Video Taping: The current plan is to do some video taping on the Saturday of the Vasaloppet weekend which is Feb 7th. It's the only weekend day free in Jan or Feb. But if you can come to Como early, about 4pm (when it's still light), We can do video before class. Starting Jan 20th we can try if anyone is interested.

Elm Creek: If we don't get good classic conditions at Como by Jan 13th we will send the classic people to Elm Creek on the 13th. You deserve to have a lesson on good tracks. We'll still hold class at Como as well but anyone who wants to go to Elm Creek can have their classic lesson there. We'll see about skate, but we have already had some good skate sessions at Como and Elm Creek isn't that much better other than having better lighting.

City of Lakes Loppet: The COLL race is looking for volunteers to help with the event. There are all sorts of things you can help with. The race is the weekend of Jan 31st. With activities on both Sat and Sun as well as Friday night. Check here for the COLL Volunteer website to sign-up. Each year we get quite a few volunteers and prove we are the best ski club in the area. We're known as the Super Volunteer Club. And you get a $5 rebate on your club dues.

Weekend Schedule: As I said above Jan and Feb weekends are pretty full with races and events that a lot of club members do. Here's a summary:
Jan 3 : New Years weekend skiing
Jan 10 : Annual R&G Road Trip to ABR
Jan 17 : Seeley Classic race. Race on Sat, stay over and ski Birke trail on Sun (Mini road trip)
Jan 24 : Lake Elmo Clinic on Sat, Marine race on Sunday
Jan 31 : COL weekend (video tape on Sat maybe)
Feb 7 : Mora Weekend (video tape on Sat)
Feb 14 : Last hard training before Birke
Feb 21 : Birke Weekend
Minnesota Winters are short and you have to make the best use of the snow you can.

We had 12 intermediate skaters and 4 coaches so we split into two groups of 6. Steve and Kurt took one group and Jon and John the other. If you come out on these low turnout nights you almost get a private lesson. We skied about half the course to warm up and stopped at the downhill area to work on V2. In past weeks we've concentrated on the "easy recovery V2" Well tonight we worked on a full aggressive V2. With big skate push-offs and long hard polling. Also full commitment to each ski, sticking your head right out over the ski tip. It's good to stress your technique like this at times. The snow was quite slow so it was actually not that stressing to the technique as we didn't get going that fast, but it was hard on the heart and lungs. At the rate we were pushing most people only lasted 100 yards or so. We stressed all the standard V2 pointers. Wide arms, Wrist flicks, Crunch down and rise up on each side. Forward hips. We just did them as hard as we could and while maintaining form. Then to step it up another notch we did it up the downhill slope. With the slow snow that was quite tough. We moved on to a little V1 and played with different turnover rates and trying to keep the skis moving all the time by stepping onto a gliding ski instead of just stomping up the hill. We had them put a little pop into the skate motions on each side as they V1'd A last little impulse with the foot as the weight is shifted keeps the skis moving. It was getting cold so we skated the rest of the course and headed in.

It was a dark and stormy night, on the Como Glacier. The wind was howling, driving the newly-fallen snow into drifts of hard-packed, crusty waves, except where the layer of ice formed such a shield that the snow was blown completely off the surface, making us wish for metal edges as one finds on alpine equipment. The plucky members of our group headed bravely into the west wind, creating our own set of tracks, where the groomers had failed us and the other skiers had dared not go. When the challenge of repeating last week's lesson wore off, we moved to the unknown territory of the Lexington Hills, with the distant sounds of shrieks and wails ringing in our ears. In the distance, we could vaguely discern the shapes of a few other nordic skiers under the lights. But we trudged on in determination to reach the long, steady slopes where we hoped to practice our downhill technique, not knowing exactly where we would find the groomed trail that was rumored to have been set there the day before. Finding none, we instead followed the path of the few other hardy individuals, down the slope over such fiercely slow conditions, that even the tightest tuck failed to elicit more than intermittent glide. Our search for steeper terrain led us to more ice and crust, so after choosing the most likely path to civilization, the gallant leaders split the group, sending the stronger members out ahead to forge a path to the presumably waiting rescue vehicles. Then started the real adventure on the journey home, through ice and craziness of worried drivers.

Kurt's Report on the Como Championships

I thought I'd venture a brief race report on the Como Championships. Eric Nevalainen and I were the only club members in the men's field, I believe. Conditions were very icy with the occasional puddle, believe it or not, because of the warm overnight temperatures. Ben Popp was race director, so with help from Ahvo, John O'Connell and Como's grooming chief, the course was skiable and safe enough for the group. I kept my expectations low because I expected lots of the "big boys" to show up, and there were plenty of skiers who were faster than us. The nominal distance was 10.1km, three laps of an abridged version of the normal 5km course at Como. The 'back bowl' (west of the downhill area) and one of the downhill turns were trimmed from the normal course.

I felt a bit tentative until the final lap when I tried to push the pace a little bit. After the race I knew that I had given it my best effort because I could feel that wheezy rasp a bit in my lungs, and also I had fallen with about 200 meters to the finish line. So, I really follow the advice I give to our club members: 'if you don't fall occasionally you aren't skiing hard enough'.

My time was 34:08 (67th of 86 men). Eric came in at 38:01 and I think he had a good race although last night I believe he said that the icy conditions held him back a bit. I probably wouldn't have raced if the advanced training schedule from Ben Popp hadn't told me that the 27th was a race day. Come to think of it, I think Ben must have planned it that way!

Words from the editor - Shad Holland

This weeks newsletter comes to you from Birchwood, WI. This might explain why it's a bit late...:-). Steve is up here with us for a shortly planned 2 - 3 day ski trip. Yesterday, that would be Friday, we skied the Birkie trail. The trail is tough, but a lot tougher when it's in the single digits and windy. I had on standard sport blue (Fastwax) and glide was okay. mara and I skied about 18 or so K. After the ski, we all went to a hot tub for a couple of hours, then out to eat at the Angry Minnow in Hayward. We have not decided where to ski yet today, but we have a list of options. It will be a bit warmer today at least. Snow conditions are great here in the Hayward/Cable area, make sure you travel up this was and get in some skiing!

Speaking of Hayward, I feel like it's my home away from home. Between mountain biking and XC Skiing, I come up here a lot. This area has great trails for both sports. Also, two major events are held here each year, the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival and the American Birkebeiner. If you have not made it to the Hayward/Cable Area for skiing or mountian biking....make sure and put that on your list of things to do before you die. Okay, how about before 2009 ends?.....that sounds a bit better.