Session 1 - Our First Dryland Event!

The snow conditions (or lack of!) will be changing our plans for Saturday’s first Bay Nordic event of the season. We won’t be able to ski, however, the plan is to have a “Dryland” (think of it as a dry-run for when we do have snow) session aimed at introducing the kids to some of the fundamental movements of skiing, having fun, and meeting the coaches and fellow members....and of course the hot chocolate and cookies.

Here’s the plan:

- Do the session from 10:00 to 11:30 am...Shortened by 1/2 hour.
- Kids will check in to receive their Name Tag & Group as normal from 9:30 to 9:50 am and gather in their assigned groups to meet the coaches. Kids will receive their Group Assignments at the Check In.
- Mark Ernst and Group Coaches will lead the group on the fundamentals of skiing and some obstacle course work.

- Goals for the session are to give them some basic or more experienced knowledge of skiing and to burn off some energy by keeping them moving!

 

All kids that attend need to bring RUNNING SHOES & POLES (Poles will be available for Session Rentals).

 

We look forward to seeing everyone. We will also be adding the February 11th make up date to the calendar to get on snow some more.


Think Snow!

RENTAL EQUIPMENT UPDATE

We only have only 6 sets of classic skis and 7 sets of skate skis (for older, experienced kids) available for SEASONAL rental only.  Sizes are limited so please contact us if rental is needed.

Think Snow!

Bay Nordic Coaching Clinic – December 2nd

We have scheduled the coaching clinic for all Bay Nordic coaches on Friday, December 2^nd from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The clinic will be held at InCompetition Sports located at 2439 University Ave., Green Bay.

Pizza will be provided to attract and keep everyone's attention!

We encourage all coaches to attend!.....Including those that have coached in the past and those that are new to coaching or interested. Topics will include group session structures, teaching kids to ski, and technique progressions and games.

Please drop me a quick e-mail if you can make the date. We are looking forward to seeing all the coaches soon.

Session Rental Closed - Seasonal Rental Still Available

We have reached our capacity for the SESSION rental.  We will not be able to take any session rentals postmarked after 11/15/11.

Rental for the season is still available for those who choose that option.

Than You!

Rental Equipment

Equipment rental is filling up fast.  We will do our best to accomadate rental needs; however, we do expect to be out of equipment soon.  Please check the blogsite for rental status if equipment is needed.

Seasonal Equipment Rental Pickup

For members registering for SEASONAL equipment rental, equipment pick up will be at the Versch house (6387 Aspen Drive, Sobieski) on either Saturday, December 3th or Sunday December 4th from 10:00 am to Noon.  Bringing the kids is recommended to assure proper boot size. 

Location -->  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6387+Aspen+Drive,+Sobieski,+WI&hl=en&ll=44.677625,-88.084431&spn=0.030394,0.0842&sll=44.522945,-87.990495&sspn=0.1219,0.3368&vpsrc=6&hnear=6387+Aspen+Dr,+Sobieski,+Wisconsin+54171&t=m&z=14

Coaching Volunteers & Clinic

Participation in the Bay Nordic program has exceeded our expectations with over 150 kids registering last year (our 2nd year of the program)...all indications are that even more kids will be involved this year.  My position from the start has been to never cap number of participants.  The more kids that learn to ski, the better!  The downfall is that we need a lot of coaches (and volunteers) to run our sessions smoothly.  Having said that, we are beginning to organize our coaches and recruit new coaches to help us through the year and future years. 

Bay Nordic has been structured to group kids based on ages and abilities, giving them an opportunity to progressively learn the skills needed to have fun skiing and be successfull.  To meet these goals we have found success in having 1-2 Head Coaches per group (depending on size), and 2-3 Assistant/Helpers.  The Head Coaches take the role in presenting and leading curriculum with the Assistant/Helpers keeping the groups organized, reinforcing drills, helping with cold hands, tying boots, and anything else needed!

For myself, the time on the snow with my group are some of my favorites skis of the year...I think most of the past coaches feel the same.  As the program moves forward and we begin to lose coaches as their own kids move on, the next "generation" of coaches will be taking over.  Creating a sustainable coaching program is imperative for the program to continue.  

So....please consider joining our Coaching program in any capacity, either as a Head or Assistant Coach.  We have, and are working on, the following opportunities and clinics to learn and develop coaching skills for current and future coaches.  

Bay Nordic Coaching Clinic after Thanksgiving Holiday

For all current and new Bay Nordic Coaches we will run a Coaching Clinic prior to the first session.  The clinic will be facilitated by Mark Ernst with additional curriculum provided by some of our seasoned veterans.  Written curricullum and technique/games will be included.  We would like to see full participation from our coaches at this event. 

Date, Location, & Time Coming Soon!

Thank you in advance for considering coaching....if you know how to ski, there is a place for you to help coach!  Please let me know in advance if you are interested.

2012 Membership Information and Registration

Hello Bay Nordic Skiers.

