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Welcome to St. Paul Como Park | MYSL Ski Sparks
Our third lesson on January 20th is at Elm Creek Park Reserve from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Please plan to arrive early because parking by the chalet is limited. There is a shuttle bus that runs from the overflow lots. Please prepare for cold weather (wool socks, handwarmers, etc.). Coaches may decide to end classes early if the weather is too cold, so parents should plan on staying nearby. We will ski unless the the windchill goes down to -10 degrees. If we must cancel due to cold weather, we will post a notice here, on facebook, and email families around 8am on Sunday.
Como Registration is Currently Full
We've been helping kids learn the life-long sport of Nordic skiing at Como for over 25 years. We welcome kids ages 4 to 14 and their families. The club is a 100% volunteer effort. We look forward to spending another season with happy skiers having fun in the snow!
Registration for Como SkiSparks is through MYSL. Please go to mysl.org and click "Register Today" to complete the registration for your child and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Our club is expected to fill, so register soon.
Need-based scholarships are available for the registration fee. Please email como@mysl.org to request a scholarship.
Coaching Volunteers Needed
When you sign up your child, please consider being a volunteer coach or assistant coach. If you have already signed up, you can still volunteer by emailing como@mysl.org. You don't have to be an expert skier. We provide each week's curriculum and there is a December 1st coaches training that you can attend.
If you have any background in nordic skiing and enjoy sharing your experience with kids, then you have what it takes to COACH. No coaching experience necessary, we provide training and comprehensive weekly curriculum to follow. Not ready to be responsible for your own group of skiers, but want to help develop the next generation of skiers? You might be a perfect ASSISTANT COACH. You will provide valuable assistance to our skiers while gaining experience and skills as a coach. If you are unable to make a weekly commitment, but are still interested in being involved, please consider signing up to be a SUBSTITUTE COACH that fills in when needed, or a SWEEPER that skis the trails during session to ensure a safe and successful environment for all MYSL participants.If you can fall down and get up, help kids put mittens on, and have fun, you have what it takes!
2019 Schedule and Location
Meet at Como Park Golf Course from 2:00pm - 3:30pm, starting Sunday, January 6, 2019. Classes run for 8 weeks, ending February 24, 2019. We will also celebrate a wonderful season of skiing together at the MyXC Youth Championship and Festival at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis on Saturday, March 2.
In the case of no snow at Como we will move to a snowmaking loop. Our backup facility is Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, and we will shift our meeting time to 3:30-5:00 at this location. We will give you as much notice as possible when we move to Elm Creek.
Curriculum/Levels
Classic ski lessons: Level I: Ages 4-7 (parents ski along with the child), Level 2: 6-8 (parents check in occasionally), Level 3: 7-10, Level 4: 8-12
Skate ski lessons: Level 5: 9-13, Level 6: 11-14
Skill levels are selected or edited in the Household Information section of the club membership process. MYSL’s curriculum teaches skiing with games using an orderly progression through six distinct levels, Levels 1 through 6. If you are new to MYSL, please use the age guide when you register; your coach can provide additional guidance after the first class. For a child new to MYSL, we generally recommend assigning the child to the lowest skill level that spans the child's age as of January 1. If a child has skied at least 10 times, consider advancing them one skill level. It is common for kids to repeat skill levels, so returning families need to choose a skill based on last season’s performance, but still staying within the age ranges. Coaches will assess children at the first meeting, but it is important for parents to accurately assign levels by age during the registration process. Please note that the level, age, and coach/skier ratios will take precedence over buddy requests.
Equipment:
We have no more rental equipment available. If rental equipment is what works best for your family, you can rent equipment from the Como Chalet before each lesson (about $12 in prior years). In the past, however, the Chalet has closed due to poor snow conditions and we have still had lessons.
We encourage you to purchase new or used equipment at the following locations:
Clothing
Make sure to dress in layers. Polypropylene or lightweight wool will keep the moisture off the skin, wear a number of insulating layers for warmth that can be shed as games and skiers heat up. Add something non-absorbent on the outside to cut the wind and minimize sticking snow when we're rolling around. Check out gear at the MYSL Shop. And make sure to bring a water bottle!
Important to Know
Communications
We communicate with Como MYSL families via email and Facebook. We need valid emails for all. When you register please include a contact e-mail address and phone number.
Messages will be sent:
Please contact us with questions or feedback at como@mysl.org.
Adult Lessons
We will again offer adult lessons in cooperation with Endurance United! Sessions are designed for new skiers. Join the experienced EU staff for five sessions to quickly improve your skiing. At the end of the 5 sessions, we invite you to ski along with your kids in their group and support the lead coaches. Each session will have a coach dedicated to skate skiing and classic skiing. These sessions take place at the same place and time the kids are skiing (what could be more convenience than that?). Register through Endurance United.
