Sunday, December 22, 2013

Still time to sign up (but hurry)!

We still have spots available this year.  Bluedog Cycles has the registration forms and can get you set up with rental gear.  They will be open Monday the 23rd and Tuesday the 24th until 3pm both days.  Please don't delay; I need to have the signed waivers sent in to CXC before your child can practice.

In case you missed the announcements at sign up night; we are excited to be having practice at Viroqua Hills Golf Course this year.  Believers Fellowship Church has kindly offered their space to us for changing.  They are located in the former Firehouse Restaurant.  The church is freshly re-modeled inside, and I want everyone to take extra care to treat their space with respect.

We also have some great new coaches.  Looking forward to an exciting fun ski season.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Sign-up Night; New Date is 9 December

I'm pushing sign-up night back one week to December 9th, still 5-7pm at the Westby Community Center.  I needed a little more time to get the fliers printed and posted.

If you can not make it on the 9th, let me know and I will accommodate.
dan_goltz@hotmail.com or 485-0876

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
Let it snow...
-Dan

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Positions Still Available!

Hi Parents,

I am re-posting this info because some of you missed my talk at the sign-up night.  We still need to fill these positions in order to provide the best experience for the kids, this year and into the future.

Please consider taking on a position within the club.  It could be only for a season, or hopefully longer.  If you have kids in the program, we will refund their registration fee ($35 each, for up to 3 kids).

Ski Coach - NEED 1  You don't need a lot of ski experience.  Enthusiastic, fun coaches are the best.  I provide a curriculum, week by week agenda, and on-snow coaching clinic.  I would like to add a group for older kids new to skiing and those struggling with the basics.

Secretary/Treasurer - I have done this for 2014; position will be available in 2015.  Collect payment and registration forms at sign-up night and mail to CXC.  Create and maintain athlete roster.  Track club budget and reimburse vendors for expenses.  Not a big time commitment.  Should be good with spreadsheets and responsible with a checkbook.

Events Coordinator - (Fundraising) - we should start making money to buy a snowmobile or UTV.  We probably won't do the food sales at the ski jump anymore, so we need to come up with other ways to make some money (grants, ski race, trail run, bike race, auction, raffle, car wash?..)  May also coordinate a trail maintenance day or two in the fall.

Groomer - FILLED!  Drive the snowmobile and pull the track setter.  This should be done every Sunday afternoon during the season (Jan and Feb).  That way the trail can 'set up' and hopefully be free of snow drifts, human foot prints, etc.  Some mechanical experience would be helpful.  Typically takes about 2 hours each time.

Snacks & Clean-up - NEED 1  Find vendors willing to donate snacks.  You would need to get the snacks and have them out for the kids.  I will help with initial contacts to the vendors.  There will also be some clean-up (vacuuming etc) needed after every practice.

To sign up for a position, or get more info; contact Dan Goltz at 485-0876 or dan_goltz@hotmail.com

A big "Thank you" to the coaches and others who have taken a position with the club!
-Dan

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Sign-up Night

We will have our informational meeting and sign-up night on Monday December 2nd from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Westby Community Center (basement of library).  Rental equipment can be picked up at this time.
2014 fee schedule; nordic program - $35, equipment rental - $65.
Practices will be Monday afternoons from 3:45 to 5:00pm.

We need a few new coaches this year, and have several other club positions available (snack/clean-up, treasurer, events...)  I will post details soon.  If you take on a club position, we will waive the program fee ($35) for your kid(s).
Contact Dan Goltz at 485-0876 or dan_goltz@hotmail.com if interested.

See you soon.  Think snow!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Learn to Ski Jump

Info and Sign Up Night
Thursday October 3rd at 7:00pm
Westby Community Center (basement of library)

New Coach: Roz Heidtke
New equipment available to rent
Practices should not conflict with the Nordic Program
Stay tuned for updates on the 2014 Nordic Program

Questions?  Attend the meeting on Thursday,
or contact Roz at heidtke@gmail.com


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Please return gear to Bluedog

Well, winter may finally be over.  If you have not returned your skis (Dan Goltz), please do so as soon as possible.  Thanks for participating again this year.  I am already looking forward to next year's practices.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Group shot


Thanks to Cyndy Hubbard for sharing this picture of the group.  The one I posted originally was a little dark.  If anyone has pictures to share, please email to me at dan_goltz@hotmail.com

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Another great season


2013 Snowflake Nordic Ski Club
Thanks to everyone for another great season!  We continue to be impressed with the ability and attitude of our local youth.  Thanks to the great coaches and the wonderful parents for helping throughout the year.