Membership Registration Forms can be downloaded in our "Resources" section. We are asking for registrations to be submitted by December 1^st , however, early registration helps us greatly for planning! Please submit one registration for each child.

For equipment rental, priority is given as we receive registrations. We do the best we can to fit and provide equipment for each request. If we do run out of equipment, fees will be returned and we will inform you ASAP.

Also included is an order form for "Bay Nordic" long sleeve shirts. Please have these in soon so that we can estimate the correct amount to order.

We are looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces and some new ones!

Ashwaubenon Middle and High School Ski Team

For Middle and High School-aged kids interested in skiing, the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team (ANST) provides the right opportunity. If interested, please contact ANST at http://skiwithanst.org/.

Stump Farm Trail Race – Oct. 30^th

The Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team will host 10 mile and 5K trail races and a 5K run+20 mi Mt. bike duathlon at the Brown County Reforestation Camp in Suamico on Sunday, October 30th as a fundraiser. 10 mi race start is 9:30 a.m. 5K start is 11:00 a.m. Join the challenging 10 mi on twisty up and down single track or the moderate soft trail 5K for a perfect fall work out. Duathlon participants will run the 5K and then bike 2-10 mi loops on a fun and challenging single track. We encourage adult and high school athletes to come out. Age group awards for all races.


 

2012 Planning

Hello Bay Nordic Skiers!

It’s that time of year to start planning BAY Nordic.  We are beginning our 3rd year ofthe program!  The Informational flyer along with our Fundraising flyer are posted on under Resources and Photos. Please help us spread the word to future members of BAY Nordic.  Member registration forms will be sent out mid-October.  We will continue to post information on ourblog site at http://baynordic.blogspot.com.  Any new members can contact us at baynordicski@gmail.com to be added to our contact list.  As always, please let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Thank You and Rental Return

THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF BAY NORDIC

First off, we want to thank all the kids in Bay Nordic this year. Nearly 160 kids participated this year! Awesome to see so many little (and big) skiers. The number of kids that participate in a Green Bay regional ski program is great to see, we hope it continues to grow. This program wouldn't be successful without all the volunteers for coaching, helping with check-in, cookies, hot chocolate, etc, as well as, the local sponsors and contributors. Thank You All!

The last session turned out to be one of my favorite days of the winter, all the kids should be proud of the improvements have made this winter. The coaches really put the kids to the test with distance and they passed with flying colors. Photos of the day will be posted soon, we will let everyone know when they are ready.

RENTAL RETURN

The rental return is being scheduled for Saturday March 19^th at Noel & Jennifer's house….6387 Aspen Drive, Sobieski (same location as pickup). Equipment can be returned between 10:00am and Noon. If you are unable to make the date/time or if ski conditions are still good and you would like to use the skis, please let us know (920-822-8982) and we will be happy to schedule another time.

Happy Skiing!

http://baynordic.blogspot.com/

Stump Farm Photos

 

Great job to the Kids on Saturday! Pictures are posted at http://shoffmanphoto.smugmug.com/CrossCountrySkiing-2010/Bay-Nordic. Thank you to the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team for once again involving us with the Stump Farm.

Hopefully some of the kids were able to see the elite skiers that made the trip to Green Bay. Some media coverage of their journey is at http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/sports/sports_edge/State-budget-crisis-reroutes-skiers.

Our last event is March 5^th and includes food on the grill and drinks. Bob White and Jen will be coordinating the potluck so please contact them if you would like to contribute.

Good luck to Bay Nordic Skiers at the Barnebirkie this weekend!

 

Upcoming Events – Feb 19th and March 5th

Hello Bay Nordic Skiers,

We miss everyone! It's been too long. We had a hard time cancelling the last event but unfortunately could not influence the weather. Even though the weather is warming up this week we still should have good trail conditions for this Saturday.

Our next event is this weekend and time for the kids to show off at the annual Stump Farm Ski Race hosted as a fundraiser for the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team. As part of the festivities, a kids event will be held featuring the BAY Nordic kids. The kids event is set up to be a non-competitive fun event for the kids to go out and enjoy. Kids will be participating in the following distances.

• ½ km for the Penguins
  
• 2.5-3.0 km – Remaining Groups.
  

We had a lot of fun with this last year. All the kids enjoy showing their ski talents and receiving the participation medal at the end. Please come out and cheer the kids on. Great photos from last year at http://shoffmanphoto.smugmug.com/Cross-Country-Skiing-2009-2010/Bay-Nordic-Ski-Club/Bay-Nordic-02-20-10/11324913_Kektg#795094369_pzMET.

The Bay Nordic event is scheduled to begin at 10:06am. We are asking everyone to please have the kids in the warm-up area and ready-to-go by 9:45am. We will be providing our normal check- in and rental during the session so please look for us towards the warm-up area.

ANST has a races in the morning for Middle School, High School, and Adults (5K and 20K). A full schedule is at http://skiwithanst.org/. For those parents wishing to race the 20K, we will have some coaches available in the warm-up area to keep the kids entertained until 12:30pm.

