News
February 2012
Posted February 2, 2012
Record Enrollment for Subway Ski S'Cool
Take almost 200 young athletes (a record) from 6 local schools, mix with a liberal dose of fun and snow and what do you get? The Subway Ski S’Cool.
The program was developed to introduce young Kindergarten and Grade 1 kids to the sport. They do a series of weekly lessons with experienced instructors to introduce them to basic ski skills. Each lesson runs for an hour and 15 minutes.
“We have some kids this year who went through the program a year ago and it’s amazing how much they retain, even if they haven’t skied since” noted Sarah Murray, the S’Cool’s manager. “At this early age, the kids easily pick up skills that will be with them for life.”
The school, operated by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, kicked off on February 1, and runs daily for the next three weeks. It’s a great opportunity for kids who have never been exposed to the sport, with top notch instructors plus good quality equipment provided by the ski club all at a nominal cost.
It’s a hectic pace for instructors as well as students, with classes rotating through the club both morning and afternoon.
According to Murray, “It’s tiring, but the kids are having fun and so are we.”
Subway is a long standing sponsor of events and programs at the Whitehorse club. .
January 2012
Posted January 22, 2012
Westerns Wrap Up
To no one’s surprise, Whitehorse skiers garnered a schwack of honours at the Western Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships held in Canmore this past weekend.
The Westerns, part of the Haywood NORAM race series, was structured as a three day “mini-tour”, like an abbreviated Tour de Ski (itself modeled on the Tour de France).
Athletes started off with an individual start classic technique race on Friday, moved to a sprint on Saturday, then finished off the grueling weekend with a free technique race using a pursuit start.
The usual suspects topped the podiums on day 1, with Emily Nishikawa the fastest Open Woman, followed by Dahria Beatty and Janelle Greer, who were first and second in the Junior Women’s category,
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, David Greer, who has been tearing up the trails lately, narrowly missed the podium with a fourth place finish. The race was won by National Team Skier Brent McMurtry, from Calgary’s Foothills club.
And in the Junior Girls race, Holly Bull also pulled down a fourth place finish, one of her best results ever at this level of competition.
On day two, the skiers hit the trails for a free technique sprint competition, 1.2 km for the women, 1.4 km for the men.
This time, it was Janelle Greer topping the list for the Yukon, picking up the gold as the top Junior Woman and in 8th place overall. Emily Nishikawa dropped back in the overall standings with a 5th place in the Open category, and Dahria Beatty was knocked out in the quarter finals. This dropped her into second place overall (behind Greer) in the Junior Women’s competition.
David Greer, not generally a strong sprinter, was also knocked out in the quarter finals, but managed to hang onto 5th place in the overall tour standings. After a disappointing first day, Graham Nishikawa came on strong with a 4th place finish in the sprint, moving him up to 6th overall in the open men’s group.
The final day had the skiers heading off on a free technique distance race, with start times based on their cumulative times from the previous two days, with fastest out first. This makes for exciting racing, with the first across the line the overall winner for the tour.
And exciting racing it was.
Emily Nishikawa, starting the day 15 seconds behind Alysson Marshall, almost closed the gap, but couldn’t quite finish her off, ending the day only 2 seconds behind.
In the Junior Women’s field, Dahria Beatty had a superb final leg, ending up as top Junior for the day, and almost cracking the podium in the Senior category. She was followed closely by Janelle Greer, 2nd overall in the Junior Women’s field.
Graham Nishikawa also had a strong final day, making a charge to move up into second spot overall behind Kevin Sandau, also of the National Ski Team. David Greer dropped back a bit, but held onto a top 10 placing.
Posted January 21, 2012
The Ski Base Flooded By Water Line Break
At about 2:30 p.m. on Friday a water line broke in the Grey Mountain Room at Mt McIntyre Rec Centre, right above The Ski Base. Water poured through the ceiling for about 20 minutes. A city tradesman was on site at the time and luckily heard the alarm and immediately went to check on the lines. The fire department also responded to the alarm. Ski Base staff were able to protect the cash register and most of the inventory, so minimal damage was done.
Canada Games Centre staff responded quickly to help with mopping up water. Thanks to all the city crew and CGC staff who helped out!
There will be some inconvenience today and Sunday, but we are trying to maintain normal services.
Posted January 18, 2012
World Junior Team Selected
Read below for some super coverage on the stellar results achieved by Whitehorse athletes last weekend at Whistler Olympic Park as the top skiers in the country competed for spots on the Canadian team heading off to Turkey next month for the World Junior/U23 Championships.
