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The 2019 ski season has begun and is a great year for all engaged in the EOWSKI! Ski Club. EOWSKI! and MYSL Ski Sparks are fully volunteer led/run programs. Every family is urged to help in some way. Please see below for volunteer information. It is fun and rewarding to be part of this great nordic ski community!
Eowski! SkiSparks every Saturday! The fun has begun! We meet every Saturday throughout the months of Jan. and Feb. for the 2018-2019 ski season. We began Saturday, January 5, 2019 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM at Scenic State Park. ...and there is plenty of fun yet to be had whether you can make it to one or all of the Saturdays! The last EOWSKI! SkiSparks! youth lessons will be on Sat., February 23, 2019.
Ski trail grooming at SSP is achieved via EOWSKI!'s volunteers donating their time, resources & $$$ for all skiers to enjoy the trails. When you donate to EOWSKI!, a State Park Sticker/Pass is not required to ski during EOWSKI!'s ski meet up/MYSL SkiSparks youth lessons on Saturdays, 1-3p, in Jan. & Feb. 2019. If you would like to ski at SSP at any other time of day, or day of week, other than the above stated EOWSKI! ski meet up time/day, you must have a State Park Sticker/Pass in your window. Additionally, if you are age 16 and older, and plan to ski anywhere outside of SSP, please go to your local gas station where hunting licenses are sold or online (via the DNR) and purchase "The Great MN Ski Pass". https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/skipass/index.html The EOWSKI! Ski club trail grooming volunteers work diligently at getting timely grooming reports out as soon as possible to www.skinnyski.com, the DNR/Scenic State Park, Face Book and other sources reporting reliable trail conditions. Get acquainted with these sites and feel free to do your part as skiers and share your experience with a quick/timely report/update of trail conditions after you have been out on any of Minnesota's numerous ski trails. ...your fellow skiers will apprecate you, better knowing where the trails are great and worth driving to! :)
Donations to EOWSKI! can be dropped off at or mailed to The First State Bank of Bigfork, Bigfork, MN (just drive down mainstreet, don't blink, you cant miss it on the north end of town.) PO Box 257 Bigfork, MN 56628-0257 Call FSBBF toll free at 888.606.4397
Announcements
Rent ski equipment from the EOWSKI! fleet by contacting Sarah and making an appt. to meet (hopefully there is something left in your size at this time of year.) Suggested donation is $30/individual or $50/family and the money goes towards grooming trails and club operations. Financial info abt EOWSKI! as a non profit organizations is always available for your review at the First State Bank of Bigfork, Bigfork, MN.
Always check the website, call/text Sarah, 218.387.5012 and email eowski@mysl.org with questions. Cancellations will be posted on this Web page. (There is rarely a time we formally cancel and we never run out of hot cocoa! We will likely ski, even for 15 min/a short bit if skiers want to, as long as the temps are "teens below zero farenheit OR WARMER". If we do need to cancel for safety reasons due to weather/temps, we will do our best to reschedule to a new/additional date.
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 snowsuit are too warm once the child gets skiing unless they are young and in the beginner group.
In addition to ski equip. avail. to lease from the EOWSKI! fleet by contacting Sarah, there is great equipment from MYSL for youth skiers to lease/use for a nominal fee - $35 for the entire season. We recommend you register on MYSL website for MYSL equipment as early as possible in Nov. to ensure you can get MYSL equipment. It is to be taken home and used for family ski outings for the winter. Please remember the MYSL fleet of skis has a limited number of ski packages and sizes, so register ASAP! If you paid online with MYSL to lease/rent equipment for the season, but were not able to be outfitted, you will be REIMBURSED for the fees.
The MYSL fleet and EOWSKI! fleet rental skis are classic, no-wax/"fish scale" skis. We do not have freestyle/skate ski equipment available on a rental basis. Children skiing in level 5 or above should have their own freestyle/skate skis, boots, and poles. Sarah can help you find proper fitting freestyle/skate ski equip. In addition, for children skiing at level 4 or above, waxable classic skis are highly recommended. (Please see "levels and age guidelines" below in bold.)
Registrations will now remain open and on-going throughout the season for MYSL SkiSparks! youth ski lessons happening during the EOWSKI! ski meet up at Scenic State Park on Saturdays, 1-3p this Jan. and Feb. 2019. Register on the main page for MYSL by selecting "Club Membership" and filling in your info. Or contact Sarah and let her know you will register in person on paper at Scenic State Park when you arrive on a Saturday by 12:45p. The fun starts at 1p! We learn to ski with the proven and fun MYSL Ski Sparks cirriculum.