Following the race all kids will need to return to their groups. We will have some fun activities for the kids in the warm-up & obstacle course area. The older groups (Caribou/Wolf & Polar Bears) will go out for a ski if time allows.

March 5^th, End of the Year Ski and Party

March 5^th is our final session and will consist of normal group activities and a cook-out. We have the back-end of the shelter along with the grill rented for the day. Grilling will start early but we would like to encourage families to stay into the afternoon, eat some food, and ski.

 

Birkie Skiers/MS Ski for the Cure pins

 

For those of you participating in the Birkie next weekend, Kristen Rodeheaver is once again selling MS Ski for the Cure ping. A $20 donation gets you a pin and an entry into the raffle for lots of great prizes. You must wear your pin on your Birke bib on race day to qualify for the raffle as you cross the finish line. Kristen will have pins available this Saturday.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions. Think Snow!

Noel & Jen

http://baynordic.blogspot.com/

CANCELED - Session 3 Jan 22nd

Unfortunately the temps do not look like they will be cooperating, below zero wind chills and low temps. For the safety (and happiness) of the kids, we are going to cancel the session tommorrow. Hopefully everyone gets out and enjoys some skiing when the weather warms up.

Have a warm and great weekend! Go Pack!

Session 3 and the Weather

Weather conditions are looking borderline for Saturday’s event. We will continue to monitor the forecast and weather to determine safe conditions for the kids. Each kid handles temperatures differently, so it is ultimately the parent’s decision whether to participate or not…we certainly understand and support each individual decision. In the event that we do cancel, an e-mail will be sent by 8:30am on Saturday morning.

The decision to cancel is a difficult one. Make up sessions are not possible due to the large number of volunteers needed and conflicting schedules, plus we look so forward to these Saturdays! Parameters that we will be using for making the decision will be:

• <0 deg F pure temp or with the wind chill, cancel. Wind and sun make a big difference in how the kids (and adults) react to weather.
• 0 to 10 deg. F, limit the session to approximately an hour (maybe shorter for the little one depending how they respond). We will keep the kids close to the lodge and have the “floaters” take any cold kids back to the lodge.

The following precautions should be followed if attending:

· Kids/parents should cover all skin.
· Chem packs are highly recommended.
· Balaclava's and neck gaiters make a big difference.
· All coaches MUST have a definite plan and a shorter backup plan and or route.
· Less drills and more skiing with a shorter session.
· Stops for arm circles and even some "surges" help with keeping warm.
· Have the kids warm before going outside…get warmed up in the lodge.

We will monitor the forecast at http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?FcstType=text&TempBox=1&WindBox=1&WeatherBox=1&PoPBox=1&textField1=44.519&textField2=-88.02&Submit=Submit&MapType=3&site=MPX&CiTemplate=0.

Keep your fingers crossed. We hope the weather cooperates and we see everyone on Saturday!

Moonlight Ski & Snowshoe Benefit for Littlest Tumor Foundation

Tracy Wirtanen (BAY Nordic Parent and Coach) is hosting the 3rd Annual Moonlight Ski & Snowshoe Benefit for the Littlest Tumor Foundation (http://www.littlesttumorfoundation.com/).  The event is being held February 11th at the Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, WI.   

Just Warm Enough for Session 2, Jan. 8th

Another great day for Bay Nordic...great karma from the kids.  The trails turned out great after the big meltdown (thanks to the Brown County Parks Dept) and the temps warmed up enough for an enjoyable ski.  Photos of the session are posted at http://shoffmanphoto.smugmug.com/CrossCountrySkiing-2010/Bay-Nordic.  We will be missing our photographer Steve Hoffman at the next session so any parents that want to practice their photography skills, let us know.

See you on the trails
Noel & Jen

Session 2, Jan. 8th

Hello Bay Nordic Skiers,

Session 2 is this Saturday (Jan 8^th). We should be all set to go. Brown County has re-groomed the trails after the big meltdown and has reported that the trails should be in good condition….a couple of inches of snow this week would be great though.

A couple of items for the upcoming weekend:

• Session rentals should arrive 9:30-9:40 am. Allow enough time to get the equipment and be in the groups.
• Allow enough time for check-in also. Kids need to be in their groups and ready to go at 10:00am
• Do a gear check the night before. i.e. Poles fit the straps and are adjusted tight. Bindings are working. Have clothes layered for last minute "adjustments" according to the weather.
• Hydrate the kids. One to two hours skiing is a long time without fluids. Don't forget about the bathroom before though.
• LABEL ALL YOUR GEAR. Address labels work well, one for each piece. For BAY Nordic equipment, use a label that can be easily removed at the end of the year. Most of the gear is the same and can easily be misplaced.
• We will have all coaches marked with a vest. Additionally, there will be at least one assistant in the lodge to help any kids that need to return early.

Some homework for the kids. Warm-up guru Mark Ernst put together a short video for proper pole strap usage….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54192844@N02/?saved=1
See you Saturday!
Noel & Jen
http://baynordic.blogspot.com/