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The Utah Nordic Alliance Volume XXIV No.

Soldier Hollow 10 K classic race by Kurt Dudley Gontrum, Swanson and Nielson battle from the start Grace Humbert leads Easton Boyer up the hill The Gremlins never came to wax my

I finally gave in and looked up the Toko web site recommendation and actually followed it without modification, which I have honestly never done before today!

the toughest part was the final 180 degree hairpin turn to the finish line near the lodge. Kyle Beling zipped around the 10K course in 29:24 for the top spot.

Emma Garrard easily won in 34:17 in the Women s Open over Centurion Roxanne Toly and Anita Merbach. Seventy-four kids participated in the timed portion of this race.

1 The Utah Nordic Alliance Volume XXIV No.3 January 2014 Photos by Dave Hanscom and Kirk Nichols Oldest male Jock Glidden (left) nips oldest female Marit Glenne (right) Wasatch Citizens Series Race #1 December 14, 2013 Soldier Hollow 10 K classic race by Kurt Dudley Gontrum, Swanson and Nielson battle from the start Grace Humbert leads Easton Boyer up the hill The Gremlins never came to wax my skis for the season opening Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series 10K classic race on Saturday December 14. I finally gave in and looked up the Toko web site recommendation and actually followed it without modification, which I have honestly never done before today! The projected bitter cold morning didn t materialize due to the high clouds that moved in to warm the earth and block out the sun, which made the Toko red or Swix extra blue work quite nicely. The Soldier Hollow grooming crew put together a bit more difficult course than I have seen in a while, but the man-made snow was terrific for the 207 racers on the course, where the toughest part was the final 180 degree hairpin turn to the finish line near the lodge. Kyle Beling zipped around the 10K course in 29:24 for the top spot. He was followed by Karsten Hokanson and Henry Gorman who were 15 and 33 seconds back, respectively, in the Men s Open division. Emma Garrard easily won in 34:17 in the Women s Open over Centurion Roxanne Toly and Anita Merbach. Seventy-four kids participated in the timed portion of this race. The boy s age group winners were Fischer Heimburger, Noah Putt, and Ben Slawson, who got by Keenan Peters and Felix Firth on the dicey finishing corner. The girl s age group winners are Brenna Egan, Leah Lange, Savanah Fassio, Sabine Wilson, and Grace Swanson. The oldest age group racers of the day were Marit Glenne and Jock Glidden. The novice men s and women s champs were Adam Brown and Andrea Putt. We had a great lunch provided by Dr. Kelly Milligan and the MidValley Animal Clinic. Wild Rose Sports was the race day sponsor providing prizes and support, and the WCS volunteers did another stellar job before, during and after the race. continued on page 6

TUNA NEWS Editor s Note I looked back at my comments last month as the snow was falling outside my window, and I wondered if we were going to have a real winter or one of those flash in the pan

2 TUNA NEWS Editor s Note I looked back at my comments last month as the snow was falling outside my window, and I wondered if we were going to have a real winter or one of those flash in the pan November storms with a dry snowless December. As I pen this note all I see is white and we know how bitter cold it has been so far this month. Skiing has been great and my first tours in the Uintas started in mid-november with White Pine being open a week before Thanksgiving. This sure beats the last few years and we were even able to hold the TUNA Relay on its originally scheduled date, a first in the last six years! The winter season is going to be jam-packed with races. December has four races, two WCS races, the TUNA Relay, and the World Cup Nordic Combined opener. January has a race every weekend plus 10 days of the US Nationals. You get the picture, this is the year the Nordic World descends on Utah. And let s not forget the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics an event that will bring back many great memories from 2002 and what the Salt Lake Games gave to the Utah Nordic community. I have been thinking a lot about our Nordic community in Utah, what it means, where it came from, and how it is evolving. We live in a place where the Nordic community is strong, but I also think it is still evolving and could be stronger. I have decided that one of our biggest problems with developing a really strong Nordic community, the kind of community that continually produces the top Nordic talent in the country, is that Utah just has too many great skiing opportunities! By that I mean, if you live in the Northeast, Midwest, and even to some extent California and the Northwest, you just don t have the opportunity to pick the kind of skiing you want to do. In Utah, we somewhat cavalierly choose between powder skiing, track skiing, lift skiing, backcountry skiing, skating snowmobile roads, the list is almost endless. And so I think we lose focus because we can just ski in whatever snow or manner we want whenever we want. A wealth of riches but one that makes it hard for the community to coalesce and build the kind of infrastructure for producing Olympic Nordic athletes. Don t get me wrong, I wouldn t have it any other way, and I live in Utah because of the skiing but I do think it makes it harder to build the community in ways that other places in the country don t face. I don t have any answers here, just some thoughts as I worked to put together the profile on Wendy Wagner s Olympic career. So give this some thought as you enjoy the fantastic skiing this winter is starting off with, not that you won t see me powder skiing! Enjoy the skiing and I hope to see you on the trails. Bill PS You will also note that Jock s poem from the November issue is reprinted again. I goofed and cut off a couple of stanzas so I wanted to make things right. Jock was very gracious in pointing out my ineptitude. JANUARY 2014 Contents Wasatch Citizens Series Race #1.... by Kurt Dudley...1 Nordic News... by Dave Hanscom...3 WCS Race #1 Results...4 Wendy Wagner Then and Now... by Debbie Wagner...8 Mt Dell Update... by Chris Magerl TUNA Relay.... by Richard Hodges White Pine/TUNA Relay Results Efficient Skating Technique: Ski Faster Than Your Age.... by Barry Makarewicz First of Season: Training and Racing in West Yellowstone.... by Kirk Nichols Friends Together... by Jock Glidden The Life of a Bib... by Kathy Dudley TUNA Comp and Junior Comp Update.... by Matt Johnson Park City Nordic... by Gordon Lange Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy Race Team Update... by Bill Hokanson Southern Utah Nordic Report.... by Dave Uherka The Other Side of the Story... by Tanja Kari FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup Opener... by Bill Stenquist NationalAbility Center Proves Nordic Skiing is for Everyone... by Claire Wiley Ogden Nordic is Open and Skiing is Great! by Trish Painter Back of the Pack.... by David Susong The Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA) is a nonprofit organization which supports Nordic skiing in all its forms in the state of Utah. The club offers its members discounts on equipment and ski passes at participating local merchants, as well as discounts on races and social events. Members also receive TUNA News which is published six times a year. Annual membership runs July 1 thru June Officers President Richard Hodges secretary Donna Wahoff-Stice...dwstice@gmail.com treasurer Lori Gates OTHER Directors Greg Adams Tom Bonacci Lisa Bruns Cassie Dippo Mark Keeney Chris Magerl Jesse Stewart Eric Swanson Ogden nordic board representative Richard Schneider Advisor & WCS Director Dave Hanscom Advisor & JOQ Director David Susong Advisor Tim Metos Head Coach & Junior Program Director Matt Johnson Junior Parent Liason Lucy Jacob-Nichols TUNA News Editor Bill Stenquist bstenquist4@gmail.com TUNA News departments Back of the Pack David Susong Membership...Lisa Bruns Mountain Dell... Chris Magerl Nordic Scene...Dave Hanscom Race Photographer...Gary Fladmoe Social...Donna Wahoff-Stice Yurt... Greg Adams Design & Advertising Suzi Elmore suzi@suzielmore.com Go to and click on ADVERTISING for rates and deadlines. Articles, race listings, photographs and artwork are welcome, but TUNA News assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. www. utahnordic.com twitter:@utah Nordic TUNA News, PO Box 9008 Salt Lake City, UT page 2 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE nordic news January 2014 by Dave Hanscom After shoveling snow at White Pine several days in a row over Thanksgiving weekend to try to keep the skiing alive, it was really

We were able to race on the first two Saturdays in December for the first time in many years. Yahoo! Last month I noted several TUNA juniors whose performance off the snow deserved mention.

3 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE nordic news January 2014 by Dave Hanscom After shoveling snow at White Pine several days in a row over Thanksgiving weekend to try to keep the skiing alive, it was really discouraging to see most of it melt that Sunday afternoon. But the storm that arrived two days later was enough to ensure a real start to Utah s cross country ski season. We were able to race on the first two Saturdays in December for the first time in many years. Yahoo! Last month I noted several TUNA juniors whose performance off the snow deserved mention. Since then I ve learned of others. Brenna Egan, for example, placed third in the Utah High School Mountain Biking Championship this fall. Her win in the first Wasatch Citizens Series race is indicative of the strength and endurance she gained over the summer. Kudos also go to running back Michael Kearns, who contributed a touchdown to Judge Memorial s Utah State 3A Football Championship. Offensive coordinator for that team was our own Wasatch Centurion Ray Groth. Ray was a football standout at the University of Utah back in the Dark Ages and was good enough to be drafted into the NFL. He decided to become a coach instead, and had great success over a career that extended more than four decades. Although some of his teams were in championship games, he lacked the big win. This year he finally got it. Congratulations Michael and Ray. Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series Further research has produced a few more Wasatch Citizens Series results from the early 80 s. I now have definitive proof that Steve Swanson and Bob Irvine are Wasatch Centurions. Ten people received plaques at our first race at Soldier Hollow commemorating their participation in at least 100 WCS events. Ann Page remains at 96, with Barry Makarewicz and Todd Henneman tied at 90. Scheduling constraints resulted in having the third and fourth WCS races on consecutive Saturdays in January. The first of those will be a 10K classic event at Mountain Dell on January 18. Registration will be downstairs in the golf shop between 8:30 and 9:30. The youngest juniors and sit skiers start at 10:00, and others ski at about 10:20. No lunch will be served. Scheels is our local race sponsor at Mountain Dell and will add a bunch of drawing prizes to our already overflowing table. Our plan is to hand out the participation prizes to season pass holders at this race. Remember that there is no access to inside (i.e., warm) toilets up there, so you might want to take care of such issues before you leave home. On the following Saturday we ll return to Soldier Hollow for a 10K skate. Registration and lunch (compliments of Brett Kassing at Nate Wade Subaru) will be in the day lodge, but the start/finish will be in the stadium. Schedule for the day is the same as at Mountain Dell. Local race sponsor is REI. Other January Events As mentioned last month, the US Senior National Championships will be hosted by Soldier Hollow during the first week in January, so there are no local events for us mere mortals. If you re not interested in watching the best skiers in the country vie for slots on the US Olympic Team that will head for Sochi, Russia, the following month, this might be a good time for you to try the Potato Cup, near Pocatello, which is scheduled for January 4. It s a 10 or 20 km pursuit, so you ll need both skate and classic skis. On January 11, the Teton Ridge Classic will take place in the nicely rolling terrain in the foothills west of the Tetons near Driggs, ID. The course is planned to be the same as last year, with the extra loop to make it a 15/30 kilometer race. This is the best classic event in the Intermountain West. Wild Rose Fun Races start on January 8, and continue for the following three Wednesday evenings. Register in the Mountain Dell parking lot at 4:30 pm, and be ready to ski at 4:45. Call Tim Metos at Wild Rose for more information. f Wasatch Centurions David Wagner, Kurt Dudley, Steve Swanson, Rich Groth, Bill Stenquist, Roxanne Toly, and Debbie Wagner January 2014 page 3

