Prairie's Edge Nordic Skiers

 

November 2007 Newsletter

  • A PENS Season Kickoff Event is planned for the afternoon of Sunday, November 18th at Edgewood Golf Course at 1 p.m.  The format will be the same as last year with a ski swap followed by a trail walk/trail cleanup.  We will hold the event rain or shine - in case of rain we will be gathering in the new clubhouse for socializing and gathering ideas for activities for the coming season.  The new clubhouse restaurant Divots will be open, so consider coming early to have lunch.  Let's support this business as it will give us a nice option to relax and gather after skiing this year.  Please bring your trail shoes and any ski gear that you'd like to sell or trade.  We will park on the east side of the parking lot near the new clubhouse and have the ski swap there.  Bring ski poles if you want to a pole hike around the perimeter of the course.  During the walk we will be picking up branches and debris from the trail to make for better ski conditions when the snow comes.  After returning to the parking lot, we will be gathering in the clubhouse for refreshments and more socializing.  This event is for everyone!  There are skiers of all abilities on our email list, and everyone is encouraged to attend.  Meet some new people and find someone to ski with this year while helping improve the conditions on the trail!  We had a good turnout last year and fun was had by all.  Any one with gear to sell is encouraged to "reply to all" with their offerings.
  • On a related note, the old Edgewood Chalet remodeling is complete.  This will continue to be the facility that skiers and sledders will use.  The ski rentals will still be in this building along with a snack bar.  Please note that the management of the new clubhouse discourages patrons from bringing skis, sleds etc. into the new restaurant.  They do encourage you to stop in after your activities for food and drink!
  • Rainbow Resort has some great activities planned for Nov17th.  Here is an itinerary from Amy Xu from Rainbow:

    The Nordic PPP and free Junior Olympic Qualifier program/clinic program are planned for Saturday, Nov. 17.  I hope your club members will be able to join us.

9am-10am: Nordic PPP race registration, transition open, and pre-race meeting

10am-1pm: Nordic PPP race and awards

1pm-2pm: preview of WEST ITASCA NRL/JOQ race Stadium area, 1.5k sprint classic course/warm up loop -- JOQ officials and race course coordinators

2pm-3pm: preview of 5k/10k freestyle course/warm up loop -- JOQ officials and race course coordinators

3pm-7pm: JOQ race officials presentation and volunteer clinic program (snacks, soda/water/coffee, and casual dinner)

The afternoon/evening JOQ clinic program is free and also open to anyone (casual dinner costs $5/person). RSVP to xu.amy@dorsey.com or 612-991-4912, by Nov. 13 is required.

I hope you and the others are able to make it. We are expecting 20-30 people at this point. Thanks.

Amy Xu
Chief Operator for JOQ (MN races)
612-991-4912

Note:  The JO Qualifier races at Rainbow in January will feature top young skiers from the region trying to win spots on the national JO team.  See  www.cxcskiing.org for more info on junior programs in the Midwest.

  • Congratulations to local skiers and PENS members Linda Cooper, John Struchynski and Steve Wenzel for a successful cycling season.  Linda is again challenging for the MN Cycling Federation's B3 Women's Cyclocross Rider of the Year, and John is currently in second place in the A3 Men's Cyclocross category.  If you weren't aware, one of the events in the MNCF's Cyclocross series took place in Moorhead this summer.  Steve won the Men's B1 category of that race and again did well in the Laddie's Loppet Mountain Bike race at Maplelag in September.  See the Great Plains Cycling Club for more information on competitive cycling in the area.
  • Local retailers Scheels and Paramount Sports have their ski gear out, so check them out for some new equipment.  Paramount Sports now has a flat granite slab for testing the flex of skis.  For those of you looking to step beyond casual skiing, the fit of your skis is important for better performance.  Thanks to Paramount for offering this service for their xc ski customers, and for carrying the more performance oriented skate and classic skis in addition to a good selection of recreational skis from Fischer and Rossignal!  Scheels continues to have a selection of recreational skis from Salomon.

·         If you are interested in receiving other XC ski related emails, here are a couple of good ones: 

MiniSkinny Newsletter from Skinnyski.com. 
Sign up for a free account and you'll automatically added to the mailing list.  Go to http://www.skinnyski.com/users/accountadd.asp

SkiPost - We Answer from SkiPost.com 
If you wish to receive SkiPost, email Nordic-subscribe@mailman.montana.com

 

Take Care and hope to see you on the 18th,

 

John Pfund