Ks for Kockers

Each season the New York State Ski Racing Association – Nordic reward their youth members for their motivation and dedication during the ski season.   Within this Bill Koch Youth Ski League program, the “Ks for Kochers”, our youth keep track of the number of kilometers that they cross country ski with their BKYSL Club, with their family, or on their own.  They record the number of kilometers they ski every week, every month, and add up the kilometers for an end-of-the-year total. NYSSRA awards a certificate that says, “I went the GOLD distance”, or silver, or bronze. The chart below shows the thresholds for the “K” award according to age and the number of kilometers skied. That way EVERYONE WINS! Your local club may also have an award…ask your coach or leader.

Since a majority of youth skiing is done on other than formal groomed trails NYSSRA – Nordic uses an approximate calculation of 10 kilometers an hour and allows a substitution on this basis.  As youth get into competitive aspects of the sport they may find a more precise conversion.

The purpose of the program is to start young skiers keeping track of the skiing they do.  As they progress to the next competition level (an to a different coach) it serves as a record of their accomplishments.  It also establishes the cause and effect relationship of effective training to good results in endurance sports.

NYSSRA recognizes the following for their accomplishments this past 2010 – 2011 season [name/youth class/distance/local club]:

GOLD

• Jen Broderick J3 613 k RXCSF
• Katelyn Broderick J4 572 k RXCSF
• Laura Broderick J5 542 k RXCSF
• Andrew Carpentier J6 250 k RXCSF
• Hannah Collinsworth J5 428 k Tug Hill Screamers
• Nathan Collinsworth J5 438 k Tug Hill Screamers
• Amy Duclos J3 1040 k Shenendehowa
• Sarah Duclos J3 1040 k Shenendehowa
• Jackson Koziol Lollipop 125 k Shenendehowa
• Travis Koziol J6 240 k Shenendehowa
• Bailey Moore J4 501 k Shenendehowa
• Chandler Moore J3 633 k Shenendehowa

SILVER

• Tyler Koziol J5 247 k Shenendehowa

BRONZE

• Alex Carpentier J6 73 k RXCSF

Look for information about the Ks for Kochers this coming season as the snow starts to fly.

2011 Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Ski Festival

This just in from Chief of Course Ed Lubin:
“I skied at Highland Forest this morning. Conditions were great. 2-3″ new snow and freshly set tracks. There will be a thaw tomorrow through Fri., but snow depth is still around 2 ft. and it’s supposed to get cold again Fri. night. If anyone’s hesitating signing up because they’re worried about conditions, no need.

“Russ and I trimmed branches on the race loops, Mitch worked on the ski-O course, and Von Sleight and Don Carr started building a terrain park. Everything’s coming together nicely.”

Looking forward to seeing the whole gang this weekend.

Youth Skiing in New York State

By now you have all seen the wonderful article on our BKYSL program on page three of the January 2011 issue of Adirondack Sports and Fitness. If you haven’t seen it get out to your favorite distribution locations to get a copy. Their distribution of the free publication can be found on their web site. Or you can download an electronic version from other areas of the same site.

Much of the information for the article came from NYSSRA’s BKYSL Leader’s Manual and articles I have written in Competition Manuals and in the NYSSRA Newsletter. Unfortunately I did not mention NYSSRA – Nordic or how you can get your youth into a local club. You can find this information on the NYSSRA – Nordic web site.

What I learned most from this that we outdoor winter enthusiasts can take advantage of this wonderful resource for getting out the word on NYSSRA – Nordic’s programs. It maybe too late to get more stuff in this season, but put your thoughts and experiences on file so that Darryl has materials when he lays out the winter issues next year. You can always add a current photo or new twist just before his deadline.

Keep on skiing while the snow lasts. It will keep you young and adventurous!

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,800 times in 2010. That’s about 4 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 3 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 6 posts. There were 3 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb.

The busiest day of the year was March 16th with 64 views. The most popular post that day was Festival a Big Success.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were nyssranordic.com, google.com, mail.yahoo.com, saratogabiathlon.com, and mail.live.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for bill koch ski league, bill koch, bkysl, bill koch youth ski league, and bill koch ski.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Festival a Big Success March 2010
2 comments

2

2010 Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival January 2010
3 comments

3

Great Season for Youth on Skis May 2009
2 comments

4

About November 2008
2 comments

5

BKYSL Season Is Here November 2009
Thank you all for the continued interest in the Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Youth Ski League run by NYS Ski Racing Association – Nordic. The season has just begun and our youth are out enjoying the snow and discovering the great winter out-of-doors! Now for some more snow, please?