See the links below:
Cross Country Canada announcement
Posted January 19, 2012
Avalanche Awareness Days 2012 Events for Yukon
Saturday Jan 21 Noon-4pm at the Canada Games Center Avalanche Awareness Displays and Demos Free Companion Rescue Clinic "Come out and learn how you can play safe in the mountains this winter" The Yukon Avalanche Association (YAA) is a non-profit Yukon based society established in 2010. Our primary purpose is to promote avalanche safety and education for winter backcountry users. We are dedicated to developing a self-sustaining avalanche safety capacity in the north.
For more info contact info@yukonavalanche.ca
Posted January 18, 2012
Air North Challenge Ready to Go!
The 2012 version of the Air North Challenge is set to go from February 1 to February 29. There is an extra day to complete the Challenge this year.
There are several categories but the basic idea this year will be to ski all the trails or a portion of the trails at the Whitehorse Nordic Centre. Since the major sponsor is Air North, Yukon's Airline, the categories will follow an aviation theme. The 'Earn Your Wings' category is for skiers 12 and under or adults who are new to skiing at the club. 'Bushpilot' category is for skiers who want to ski all of the trails. The '737' category is for the keen skiers who want to challenge themselves to ski all the trails in two days or less! And the '748' category is for skiers who would prefer to avoid the difficult (black diamond) trails. A new category has been added for snowshoers. The challenge for snowshoers will be to explore the new single track trails near the ski chalet (Mt Mac Rec Centre).
The first prize will be a trip for two on Air North to either Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary! Thanks to Air North, Yukon's Airline!
December 2011
Posted December 14, 2011
Strong Showing for Yukoners at Sovereign Lakes NORAM
A contingent of Yukoners spent the weekend burning up the trails at a pair of season opener NORAM races held at the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Centre, just outside of Vernon B.C.
Showing super early season form, Dahria Beatty and Knute Johnsgaard each hit the podium steps on both days of their races.
First up was a classic technique sprint race; 1.2 km for the women and 1.4 km for the men. Both Beatty and Johnsgaard demonstrated their prowess, each winning silver medals for their efforts in the Junior category. Meanwhile, teammate Janelle Greer narrowly missed the podium with a fourth place finish.
On the senior side, Emily Nishikawa made it to the A final, but was outsprinted by U.S. skier Jessie Diggins, ultimately finishing in 5th position.
In the senior men’s category, top finisher on the Yukon side was Colin Abbott, who was eliminated in the quarter finals, ultimately finishing 13th.
Sunday had the skiers switch gears to a classic technique distance race.
This time, Beatty was golden as she took top honours in the junior women’s 10 km race with a time of 34:38.
Johnsgaard, meanwhile, doubled his medal count for the weekend with another second place finish in the junior men’s 15 km race.
And once again, Janelle Greer narrowly missed the podium, finishing in 4th place.
Back on the senior side, the women’s race was dominated by the strong U/S. contingent, who picked off the top six positions. Emily Nishikawa managed to eke out a 9th placing, the 2nd Canadian in the field.
In the senior men’s category, top Yukoner for the day was David Greer, in 10th position in the strong field.
While his teammates were competing in the first of this season’s NORAM events at home, Graham Nishikawa, the overall NORAM series winner last season, was having a good race in a world cup race in Davos, Switzerland.
Skiing a tough 30 km skate race against the fastest skiers in the world, Nishikawa finished in 34th position, just over 3 minutes out of first position, which was won by Norwegian Peter Northug. Top Canadian for the day was Ivan Babikov, who crossed the line in 7th place.
November 2011
Posted November 25, 2011
Nishikawas Named International Athletes of the Year
Here is link to a great article in the Whitehorse Star about the Nishikawas and their latest honours..
Posted November 25, 2011
Club Members Honoured by Sport Yukon
Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club members made a strong showing at the 2011 Sport Yukon Awards night, held on Thursday evening at the Westmark Hotel
Top honours went to the Nishikawa family, with Graham Nishikawa named International Male Athlete of the Year and Emily Nishikawa named International Female Athlete of the Year. Both Nish’s are on the senior Canadian National Ski Team, and train full time at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
John Parry was awarded the top honours in the National male Athlete of the Year category.