4 TUNA NEWS Smartwool Wasatch Citzens Series Soldier Hollow Wasatch Citizens Race #1 Classical Midway, Utah December 14, 2013 Place Bib Name Time Place Bib Name Time Place Bib Name Time Place Bib Name Time Class: MO - Male Open 10.0 km BELING, Kyle...29: HOKANSON, Karsten...29: GORMAN, Henry...29: SEIDEL, Thomas...30: MAKAREWICZ, Barry...30: WILBRECHT, Riis...30: GRODNER, Ben...30: GUINEY, Daniel...30: CLARK, Paul...31: TRAVIS, Jason...32: DRESSEN, Rich...33: KNOOP, Dave...35: HAGEMAN, Todd...35: HUMBERT, Chris...35:19.9 Class: M25 - Male km STEWART, Matthew...36:45.1 Class: M35 - Male km CROUCH, Andre...44: WEIGEL, Jim...46:33.0 Class: M40 - Male km WILSON, Isaac...33: DAVIDSON, Chris...38: SANTORO, Jonathan...42: MARTIN, Cary...43: GREEN, Ryan...44: SILVERMAN, Howard...45:13.9 Class: M45 - Male km LAZZARONI, Robert...34: ANDERSON, Randy...35: KEENEY, Mark...35: SWANSON, Eric...35: GONTRUM, David...37: BELING, Stuart...38: PALMER-LEGER, Ron...39: NIELSON, Scott...44: SLAWSON, Matt...46: JOHANSSON, Hanz...47:18.4 Class: M50 - Male km MINNEMA, Jeff...36: DEBLIEUX, Don...37: WEGLARZ, Michael...37: MAGERL, Chris...38: RICHARDSON, Jerry...38: COLGAN, Gary...39: BRUNS, David...39: LANG, Rob...40: KELM, Brian...42: EGAN, Michael...42: PUTT, Patrick...43: MYSHRALL, Art...45: LOWELL, Dan...45: BURNETT, Rick...45: BELL, Steve...46: PALOMAKI, Ted...47: BRAY, Daniel...47: GILLETTE, Kory...48: ADAMS, Greg...51: KEARNS, Jim...53:47.6 Class: M55 - Male km HENNEMAN, Todd...37: EVANS, Steve...37: BONACCI, Tom...38: ARMSTRONG, Don...40: WOLFE, Sam...42: GRODNER, Mike...44: ROGALSKI, Rob...45: WILBOURNE, Preston...45: BERRY, Mike...48: WILLIAMS, Craig...49: PALMACCI, Jed...51: HUBER, Dean...56:20.4 Class: M60 - Male km NOAKER, Tom...36: MCEWEN, Patrick...40: ENGLISH, Patrick...43: STENQUIST, Bill...43: STICE, David...45: DUDLEY, Kurt...48: TIETZE, Chris...49:41.0 Class: M65 - Male km FICHTER, Gary...53: SOUTHWICK, Jim...53:34.1 Class: M70 - Male km OLSEN, Noel...25: HANSCOM, Dave...26: SWANSON, Steve...27: WAGNER, David...28: GLIDDEN, Jock...30: GROTH, Richard...38:14.5 Class: MN - Male Novice 5.3 km BROWN, Adam...22: FASSIO, John...23: GULDNER, John...27: ANDERSON, Scott...30: SEBESTA, Sean...30: NICHOLS, Kirk...30: BRIDGE, John...31: BARRICK, John...31: WEIGHT, Gary...34: YIH, Benny...36: ALM, Brent...58:13.2 Class: MU18 - Male km HEIMBURGER, Fischer...31: NICHOLS, William...31: ADAMS, Luke...33: MACFARLANE, Caden...35:10.1 Class: MU16 - Male km PUTT, Noah...17: PALMER-LEGER, Drew...18: BURKEMO, Xander...18: BELING, Karsten...18: BATTLE, Wilson...19: PATTEN, Connor...19: CHENEY-SEYMOUR, Lauchlan.19: BEHRENS, Matthew...20: LOBELL, Noah...22: BROSNAHAN, Spencer...22: ALM, Kyler...56:30.2 Class: MU14 - Male km SLAWSON, Ben...11: FIRTH, Felix...11: PETERS, Keenan...11: HOEFLER, Tate...11: JACKSON, Joseph...11: BONACCI, Vincent...11: RASMUSSEN, Aiden...12: BURNETT, Cole...13: HEIMBURGER, Mason...13: MYSHRALL, Lane...14: SILVERMAN, Henry...14: LIVINGSTONE, Joshua...14: CHAMBERLAIN, Logan...16:51.5 Class: MU12 - Male km 1 3 BONACCI, Joseph...11: WALLIS, Liam...11: CHENEY-SEYMOUR, Colter..11: CHAMBERLAIN, Reed...13: SULLIVAN, Andrew...13: MARTIN, Ian...14: MORNINGSTAR, Benjamin...21:22.8 Class: MU10 - Male km 1 22 BOYER, Easton...12: ALM, Karter...22:13.8 Class: MJN - Male Junior Novice 4 FASSIO, Lucas... NO TIME Class: FO - Female Open 10.0 km GARRARD, Emma...34: TOLY, Roxanne...38: MERBACH, Anita...39: SANTORO, Jen...42:59.3 Class: F18 - Female km WEIGHT, Maurissa...44: MERRITT, Taylor...57:18.5 Class: F30 - Female km COOKLER, Sarah...40: HEZEL, Suzanne...46: COX, Anna...48:30.6 Class: F40 - Female km WILSON, Dodi...49: KEENEY, Caroline...50: ROLLO, Jeannie...56:02.2 Class: F45 - Female km BRUNS, Lisa...48: SLAWSON, Kira...56:11.0 Class: F50 - Female km HOWAT, Laura...42: BELL, Kristen...44: LYNCH, Bev...44: DEJONG, Linda...51: PALOMAKI, Mickey... 1:15:37.3 Class: F55 - Female km BURNS, Giggi...45: WHETSTONE, Kirsten...50: HAZELWOOD, Kanda...50: GUINEY, Julie...58:12.9 Class: F60 - Female km WAGNER, Deborah...46: SCHWANDT, Cyndi...55:32.4 Class: F65 - Female km FICHTER, Nancy...56:21.6 Class: F70 - Female km GLENNE, Marit...30:54.7 Class: FN - Female Novice 5.3 km PUTT, Andrea...29: RASMUSSEN, Joanne...30: RICHARDSON, Angie...30: WITTE, Sonia...31: STROHL, Stephanie...33: LIVINGSTONE, Tricia...33: ENOS, Brenda...34: BURROWS, Cynthia...35: BLACKHAM, Rachel...35: SOUTHWICK, Angela...36: BURNETT, Diana...40: O `HARA, Lori...41: DEHONEY, Sarah...46:14.6 Class: FU18 - Female km EGAN, Brenna...35: LAZZARONI, Julia...36: ADAMS, Lindsey...40: RICHARDS, Lindsay...42: TAYLER, Bronwyn...43: JACKSON, Lauren...49:47.0 Class: FU16 - Female km LANGE, Leah...18: PALMER-LEGER, Sydney...19: MORGAN, Madison...20: LEGER-REDEL, Sienna...20: BONACCI, Katy...20: RASMUSSEN, Jenae...21: STROHL, Lydia...21: ENOS, Sierra...22: NORTON, Ingrid...22: STROHL, Mary...23: RICHARDS, Grace...23:38.6 Class: FU14 - Female km FASSIO, Savanna...12: FRANCIS, Elise...13: MORGAN, Sarah...13: LEGER-REDEL, Mila...13: KUCHERAK, Tracy...13: SWANSON, Abby...14: HUMBERT, Geneva...14: FARRA, Lina...14: MISCHO, Morgan...14: YOUNG, Kate...16: OLSON, Victoria...16:46.0 Class: FU12 - Female km 1 6 WILSON, Sabine...11: BURKEMO, Sophia...12: LIVINGSTONE, Sara...13: PETERS, Tory...13: KEENEY, Quinn...15: ANDERSEN, Ellie...16:38.7 Class: FU10 - Female km SWANSON, Grace...8: HUMBERT, Grace...9: FRANCIS, Amie...17:48.0 Class: FJN - Female Junior Novice 12 KEENEY, Eden... NO TIME page 4 January 2014

5 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Presents Mountain Trail s Round Valley Roundup! February 15, 2014 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN, VISIT ATHLETE360.COM (SEARCH: ROUND VALLEY ROUNDUP) Online retailer of premium outdoor gear, backcountry.com, is now the title sponsor of the Round Valley Roundup. The event produced by the Mountain Trails Foundation, is a community based Nordic ski event for skiers of all level and registration is now open online. racers a great challenge, and lifestyle skiers a tick on the bucket list. The race will be one or two laps (depending on your distance), easy uphill grades, fun downhills, and totally spectator friendly. Elevation change in one lap is approx. 1,200 feet with no single hill exceeding 200 feet of gain. REGISTER NOW! JUPITER PEAK STEEPLECHASE...AUGUST 2, 2014 PARK CITY MARATHON...AUGUST 16, 2014 MID MOUNTAIN MARATHON...SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! January 2014 page 5

TUNA NEWS continued from page 1 Dave Hanscom gave out the Wasatch Citizen Series

Schroeder, Steve Swanson, Debbie and Dave Wagner, Bill Stenquist, and Bob Irvine.

The importance of Dave Hanscom cannot be overstated.

support, friendship to hundreds, if not thousands of participants, caring for all

Dave has laid the groundwork for us to have the best citizen race series in this

The course was in great shape thanks to Howard, Petie, and all the groomers at

They worked very late into the night on Friday to prepare the course for us on

6 TUNA NEWS continued from page 1 Dave Hanscom gave out the Wasatch Citizen Series Centurion award plaques for the individuals who have completed more than 100 WCS races over the past 30+ years. The list includes Rich Groth, younger brother Ray, Kurt Dudley, Roxanne Toly, Bruce Schroeder, Steve Swanson, Debbie and Dave Wagner, Bill Stenquist, and Bob Irvine. Ann Page is almost there, as well. The importance of Dave Hanscom cannot be overstated. He has provided the passion, organizational backbone, encouragement, emotional support, friendship to hundreds, if not thousands of participants, caring for all with more grace and humility than anyone I know. Dave has laid the groundwork for us to have the best citizen race series in this country, if not this part of the world. The course was in great shape thanks to Howard, Petie, and all the groomers at Soldier Hollow. They worked very late into the night on Friday to prepare the course for us on Saturday morning. Keep skiing and pray for more snow down low and up high. In fact, just pray for snow everywhere! f Chris Magerl survives the last corner Senior women pole out of the start Winners Noah Putt and Leah Lange lead from the start Photos by Dave Hanscom and Kirk Nichols Tory Peters beats Easton Boyer to the line Henry Gorman strides by the novices Barry Makarewicz chases Ben Grodner up the last hill Sabine Wilson duels Joseph Bonacci all the way Jason Travis sprints over the top Emma Garrard shows winning form page 6 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Liam Wallis goes down at the

the gift of gear envy (It s the thought that counts!

Andrea Putt poles to the finish Make them jealous while

Swix, Rossignol, Toko, V-2 and many others, plus have

have tested and developed for over two decades.

com Chris Davidson crosses the line Pat McEwen cruises

7 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Liam Wallis goes down at the finish The skirt lady - Sophia Burkemo give your friends the gift of gear envy (It s the thought that counts!!) Isaac Wilson chalks up another victory Novice winner Andrea Putt poles to the finish Make them jealous while gratuitously rewarding yourself with the gear you really want (maybe even deserve). We stock racing gear from Atomic, Fischer, Salomon, Swix, Rossignol, Toko, V-2 and many others, plus have proven flex evaluation and stone grinding programs we have tested and developed for over two decades. Check us out online at Chris Davidson crosses the line Pat McEwen cruises into the last turn 702 Third Avenue Salt Lake City Visit our website January 2014 page 7

TUNA NEWS Wendy Wagner Then and Now by Debbie Wagner Wendy has taken her love of snow and adventure full circle, from the early Wasatch Citizen Series races as a youngster to the steep slopes of the

Ken McCarthy and Steve Erickson transferred the strength, balance and self-discipline she learned in the gym to skinny skis, honing her technique and sending her off to Jr. Olympics when she was 12.