For children who are new to MYSL, assign the child to the lowest skill level that spans their 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.
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
If your child is age 9 or older and you are interested in possibly getting them skate skiing, in additon to the classic skiing we have done at EOWSKI! in past yrs., please talk to Sarah. Many of our EOWSKI! 8-12 yr olds will fall into the "classic only" level of skiing for another season, AND there will be some skiers that are ready to explore the excitement of freestyle/skate skiing THIS winter! Skate skiing requires a specific, freestyle/skate ski type cross country/nordic ski. Please talk with Sarah abt this skate ski possibility for your child.
More about skill levels here: http://mysl.org/skill-levels. Questions about levels? Call/text Sarah and contact us at eowski@mysl.org.
We will be communicating with EOWSKI! SkiSparks families via email. We need valid/working emails (that you check regularly) for all. When you register, please include a contact e-mail address.
MYSL is on Facebook! You can “like” the MYSL page to get general announcements, photos and videos from each of the MYSL clubs.
EOWSKI! will soon have a FB page also. Stay tuned! ...or check FB occasionally and, one day soon, there it will be! (Sarah will happily accept volunteer help to make the EOWSKI! FB page happen sooner than later! Contact her if you could help out in this way!)
Need to contact us? Call/text Sarah 218.387.5012 and email us at eowski@mysl.org
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 an adult. 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. The greatest criteria for being a volunteer coach is a love for being outdoors in the winter and a fun, can-do attitude! Gain skills and confidence to be a volunteer on skis with EOWSKI!'s MYSL Ski Sparks youth by talking with Sarah abt a possible brief inservice/vol coaches training/ski review with her.
We really need your help! Adults and older teens on skis with youth is our biggest need, and is one of the most rewarding ways in which you can help the club. Kids get more out of the program when the "coach"-to-kid ratio is low, and coaches need not be experienced skiers to volunteer. The MYSL program makes it easy for a coach to know what to do. An eight week curriculum has been prepared for every class level and each day's lesson is printed on a card that can be carried in your pocket. The pocket guide also provides many helpful tips and games to keep classes enjoyable and interesting. You do NOT have to be an elite level skier to be a "coach". All you need is a desire to help kids and have fun! Call/text Sarah and contact us at eowski@mysl.org to sign up. Gain skills and confidence to be a volunteer on skis with EOWSKI!'s MYSL Ski Sparks youth by talking with Sarah abt a possible brief inservice/vol. coaches training/ski review with her.
High-school aged skiers age 15+, we need you! We rely heavily on high school volunteers, who are fun, friendly, and in far better shape than most of us. Being a Vol. Jr. Coach with EOWSKI!'s SkiSparks qualifies as a service commitment for NHS and many school's local student vol./service hours. (Bigfork students: Earn Huskie "HOWL" hours!) Think about how great this will look on a college application! Call/text Sarah and contact us at eowski@mysl.org to sign up. Gain skills and confidence to be a volunteer on skis with EOWSKI!'s MYSL Ski Sparks youth by talking with Sarah abt a possible brief inservice/vol. coaches training/ski review with her.
As an assistant coach, you can support a coach by accompanying the group on the trails and helping skiers. If you feel like your skiing level is at the same level as the level your kids are signed up for, you would be a fantastic assistant coach! You are not in charge of the instruction, rather you are there to make sure the kids are safe, have an adult to bring them to the bathroom, and can assist with activities.
If you are a sub coach, you can fill in when a coach isn’t able to make it to EOWSKI's MYSL Ski Sparks lessons during EOWSKI's ski meet up at Scenic State Park.
Call/text Sarah/contact us at eowski@mysl.org to sign up.
Gain skills and confidence to volunteer on skis with EOWSKI!'s MYSL Ski Sparks youth ski lessons by talking with Sarah abt a possible brief inservice/vol coaches training/ski review with her.
Set up sign-up for parents to bring weekly snacks and send reminders. Be available on ski days to help organize and clean up snacks. Call/text Sarah and contact us at eowski@mysl.org to sign up.
Hang out with us on many Saturdays this winter in Jan. and Feb. in the Historic Lodge at Scenic State Park AND on skis, or on foot on snowshoes etc., and take pics and videos with your camera and send them to Sarah to be used for club scrapbook and history making, and possibly on EOWSKI! FB page (with permission first, of course from individuals and their parents.)
