November Newsletter – Update on Club Activities
It has been a busy Fall and the ski season is, hopefully, just around the corner. In order to keep everyone up to speed on club activities, we will send out monthly newsletters in addition to postings on Facebook and the website.
Trail Report We can’t open the Nine Mile chalet until the last gun deer season on December 15, but grooming and trail work can continue until then. The County crew has been busy repairing the trails after a busy logging season and erosion from the heavy rains. While not perfect, the work will make a huge impact on our ability to enjoy early season skiing, assuming Mother Nature provides more snow than we saw last year. John Beatty has led the club efforts to pick rocks and brush from the trails, and the turnout from club members has been awesome.
Ski Swap John Burke led another very successful swap with the downhill club and the volunteer turnout was amazing. This is our biggest fundraiser each year, and although we don’t have the final numbers, it looks like we did well again this year.
Snowmaking We passed a critical hurdle when our test holes found more than adequate water in the area west of the chalet. We worked with Tom Lovlien on this effort and can now move forward to final planning, and the approval process that is needed ahead of final design and fundraising. It has been a challenging process, but careful thought needs to go into any project of this magnitude.
ABR Bus Trip Rick Barnes is again leading this event, which was a big hit last year. Snow has been falling regularly in the lake effect band, so it should be an excellent outing and great chance to ski with fellow club members of all interest levels.
More information on the trip can be found here: https://www.wausaunordic.org/abr-ski-trip/
Wednesday Social Ski Nights Diverging from previous years, we will not be holding regular club meetings during the ski season, but will host weekly club social outings at Nine Mile on Wednesday evenings. We will have weekly themes starting on January 8. Christmas Cookie night is our first event, and I suspect folks will have plenty of sweets to share. The ski activities will include group skiing, classic and skate lessons, and low key races. And anything else that members want. The goal is to bring current club members together, and invite new members to join and participate at any level they desire.
Youth Programs Ernie Luedke has taken over from Ross Drager as head coach of Wausau United, and Greg and Rachel Kresse are again leading the Night Gliders Racing group while Jeanne Alexejun and Peg Stamp will lead up the Night Gliders Devo group. They all have been busy working out together throughout the Fall. Carol Aggen and Andrea Larson will lead the Snow Strider program starting in January.
Ski Prep Group if you have been driving past Doepke Park late on Wednesday afternoons, you may have noticed a group of club members running around with ski poles or throwing medicine balls around. The turnout has been excellent and it looks like everyone is ready for snow. And we have seen a few new faces in the crowd, and that is especially rewarding as we try to grow our membership.
Skitoberfest We had an excellent turnout for this new event and it was a great chance for current and new club members to connect. Ben Popp from the Birkie, and Andrea Larsen from Iron Bull, gave short overviews of their events, and many club members went home with the wonderful door prizes that local businesses donated.
Memberships One of biggest goals for the coming year is to regrow our membership to the levels of previous years. If you have friends who ski, please encourage them to join the club participate in club activities. We want skiers of all ages and ability levels to feel welcome in our club, and if you have ideas to improve the club, please share them with us.
Jim Adams Finally, I want to say a few words about the passing of good friend, and long time club member, Jim Adams. The duo of Jim and John Howard were fixtures at Nine Mile at all times of the year. Cutting wood for the chalet, clearing dead falls and brush from the trail, putting up signs, working in the chalet, and building our snowshoe trail are just a few of the many activities together. Usually disagreeing about how to do something (I could never remember which one was nicknamed, Grumpy or Crabby) they teamed up to help bring joy to so many of us. To honor their legacy, the board has decided to create a new Volunteer of the Year award and name it the Jim Adams and John Howard Volunteer of the Year Award. They are both missed, but an inspiration to us all.
Here’s hoping for lots of early snow and lots of mild weather to enjoy it!
Gary Zimbric
President, Wausau Nordic Ski Club
Website: https://www.wausaunordic.org
Facebook Page: Wausau Nordic Ski Club (please be sure to “Like” the page in order for new posts to appear on your newsfeed)
Club Email: info@wausaunordic.org