The crown jewel was skiing in the 2002 Olympic Games at our very own Soldier Hollow, in front of family and friends, who had supported her, and validated years of over 650 hours each year of

She and teammate Kikkan Randall were honored to be the first-ever American team to finish Top 10 in the sprint relay at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy in 2006.

She has an outstanding personality, a strong will, and a great sense of sportsmanship, said then head coach Eli Brown. Besides being a solid character and two-time Olympian, she is also a local.

Mentoring with the Utah Avalanche Center and a Master s degree in atmospheric science, with an emphasis on snow science and mountain weather, led to Wendy s current dream job in 2010.

8 TUNA NEWS Wendy Wagner Then and Now by Debbie Wagner Wendy has taken her love of snow and adventure full circle, from the early Wasatch Citizen Series races as a youngster to the steep slopes of the Chugach Range in Alaska, where she now works as an avalanche forecaster. Her journey began somewhat assiduously with eight years of gymnastics. Ken McCarthy and Steve Erickson transferred the strength, balance and self-discipline she learned in the gym to skinny skis, honing her technique and sending her off to Jr. Olympics when she was 12. High school, college (St. Lawrence University/Western States College), and competitive skiing followed, with an invitation to join the US Ski Team in The crown jewel was skiing in the 2002 Olympic Games at our very own Soldier Hollow, in front of family and friends, who had supported her, and validated years of over 650 hours each year of strenuous training.. Placing 23 rd in the 30k classic race was her top finish at the 2002 Olympics. She and teammate Kikkan Randall were honored to be the first-ever American team to finish Top 10 in the sprint relay at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy in And this after she had been cut from the US Cross Country team early in 2005! Wendy went straight from nine years of international racing to coaching the Nordic team at the University of Utah. She has an outstanding personality, a strong will, and a great sense of sportsmanship, said then head coach Eli Brown. Besides being a solid character and two-time Olympian, she is also a local. Having Wendy on board will be great for our program. She enjoyed that position immensely, and was proud of the team s 3 rd place podium finish at NCAA s in Mentoring with the Utah Avalanche Center and a Master s degree in atmospheric science, with an emphasis on snow science and mountain weather, led to Wendy s current dream job in She loves forecasting and skiing the Alaska backcountry in the Turnagain Pass area, checking out snow conditions and helping to provide information to help keep the backcountry recreationalists safe. Her spare time? Summers spent biking and climbing in southern Utah, and winters perfecting her ski and snowmachine powder skills. And geeking out over snow grains! Editor s Note: I asked Debbie Wagner to write some comments about her daughter Wendy s Olympic experience but thought I might add some of my own thoughts, since I have known the Wagners for a very long time. The first time I remember seeing Wendy Wagner on skis was at a Wasatch Citizens Series race held on very marginal snow up on Bonanza Flat above Park City in the mid-80s. It was one of those low snow years, and the only place that had any snow to set track was Bonanza Flat, and the race was classical. (Yes, there was a time when all WCS races were classical!) I had invited an old buddy of mine to try out ski racing, and after Wendy totally smoked him, he fumed off and told me that cross-country ski racing was not his thing. He never raced again, and Wendy went on to the Olympics. Wendy is TUNA s homegrown hero. I am sure I speak for all the old time TUNA members who watched Wendy compete and become faster every year in not only the Wasatch Citizens Series, but also at the national level races, Boulder Mountain Tour, Yellowstone Rendezvous, the Birkie, etc. When Wendy was maturing on the national scene, the Nordic community in Utah was still developing. Salt Lake was talking about bidding for the Winter Olympics, there weren t many places to cross-country ski, and the Nordic culture wasn t very strong. To compete on the national level required both a skill-set and mindset that we really didn t have when Wendy was growing up. So for her to achieve what she did, the drive and perservance she demonstrated over many long years, is even more impressive. In 1999, Wendy moved to Anchorage, AK to train with Nina Kemppel, the top US woman Nordic skier of her day with a record 15 National titles, and the budding Alaska Pacific University Nordic program. A couple years later the US Team restructured its Nordic program and Wendy was cut from the team. She lived with the parents of her college roommate, Amy Crawford, and continued to prepare for the upcoming 2002 Olympics. Wendy worked her way back onto the US team with her own money, and a hell of a lot of determination. Nina s comments about Wendy: Wendy gets my page 8 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE award for someone who has worked the hardest and overcome a lot of obstacles. She has more talent than people in the community give her credit for. She clawed her way up.

Cross country skiing has never gotten much respect in the United States.

After all, watching a Lindsey Vonn blow down Birds of Prey in a couple of minutes is a lot more exciting than 30 minutes of skiers going up and down hills and through the woods (at least to the

If she was going to compete and have any chance of being in Torino, she was going to have to do it alone and on her own dime.

9 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE award for someone who has worked the hardest and overcome a lot of obstacles. She has more talent than people in the community give her credit for. She clawed her way up. And, as we know, she made that 2002 Olympic team, and her TUNA friends and family got to see her in action right here at Soldier Hollow. Cross country skiing has never gotten much respect in the United States. Resources for ski racing were mostly allocated to the alpine teams, which had earned more respect and also were worth a lot more money for television advertising. After all, watching a Lindsey Vonn blow down Birds of Prey in a couple of minutes is a lot more exciting than 30 minutes of skiers going up and down hills and through the woods (at least to the American public). So when the US Cross Country team had to tighten its belt hard in 2005 prior to Torino, Wendy was again cut from the team. If she was going to compete and have any chance of being in Torino, she was going to have to do it alone and on her own dime. So with help from TUNA, and a lot of her friends, and her parents, Wendy put in a herculean effort so that she could make the 2006 Olympic team and compete again on the Olympic stage. She never gave up her dream. With the support of family and friends, she worked, skimped, saved, and did whatever so that she could train and travel and compete at the highest level in Nordic skiing twice. Again, she made the team and went to the Torino Games. Wendy s international Nordic career could be characterized as fighting back after setbacks that would have caused most others to move on. Wendy never gave up on herself. She knew that there would be no fame or fortune for all her work, but she truly loved cross country skiing, and I think she also believed in herself and would not quit until she knew she had given ski racing everything she could. It s been an inspiration to watch Wendy from that day she beat my friend up on Bonanza Flat to when she became a twotime Olympian. f January 2014 page 9

TUNA NEWS Winter Days, photos by Gary Fladmoe Mt Dell Update by Chris Magerl Walk SR65 Lights Jackets Do Not Enter Coupon Booklets Greeters Seven dollars?

Saves you the trouble of putting cash in the fee post and saves us the trouble of counting it. Last year we groomed 86 days. We do think this is a good value for a $55 season pass.

Easy and convenient for you and for us. Get yours at Wild Rose or from the greeters on weekends at Mountain Dell. It has been a great start to the ski season at Mountain Dell.

We have hit it every day since December 3. Once again we have the finest, most experienced and most dedicated crew of volunteer groomers you could hope for.

Their work is very hard, done after dark and often in harsh conditions, but the pride in the product should be obvious. The groomers are sporting new work coats this year courtesy of Wolverine.

A big thanks to Wolverine for their support of our volunteer crew. A few course safety reminders.

10 TUNA NEWS Winter Days, photos by Gary Fladmoe Mt Dell Update by Chris Magerl Walk SR65 Lights Jackets Do Not Enter Coupon Booklets Greeters Seven dollars? Yeah, it is not very convenient for us, either. But we have raised the Mountain Dell day fee this year for the first time in at least seven years. We really hope you will purchase a season pass. Saves you the trouble of putting cash in the fee post and saves us the trouble of counting it. Last year we groomed 86 days. We do think this is a good value for a $55 season pass. If you aren t up for purchasing a pass but don t want to stuff the fee post with a bunch of Georges, consider taking advantage of our new coupon book. For $20 you can purchase four day passes. Easy and convenient for you and for us. Get yours at Wild Rose or from the greeters on weekends at Mountain Dell. It has been a great start to the ski season at Mountain Dell. We returned from an outstanding Fall Camp in West Yellowstone (could it have been any better? Don t think so!) and only had to wait one day for Mountain Dell to be in condition for grooming. We have hit it every day since December 3. Once again we have the finest, most experienced and most dedicated crew of volunteer groomers you could hope for. In the past three years we have had two openings in the crew, and both were the result of people moving away. The collective years of experience shows in the track our groomers produce. Their work is very hard, done after dark and often in harsh conditions, but the pride in the product should be obvious. The groomers are sporting new work coats this year courtesy of Wolverine. The heavy work coats have weathered driving snow and sub-zero conditions so far this month, and have worked flawlessly. Plus, they look great. A big thanks to Wolverine for their support of our volunteer crew. A few course safety reminders. Just like last winter, we are asking every skier to walk to the start of the ski track, rather than skiing from the fee post area. Having several hundred folks snowplow over this section each week has in years past created a surface that is treacherous for all, and we have had many close calls. For the benefit of all, please walk to the start of the track. While most of Mountain Dell has two-way traffic, there are two portions where we ask that skiers do not enter. Both are on the Main loop, and both have several Do Not Enter or Wrong Way signs. In both of these locations, skiers are coming down hill through a curve. Having traffic head up into that is not safe for anyone. Please observe these two Do Not Enter zones. There is a different safety concern on SR65. We are grooming there again this year, with a goal to set new track there at least once a week through the end of February. SR65 is a multi-use area, and it is legal for snowmobiles to zoom up the road in excess of 30 mph. If you are skiing at night, please be sure to have something reflective on your back. Better yet, have a blinking light on your water pack or belt. If you hear the sound of a snowmobile coming your way in the dark, it is wise to step far to the side of the track and point your headlamp (you are skiing with a headlamp after dark, yes?) toward the sled to let them know you are there. Keep an eye on the grooming report on our website, www. utahnordic.com, and give SR65 a shot midweek. When conditions are good, it can be a fun new ski outing. If you are up for a tough workout, try making it all the way to the top, a five mile journey from the gate. Thanks for making Mountain Dell your ski track. Have a great time out there! f page 10 January 2014

11 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE For 9 days this winter, Sun Valley will be home to the lowest collective resting heart rate on the planet. Because for those 9 days the entire Nordic world descends on Nordic Town USA for the Sun Valley Nordic Festival and SWIX Boulder Mountain Tour. Competitions. Events. Cold-Weather Camaraderie. A Real Mountain Town. All happening on 200 km of world-class terrain. January 25 February 2, 2014 January 2014 page 11

TUNA NEWS Photos by Kirk Nichols TUNA Relay by Richard Hodges December 7, 2013 After six years of either moving the TUNA Relay, or cancelling it, Mother Nature smiled and allowed the season opening

The temperatures were COLD, the wind was BLOWING, and the snow was DRIFTING in the track. The predicted storm front arrived in Park City right on schedule about 30 minutes before the scheduled start.

Despite that, times were a couple minutes slower than usual, with classic tracks mostly blown in and skating conditions equally challenging.

Two years of improvement for some of these youngsters meant that their handicaps were MUCH too old to be realistic. The top ten teams were almost exclusively made up of juniors.