We have certificates for all the skiers.  Some did not get picked up at the pot luck.  I will drop them off at Bluedog on Friday.  If you missed the last practice, there will be a hat for you at Bluedog also.  I will update the blog later with a date to return your gear.  For now, get out and enjoy the new snow.  


Special Award for Coach Dan


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Pot Luck!

After our last practice, we would like it if you could join us for a pot luck dinner.  The kids will ski from about 4:00 to 4:45, then head in.  Parents can use that time to set up the food in the Rod & Gun building.  Please bring your own plates, cups, utensils, etc.  I'll make the following suggestions for each group:

Arctic Explorer 2 (Dan) - salad (green, fruit, pasta, etc)
Arctic Explorer 1 (Chris) - salad (see above)
Snow Leopard 3 (Nick and James) - main dish (meat, pasta, pizza, casserole, chili, whatever you like)
Snow Leopard 2 (Ben) - main dish (see above)
Snow Leopard 1 (Bill and David) - main dish (see above)
Arctic Fix 2 (Jerry) - side dish (veggie, strarch, bread, etc)
Arctic Fox 1 (Heidi) - side dish (see above)
Polar Bear 2 (Jen and Anna) - dessert
Polar Bear 1 (Bryn) - drinks (milk, juice, barley wine, etc)

If you have more than one child in the program, you can pick one dish.  If you have other children not in the program, they are welcome to join the dinner.  Bring about enough food for the size of your family.

Thanks for another great season, even if the conditions were challenging.  I hope everyone had fun.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Only 2 left...

We should be all set for practice at Snowflake tomorrow.  Keep your eye on the weather; we may be in for a little rain, snow or schnitzel.

Wildcat Mountain State Park groomed their trails on Friday, and they were in good shape today.  They may be the only local trails groomed since last weekend's meltdown.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Ready, Set, Jump and Eat

Colin, Ansel, John, Dominic and the "Chicago Girls" get down to business

Catching some air

Mmm... fresh Macrobars

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Costume Day!

Monday is Costume Day at Snowflake (coaches, too).  Wear something that will keep you warm and you can ski in comfortably.

Spoiler alert:  I think Coach Nick and Coach James are working on something special:

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Invasion of the Snow Leopards

Feb 4 practice

Coach Nick cruisin' Winter Park Minocqua

Approach to the back 9 at Viroqua Hills (Friday)

Yes, I poached first tracks again... sorry.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Get out and Ski!

In this whacked-out winter, you need to take advantage of the good conditions when we get them.  Some area trails are in really good shape right now.  Kickapoo Valley Reserve has been grooming after each of the recent snowfalls.  Old 131 is a nice, gently rolling scenic ski along the Kickapoo River.  Justin Trails near Sparta was in great shape on Wednesday.  They have some killer terrain (big hills), but also a flatter loop.  The Viroqua Golf Course was groomed recently.  I skated there this evening, and it was really good.  There is about an inch of fresh snow on top, and it was really fun and fast.  There were no tracks set, but you could easily ski in your own tracks on the side of the skate deck.

KVR earlier this week.

Race details

The jumping starts at noon on Saturday, and will be fun to watch.  Following the jump, those skiers will have a nordic race.  Their start times will be staggered, based on their performance in the jump. 

Right after they finish, at about 2:00PM, we will have several heats of nordic races for the kids in the nordic program.  They can skate or stride.  The distances will be; Polar Bear 0.5km, Arctic Foxes 1.0km, Snow Leopards 1.5km and Arctic Explorers 3.0km.  There is no entry fee, but I will have entry forms to fill out inside the Rod and Gun Club.  This is meant to be a fun introduction to racing.  There will be food for sale at the Rod and Gun Club. 