1 comment

Fall Committee Meeting

The Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Youth Ski League committee will meet in Kunsela Hall, on the SUNY-IT campus, Utica at 9:30 AM Sunday, September 26, 2010.  The main item on the agenda will be support for the Mid A Bill Koch Festival to be held in Syracuse area in February 2011.

If your club needs ribbons I will have NYSSRA’s supply with me.

Our discussion this spring about changing from the J# classes based on age to a system like NENSA uses based on school grade was fairly balanced between pro and con.  Certainly there were no strong arguments either way. So my approach or recommendation is to keep the system we have.  It is working.  Why re-tool?

I hope to see you Sunday morning.

Festival a Big Success

Over Seventy Youth From All Over N Y State Participated in this Year's Festival. Forty-five of them are captured here.

On the following Wednesday (St Patrick’s Day) I skied at Lapland Lake.  Although there was plenty of snow in the woods, there were BIG grassy areas in mid trail in several locations where we had skied on Sunday.  It is amazing what two days of sun and warm temperatures can do to an otherwize perfect ski trail.  Many thanks are in order to the parents and grandparents who took the time on Sunday morning to do some shoveling.

Additional photos,  complete results, and a neat article on paint ball biathlon are posted elsewhere.

The 2010 Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival was a big success because of the fantastic team of volunteers and facilities that worked together perfectly.  Shenendehowa Nordic Club President Tim Huneck was chief of courses. Vice President Jim Flaherty was head of a team that flawlessly timed the championship races.  When he was not on the finish line Charlie Huff was squirreled away in computation central.  Mary Duclos was treasurer and husband Steve and son Matt played a major role with lunch preparation.  Coach Mike George set up a great ski orienteering challenge and helped on the starting line.  Darwin Roosa arranged for and conducted a safe and memorable paint ball biathlon.  Vicky and Dan Munson, of Mayfield provided invaluable assistance on the timing crew.  Kristin Halligan from the Saratoga Biathlon BKYSL arranged for a the hamburger cookout on Saturday and the hot dog roast on Sunday with baked goods.  Laura Duclos and Emma Huneck from the Shenendehowa High School Nordic ski team kept our youth moving with soccer, obstacle course  and other on ski games so they didn’t get cold despite persistent rain.  Head to head elimination sprints orchestrated by Russ Houck from the Sunnycrest, Syracuse are always a favorite. Jim Underwood of the Glens Falls BKYSL program provided a fun and exciting Wooly Mammoth Hunt.  Bernadette O’Brien organized a huge 19 team hodgepodge relay with assistance from Mary Duclos and timed by Steve Tomb of the Johnsburg Jags BKYSL.  Jill Koziol’s help with logistics was invaluable.  We even had the special touch of home backed cookies and energy foods from Maryanne Wilkinson, and others.

Right down to the parents shoveling snow on the trails Sunday morning, I think we all approached this event with that Mike George summarized when I asked him to help.  “Nordic ski sport means so much to me that I feel this is how I can give back to the community.”  The passion that we all collectively share for Nordic ski sport came out this weekend.   Sincerely, I thank you all!

We all pass along our gratitude to our sponsors including the Vischer Ferry Volunteer Fire Company, the Golub Foundation and Price Chopper, Stewart’s Shops, Target, Inside Edge and Reliable Racing, and Hannaford Supermarket.   Thanks also to our venues who opened their doors and welcomed us with their hospitality including the Holiday Inn, Johnstown.  And we could not have done it without the patience, help and support, immaculately groomed trails and facilities of Ann and Olavi Hirvonen and their crews at the Lapland Lake Resort.

2010 Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival

2010 Mid A Bill Koch Ski Festival Logo

A Weekend of Family Fun on Snow!  Lapland Lake Resort, Benson, NY, Saturday March 13 and Sunday March 14, 2010.

The Bill Koch Youth Ski League clubs in the southern Adirondack region invite you to a memorable weekend of fun on snow for the entire family.  This weekend of events will celebrate and cap our ski season with fun and friendly competition, demonstrations of other Nordic sports, and fun and games on snow.

The two days of events, most open to the entire NYSSRA – Nordic family, will be at the  Lapland Lake Resort, voted the Best XC Ski Resort in the Mid-Atlantic Region (two consecutive years) and the Best XC Ski Resort for Families.

All entries for the 2010 Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival will be on line at SkiReg.com This includes purchase of parent, teen and coaches trail passes at reduced rates for the weekend.