Karsten Hokanson, skiing with a 14% handicap, raced all three legs of the relay in a superb time of 50:01, which put him in sixth place in the results.

12 TUNA NEWS Photos by Kirk Nichols TUNA Relay by Richard Hodges December 7, 2013 After six years of either moving the TUNA Relay, or cancelling it, Mother Nature smiled and allowed the season opening race to happen on its scheduled day, and with primo conditions. Well, primo snow conditions, but the weather was, well, the Scottish mountaineers would describe it as full. The temperatures were COLD, the wind was BLOWING, and the snow was DRIFTING in the track. The predicted storm front arrived in Park City right on schedule about 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Despite being an epic day weather-wise, the White Pine crew did a great job preparing the course. Lou kept going around with the groomer until just before the start. Despite that, times were a couple minutes slower than usual, with classic tracks mostly blown in and skating conditions equally challenging. As usual, it was the kids who dominated the top spots in the results. Since this is a handicapped event, and since last year s race was cancelled, everyone s handicap was at least two years old. Two years of improvement for some of these youngsters meant that their handicaps were MUCH too old to be realistic. The top ten teams were almost exclusively made up of juniors. After handicaps were subtracted, the winning team was Abby Swanson, Elise Francis, and Geneva Humbert, with a total net time of 39:25. Karsten Hokanson, skiing with a 14% handicap, raced all three legs of the relay in a superb time of 50:01, which put him in sixth place in the results. The downside of that excellent performance is that his handicap will drop to 2% next year. The standard for setting handicaps is the fastest single lap of the day, which was turned in by Jason Travis. His 15:29 skate leg was quite impressive, considering the snow conditions. The best classic leg was Karsten s 17:34. Not bad considering there wasn t much of a track for the leader to follow. About 130 very hardy racers, making up 50 teams, showed up despite the weather. Three laps of winddriven snow in temperatures barely in the teens seemed like a day to spend anywhere but on the White Pine Golf Course. As skiers eagerly, or anxiously, awaited teammates so they could start moving and get warm, the volunteers did calisthenics trying to keep their fingers from locking up. Everyone who showed up and raced should be very proud of themselves. This was a day fit for neither man nor beast, and the fact that you showed up and raced shows the tenacity of the TUNA Nordic Skier. f Heimburger Pass Full Conditions Sydney Palmer Leger and Julia Lazaroni Jack Jarrett page 12 January 2014

13 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Robert Lazaroni Tory and Joseph Savanna Fassio Thomas Seidel Wil Nichols Mason Heimburger Madison Morgan and David Wagner January 2014 page 13

14 TUNA NEWS WHITE PINE / TUNA RELAY Saturday, December 7, lap classical and 2 laps free BASE TIME: 15:29 FASTEST CITIZEN: Jason Travis Place FINISH LAP NET PERCENT Bib Name HNDCP Time Time time back 1 The Wolf Pack 132 Abby Swanson (2k) :00 10:00 15: Elise Francis (2k) :13 8:13 11: Geneva Humbert (2k) :08 7:55 12: TOTAL NET TIME 39:25 2 Sjokolade Bama 145 Leah Lange :07 21:07 14: Alex Jackson :50 16:43 13: Kyle Beling :34 15:44 13: TOTAL NET TIME 41:19 3 Kris s Headaches 164 Lane Myshrall (2k) :15 9:15 14: Skylar Patten (2k) :05 6:50 14: Aidan Rasmussen (2k) :03 6:58 12: TOTAL NET TIME 41:36 4 WNSA #2 383 Ben Grodner :10 18:10 14: Ben Grodner :32 17:22 14: Ben Grodner :03 16:31 13: TOTAL NET TIME 42:15 5 Santa s Skiers 127 Karsten Beling :25 22:25 19: Savanna Fassio :19 19:54 12: Sydney Palmer-Ledger :01:44 19:25 10: TOTAL NET TIME 42:40 6 Wasatch Nordic 338 Karsten Hokanson :34 17:34 15: Karsten Hokanson :09 16:35 14: Karsten Hokanson :01 15:52 13: TOTAL NET TIME 43:28 7 Bonacci Currency 122 Katy Bonacci :11 24:11 19: Joseph Bonacci (2k) :50 8:39 11: Wil Nichols :20 17:30 13: TOTAL NET TIME 43:39 8 Ski Buddies 345 Isaac Wilson :22 20:22 19: Grace Swanson (2k) :05 9:43 11: Sabine Wilson (2k) :08 8:03 13: TOTAL NET TIME 44:00 9 NO-NAM-AY 109 Haley Batten :31 23:31 17: Jenae Rasmussen :27 19:56 13: Madison Morgan :03:32 20:05 13: TOTAL NET TIME 44:37 10 Team SOHO 152 Sophia Burkemo (2k) :23 13:23 11: Lauren Jackson :37 24:14 18: Morgan Smyth :08 19:31 15: TOTAL NET TIME 44:43 11 Fire Pony 340 Tim Briley :18 22:18 17: Sean Briley :02 20:44 15: Tim Briley :01:27 18:25 13: TOTAL NET TIME 46:15 12 CDKG 332 Chris Davidson :40 22:40 19: Kathryn Gibson :20 21:40 11: Chris Davidson :04:08 19:48 16: TOTAL NET TIME 47:14 13 Dancing Terrapin 350 Connor Patten :33 22:33 19: Sienna Leger-Redel :52 20:19 11: Connor Patten :02:56 20:04 17: TOTAL NET TIME 47:53 14 The No Names 135 Drew Palmer-Leger :28 21:28 17: Matthew Turner :53 19:25 17: Julia Lazzaroni :01:43 20:50 12: TOTAL NET TIME 47:55 15 Cyber Ski Chase 378 Jeff Minnema :56 21:56 18: Charlie Sturgis :10 22:14 15: Lora Smith :05:20 21:10 14: TOTAL NET TIME 48:36 16 Speedsters 331 Jason Travis :39 17:39 17: Casey Simons :55 17:16 17: Jason Travis :24 15:29 15: TOTAL NET TIME 49:46 17 The Superstars 157 Stefani Day :42 27:42 18: Sonja VanHala :12 25:30 14: Giggi Burns :17:25 24:13 17: TOTAL NET TIME 50:26 BASE TIME = Lap time for fastest citizen skier YOUR LAP TIME = Your actual skiing time YOUR NET TIME = Your lap time minus (YOUR HANDICAP * BASE TIME) Place FINISH LAP NET PERCENT Bib Name HNDCP Time Time time back 18 Snow Chicken 116 Emma Burke :48 29:48 21: Pat Batten :46 20:58 12: Jay Burke :09:51 19:05 16: TOTAL NET TIME 50:47 19 Don Tomtom 384 Don DeBlieux :11 22:11 18: Thomas Seidel :04 15:53 15: Thomas Seidel :37 16:33 16: TOTAL NET TIME 50:54 20 Sassy Sliders! 347 Tate Hefler :11 24:11 20: Liam Wallis (2k) :38 8:27 14: Colter Cheney-Seymour(2k) :40 9:02 15: TOTAL NET TIME 51:06 21 KTM Powersports 365 Kenton Peters :33 25:33 21: Tom Bonacci :34 19:01 16: Matt Slawson :06:52 22:18 13: TOTAL NET TIME 51:13 22 Team AARP 166 Janet Myshrall :18 28:18 21: Kory Gillette :04 20:46 16: Joanne Rasmussen :16:14 27:10 13: TOTAL NET TIME 51:35 23 Still Going Strong 373 Torbjorn Karlsen :15 21:15 18: Gordon Lange :58 18:43 17: Robert Lazzaroni :10 18:12 15: TOTAL NET TIME 51:48 24 BM Cubed 341 Barry Makarewicz :07 18:07 18: Barry Makarewicz :33 17:26 17: Barry Makarewicz :00 16:27 16: TOTAL NET TIME 52:00 25 Team Snowman 380 Scott Nielson :35 22:35 21: Tory Peters (2k) :47 10:12 15: Jeff Minnema :13 19:26 15: TOTAL NET TIME 52:03 26 Critical Path 355 Tim Dougherty :09 25:09 17: David Stice :48 22:39 17: David Stice :10:35 22:47 17: TOTAL NET TIME 52:08 27 Old And In The Way 368 David Susong :18 23:18 18: Lori Lange :35 21:17 16: Lori Lange :06:33 21:58 17: TOTAL NET TIME 52:36 28 They re Late 392 Logan Jones :17 21:17 20: Jen Monsulick :40 23:23 18: Dan Guiney :00:34 15:54 13: TOTAL NET TIME 52:38 29 Keeney Fire Cats 360 Mark Keeney :35 21:35 17: Quinn Keeney (2k) :01 11:26 16: Caroline Keeney :34 24:33 19: TOTAL NET TIME 52:54 30 Captain Phillips 336 Aaron Phillips :38 21:38 19: Aaron Phillips :20 20:42 18: Aaron Phillips :01:01 18:41 16: TOTAL NET TIME 53:07 31 Swanson-Three 103 Dodi Wilson :25 28:25 18: Trece Swanson :06 29:41 16: Kira Slawson :22:41 24:35 18: TOTAL NET TIME 53:14 32 McSwaney 362 Eric Swanson :19 21:19 19: Stacy McCooey :57 19:38 14: Stephen Swanson :08:18 27:21 18: TOTAL NET TIME 53:25 33 Short,Short,And Slow :) 141 Ben Slawson :41 23:41 20: Keenan Peters :46 20:05 16: Vincent Bonacci :04:45 20:59 17: TOTAL NET TIME 54:03 34??? 354 Adam Brown :06 25:06 22: Jack Jarrett (2k) :33 7:27 14: John David Jarrett :30 17:57 16: TOTAL NET TIME 54:20 YOUR PERCENT BACK = Amount by which YOUR LAP TIME exceeds BASE TIME Place FINISH LAP NET PERCENT Bib Name HNDCP Time Time time back 35 Team Awesome 149 Sara Livingstone (2k) :10 13:10 18: Drew Sullivan (2k) :38 12:28 18: Joshua Livingstone (2k) :03 9:25 17: TOTAL NET TIME 54:33 36 Pretty In Pink 113 Mila Leger :22 26:22 18: Tracy Kucherak :59 25:37 18: Lina Farra :18:43 26:44 18: TOTAL NET TIME 54:59 37 Mick Miller 381 Mark Borges :36 28:36 26: Margo Miller :49 23:13 17: Travis Michelsen :12:25 20:36 11: TOTAL NET TIME 55:03 38 Commanders 388 Steven Bowling :43 27:43 22: Lynn Peek :26 22:43 15: Tim Henney :11:11 20:45 17: TOTAL NET TIME 55:14 39 Soldier Hollow 137 Ingrid Norton :31 26:31 19: Spencer Brosnahan :40 23:09 20: Xander Burkemo :08:57 19:17 16: TOTAL NET TIME 56:23 40 Three W s 337 Mike Weglarz :55 22:55 19: Sam Wolfe :31 23:36 19: Craig Williams :11:49 25:18 19: TOTAL NET TIME 58:10 41 In Search Of Chris Magerl :01 24:01 21: Steve Yang :55 22:54 19: Steve Yang :10:56 24:01 20: TOTAL NET TIME 1:01:27 42 Unlikely Crew 106 Anita Merbach :16 23:16 18: Mickey Palomaki :12 31:56 20: Bill Hokanson :20:07 24:55 22: TOTAL NET TIME 1:01:32 43 Flying Touques 356 Stuart Beling :36 23:36 20: Kurt Hoefler :19 23:43 22: John Fassio :08:52 21:33 18: TOTAL NET TIME 1:01:43 44 Hawaiian Hamburgers 386 Fischer Heimburger :28 19:28 17: Matthew Heimburger :10 32:42 31: Mason Heimburger (2k) :00:20 8:10 15: TOTAL NET TIME 1:04:01 45 Goldy Gophers 342 Ted Palomaki :22 28:22 20: Casey Gradick :20 25:58 25: Elizabeth Jacobson :17:27 23:07 19: TOTAL NET TIME 1:05:59 46 Team ADA 144 Betheny Lewis :37 29:37 25: Ben Lewis :52 22:15 21: Betheny Lewis :14:26 22:34 18: TOTAL NET TIME 1:06:21 47 The Addams Family 370 Toni Adams :47 38:47 30: Greg Adams :04:58 26:11 17: Greg Adams :34:47 29:49 20: TOTAL NET TIME 1:08:26 48 Team Wagner 160 Debbie Wagner :56 29:56 23: David Wagner :03:42 33:46 25: Debbie Wagner :34:42 31:00 24: TOTAL NET TIME 1:13:10 49 Utah National Guard 334 Shawn Robison :43 35:43 34: Trish Rich :13:07 37:24 32: Eric Kreitzer :49:02 35:55 35: TOTAL NET TIME 1:42:39 50 Shark Skin 162 Caryl Brown :27 31:27 24: Aaron Ocak :20:37 49:10 47: Altan Brown (2k) DNF 51 No Team No Name 391 Richard Groth :32 39:32 27: YOUR HANDICAP = Your percent back from the last relay (or an empirical value based on age and gender for new racers) page 14 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Efficient Skating Technique: Ski Faster Than Your Age by Barry Makarewicz Fast cross country skiing requires strength, fitness and efficient technique.

