Welcome to the Battle Creek Youth Ski Club!

The 2009-2010 season will be the fourth for the Battle Creek MYSL location.  This club is all about helping kids learn to love the life-long sport of cross-country skiing. 

Schedule and location

Our first meeting will be Saturday, January 2nd, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM.  The remainder of our sessions will be from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM. We will plan on meeting every Saturday in January and February (there are nine meetings).  Our meeting location is the Battle Creek Recreation Center in the warming room, just off of the ice rinks.

Battle Creek Recreation Center - 75 South Winthrop Street (between Upper and Lower Afton Roads, near Hwy 61 and Interstate 94).

Registration

Please register as soon as possible. Go to the Registration link above and register on line, or download and print the registration form, fill it out and mail it in.

Announcements

Please look here for cancellation notices due to bad weather or equipment changes due to a lack of snow.  

Weather and cancellation policy

We will not ski if the air temperature is below -10˚ F, or the wind chill is below -30˚ F, or at the leader's discretion. Cancellations will be posted on this Web page under "Announcements".

Children should be dressed in layers.  A moisture wicking under layer, an insulating layer, and a wind proof layer are typically appropriate.  Please use your discretion noting your child's activity level and the outside temperature/wind chill.  Often a winter jacket and snow pants or a snow suit are too warm once the child gets skiing.

Equipment

All equipment has been rented at this time.

Thanks to a generous grant from REI, we have some great equipment for skiers to use for a nominal fee - $20 for the entire season. This equipment can be taken home and used for family outings.  Please remember we have a limited number of ski packages and sizes. These will be available at the pre-season meeting, see "Announcements".  If you paid for rental equipment on-line but were not able to be outfitted, you will be reimbursed for the fees.  Our rental skis are classic no-wax skis.  We do not have skate ski equipment available on a rental basis.  Children skiing in level 5 or above should have their own skate skis, boots, and pole.  In addition, for children skiing at level 5 or above, waxable classic skis are highly recommended.  Please see the attached sizing spread sheet below for additional information.

Volunteering

This is a volunteer run club.  The success and affordability of this program comes directly from your contributions of time, energy, and talent.  By registering for this club, you are committing to the club's success and are agreeing to volunteer.  Level 1 skiers will need to be accompanied by a parent. Coaching at level 1 is a great way to accompany your child.  We are also in very great need of coaches for all levels 1-6.  Please consider coaching as it is our number one need!  You do not necessarily need to coach at your child's level.

Following are some suggested areas of volunteer service:

Coaching, we really need your help!  If you plan to volunteer as a coach, please contact me ASAP, I would like to talk with you in person.  It would be nice to finalize our coach count so we can be ready for the kids when the snow flies.  I will also get you instructional information for each session and discuss with you training opportunities if desired.

Assistant Coaching/parent tag-a-longs for all levels.

Bib coordinator - making color coordinated level cards with skiers name and inserting them in bib pockets, recording bib number with child's name, and collecting bibs at session's end.

Snack Coordinator - prepare snacks (slice oranges, pour cider, etc.) prior to sessions end and clean up after kids snack.

Assistant Ski Equipment Rental coordinator - assist our head coordinator with distributing equipment, keeping track of who has what, collecting rental fees, and collecting equipment at the end of the season.  

Kilometer board recorder/keeper - create a kilometer board (I can assist with this), bring the board to each session, assist skiers with recording their Kilometers (if needed), and store the board until the next session.

Lead a Special Ski Day - Prepare a fun activity for all the kids to enjoy during our normal ski time.  This could be a treasure hunt, costume party with acrobatic ski events, destination ski to a certain spot on the course with treat at the destination, ... really anything.  Fun activities are a great way to help the kids love skiing without knowing they are actually training.

Organize a Kids or Kids/Adult Ski Race - this would also be a great fund-raiser. 

If you have ideas about how to help kids learn to ski, now is your chance to make it happen.

Contact info

Please email Bonnie Weiskopf at  bonjohnwa@earthlink.net or phone (651) 773-5098

Attachment	Size
Ski Equipment Sizing.xls	121.5 KB
2009-2010 Coaches Sign-up.xls	39 KB