Weekend Schedule

Saturday, March 13, 2010

8:30 AM    Check In/ Packet Pickup
- up stairs in the lodge.
9:00 AM    Coach’s Meeting
- in the practice field south of the parking lot
9:30 AM     Opening Ceremony
- Clubs gather and don skis on south edge of parking lot and proceed into the
practice field.
10:00 AM    Free Technique Youth Race
- Distances will be approximately: J6 (short lollipop) 0.5 k; J6 (longer lollipop) 1 k;
J5, 2 k; J4, 3 k; and J3, 4 k.

11:30 AM    Lunch – Hamburgers and cake for desert

1:00 PM    Biathlon – NYSSRA biathletes will provide a short safety course and shooting instruction.  Skiers will use paint ball guns and shoot at specifically designed targets.

Ski Orienteering – NYSSRA athletes will provide instruction on the rules, fun and art of ski O.  Find controls on a short ski O course with a map for each participant.  Do it as a family or individually.

3:00 PM     Sprints – Parents older siblings and youth can get in on this event.  Just sprint a couple hundred meters across the practice field in paired heats.

6:00 PM     Dinner at Holiday Inn, Johnstown.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

9:30 AM    Classic Technique Youth Race
- same courses as Saturday.
11:00 AM    Wooly Mammoth Hunt
- Obtain your hunting license from the “Game Warden” in the practice field and join the hunt.  You must bring back the entire Mammoth hide to get credit for each.
Noon – Weiner and Marshmallow Roast
1:00 PM     Hodgepodge Relay – teams of two adults (over 13) and two BKYSL skiers not in the same class.  J6 team members ski a shorter loop.
2:30 PM    Awards Ceremony

REGISTRATION:
Register on line at www.SkiReg.com before 10 PM March 10, 2010.  Tee shirts will be available to youth and adults as supplies last so register early.    No day of race registrations will be accepted.

When you register remember to add in adult facility use fees for parent(s) and coaches.  Whether they ski or not adults need to contribute use fees, so parents bring your skis to take full advantage of this award winning Nordic ski facility.

LUNCHES:
Lunches including a hamburger, water or a juice drink on Saturday and a hot dog and marshmallow roast on Sunday is included in the weekend package.   In addition the Tuulen Tupa Grill just north of the “Finnish Line” lodge offers a menu including homemade soups, warming chili, vegetarian dishes, traditional Finnish specialties along with a variety of selections for the more traditional appetite.

AWARDS DINNER:  A baked ziti awards dinner will be Saturday evening at 6 PM at the Holiday Inn in Johnstown.  The menu includes baked ziti, meatballs, tossed salad, Italian bread, fruit cobbler, coffee, tea and soft drinks.  This dinner (including tax and gratuity) is included in the youth registration fee.  Adults and coaches add this option to your trail fee registration.

BIB ASSIGNMENTS:
Once you pick up your bibs on Saturday it is your responsibility for the weekend and must be turned in before you leave on Sunday.

NYSSRA Secretary’s Cup
Any skier this weekend can win the cup.  Complete as many events as possible.  Add up your finish times.  The skier closest to the mystery time wins the secretary’s cup for the year.  Costumes add more points!  There is a definite advantage to entering as many events as you can.  In the past Bill Koch Youth have won; and older sibling has won; one year a grandparent won after completing her first ski race.

TUBING HILL & ICE SKATING:
The tubing hill north of the Finnish Line Lodge and the pond just north of that will be open all weekend for your enjoyment, so being (or rent) a tube and bring your ice skates.

FUN & GAMES:
When not in use for other activities the practice field will be open for fun and games led by athletes from Section 2 High School Teams.

LODGING:

Lapland Lake Resort, 139 Lapland Lake Rd, Northville (518) 863-4974.

Holiday In Johnstown, 308 North Comrie Ave, Johnstown (518) 762-4686.  Mention Mid-Atlantic Bill Koch Festival when making reservations to receive a substantial discounted price of $75.95 per night plus tax with 1 to 4 guests per room.

Super 8 Johnstown, 301 North Comrie Avenue, Johnstown – (518) 736-1800.

Microtel Inn & Suites, 136 Comrie Ave, Johnstown – (518) 762-5425.

Get Out!

Get out on your favorite ski trail.