15 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Efficient Skating Technique: Ski Faster Than Your Age by Barry Makarewicz Fast cross country skiing requires strength, fitness and efficient technique. Elements of skill and physical capability are continuously evolving or devolving and this can be frustrating or satisfying depending on our direction of development as a skier. We all know that as we age our physical capacity will start to decline at some point. This is a fact of life that we all must face up to. A beautiful thing about cross country skiing is that we can compensate for some of this physical decline with improved skiing technique by learning to ski better and more efficiently. This is an exciting and worthwhile challenge for any skier. Even if we can not completely overcome the effects of TMB (too many birthdays) it is still fun to improve our technical abilities and ski more efficiently. This article is meant to outline the basic principles of efficient technique and provide advice on how to improve a skier s power application, economy of movement and glide. The basic principles of technique are similar for skating and classic skiing, but there are some obvious differences. Here we will focus on skating. The main principles I will discuss are: Body Position, Balance/Weight Transfer and Timing. 1 Body Position is THE KEY to efficient skiing technique because if your basic position is wrong you cannot properly execute the other principles. The basic body position for skating is upright and forward leaning. The starting point is a deep flex at the ankles and body weight mainly on the front half of the foot. Avoid bending over at the waist. Looking from the side, a skier s lower leg should be roughly at the same angle to the ground as their torso with a slight to moderate bend at the knee. Keep the hips high and forward of the ankles as much as possible. Keep your head up and look 5-10 meters in front of you, not down at your skis. This will help keep your hips and torso more upright and forward and allow you to put more force straight down on the poles and not be reaching and pulling on the poles. A very common mistake for beginner and intermediate skiers is bending over at the waist with their butt back in a sitting position and arms extended in the statue of liberty reach. Instead plant the poles as upright as possible with the baskets by your toes or in front of your toes, hands high (up by your ears) and a 90 degree or less angle in your elbows. You have much more power and leverage with your hands close to your head rather than arms extended and far from your body. Keeping most of your weight on the front part of your foot makes it easier to balance on one leg and therefore provide a little bit more time to relax, rest and glide between pushes with each leg. This improves efficiency. With your weight on the balls of your feet and a forward leaning body position this puts more pressure on the front of the ski and makes it easier to balance and steer. 2 Balance and complete Weight Shift require commitment and risk of falling and this is difficult for adults to master. Optimum skating technique requires the skier to get their center of mass completely over the ball of the foot on the gliding ski. To accomplish this a skier must risk falling down. This is why many skiers ski with their weight between their skis and do not completely transfer their weight from ski to ski: it is safer and less likely to cause a fall. The result is they are always skiing on the inside edges of their skis, diminishing glide and working harder than necessary. A ski that is flat on the snow glides faster and farther than a ski on its edge that digs into the snow and decelerates quickly. Try to keep your skis flat on the snow as much as possible. Hold the nonweight bearing leg out to the side for balance, but keep it as relaxed as possible to rest and recover between pushes. The shift from ski to ski should be dictated by slowing of the glide and not loss of balance. From the optimum high and forward body position you are perfectly positioned to forcefully plant the poles downward using your bodyweight and core strength for poling power. This dropping down onto the poles causes a preload on the kicking leg (just like a spring gets loaded by compressing it) and readies it for a powerful push to the side and shifting body weight onto the other leg to glide with center of mass over the weight bearing foot in the balance position. It is easier for kids to learn this commitment to complete weight shift than for adults. If kids lean too far past their outside edge they fall over, laugh, get up and keep going. Adults fall over, get embarrassed, get hurt, get snowy and wet and don t like it. Adults really don t want to fall and often times are reluctant to get their weight completely over the gliding ski. This is why rollerskiing is not always beneficial for beginner or even intermediate skiers. The consequences of falling on pavement can be severe and this causes a reluctance to completely commit to full weight shift while balancing on one ski. Their weight stays somewhere between their skis and this reinforces bad technique. 3 Timing pulls together the elements of good body position, weight shift and terrain to make skiing fluid and rhythmic. The faster a skier is going the more complete their weight transfer should be and the more rest will be available between stokes or leg pushes. The kick is initiated when the poling hand passes the thigh. How far back the hands go when following through after poling depends on the speed of travel and at high speeds the arms and poles should extend rearward completely. Recovery of the hands forward should be quick and close to the body. Forceful arm swing forward during recovery can create significant momentum which aids speed and good body position, especially during V2 Alternate skiing. This article is meant to outline some important points for optimum skating technique. There are many, many more details to master to become an expert skiing technician and it may take a lifetime to learn them all, but this is what makes cross country skiing so much fun and interesting. There are always subtleties to learn and perfect and this can keep us improving for years to come. f January 2014 page 15

TUNA NEWS First of Season: Training and Racing in West Yellowstone by Kirk Nichols Some went to West Yellowstone because they went last year, and the year before, and the year before that.

The skiing is unpredictable, and rarely is there any point in looking at the Rendezvous trails web cam more than a few days before departing you ve been looking at it for a month anyway.

No thoughts in 2013 of roller-skis, a fly-rod, and a bike on the roof just in case.

The race preparation also began on Tuesday with adaptive biathlon and a mandatory rifle training session for the novice biathlon marksmen-to-be.

16 TUNA NEWS First of Season: Training and Racing in West Yellowstone by Kirk Nichols Some went to West Yellowstone because they went last year, and the year before, and the year before that. It is what you do when you are jonesing to be on your skis after a summer and fall of dryland training. The skiing is unpredictable, and rarely is there any point in looking at the Rendezvous trails web cam more than a few days before departing you ve been looking at it for a month anyway. But not this year; the snow blew in two weeks early and the web-cam photos showed first ski tracks, then the occasional skier, and then, finally, grooming! Eighteen feet wide grooming! No thoughts in 2013 of roller-skis, a fly-rod, and a bike on the roof just in case. Coach Matt Johnson and the TUNA van sporting its fancy new wrap arrived Tuesday afternoon to sparkling snow and brilliant sunshine strobing through the lodge pole lined ski trails. The race preparation also began on Tuesday with adaptive biathlon and a mandatory rifle training session for the novice biathlon marksmen-to-be. A handful of TUNA skiers drove up early to attend the morning biathlon training session allowing them to race the next day. As the next morning s Senior Sprint Biathlon competition wrapped up, Evelyn Dong, the new TUNA junior coach formerly of Soldier Hollow and Bend, Oregon, and Boulder Mountain Tour champion, organized the juniors into their respective starting waves. The three Bonacci men, Matt and Ben Slawson, and Tory and Keenan Peters represented TUNA on the starting line. Three sprint laps, two rounds of 5 targets with rifles not-all-zeroed-in, causing a bunch of penalty laps, brought the junior biathloner s back the cabin and the finish. The Park City Nordic Ski Club (PCNSC) collected juniors for outstanding runs on the biathlon course as well. To everyone s gratitude and pleasure, all the Rendezvous trails were groomed. The competitive Utah skiers from TUNA, Park City, Wasatch, and Soldier Hollow were all out on the trails shared with the Super Tour junior and senior skiers. While the junior racers were rubbing shoulders with Caitlin and Brian Gregg and the University of Utah Ski team, the TUNA masters skiers kept bumping into each other out on the Dead Dog and Windy Ridge trails. Most of the time though, no one else was in sight and the sunny trail was ours alone. Although the afternoon air temperatures slipped up above melting, the tree shadows and night time lows in the teens kept the tracks from warming to a melt and then crusting over. Wednesday was simply a memorable day of sunshine and skiing followed by sore calves and thighs in the evening the good fatigue kind of sore. Thanksgiving Day too sparkled with sun and sharp air temperatures. Skiers with dogs headed for the Boundary and Riverside trails stopping in or walking past Free Heel and Wheel to the east edge of town the western boundary of Yellowstone. The Park entrance road heads farther east yet, following along the sweeping bends of the Madison River. The expansive views and big sky were an abrupt change from skiing the pine tree runways of the Rendezvous trails. The grand expanse also meant more sun, more melting, and a few bare spots after about six miles. Donna s TUNA Thanksgiving dinner was calling. West Yellowstone Community Protestant Church, our gracious hosts, year in and year out, were ready for the WilsonWaxMaster by Wil Nichols over 200 skiers at the Thanksgiving feast this year. We were not lacking in any type of food; with turkey, ham and all of the trimmings, including dessert, well represented on the table. We were able to collect over Lap three on Dead Dog, Lucy Jacob $675 dollars for the church this year, thanks to your generous contributions! When I handed the money to the church representative, she replied that she would add us to the calendar for next year! Thank you all so very much for your generosity to the church and your contributions to the dinner. Praise and full tummies followed the TUNA Thanksgiving dinner and social. The half assigned, half potluck food overflowed the tables at the entrance of the Presbyterian Church, Chris s beverage table stood ready at the corner, and the dessert table around the next corner kept refilling with pies, causing more than a few to look for Dobie the house elf. Eventually, with contentment as the final course, the skiers headed back to their rooms or louder parties, all anticipating three more skiing days to come. We especially want to thank the five TUNA members who baked turkeys; because thanks to them, we were able to enjoy the Rendezvous trails on Thanksgiving Day before baking my 3 turkeys. As always, thank you to the TUNA juniors who assisted with the set up and clean up. Thank you too, to the Soldier Hollow junior skiers who have been stellar dish washers for the past two years. The church representative mentioned that she had to come clean up before we arrived because she knew we always leave the facility so clean. In summary, thank you to all of the volunteers who make this dinner possible. It wouldn t happen without you! Photos by Kirk Nichols page 16 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Leah Lange passing on the outside Early on Friday, the Super Tour sprint elimination rounds started in the morning shadows, with brisk single digit temperatures, and the sun

Brenna Egan and Leah Lange (PCNSC) were the two fastest Utah junior women in the quarter final sprint heats, which were packed in with the senior women.

Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy (WNSA), respectively placing fifth and seventh. The TUNA comp and junior-comp skiers continued with their high volume, two-a-day ski training sessions.

The 8-12 year old skiers partied (supervised it is assumed those rascals) with their own group up in a suite.

for the first time. A long day of distance racing commenced Saturday morning at 9am with a modified two lap, 7km sit-ski race.

17 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Leah Lange passing on the outside Early on Friday, the Super Tour sprint elimination rounds started in the morning shadows, with brisk single digit temperatures, and the sun just skimming through the tops of the pine trees. The individual starts of the qualifier round eliminated all but the top 30 finishers, who skied on to the quarter finals. Brenna Egan and Leah Lange (PCNSC) were the two fastest Utah junior women in the quarter final sprint heats, which were packed in with the senior women. Juniors (U(under)20) who finished outside the top 30 seniors had their own top 12 junior skiers A and B sprint finals (no quarter finals), which included Karsten Hokanson and Riis Wilbrecht both of Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy (WNSA), respectively placing fifth and seventh. The TUNA comp and junior-comp skiers continued with their high volume, two-a-day ski training sessions. Back at the Grey Wolf Inn, potlucks and parties developed both in suites and down in the lobby. Tables and chairs were rearranged for long communal dining. The 8-12 year old skiers partied (supervised it is assumed those rascals) with their own group up in a suite. These informal evenings emphasize challenging cooking via crock-pots or microwave ovens and a mellow mixing of the old returnees and the new TUNA members attending the West Yellowstone Ski Festival for the first time. A long day of distance racing commenced Saturday morning at 9am with a modified two lap, 7km sit-ski race. The stand-up sight impaired skiers raced with their sighted guides calling out instructions right among the men s able bodied Super Tour. The men s 15km Super Tour race wound three times around the 5km loop. Four Utah skiers, Niklas Persson, Noe Bellet, Kevin Bolger, and Tucker McCrerey, all U23, finished in the top 20 overall. Former Utah skier, Miles Havlick skied to sixth place. The Utah Juniors were led by Karsten Hokanson (WNSA) and Kyle Beling (PCNSC). Park City also fielded Alex Jackson, and Riis Wilbrecht raced for Wasatch. Thomas Seidel of TUNA skied to third in the Master s division. Hard skiing and nice work by everyone! The women s 10km Super Tour race, dominated for the second day in a row by Caitlin Gregg, commenced at 11:50. Familiar, favorite, and former Park City skier Elizabeth Guiney, along with Rose Kemp former Utah skier, skied to 12th and 13th. Leah Lange (PCNSC) was right on the tails of Utah freshman Anna-Lena Heynen, followed back a bit by Sloan Storey (Utah), Brenna Egan (PCNSC), Sophie McDonald (PCNSC), and Katy Bonacci of TUNA. Charming expletives and sitzmarks were rumored to be heard on the tight downhill corner of the Wilson Battle facing the next climb Karsten [bib #1] drafting early, waiting to explode through the finish WITH YOU ALL THE WAY. PROUD SPONSOR OF THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE. healthcare.utah.edu healthcare.utah.edu Wil s V1 reach over the top of a climb January 2014 page 17

TUNA NEWS Anna-Lena Heynen Utah Ski Team upper Doug s Doodle.

around one Super Tour lap. It made sense since all his timing equipment was already set up.

Utah was well represented with 70 racers, which almost eclipsed the Super Tour in numbers.

18 TUNA NEWS Anna-Lena Heynen Utah Ski Team upper Doug s Doodle. Years back, Ernie Page of TUNA and creator of Summit Timing, through which he and wife Ann time the Super Tours, saw juniors hanging around during the Super Tour and conceived of a 5km race going around one Super Tour lap. It made sense since all his timing equipment was already set up. From a race of thirty participants years ago, this year s explosion of skiers, just shy of 200 masters and juniors, enjoyed Ernie s and Ann s creation. Utah was well represented with 70 racers, which almost eclipsed the Super Tour in numbers. For two days prior to Ernie s race, the coaches and race delegation argued whether or not to let the masters ski the Telemark Hill, both up and down. Caution to the wind, eventually the full course was accepted. Never heard if they were worried about heart attacks on the way down or on the climb back up. Chris Magerl of TUNA led the masters and the race was on. Too many to name, but the competition was fierce. Diving too fast down a tight hill, working the course to stay ahead of Eric Swanson (TUNA), Ron Palmer-Leger (PCNSC) hooked a young sapling while negotiating the turn. He popped up still ahead but the few seconds lost allowed Eric to gain enough ground to eventually catch up. The sapling survived. The unexpected carnage of that corner started back with some of the Super Tour skiers and continued with the masters and juniors of Ernie s race. It s not how hard you fall, but instead, how quickly you climb back up and over the next hill. Either the ice at the top of the turn or the sling-shot effect at the bottom put a dozen skiers sliding on their butts or tumbling across the course. Only one skier, seeing the inevitable, chose to stay standing and just blow off the course into the woods, to then climb back through the trees and continue with her race. Utah age group winners were: Aiden Rassmussen, Stephen Schumann, Noah Putt, Wil Nichols, Jason Travis, Paul Smith, Grace Swanson, Sabine Wilson, Jenae Rassmussen, Sydney Palmer-Leger, Lindsey Adams, Stacy McCooey, Inge Travis; it was hard to find a division not taken by a Utah skier. For the juniors, West Yellowstone, the TUNA Relay, and the first Wasatch Citizens Race are the only opportunities to put on a bib and get the feel of racing before the start of the Junior National Qualifying races in Jackson Hole, Wyoming mid-december. Summer dryland training is over. The frantic race season is off with a dramatic start in the West Yellowstone brilliant sunshine. f Elise Francis catching the bibs out ahead of her Friends Together by Jock Glidden Together they trained with frigid fingers, icy gators, soggy tents, too long marches on skis that wouldn t turn made worse by ninety pound rucksacks, skidding a nasty mortar pad along the side of a damn mountain, a thousand feet above Camp Hale. Together they broke the Gothic Line, defended by Hitler s seasoned bergwacht, whose dreaded artillery and Panzer tanks, made their war deadly real, throughout the beautiful Apennines. Once my father said, That s where I made the best buddies of my life. How so, Dad, among all that danger and death? That s the point; we lived it together. he replied. Together we crossed crevasses of deep blue and green, climbed slopes of ice and snow, rock walls and piles of shale, made safe by rope and unseen trust, until our summit gained. War has no more purpose than sport, each is useless to our daily lives. But both make all the difference to gain a lasting friend that means so much in trust and triumph shared together. Nordic Haiku Warm, dry all fall Unhappy us. Then, cold, big snow, we all get well. by Jock Glidden December 2013 Chris Magerl led the masters out of the gate page 18 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE The Life of a Bib by Kathy Dudley with help from Laverkin the cat Allow me to introduce myself. I am your TUNA Smartwool racing bib.

The calm, lovely, race crew volunteer hands me to you, where you proceed to stuff me in your pocket and run on out to the course.

At the finish, hopefully, you drop me into one of the collapsible containers (along with your sunglasses, Kleenex, gloves and various sundries) and go on your way, hoping to win something in the

Kurt usually forgets to get the collapsible containers at the first Soldier Hollow race so the more reliable race crew members like Kevin Murphy or Charlie Coltrain bail him out by magically

19 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE The Life of a Bib by Kathy Dudley with help from Laverkin the cat Allow me to introduce myself. I am your TUNA Smartwool racing bib. Each race day, I wait patiently in my tote for you to charge up to the registration table, usually late and in a hurry to go test your wax. The calm, lovely, race crew volunteer hands me to you, where you proceed to stuff me in your pocket and run on out to the course. During the race, I get snowed on, rained on, sweated on, snotted on, etc. until I am a gross blob of moisture. At the finish, hopefully, you drop me into one of the collapsible containers (along with your sunglasses, Kleenex, gloves and various sundries) and go on your way, hoping to win something in the prize lottery. Kurt usually forgets to get the collapsible containers at the first Soldier Hollow race so the more reliable race crew members like Kevin Murphy or Charlie Coltrain bail him out by magically transporting the 250 smelly rags up to the lodge. Eventually they do make it to his vehicle and off we go for the next phase of our journey. Once home, Kathy dumps us into the washer where we lose all that grossness in preparation for another day. Thank god for modern appliances. After we are dry, the fun begins! The living room is transformed into a sorting space. Every surface of every piece of furniture is assigned to a section of bibs. All 300 or so of us get resorted and stacked in piles of 10, in preparation for our trip back into the totes for the next race. The tricky part is sorting while the cats choose which pile to perch on, moving onto another pile, just when everything is rearranged. (Be warned, should you neglect to return me after a race, we are carefully counted and our esteemed race director knows who you are! He will track you down and shake you until you pull that wet, moldy bib out of your warm-up jacket pocket and sheepishly hand it over). Back in order, in our totes, we hang out until the next race, traveling to our president, Richard s house the night before, so he can get up before the sun rises and take us to the race in time for the first racer. The Dudley s meanwhile sleep in an extra hour, recovering from the entire ordeal, showing up at the last minute to grab a bib, strap on the skis and head to the start area to do it all again! f RACE SPONSOR 2013/2014 W A S A T C H C I T I Z E N S S E R I E S R A C E C A L E N D A R RACE DATE DECEMBER 14 DECEMBER 28 JANUARY 18 JANUARY 25 FEBRUARY 22 LOCATION SOLDIER HOLLOW WHITE PINE MT DELL SOLDIER HOLLOW WHITE PINE FARM DISTANCE 10k 15k 10k 10k 20k TECHNIQUE CLASSIC FREE CLASSIC FREE FREE REGISTRATION: 8:30-9:30 DAY OF RACE START TIME: 10 AM ENTRY FEE: $25 OR REGISTER IN ADVANCE at January 2014 page 19

TUNA NEWS TUNA Comp and Junior Comp Update by Matt Johnson Snow has come early to Utah, making our annual do we put rollerskis back on debate irrelevant.

grooming. The racing season is in full swing with the TUNA relays and WCS Soldier Hollow classic races already behind us, and members of the Comp and Jr.

We have a number of athletes vying for spaces on the Intermountain Division JNs team, as well as highly motivated younger athletes who are getting excellent racing experience to prepare for their own

This year we will also be traveling to Sun Valley and Soldier Hollow for qualifiers, and eventually Stowe, Vermont for Junior Nationals. Results and standings can be found at www.intermountainxc.

20 TUNA NEWS TUNA Comp and Junior Comp Update by Matt Johnson Snow has come early to Utah, making our annual do we put rollerskis back on debate irrelevant. The hard working grooming crew at Mountain Dell had us skiing as soon as we got back from our camp in West Yellowstone, and the junior teams have been taking full advantage of the early season grooming. The racing season is in full swing with the TUNA relays and WCS Soldier Hollow classic races already behind us, and members of the Comp and Jr. Comp teams heading up to Jackson Hole this week for the first Junior National Qualifier weekend. We have a number of athletes vying for spaces on the Intermountain Division JNs team, as well as highly motivated younger athletes who are getting excellent racing experience to prepare for their own JN careers and hoping to top their respective age group categories for the year. This year we will also be traveling to Sun Valley and Soldier Hollow for qualifiers, and eventually Stowe, Vermont for Junior Nationals. Results and standings can be found at com, Utah has a strong and growing junior group from all of our clubs and you can cheer for them Jan 4-8 at US Nationals, Feb 7-8 at the Soldier Hollow Super Qualify, and Feb at the Utah Olympic Park for the IMD Youth Championships. f Park City Nordic by Gordon Lange All the Park City Nordic Ski Club programs are up and running. We are a full service Nordic ski club with programs and competition teams that fit every age from 5 to 50 plus. We also have Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined if you re interested in some really big air. New this year is our Masters programs. Sold out is the Betties program which sounds like they are having a blast in their new pink warm-ups, but if you didn t get into that one I m running a Masters session that has plenty of room. If there are some out there who want to improve in their technique I can help. You can check out all our programs on line at The Elite program I am involved with is gearing up for our first JNQ in Jackson. As I write this I m traveling, waxing skies and loading the bus. We have had an awesome fall with great snow in West and a fantastic intensity block we just finished up. My Christmas present to the kids was a hard pace classic ski up Mill Creek. Enjoy the snow and Happy New Year! f page 20 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy Race Team Update: ON SNOW AT LAST by Bill Hokanson As fall transitions into winter, Wasatch Nordic team members

Team members enjoyed a week of outstanding training sessions in spectacular early season conditions.