A quartet of skiers received Government of Yukon Awards of Excellence in recognition of podium performances at last year’s Haywood Ski Nationals. Dahria Beatty, Janelle Greer, Kendra Murray and Emily Nishikawa were all presented with plaques for their efforts in representing the Territory on the national scene.
Not forgetting the volunteer side of the house, three club members received Active Member Awards from the ski club.
Erik Blake was honoured as the Club Event Volunteer of the Year for his tireless dedication in multiple events over the past season. Keith Lay was given an award as the Skier of the Year, noting his ubiquitous presence on the trails and his involvement as a volunteer in almost every facet of the club’s operations. And Sue Johnson was honoured as Administrator of the Year, recognizing her critical role over many years in initiating and chairing the club’s Land Tenure Committee (which ultimately led to much stronger zoning protection of the club lands in the recent city OCP) and as a former club president.
Posted November 15, 2011
Yukon Avalanche Association Lecture Series
The Yukon Avalance Association has scheduled a series of public talks. First up is a film screening - A Life Ascending, to be shown November 19 - 7:00 to 10:00 pm @ the Beringia Centre.
For complete schedule, click here..
October 2011
Posted October 30, 2011
Wax & Wine Series Expands
The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club and Coast Mountain Sports have teamed up to present an expanded and revamped Wax & Wine Series over the coming ski season.
In previous years, the focus has been on basic waxing techniques for both recreational skiers and racers. This year, the successful series goes beyond basic waxing with a variety of ski related topics.
First up is a presentation on how to buy skis and boots. “We want to make sure that people have boots and skis that fit and are the best value for their ski dollar. Skiing on the wrong gear can turn a magic day into an exercise in frustration, “ according to Sarah Murray, the ski club’s programs manager. “We want our members to have fun, not frustration.”
Other topics in the series will include yoga for skiing, recovering from sports injuries, and yes, grip and glide waxing basics.
The series kicks off on Wednesday, November 2 at 7:00 pm in the Grey Mountain Room at Mt. McIntyre. Wax & Wines are free and open to all interested skiers. ..
Posted October 19, 2011
Nishikawa Europe Bound
Graham Nishikawa heads off to Europe next month for some world cup action. Read the Whitehorse Star article here.
Posted October 3, 2011
Ski Club Honours Greer
Local athlete Janelle Greer was awarded the prestigious Monique Waterreus Award at the recent Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club Annual General Meeting.
The award is given annually to a junior skier in the club who has excelled at national or international competition, and Greer certainly fits the bill.
Greer represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, hosted in Estonia last season, and held her own against the best in the world. She also had the distinction of being the top Canadian in two separate races during the event.
It was not an easy decision for the ski club board, given the terrific crop of juniors that the club has produced. However, Janelle’s results at the Worlds tipped the balance.
Adding to her impressive international results, Greer partnered with Emily Nishikawa to pick up a gold medal in the Open Women’s team sprint competition at the Haywood Ski Nationals.
Greer, who is a member of the Canadian National Junior Cross Country Ski Team, currently trains full time at the World Cup Academy in Canmore Alberta. ..
September 2011
Posted September 29, 2011
Club Board Re-Elected
The club board for the upcoming season was selected at the September 28th AGM and all of last year's members were re-elected. Tom Ullyett returns as President, Sue Meikle as Vice President, Lorna Hutchinson as Secretary, and Ian Robinson retains the Treasurer's role.
The Directors at large are Anne Kennedy, Pippa Lawson and Craig Thur.
Posted September 28, 2011
Yukon Election - Staking as an Issue
Much of the area the club's trails occupy has been staked. As part of the current election, the club asked the parties about their positions on the issue. The question posed reads as follows:
The Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club trail system sits on YG lands that are open for mineral staking. Mineral exploration or development on these lands has the potential to seriously and adversely affect long-standing and popular recreational use of this area.
The City has asked for this land to be withdrawn from mineral staking. If elected, will your Government remove this area from mineral staking?
Responses received from the parties:
As we head into the election, we urge club members to ask their local candidates about the issue - the more they hear it, the better chance we have of protecting our trail system!
The trail system straddles four separate Whitehorse ridings. Ridings and candidates running in them are:
Copperbelt North: Arthur Mitchell, Currie Dixon, Skeeter Miller-Wright
Mountainview: Darrell Pasloski, Stephen Dunbar-Edge, Dave Sloan
Takhini-Kopper King: Cherish Clarke, Kate White, Samson Hartland
Whitehorse West: Elaine Taylor, Louis Gagnon, Cully Robinson
