Upcoming Events

Three Rivers Ski Rennet (Skiwerx Series)

01/19/2019

This is a great event for new racers! Showcasing the man made snow loop at Hyland Lake Park in...

Hoigaards-MYSL Team Sprint Series

01/23/2019

Classic this week! The Minnesota Youth Ski League and Hoigaard's invite you to Theodore Wirth...

Loppet Classic Team Sprints (Skiwerx Series)

01/31/2019

Team Sprint format (classic technique) on Thrusday (Skiwerx Series). Skating (individual) on...

MyXC Festival & Championships

03/02/2019

Our celebration of winter. The Festival events are all day Saturday (including the Fishscale...

K COUNTER TOP 10

Skier	Club	KM
Anders W	Hyland Lake	409.25
Philip L	Hyland Lake	359.84
Max M	Hyland Lake	305
Eli A	Wirth Saturdays	220
Soren W	Wirth Saturdays	206.6
Alexander A	Hyland Lake	176.4
Patrick A	Hyland Lake	175.4
Lukas W	Hyland Lake	134.13
Hyrum L	Bunker Hills	124.9
Caleb C	Tamarack SkiSparks	124

Wirth Youth Ski Club SUNDAYS

Primary tabs

Location

1301 Theodore Wirth Pkwy Trailhead Building

55422-4584 Minneapolis , MN

Phone: 612-604-5330

See map: Google Maps

Minnesota

SundayWirth

Venue Name:

Theodore Wirth Park

Attachment	Size
Wirth Club Skier Guide.pdf	66.51 KB

Registration:

Full

Meets:

Sunday

3:00-4:30pm

Starts:

January 6, 2019 - 3:00pm

Dates:

1/6, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/2

Rentals:

Skiers must have equipment

Membership:

$45

Ski Pass:

Mpls Parks Ski Pass for all skiers

Leader:

Sandy Zinn ,

612-655-1072

Email:

wirth@mysl.org

Welcome to the MYSL at THEODORE WIRTH PARK in MINNEAPOLIS

January 17th Announcement

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe we are approaching our 3rd session already! Thank you to the families that brought snacks last week and to all the volunteers that were out skiing with the kids. I went out and skied around and it wasn't until I was hurrying back to help hand out snacks that I thought to take pictures. I will try to get some this upcoming Sunday. Speaking of pictures, if anyone has a knack for photography and wants to take pictures of the club in action, let me know. It is super fun to see what the kids do during the lessons. I will set up a site for us to share pictures on.

Speaking of fun, I want to bring up the Midwest Junior Championships, which happens the first weekend in March, also our last weekend. This is a really fun ski festival, all for the kids! There are races and fun things to try out like skijoring and paintball biathlon. We would love to see lots of MYSL kids there! Registration is open, so sign up on the Loppet's website here.

Weather alert! This upcoming Sunday is going to be much colder than the past two. The younger kids tend to get colder than the older kids, so we will likely see more kids of all ages coming inside earlier. Remember to dress in layers and that mittens are way warmer than gloves! Check out these cold weather tips here.

Dry boots: Boots need to be dried out near a heat source between uses. They can’t stay in the car or garage.
Wool socks: No poly blends, no cotton. Really. I mean it.
Dry socks: A dry pair of socks needs to be put on right before you put on your boots. This makes a big difference.
No updrafts: Cold hands can often mean your body is too cool. Make sure jackets are not too big and billowy. To stop drafts, stuff jackets into pants, tighten drawstrings or wear a drink belt.
Put on a hat (and a neck gator): We all know we lose a lot of heat through our heads. But making sure your ears and neck are covered is just as important. I’m not sure how we used to survive without neck gators (buffs, muffs, neck warmers), because they seem like a necessity now.
Good gloves: Good ski gloves/mittens are an investment and can only be found at ski retailers, but they are worth it. Keeping track of these should be in your job description. These should not be your child's school playground mittens.
Hand/Foot warmers: I only use these when I have to, but I’m usually very glad I have a few in my pocket for emergencies. These are oxygen activated and you can “turn them off” by putting them in an airtight container (such as a jam jar). I get about three uses out of each pack.
Calories: A skier that is low on calories will have a hard time staying warm. Bringing back up snacks and drinks is always a good idea.