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Race on Saturday/Costumes on Monday

I don't have the details yet, but there will be a junior ski race on Saturday at Snowflake.  It will be in conjunction with the Junior Jump tournament.  The cost will be low, and it will be a fun event.  There should be juniors from other clubs competing in both jumping and the ski race (Nordic Combined).  I encourage all of our skiers to give the race a try.  I will try to post the details tomorrow.  We may need a few parents to help direct skiers along the course.

Monday is Costume Day at Snowflake!  Wear a good costume that you can ski in.  Hopefully you will be able to guess who your coach is.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Don't call Pete

My bad.  Pete and his little elves are working on your skis right now.  Making them all slippery for skating.  Pete will bring them tomorrow at 3:30, and some extra poles.  It may take a few minutes for skiers to swap their poles around, so arrive a little early if you can.  (This applies only to Snow Leopards and Arctic Explorers).

Practice at Snowflake

Tomorrow's practice will be at Snowflake.  Fresh snow is in the forcast and it will be in the low teens at practice.  We might still have one of the remaining practices at a different location, but I couldn't get the logistics figured out this time.

Snow Leopards and Arctic Explorers should have picked up their skis at Bluedog and traded in their poles for longer ones for skating.  If you haven't picked up your gear yet, call Pete to make arrangements.

Coach Dan may not be at practice (if the weather is good I'll be counting deer from an airplane).  Coach Chris will take my group.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Welcome back, Winter

I hope you have gotten out to enjoy the nice new snow.  Kickapoo Valley Reserve groomed their trails on Thursday, and they are in good shape.  Things are in high gear down at the Ski Jump with the tournament starting today.  Thanks to the parents and skiers who cleaned the food booth last weekend and signed up to work a shift this weekend!

I hope to have our next practice on Monday (Feb 4) at the Viroqua Golf Course.  I am still trying to get permission to groom out there, so stay tuned.  I will update the blog as soon as I can.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Bring your skis

We plan to have practice on a short man made snow loop tomorrow.  For the Snow Leopards and Arctic Explorers, this will be your last classical practice.  Following practice, make sure your skis get into Pete Taylor's car.  Pray for snow.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Brrrr... Mercury Droppin'!!!

We will have an indoor practice tomorrow at the Rod & Gun Club building.  Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes will have a group warm-up, dryland drills, indoor games, coloring and story reading.  Snow Leopards and Arctic Explorers will start with either group warm-up inside or a quick run around outside (your choice; dress accordingly).  Then Coach Dan will give a waxing clinic and discuss equipment.  We will also watch some skiing DVDs.

The Jumping Practice has been postponed until the weather improves... stay tuned.

Thanks for your patience and humour as we try to deal with unusual conditions this Winter.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Want to try Jumping?

Coach James will host a jumping practice right after our regular practice on 21 January, from 5:15 to 6:00pm.  Open to all skiers in the Nordic Club.  No fees, no pressure, only fun.  The 10m and 20m jumps are in good condition, the lights will be ON, and there are jumping skis and boots available!  If you want to try jumping, with the guidance of an experienced coach; this is your chance.  Please RSVP with James Gimurtu (606-8388) so he can determine gear availability.

Monday, January 14, 2013

HELP WANTED:

Two of our Polar Bear coaches are out sick.  If a few parents could help out with their groups today, that would be great.  We will have some obstacle courses and games set up.  Look for Jen Bjorklund at practice this afternoon.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Dryland Practice - Monday (14 Jan)!

The remaining snow is very hard and icy.  We have decided to have dryland practice instead, still at Snowflake.  Leave your skis at home but bring some energy and a smile. 

Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes will have some obstacle courses and play games (possibly soccer, tag, capture the flag).  They should wear warm clothes and snow boots or warm hiking shoes. 

Snow Leopards and Arctic Explorers should bring their ski poles.  They will go hiking with ski poles and play some games.  Wear warm clothes, and hiking shoes or running shoes.  Make sure you can fit a good pair of warm dry socks inside.

Everyone meet in the parking lot at 3:50 and we'll find a good spot for our group warm-up.