The foliage is off the trees and the leaves are matted down from fall precipitation.  This is a great time to make some unique discoveries among the natural and man-made features.  There are no insects to make your visit miserable.  In fact you will have to go hunting in leaf litter or under the remaining bark of an old elm to find a bug.  Take a picture of one of your kids as he discovers an insect.  Natural or man-made features like boulders, stone outcrops, and stone walls are quite visible.  Creeks and drainage ways are also more noticeable and provide a reflection for a unique photograph or a magnet for little feet.

Anytime of day will work.  Frost in the pre-dawn light can provide unique discoveries.  Are deer out and about, yet?    Sunrise here is just after 7 AM.  A great time to take a dramatic photograph or watch that wisp of steam of that early cup of caffeinated beverage.  The low angle of the sun even mid-day can provide an interesting perspective to the half-dozen leaves still holding on and rattling in the crisp gentle breeze.  Sunset is just after 4 PM.  This is another great time to take a picture.  Catch a flock of geese looking for a spot on the water to overnight.

If you see snow flakes in the air, you will be the first in your neighborhood.  If no one has seen snow, try your annual ritual to encourage snow: planting ice cubes works great, wearing your underwear backwards or inside out can also work.  Hike with poles to wake up those muscles you haven’t flexed in a while.

Wear an extra layer as you venture out.  This is a great time to test out that new cold weather gear.  If you are in the more remote areas remember to wear highly visible colors so you can be seen by your family members, by other enthusiasts and an occasional hunter. Get out there and enjoy the autumn quiet and discover something new.

BKYSL Season Is Here

Think kids, think fun on snow.

Now is the time to fire up our youth about fun on snow.  The four letter “s” word has actually been in the U S Weather Service forecast for Albany on two separate occasions.  To assure that our youth actually has fun on snow this year please focus on seven items:

1. Have you been thinking about forming a Bill Koch Youth Ski League club around your family, in your school, or in your area?  Need that final boost of inspiration?  I will send you a copy of a “Leaders’ Manual” that has all the good stuff, ideas, and details.  This Manual can be yours with a simple request to Eric Hamilton, 67 Pico Rd, Clifton Park, NY 12065, 518-371-7548 or by responding to the comment section below.

2. For our established clubs, review your club’s entry in in the list of existing clubs and let me know if your club’s entry needs changes.

3. Please review the cross country schedule.  A good many of these sanctioned events have BKYSL events attached to them.  Please send me the details on the ones you are helping host:  Date; registration window; first start time; technique; entry fees; location; etc.

4. Print and distribute the Ks for Kochers form for each of your youth.

5. Start talking up the Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Ski Festival at Lapland Lake the weekend of March 13 and 14, 2010.  We will have registration on-line, I hope, within the next month.

6. Check your supply of ribbons.  If you are low (less than a dozen each 1st through 5th and “participant”) let me know.

7. Insist that all your club members are NYSSRA – Nordic members.  Membership is all handled on-line this year.  Easy to do, but very important to your club, so that you have adequate insurance coverage.  Remember first year membership fees are waved, but we DO need the waiver signed.

Just a little preparation now with guarantee a fun season for you and our youth.  Think fun on snow.

Great Season for Youth on Skis

Bird's eye view of the Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival competition.

We have 13 active Bill Koch Youth Ski League clubs across the Mid Atlantic region.  A total of 213 NYSSRA – Nordic members are 13 and under.  That number is up from last year and up significantly from two years ago.

We all owe a big “thank you” to Lake Placid and the NYSEF BKYSL families for a well done Festival.  Our youth had a great time and didn’t seem to mind that they had a limited area on which to ski.

We now have updated festival hosting criteria and guidelines thanks to Matt Cook, Eric Hamilton, Ruth Hayes, Margaret Maher, and Lori Vezendy.  These criteria have not been updated since the early 1990s.

Future Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festivals will be held in:

• Southern Adirondack in 2010 (with Shenendehowa lead);
• Central New York in 2011 (with Sunnycrest lead);
• Old Forge Polar Bears in 2012.

Each club fielding participants at a future Mid Atlantic Bill Koch Festival will be expected to provide a minimum of two volunteers to help with specific tasks like course stewards, results runners, snow shovelers, timing or vehicle parking.

Ribbons are available for prizes your club’s competitive events compliments of NYSSRA – Nordic.  These are first place through fifth place and participant.

NYSSRA – Nordic will continue with waiving first year membership free for BKYSL aged youth.  We want to encourage membership so that even our practices are covered by liability insurance.  We also capture all participant’s names and addresses for subsequent years.

How about this for your first entry on your 2010 calendar: February 6 – the Sunnycrest BKYSL will host a youth race in downtown Syracuse.