Level 1 skiers - still no poles

Snacks

The following families are assigned to snacks this session, we will have a table in the Trailhead again where you can drop them off. Please bring snacks for about 14 kids each, we don’t want to be short if we can avoid it - it is a total bummer for the kids to come back and not have a snack. This could be 14 granola bars, 14 clementines, bananas, etc. If you bring drinks, please don't bring pop - we try to encourage snacks on the more healthy side. When we have enough, we let the kids have 2 items, as long as one is a fruit or vegetable. MYSL is trying to be more green this year and will encourage families to bring snacks in bulk whenever possible to help cut down on packaging and waste. When we cannot avoid packaging and waste, we will work with the kids to have them put their waste in the appropriate disposal container, including compost, recycling and hopefully the smallest container will be the landfill one.

Fingerlin
Fitzpatrick
Foote
Foster
Friel
Friese
Grant
Grotans
Gustafson
Polk
Srock
Wagner

Bibs - we have a few bibs left, if you didn't get yours yet, please stop by the table.

Ski Pass Best Practices - have you ever noticed how kids lose things sometimes? We had major drama at our house earlier this week over where my son's ski pass had disappeared to. We knew it was in the house, but nobody knew where it was and of course we were trying to leave to go skiing. There is space on the ski pass to write a name and I highly recommend it because if we find a ski pass near the snack table on Sunday, we can get it back to the rightful owner easily! This also works to prevent your child from trying to claim your pass as his or his, instead of keeping track of his or her own.

Lost and Found - There was one pair of gloves left on a table in the Trailhead last Sunday, it was near the table where Padma and Ramdev set up all the snacks (thank you Padma and Ramdev). Those gloves were turned in to the Trailhead Lost and Found because we were not sure if they belonged to somebody with MYSL or to somebody else visiting the Trailhead that day.

I think that is it for now, see you in warm layers on Sunday!

OTHER INFORMATION

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: As we are a club, we expect one parent from each family to participate in some aspect of the club; many of you are coaching, and that is very much appreciated. Keep an eye out for other volunteer opportunities and requests through the weekly emails. Are you one of those super fun people that loves to plan fun parties? If so, we really would love your help planning the end of season party. Yes, I know we just got started, but with a club this size, it is never a bad idea to start early, and to be truthful, planning parties is not a strength of mine. If you are interested in helping to figure out our end of season party, please contact me and we can get a group together to end the season on a fun note for both the kids and their parents!

SMALL CHILDREN: As per MYSL policy, any child not yet in first grade (these are most children in Level 1) MUST have a parent alongside during the entire session (on skis or in boots). Thank you. We encourage parents to ski along with your child in the other levels.

HATS: We will have hats for our brand new members - they will be available where we hand out the bibs and snacks. Replacement hats for returning members are available as well for $15.

OVERFLOW PARKING: If the weather is warm, there can be lots of people at Wirth. There is overflow parking just north of the Trailhead both at the Chalet and just north of the Chalet on the east side of the road.

WEEKLY UPDATE: Look for a weekly e-mail message (Thursday or Friday before each Sunday) with important updates sent to the e-mail address you provided upon registration.

SKIS: It can be difficult to rent skis at Wirth as selection is limited, and you are not guaranteed children's skis each weekend. It is far better (almost a requirement) to bring your own skis, but if you arrive early, you might be able to get skis.

CHALET ATTENDANTS: Even though we aren't using the Chalet any more, we need generally need a couple of parents to volunteer as Chalet attendants each week, but we have it covered this week. For future reference if you can volunteer as a chalet attendant, all you need to do is come in when ski club starts and check in with me at the Trailhead and I (Sandy) will get you set for the day. Basically you will hang out in the Trailhead in case any kids need to come back early (because they are cold, not feeling well, etc. and they don’t have parents around to meet them yet), set up the snacks, and after the skiers head out for their lessons go grab the yellow level markers and put them away. The kids start coming in between 4 and 4:30, sometimes a little later from skiing, so you just want to have the snacks ready around 4 pm. For this first session, I will be your Chalet Attendant. Please let me know what weekend you can help do this - we really need your help.

