, Ringwood, IL; Rick Landre, ricklandre@2kadventuregear.com
• Feb. 5: Twin Cities Snowshoe Shuffle, Minneapolis, MN; Karen Korba and Jazmin Danielson, agency@esns.org
• March 11-13: Dion Snowshoe United States National Snowshoe Championship, Lakewoods Resort, Cable, WI; PC Rasmussen, PC@lakewoodsresort.com
Wisconsin should be honored to be selected as the U.S. snowshoe championship site for the very first time. It will give snowshoeing athletes from the upper Midwest an opportunity to showcase their athletic talents on their home turf. That's exciting!
A quaint little Wisconsin town of 803 people, Cable is nestled in the northwest corner of the state. This winter haven, 17 miles northeast of Hayward on State Highway 63, is well known as the official starting point of the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race. Cable can now add to its claim-to-fame as hosting the USSSA Championship snowshoeing race.
The racing events will actually take place eight miles east of Cable on County Road M at the well established Lakewoods Resort that sits on picturesque Lake Namakagon.
The snowshoe nationals will be held in concert with the annual Hot Air for Hearts Balloon Rally, a charity event. The combination should produce quite a colorful and exciting weekend.
"The folks in Cable have lots of experience hosting winter events and are situated in the Nordic cradle of the U.S.," USSSA Sports Director Mark Elmore said. "We expect to start the second decade of U.S. Snowshoe National Championships with a wonderful event tailored to meet the needs of all winter sports enthusiasts."
Elmore anticipates athletes from at least 25 states will compete in the traditional junior boys and girls 5K and men's and women's 10K. There will also be a 5K citizen's run-walk, a kids' 1K and a 4x2.5K team relay.
New this year will be two age groups for the junior racers. Although they will race together, the Junior A division will include 15 to 19 year olds and Junior B will consist of competitors 14 and under. The senior divisions will be classified in five-year age groups from 20-24 to 75 and over.
Also new in 2011 will be an international division in which athletes who are USSSA members but not U.S. citizens can race. The top five male and female athletes in this event will earn awards.
Amnother first is the "All-Military" division open to any current member of the U.S. Armed Forces who is a USSSA member. Participants will represent their military branch. They do not need to qualify at regional events to race in the national. The top five male and female military finishers will earn awards.
To qualify for the national championships, snowshoers must first be a member of the USSSA prior to the regional qualifying event. Athletes may join the day of registration as long as it is prior to the race. The membership fee is $30. You can go to the website www.snowshoeracing.com to join.
Those athletes who compete in a regional qualifying event and have a "qualifying finish" can go on to compete in the national event. The top 10 male and female junior finishers and top five male and female seniors in each age group at each regional qualifying event will qualify for the big event in Cable. There are a few other detailed qualifiers for the national competition that can be found by going to the USSSA website.
Participants in five Midwest races will compete for slots at nationals.
It all begins on January 8 in River Falls, Wisconsin, at the Whitetail Ridge Snowshoe Race. The next event is the Boulder Lake Snowshoe Race in Duluth, Minnesota, on January 16.
The traditional Bigfoot Boogie at Traverse City, Michigan, is scheduled for January 22, followed by the Glacial Park Snowshoe Race in Ringwood, Illinois, on January 29. The final qualifying race will the Twin Cities Snowshoe Shuffle in Minneapolis on February 5.
Two senior men from the Midwest placed earned spots on the 2010 U.S. National Snowshoe team. Scott Gall of Cedar Falls, Iowa, placed second in this division. Gall is an endurance racer who also placed fifth in a Mountain Running World Championship competition. He also mountain bikes and competes in triathlons.
Greg Hexum of Esko, Minnesota, placed fourth at the 2010 snowshoeing nationals. Hexum is a former NCAA cross-country All-American from the University of North Dakota and has been involved in snowshoe racing and trail running for over a decade.
Among the top senior women was Erin Ward from St. Paul, Minnesota, who placed third at nationals. She first raced in snowshoes in 2005, receiving inspiration from the late Cindy Brochman. In 2007, Ward finished fourth in her division at nationals when it was in Minnesota.
In the junior girls division, Michayla Heil, 18, of Medford, Wisconsin, placed third to locked a seat on the 2010 National Team. Heil took the Junior Girl's Championship in 2009 and raced on the U.S. team in Japan and Italy. We are hoping our Midwest champions return to the snow in 2011 to compete again.
Three legends live on in the hearts of the Midwest snowshoers for their significant contributions to Midwest snowshoe racing.
Dar Vollrath passed away in April 2005 while bicycling in Italy. He demonstrated his passion for silent sports as a coordinator of both WiSport Cycling Series and the Midwest Snowshoe Championship Series that served as regional qualifying races for USSSA national championships. The name of the event was later changed to the Dar Vollrath Memorial Snowshoe Series.
Tim Dusick is another Midwest snowshoe great who passed away in January 2008 from cancer. From Eau Claire, Wisconsin, "Timmy," as he was called by his peers, was known for competing and organizing biking, canoeing, triathlons and snowshoeing races, including the Rumble in the Jungle snowshoe qualifier in Eau Claire which he was instrumental in starting in 2007. Dusick helped Vollrath put on Midwest Snowshoeing Championship Series and took over as organizer for the events after Vollrath's passing.
Cindy Brochman, who died of cancer in December 2009, hailed from Minnesota. She was not only an avid Midwest snowshoe racer and runner, but a devoted USSSA organizer, having served as the Membership Chairperson for three seasons and a lead organizer in the 2007 National Championships held near Minneapolis. Brochman was a member of the U.S. National Team in 2005 and 2006 and named Snowshoe Magazine's first "Person of the Year" in 2007.
So mark your calendars so you're in Cable, March 11-13. Let's show the U.S. snowshoe racing community how Wisconsinites put on a top-notch national championships.
For details on all 21 regional qualifying events, go to www.snowshoeracing.com. For information about Lakewoods Resort, the event weekend or to reserve accommodations, call 800/255-5937 or go to www.lakewoodsresort.com.
• Jan. 8: Whitetail Ridge Snowshoe Race, River Falls, WI; Paul Marietta, marietta121@gmail.com
• Jan. 16: Boulder Lake Snowshoe Race, Duluth, MN; Clayton Keim, sales@rollerskishop.com
• Jan 22: Bigfoot Boogie, Traverse City, MI; Jeff Gaft, runfittc@aol.com
• Jan. 29: Glacial Park Snowshoe Race, Ringwood, IL; Rick Landre, ricklandre@2kadventuregear.com
• Feb. 5: Twin Cities Snowshoe Shuffle, Minneapolis, MN; Karen Korba and Jazmin Danielson, agency@esns.org
• March 11-13: Dion Snowshoe United States National Snowshoe Championship, Lakewoods Resort, Cable, WI; PC Rasmussen, PC@lakewoodsresort.com