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 Wirth Club Skier Guide.pdf | 66.51 KB |
We hope you can join us for the 2017/2018 ski season in the city! The Wirth Club of the MYSL is an all-volunteer club that teaches cross-country skiing to children at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Children ages 4-15 and their parents are welcome, as are other volunteers who share in our goal of generating a love for Nordic skiing in youth and having fun in the snow. Our club welcomes families brand new to skiing as well as dedicated ski families. Our goal is to see smiles out on the trails.
Schedule and location:
The Wirth Club is scheduled to meet on eight Saturdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning Saturday, December 30 and ending Saturday, March 4 with the Midwest Junior Classics, which will have events and activities appropriate for all ages and levels. We meet at the Chalet on Theodore Wirth Parkway every Saturday, but we'll take January 27 off for the City of Lakes Loppet). Wirth is one of the few sites in the metro that has snowmaking, so parking can be tight! 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 Chalet can fill up on nice days; if it does, you can park across the Parkway in the overflow lot or just south on the Parkway near the Loppet Trailhead.)
All skiers and parents will need trail passes this season. Kids registered for MYSL receive a season pass as part of their MYSL registration. This pass is good for all trails at Wirth, Hiawatha, and Columbia Heights Golf Course. Parents must purchase a trail pass directly from the Loppet Foundation (loppet.org). While we understand this adds to the overall cost of MYSL participation, trail fees enable snowmaking at Wirth and help ensure we have a full season, even in the absence of natural snow. (See additional information below under Ski Passes)
After skiing, the kids gather in the Chalet 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 Chalet. 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 session of skiing. We will need volunteers for this too.
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. Register early (for a discount) 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:
Minneapolis Parks Ski Trails at Columbia Golf Course, Hiawatha Golf Course, and Wirth Park are now managed by The Loppet Foundation.
The Loppet will improve snowmaking infrastructure at Wirth and this will mean better skiing throughout the winter (whether your home MYSL Club is at Wirth; or Hiawatha, which will use Wirth as a backup site).
To support the facility, MYSL has partnered with The Loppet to provide discounted trail passes. ALL skiers are required to have ski passes (even young children). You or your child(ren) will not be allowed to ski on the man-made snow without displaying a ski pass.
When you register for your MYSL Club at Wirth or Hiawatha, you have already paid for your skier's discounted pass ($20). You will recieve the skier's pass on the first club meeting date.
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:
Premium Trails Season Pass
Passes are $65 for first in household, and $32.50 for additional household passes through November 30th.
DISCOUNTS: There is a discount through Nov 30! Then prices go up for adult passes ($75/$37.50).
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:
Weather:
The Club will cancel skiing if the temperature is forecast to be below -2 degrees F or if the wind chill is forecast to be less than -10 degrees F. The Club may also cancel or change locations if snow conditions are poor. With Snow making and access to the Chalet we typically have our sessions in almost any conditions. A cancellation will be sent by e-mail (to the address provided when you registered).
Equipment:
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. There are several options for families in search of equipment.
1. MYSL has a limited number of rentals and we try to stock small sizes. Please select the rental option if you would like to rent from the club.
2. Wirth Park does rent classic equipment at the Par-3 building, but the selection can be limited.
3. If you need equipment or have equipment to sell, check out MYSL's ski swap in November.
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 and goals (posted on the MYSL site) 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,
Michael Winikoff, mawinikoff@gmail.com, (Club Leader)