WATER BOTTLES: Consider whether your older children skiing farther (Levels 5 and 6) should carry a fanny pack with a water bottle.

K-COUNTER: Kids can track their kilometers skied throughout the season to earn kilometer award pins on the K-counter. This is an incentive to get out and ski during our brief winter! We are doing something new this year with the K-counter. This year our coaches will be telling or giving the kids a note with the number of kilometers skied during ski club. Please enter their kilometers from ski club and any they get outside of ski club following the K-counter instructions on MYSL.org.

Sandy Zinn (Club Leader)

Ramdev Wudali (Coach Coordinator)
Katherine Kovarik (Skier Coordinator)

Wirth Sunday SkiSparks is now full. We encourage you to register for one of our other SkiSparks clubs if your first choice is full. SkiSparks clubs are more alike than different. All use the same curriculum and coaching philosophy. Additionally, all clubs in the Twin Cities metro area have been assigned a back-up location at a facility with snowmaking (Hyland, Elm Creek, Wirth or Edina).

Some great alternative clubs with Wirth Sunday:

Edina SkiSparks -- snowmaking!
Irondale SkiSparks -- rental equipment available
St. Anthony Park SkiSparks -- U of M Golf Course
French SkiSparks -- chalet rentals available

General Information

Schedule and location:

The Wirth Club is scheduled to meet on eight Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning Sunday January 6, 2019 and ending Sunday, March 3, 2019 at the new Trailhead Building on Theodore Wirth Parkway (we take February 3rd off for the City of Lakes Loppet). Please plan on arriving early to find parking and to get your skier dressed, equipped and with their group. Your coach would like to start skiing at 3 p.m.! (The parking lot in front of the Trailhead can fill up on nice days; if it does, you can park in the large parking lot by the history Golf Chalet).

After skiing, the kids gather in the Trailhead for a snack. Please plan on volunteering to bring a snack once throughout the season. We will post a snack volunteer sheet in the back room of the Trailhead. Look for your assigned day (roughly alphabetical) and switch with another family if you need to. Ideas for snacks are: granola bars, oranges, bananas, cheese, crackers, juice. Each family should bring enough snacks so that there is one snack per child. (Note that early in the season and on pleasant days more kids will turn out.) If you are in the mood for a larger snack, we encourage everyone to buy food at the snack bar. Thank you!

We typically hold an awards ceremony on the last Sunday session of skiing. Volunteer to help make this a success.

Registration:

Register online on the MYSL Web site or contact our club's Skier Coordinator if you have any questions. To ensure appropriate class size for our volunteer coaches, registration will be on a first come, first serve basis and will close when we reach our limit of 170 skiers. Register early and volunteer to give our kids a great ski season!

Levels 1 through 4 teach the classic technique and Levels 5 and 6 introduce skating. If you are new to MYSL, use the age ranges as a guide when you register; your coach will help place your child in the appropriate level after the first class.

We require that a parent accompany any child not yet in first grade or any beginner in Level 1; this will ensure a great ski experience, and, you will be able to demonstrate how to ski (or how to fall down, as the case may be . . .)

Ski Passes:

All skiers are required to have ski passes to ski at Wirth.

Minneapolis Parks Ski Trails at Columbia Golf Course, Hiawatha Golf Course and Wirth Park are now managed by The Loppet Foundation.

Parents and coaches on skis will also need passes (there is no walking on the trails). These can be purchased here:

http://www.loppet.org/cross-country-skiing/trail-passes/

You will need the:
All Access Trails Season Pass

Q&A:

Q: Is my pass good for skiing at all Minneapolis Ski Trails and at times other than MYSL Club meetings?
A: YES. But you do need to display a pass where ever you are skiing.