Skate sprint highlights included: Karsten Hokanson: 39 th overall, 1 st U18, 3 rd junior overall; Riis Wilbrecht: 60 th overall, 9 th U20 junior; Thomas Seidel: 61 st

SuperTour 15 km skate highlights include: Karsten Hokanson 49 th overall, 2 nd U18, 6 th junior overall; Riis Wilbrecht, 68 th overall 8 th U20 junior; Thomas Seidel,

While the team s primary early season focus is on Intermountain Junior National Qualifier races and the USSA Senior National Championships, Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy

Citizen Series race #1 in Solder Hollow.

21 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy Race Team Update: ON SNOW AT LAST by Bill Hokanson As fall transitions into winter, Wasatch Nordic team members joined the western US ski community in West Yellowstone, MT for the traditional November on-snow training camp. Team members enjoyed a week of outstanding training sessions in spectacular early season conditions. At the end of the camp week, Wasatch Nordic skiers participated in the West Yellowstone USSA SuperTour skate sprint, 15km skate distance, and Ernie s Junior Race. Skate sprint highlights included: Karsten Hokanson: 39 th overall, 1 st U18, 3 rd junior overall; Riis Wilbrecht: 60 th overall, 9 th U20 junior; Thomas Seidel: 61 st overall, 1 st master age class skier; and Noah Putt: 112 overall, 5 th U16 junior. SuperTour 15 km skate highlights include: Karsten Hokanson 49 th overall, 2 nd U18, 6 th junior overall; Riis Wilbrecht, 68 th overall 8 th U20 junior; Thomas Seidel, 76 th overall, 3 rd master. West Yellowstone Junior Race results: Noah Putt, 1 st overall and 1 st U16 junior. While the team s primary early season focus is on Intermountain Junior National Qualifier races and the USSA Senior National Championships, Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy skiers have managed to take advantage of good track conditions in Utah and compete in two early December citizen races: the White Pine / TUNA Relay and the Wasatch Citizen Series race #1 in Solder Hollow. Team members are especially proud of their combined effort in the first WCS race: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th places in the open class, and 1st place in the U16 age group. Team members are now excitedly packing gear and travel waxing skis in anticipation of the first Junior National Qualifier in Jackson, WY. Stay tuned for the next brief Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy update in the near future. For program information contact head coach Bill Hokanson, address: xcskicoach@gmail. com. f Henry uphill Karsten uphill sprint Noah downhill agility January 2014 page 21

TUNA NEWS Southern Utah Nordic Report by Dave Uherka Happy 2014 to all TUNA members from one of the few members in Southern Utah. This Nordic ski season looks to be a good one.

Cedar Breaks National Monument, and our other nearby cross country ski sites.

We expect that our Deer Valley area will be groomed about once a week, by Dixie Forest personnel, from December to mid-march.

of Utah Chemistry Professor, and outdoorsman, now retired and living in Parowan.

The other photo shows Jim Riehle, retired Xerox engineer from upper New York, now living in Cedar City.

22 TUNA NEWS Southern Utah Nordic Report by Dave Uherka Happy 2014 to all TUNA members from one of the few members in Southern Utah. This Nordic ski season looks to be a good one. We have had several good snows in our mountains before and after Thanksgiving 2013, and as I write this in mid-december we have 2 ½ to 3 feet of nice powder already at Deer Valley (of the South), Cedar Breaks National Monument, and our other nearby cross country ski sites. Even Bryce Canyon, with its excellent groomed trails (thanks to Ruby s Inn and Dixie Forest) has a good snow cover already. We expect that our Deer Valley area will be groomed about once a week, by Dixie Forest personnel, from December to mid-march. Attached are two photos of skiers at impromptu events just before Thanksgiving at Deer Valley on Hwy 14 east of Cedar City. Photo 1 shows Dr. Jack Simons, longtime U. of Utah Chemistry Professor, and outdoorsman, now retired and living in Parowan. This photo shows him on East Draw at the east end of the ski area, plowing through 18 inches of powder after our first couple of good snowfalls. The other photo shows Jim Riehle, retired Xerox engineer from upper New York, now living in Cedar City. Jim, our Events Coordinator, who advises never ski alone, often skis alone, looking for new and exciting ungroomed ski routes that take us up higher than we have been before. He will be leading many of our events this winter. Jim has set up some 42 scheduled events this season for us, which are listed on our website org under the XC News link and on our Shutterfly calendar at cmnscphotos.shutterfly.com/calendar. These events are nothing like the TUNA race events. We have no races, but hope to someday. Our events are mostly family related, with various levels of difficulty. They include clinics on Nordic gear, waxing, beginner lessons, telemark turns, and one on advanced techniques by Abby Larson, former Olympic Nordic skier, now on the SUU faculty. Some of the events will be on the groomed trails of our Deer Valley, but some will be on ungroomed trails which may involve climbing steep draws or bushwhacking through trees. We have even scheduled our final event as TUNA Invitation Day on March 22 at Deer Valley which we think will be the weekend of the final grooming there. (Details will follow later.) Finally, we have scheduled our sixth annual Nude Ski Day on April 1, This event has been very popular in the past, with lots of participants (well, none, to be honest I guess members are worried about sunburn) and spectators (well, none). As a 501(C) 3 tax exempt organization, we invite the public to join us, but nonmembers must sign a release form to participate in our events. Here s to another great season of healthy Nordic skiing for us all. The Other Side of the Story Backcountry skiing, cross country skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, volunteering as a doctor for the snow patrol Sounds like a dream to a person who loves outdoors. This was Wally Lee s life before his injury. It changed quickly and unexpectedly while sledding and suddenly he finds himself in the ER as a patient, not as a doctor. He watched the 2002 Olympic Winter Games closing ceremony fireworks through the hospital window. That was not the best time of his life. It took seven years for Wally to get back into sports. He watched his friends and family skiing, mostly through the car window and hated it. The TRAILS program started running programs in It took us 3 years to convince Wally that skiing would feel like skiing again, it is simply in different equipment. A lot of injured people don t want to get back to their sports, because it is not the same. Very understandable, but in order to make best out of the situation, it is a good thing to give it a try. Wally has one regret now: he wish he started earlier. by Tanja Kari Wally racing Wasatch Citizen Series Soldier Hollow 2012 I come from a competitive, athletic background and grew up with my impairment (= one + half arms which to me equals two full arms:) doing all the sports one can imagine. In the Paralympic Worlds I saw athletes with disabilities racing at their best level. I did not have much of a clue about the other side of the stories: people sustaining life changing injuries, the role of the professionals around them in the process of the rehabilitation, the meaning of sports and recreation AS rehabilitation. We did eliminate any excuse Wally could potentially have to say no to sports after his injury. He was cornered and had no choice but to give it a try. He wasted a lot of years but at the same time maybe needed those years. TRAILS has been in place for a lot of our sit skiers and individuals in other sports since the day one of their injury and most of them get hooked while they are in the hospital. Thanks to a program model that actively involves rehabilitation professionals in every aspect of the design and implementation of these programs, I have the privilege to have the most meaningful job you can imagine. I see desperate, confused and sad faces turning into excited, happy and passionate faces. Some have even been thankful for their injury because their quality of life has improved by being involved in the programs. Our participants and athletes are introducing themselves as skiers, swimmers, tennis players, cyclists. These are role identities through sports within this community and it is spreading like a wildfire. Cross Country Skiing is the hardest sports for me to sell out of all of our programs. We all know that if one is not in shape and doesn t have the technique, it is not very easy. With the sit skiers, like any skiers, we ve proven that it is a matter of attitude, commitment and loving what you do. When we as a community give the framework for this, we set their fire free. Also an important update related to our previous article: Casey Fenger has learned to love cross country skiing! What a victory! f Photo courtesy of Gary Fladmoe page 22 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE 2013 FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup Opener Soldier Hollow December 17, 18, 19, 2013 by Bill Stenquist Three days of watching the best jumpers and skiers with three days

It was great to be helping and getting a front row seat to some very exciting racing.

23 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE 2013 FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup Opener Soldier Hollow December 17, 18, 19, 2013 by Bill Stenquist Three days of watching the best jumpers and skiers with three days of completely varied conditions. One day of cold, fresh, SOHO man-made snow under brilliant Utah skies, one day of warmer, SOHO man-made under cloudy skies, and one day of warm, rain/ snow (?) mix. It was great to be helping and getting a front row seat to some very exciting racing. On December 17 th we were treated to Billy Demong getting the better inside line on the final very tight (90 degree) corner to sprint ahead of Lukas Runggaldier of Italy for the win (by two tenths of a second!). Third place went to Tomaz Druml of Austria, twenty eight seconds back. On the 18 th, the Austrians came smoking in from the jumping hill starting out one, two, three and four, with Billy Demong leaving seventh, 38 seconds after the Austrian train barreled out of the station. As a quick aside, Nordic Combined races start using a Gunderson Start where the racer s start time is based on where they score on the morning jump. So the Austrian train flew well in the morning and got a big lead out of the starting blocks. But Billy Demong knows the SOHO course well, and he wasn t going to let 38 seconds get in his way. By the end of the second lap he had shaved the 38 seconds in half, and had the Austrian train in his sights. On the last lap it was Druml and Demong coming around the final turn and Druml was able to hang on for a three tenths of a second win. Lukas Runggaldier took the third spot 2.3 seconds back. It was a strong day for U.S. Nordic Combined, with Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) cracking the top 10 with a ninth place finish and Adam Loomis (Eau Claire, WI) finishing 14 th after beginning the cross country portion in 31 st. This is very high level world cup racing with the very best competing and you get to see it up close. My spot on the finish corner had me standing VERY STILL as Druml and Demong shot by me, inches away. Billy Demong had an awesome jump on December 19 and started 40 seconds ahead of his competitors. Forty seconds! Conditions were sloppy as the predicted warm air arrived and temperatures were in the mid-40 s, but Billy had a huge advantage and his skis were fast. The Austrian train tried, but Demong had left the station too far ahead of them for there to be any race except for second and third. Tomaz Druml, who edged Billy on Wednesday, was second 23 seconds back, and Hugo Buffard of France took third 41.6 seconds behind Demong. Conditions were not ideal but the SOHO volunteers handled the course preparation and timing with the expertise that has been honed after putting on many races for many years. Kudos to the volunteers who make racing at SOHO flawless. f SAVE 20% On A new Ski PAckAgE * Select Skis, Boots, Bindings and Poles from Atomic, Fischer, Rossignol and Salomon *20% discount from MSRP on Nordic,Tele, and AT gear when selecting skis, boots, bindings and poles. Fischer RCR Skate Package $499 Atomic Classic Nowax Package $299 Rossignol BC/Metal Edge Nowax Package $ East 100 South Salt Lake City January 2014 page 23

TUNA NEWS National Ability Center Proves Nordic Skiing is for Everyone by Claire Wiley In the words of the late Nelson Mandela, Sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else can.

