Welcome to the Battle Creek Youth Ski Club!

The 2011-2012 season will be a great year for the kids at Battle Creek.  The club has partnered with the Sisu Foundation (www.sisuskiers.org) and will have additional resources to help facilitate getting kids out and learning the life-long sport of cross-country skiing. 

Schedule and location

**VENUE CHANGE:  Due to lack of snow, we will be movig to Green Acres Recreation in Lake Elmo (MAP).  They have a great man made loop, some practice areas and a flat loop for the kids.  Buy  your ski passes in big green chalet first.  We will be handing out bibs there too.  At 2:00, we will meet outside the front of the big chalet to get us off and running for the first week, meet coaches etc.  THE COST IS $2/child for a day pass ( $5 per adult if you want to ski too).  They Sell food - so we won't be bringing snacks this week - if you wnat you can buy hot coco there ($1) and other snacks.  See you Sunday.     -Ben

MYSL Battle Creek will meet for 8 Sundays beginning with our first meeting Sunday, January 8th, 2012 from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM at Battle Creek Rec Center in St. Paul (Map HERE).    Our meeting location is the in the warming room, just off of the ice rinks.

Battle Creek Recreation Center Address (Map is linked in just above):75 South Winthrop Street (between Upper and Lower Afton Roads, near Hwy 61 and Interstate 94).

Announcements

A few things to note for our first week (Sunday January 9th):

1. Meet inside the Rec Center at Battle Creek.  We have a small room for snacks and where you can something inside.  However, we are too large a group to meet in the room.  We will have our initial meeting inside the large open space near the center's entrance...then head out for fun.
2. The first week when you arrive- pick up your child's bib.  It will have their name and what group they are in.  Keep the bibs, but make sure to bring them each week..it really helps the coaches.  We will collect them back at the end of the year.
3. We will head outside to stretch and get ready as a big group, then break into our smaller groups.  Once you are done, your group will head back in for a snack. 
4. Adults - please bring a reusable mug/cup for your children to use for drinks - it will really help us reduce waste.    

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

11/30/11: RENTALS ARE SPOKEN FOR UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING AND RENTING AT THE BUNKER HILLS CLUB.

We have some great equipment for skiers to use for a nominal fee - $30 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.   

Registration

Please register as soon as possible. Go to the Registration link above and register on line.

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 Ben Popp