Volunteers:

We need you! The Wirth Club is an all-volunteer club. We depend on parents and other volunteers to coach, encourage and help organize our children, and we expect at least one adult volunteer from each family registered. With your participation, we can create a great winter experience for our kids. We need these volunteers:

Coaches: – Coaching is one of the most important and enjoyable ways you can volunteer. While the Club is fortunate to have some of its coaches returning this year, we need more adult coaches to keep our coach-to-skier ratio high. Anyone can coach – you don’t need to be an expert skier to volunteer. MYSL has an excellent week-by-week curriculum, which includes many games on skis. Also, MYSL typically holds training opportunities for new coaches in December. Please contact our Coach Coordinator if you can make this valuable contribution.
Junior Coaches: - In addition, junior coaches have made a real contribution to the Club. If you are a high school skier and would be willing to serve as a junior coach, we need you!
Potluck Coordinator: – Would you like to help plan the end of season potluck? Please contact the club leader.
Parent skiers: – The Club encourages parents to ski with their kids – they love to see you doing the same thing and being able to show you what they can do! We encourage you to ski with your child's level and to help with games and excercises. You may learn how to coach!
Activity Leader - Help prepare a fun (crazy?) activity for the kids to enjoy during the class, such as a treasure hunt, face painting, a destination ski to find a special treat, ski acrobatics, or anything you can think of. A fun activity is a great way to teach skiing without the kids knowing they are being taught.
Photographer - We'd like to capture pictures of our skiers for sharing at our end-of-year potluck. Are you tech-savvy and able to organize a slide show?

Weather:

The Club will cancel skiing if the temperature is forecast to be below -10 degrees F or if the wind chill is forecast to be less than -20 degrees F. The Club may also cancel or change locations if snow conditions are poor. A cancellation or location change announcement will be sent by e-mail to the address provided when you registered. Data point: on January 4, 2015 we held MYSL when the temperature was 1 degree and the wind chill was -20 degrees (gusts forecast to be even lower); it was sunny. We had a good turnuot and no complaints.

Equipment:

All children should have their own ski equipment. Wirth Park does rent classic equipment, but the selection can be limited. If you need equipment or have equipment to sell, check out MYSL's ski swap in November. Make sure your skiers are dressed in layers appropriate for the weather conditions and are fed and hydrated. A dry, warm skier is a happy skier! Older children who will be skiing some distance should carry a water bottle.

Each child will be issued a stylish (i.e., white) MYSL bib on the first day and will be required to wear their bib each session. Bibs immediately identify your child as being with our club and help the coaches learn names. Please do your child a favor right now and think of a clever place to stash his or her bib between sessions so you don't forget it--consider leaving them in your car, in your ski bag, or with ski clothing. Please return bibs on the last day.

Curriculum:

The MYSL curriculum teaches skiing with games using an orderly progression through six distinct levels, Levels 1 through 6. Most all skiers (especially at the lower levels) WILL spend two years in each level, e.g., a beginning skier will spend two years in Level 1 at ages 5 and 6. To progress to the next level a skier must reach specific goals at each level. The curriculum is not designed so that a skier spends only one year in each level. Please familiarize yourself with these levels so that you can be aware of what your skier is working on and so that you can offer encouragement. Your coach can always explain the curriculum and goals to you and offer a recommendation for a suitable level.

Looking forward to another great season, and please contact us with questions or feedback, your Wirth Club leaders,

Katherine Kovarik, katherine.kovarik@gmail.com (Skier Coordinator, registration)

Ramdev Wudali, agastya71@gmail.com (Coach Coordinator)

Sandy Zinn, zinneous@gmail.com (612)-655-1072 (Club Leader)

Club blog posts

CXC Nordic Rocks - Nordic Skiing for for K-6 kids

All Wirth Youth Ski Club SUNDAYS blog posts

K Counter leaderboard

Are you a skier in this club? Click here to log-in to enter your activity into the K Counter.

Skier	Distance (km)
Anders D	67.5
Simon E	17.5
Freya R	16.5
Vera E	16.5
Liesel M	14
Oliver R	11.1
Melia R	6
Aden R	6
Lauren L	5.2

Full K Counter

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