See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013


Great First Practice! - Thanks to all the skiers and parents for having fun with us Monday afternoon.  The first practice is always a little crazy.  We apologize if anyone felt left out; we'll continue to try hard to involve everyone.  For the next practice, I might switch a few kids between groups to even out ability levels and group size.  If you have any concerns, please talk to me (485-0876).

A big thanks to all the volunteer coaches, too.  We have a great line-up this year.  Below is a shot of Coach Nick enjoying the "Blizzard of December".  Nick said he was having lots of fun until the police officer suggested that skiing was not appropriate on Main Street.  (Disclaimer - Snowflake Nordic does not condone this sort of behavior.)


The weather does not look too cool the next few days.  Hopefully the trails will hold up.  Troy did a great job restoring snow-less areas before practice on Monday.  We plan to have the next practice on snow, but stay tuned for updates on trail conditions.  If anyone has photos they would like to share, please email to me at dan_goltz@hotmail.com  I'll try to post a few on the blog.



Sunday, January 6, 2013

First Practice - is tomorrow, January 7th!  There was just enough snow for us to set some tracks this weekend.  There are some dirt clumps and grass poking through in places.  Please try to avoid this gunk by stepping out of the tracks and skiing around it.  The Senior Club has been busy plowing the golf course and moving snow around, so the trails are a little messed up.  There should be plenty of room for the groups to spread out and find some good tracks. 

The Rod & Gun Club building will be open at 3:40.  Kids can change inside and grab a quick snack.  Everyone will walk across the bridge and meet in a big group for some stretches at 3:55.  Then we will split up into our groups and ski until 5:00.  Parents of the Polar Bears (4,5&6 year olds) should help them get their skis on and off, and are welcome to join them for the entire practice.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!  Only 6 days until our first practice!  Barring an unpredicted thaw, it looks like we will be on skis this year.  The trails at Snowflake are in good shape on the golf course and behind the Rod & Gun Club.  We could use another few inches on the DNR trails (upper field).

We are going to try a little different format for practices this year.  We will have the Rod & Gun Club building open by 3:40.  Kids can go inside, put on their ski clothes, and grab a quick snack.  There will be no snacks provided after practices this year.  We want everyone to walk across the bridge and put on their skis on the other side.  We will all meet in a big group at 3:55 for some warm-up stretches, and then break out into our smaller groups.  I won't have the groups finalized until the first practice.
 
A few logistics/safety notes:
Parking can be tight at the Rod & Gun.  Remember that the snowmobile trail runs through the parking lot.  Please do not park on the snowmobile trail.  Rod & Gun Club members occasionally shoot their firearms on the range.  We have not had any conflicts during our practices, but be aware this may be occurring at other times and please be courteous; use other trails.

The snowmobile trail also crosses the ski trail in 2 places; on the DNR land and on the golf course.  They are generally looking out for skiers, but please use caution when crossing and do not ski down the snowmobile trails.

Parents of the Polar Bears (generally 4 and 5 year-olds) are encouraged to help them get their skis on and off, and are welcome to join them for the entire practice.  Other parents/friends/etc are welcome to ski on the trails anytime.  Please stop at the Clubhouse and purchase a Nordic button for $30/year.

We really need parents to volunteer their time and staff the food booth at the Ski Jump.  This will be February 1 & 2.  Heidi Jackson will have a sign-up sheet at practices.

For skiers with their own gear; the first 3 practices are classic technique (younger skiers will practice classic technique all season).  Have your skis waxed for the conditions.  Rental gear is already prepared with grip tape.  Make sure the sticky tape is still attached to the kick zone of both skis before practice.

Update on local trails: 
The Viroqua Golf Course is not groomed yet, but there are some skied-in tracks.  Kickapoo Valley Reserve has been groomed, and Chris said it was pretty good.  Skiers have been making their own tracks at Sidie Hollow and Duck Egg Parks.  Both parks get heavy foot traffic, so the ski tracks are usually pretty messed up.  Blue Mound SP and areas closer to Madison should be in great shape.  Visit Skinny Ski at http://www.skinnyski.com/ for complete trail reports.

Looking forward to skiing with everyone next Monday!
Thanks,
Dan