At the National Ability Center, the power of sport is evident sports are healing, empowering and inclusive.

Located in beautiful Park City, Utah, the National Ability Center sits on 26 acres, which is surrounded by pristine cross- country skiing trails and is just minutes away from three world- class ski

24 TUNA NEWS National Ability Center Proves Nordic Skiing is for Everyone by Claire Wiley In the words of the late Nelson Mandela, Sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else can. It can create hope where once there was only despair. It laughs in the face of discrimination. Sport speaks to people in a language they can understand. At the National Ability Center, the power of sport is evident sports are healing, empowering and inclusive. The National Ability Center provides an opportunity for people of all abilities to get out and enjoy dozens of sports and recreational activities. Located in beautiful Park City, Utah, the National Ability Center sits on 26 acres, which is surrounded by pristine cross- country skiing trails and is just minutes away from three world- class ski resorts. It is also just 30 minutes from the Salt Lake International Airport. Cross Country skiing lessons have been offered through the center since Whether training to become a Paralympian or trying cross- country skiing for the first time, this sport gives individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities and their families a chance to participate in an exciting activity together, regardless of their skill levels. The smooth aerobic movements and fresh mountain air fill participants with a sense of freedom and exhilaration. National Ability Center cross country skiing lessons are held at multiple venues throughout Utah s Summit and Wasatch counties, including Round Valley, Soldier Hollow and White Pine Touring. Lessons take place on Saturdays from January 5 until April 12, from 9 am to noon. Cost is $25 for each participant, including equipment (typical stand- up and sit ski). Private and group lessons are available by request at $20 and $15 per hour, respectively. Biathlon was introduced in 2010, and is available in conjunction with cross country lessons on Saturdays or by request. National Ability Center instructors are all specially trained in adaptations. This allows individuals, families and groups with special concerns to learn the skills necessary to become a successful skier and enjoy the sport. f At the competitive level, the National Ability Center works with John Farra, High Performance Director for Paralympics Nordic Skiing; he provides training opportunities for the Paralympic Nordic and Biathlon teams. Nordic training for teams or individuals interested in participating in Special Olympics competition is available upon request. Another way to get involved in the National Ability Center s programs, including the Nordic program, is to volunteer. Volunteering at the National Ability Center means getting directly involved with the mission and providing life changing activities for people of all abilities. Volunteer orientation and program training take place on a regular basis. National Ability Center programs are held year round and include alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, horseback riding, hippotherapy, indoor rock climbing, swimming, archery, sled hockey, cycling, water- skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, and challenge course activities. The National Ability Center s mission is to help to empower individuals of all abilities by building self- esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation and educational programs. For more information on the Nordic Program, volunteering and other activities available at the National Ability Center, visit DiscoverNAC.org or call f page 24 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Ogden Nordic is Open and Skiing is Great!

Ogden Nordic is nestled in North Fork Park at the far north end of Ogden Valley.

volunteers. Ogden Nordic grooms and maintains 20-25 kilometers of groomed trails for both classic and skate skiing. With the thin snow, as of Dec.

25 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE Ogden Nordic is Open and Skiing is Great! by Trish Painter If you haven t ventured north to try out Ogden Nordic, you have missed skiing a well maintained, challenging and beautiful Nordic area. Ogden Nordic is nestled in North Fork Park at the far north end of Ogden Valley. Ogden Nordic is a local non-profit organization that is a unique collaborative effort of Weber County Parks & Recreation Department, and the Swanson s North Fork Environmental Center and a team of volunteers. Ogden Nordic grooms and maintains kilometers of groomed trails for both classic and skate skiing. With the thin snow, as of Dec. 16th, just under half of the trails are groomed and in great shape! To get ready for the season, we have had nearly 75 volunteers prepping trails, making new trail signs and setting out trail markers. The Nordic Center Yurt opened Thursday, Dec 12 and is open from 9-4 Thursday through Sunday. At the yurt, trail passes (over 13 yr $6, under 13 free, family $13), season passes and ski and snowshoe rentals are available. The events calendar for Ogden Nordic can be found on our website ( Monthly moonlight glides start on January 10. Winter Trails Day is January 11, where for a price of a trail pass you have access to demo equipment from several terrific outdoor organizations, ski lessons of all levels, ski and snowshoe tours of the park and ski waxing clinics. There will be hot food for participants! New for this year will be the O Nordic Race and Taste scheduled for March 1, a 5k or 10k race (skate or classic) followed by lunch provided by residents and restaurants of Ogden Valley. Check the website for details! Ogden Nordic has also been designated as an official PSIA Nordic Ski School. As a result of the awesome efforts of O Nordic regular Amber Mounday, we will have group lessons for beginners and intermediate classic and skate available every Saturday. We hosted an instructor s clinic, and several of our O Nordic regulars have become certified. Private and semi-private lessons are also available. Reservations and information are available on the Ski School phone line (801) or online at the Ogden Nordic Website. Three volunteer groomers go out every night except Monday, and have the choice of a snowmobile, Toyota RAV with tracks, or a Ranger all equipped with Ginzu grooming equipment. After most storms, we groom with a Snowcat. So, if you would like a change of scene and a change in scenery on some of the best groomed trails in the state, venture north into the clear air and peace and quiet of Ogden Valley and visit Ogden Nordic! Volunteers are always needed for our fun events such as Winter Trails Day, Moonlight glides and many more that will be showing up on our website ( If you are interested in being a part of the action of this amazing volunteer effort, please contact us at info@ogdennordic.com. If you are unable to join our awesome volunteer team, at least make plans to come up and see their work and watch them in action and experience the beauty of winter in our valley in North Fork Park!!! f r a c e f i n i s h NORDIC STONE GRIND FULL REFINISH $49.99 Bases better than new! Complete restoration of your skis with Precision Custom Structure Base Repair* Precision base flattening on stone Blank Finish applied to flat base Precision custom structure applied to base Base hair removal Hand polish and brushing of base material One coat soft penetrating wax PREMIUM REFINISH $64.99 Precision Custom Structure plus Hot Box Treatment Hot Box base saturation process replaces hours of tedious hand waxing Everything in our Standard Tune plus the following: Extensive hand polishing and brushing of base Hot Box base saturation with soft penetrating wax One coat blue wax for base hardening Hand hot wax with wax of the day 702 Third Avenue Salt Lake City January 2014 page 25

TUNA NEWS back of the pack Skiing as a Family by David Susong Over the Thanksgiving Holiday our family got out skiing together.

As enthusiastic new parents, we had our daughter out with us on skis in a backpack as soon as we could.

Those days of skiing were an exercise in logistics, mobilizing all sorts of extra gear and then hitting the trails.

26 TUNA NEWS back of the pack Skiing as a Family by David Susong Over the Thanksgiving Holiday our family got out skiing together. My wife, daughter and I all skied on the tracks and hit the slopes together and it got me thinking about how skiing with the family has changed over time. As enthusiastic new parents, we had our daughter out with us on skis in a backpack as soon as we could. We had a little sleeping bag with legs and nestled in that with only her nose showing, she slept through many laps around the track and some backcountry tours. Those days of skiing were an exercise in logistics, mobilizing all sorts of extra gear and then hitting the trails. We, my wife and I, got a lot of satisfaction out of this at the time but I don t think our daughter really cared. All she did was sleep for the most part. In hindsight we were all together and it was easier than arranging a baby sitter. In the toddler years, the backpack became less and less enjoyable so we transitioned to playing in the snow, sledding, and alpine skiing. Alpine skiing as a family was a hoot but I threatened to buy a shorter pair of skis given all the time spent in nasty, narrow, turney tree runs. Kids love to ski in the trees for hours and that is where we ended up for run after run after run. At this age there were few other conflicting activities so it is easy to get out as a family on skis. The elementary years were back to the Nordic tracks with some alpine skiing thrown in. Although we could not yet go out and ski 10+ kms together, we skied a lot of short loops and played endlessly on skis. Watching the kids crash time and time again off jumps made me wince just thinking about how I would feel if I skied with such reckless abandon. Alpine skiing at this age expands to the entire mountain. We could go nearly anywhere as a family as long as we still found time to explore the forest. Family skiing during the junior high and high school years was completely different. It is a time of enormous growth, exploration, and change for kids and our daughter was no exception. She started exploring other sports and activities that took her away from skiing. Family skiing became more occasional and something that took more planning and cajoling to get us all out together. Trips to the Nordic tracks as a family were infrequent but we still spent a few days on the slopes together. It was always easier if we were skiing where there was little chance of seeing any of her friends. There was nothing as uncool as parents at this age even on the ski slopes. Now that our daughter is off at college we are together as a family infrequently. However in the winter, skiing is still an important part of all family gatherings including the extended family. At Thanksgiving we had three generations out on the slopes including aunts, uncles and grandma. Skiing takes on a different flavor as the group changes. High speed runs by splinter groups give way to social runs with frequent stops with lots of conversation and storytelling with the larger group and an extended lunch in the bar. Extended family skiing is in many ways a logistics and diplomacy balancing act. Simply, getting everyone to the slopes with everyone s gear takes significant preplanning and execution not that different than getting a young family to the slopes or track. The difference is that all are adults and responsible for their own gear but old habits die hard and we are still checking our daughter to see that she has hats, gloves, skis, boots, poles so much that it has come a family joke. I am usually the one who forgets something now. I am sure that our family will continue to ski together in the future and it is something that I look forward to as we gather for winter holidays. I also realize that how we ski together will change but I am also looking forward to that as well. f Winter Days, photos by Gary Fladmoe page 26 January 2014

THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE This race schedule is published and distributed compliments of Smartwool and TUNA 2013/2014 Utah Cross Country Ski Race Schedule DATE RACE TECHNIQUE (DIST) LOCATION START

27 THE UTAH NORDIC ALLIANCE This race schedule is published and distributed compliments of Smartwool and TUNA 2013/2014 Utah Cross Country Ski Race Schedule DATE RACE TECHNIQUE (DIST) LOCATION START January 4 Sat Potato Cup pursuit (4/10/20k) Mink Creek, ID 10:00 4 Sat US Senior Nationals classic (10/15k) Soldier Hollow 5 Sun US Senior Nationals free (sprint) Soldier Hollow 8 Wed US Senior Nationals free (20/30k) Soldier Hollow 8 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any (5k) Mountain Dell 4:30 10 Fri US Senior Nationals classic (sprint) Soldier Hollow 11 Sat Teton Ridge Classic classic (6/14/28k) Driggs, ID 10:00 15 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any (5k) Mountain Dell 4:30 18 Sat Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series classic (10k) Mountain Dell 10:00 22 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any (5k) Mountain Dell 4:30 25 Sat Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series free (10k) Soldier Hollow 10:00 25 Sat JN Qualifier free (sprint) Sun Valley, ID 26 Sun JN Qualifier classic Sun Valley, ID 29 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any (5k) Mountain Dell 4:30 February 1 Sat Boulder Mountain Tour free (30k) Sun Valley, ID 10:00 7 Fri JN Super Qualifier classic (sprint) Soldier Hollow 8 Sat JN Super Qualifier free Soldier Hollow 15 Sat Round Valley Roundup free (5/20/40k) Park City 9:00 15 Sat Moose Chase free (25k) Jackson Hole, WY 10:00 16 Sun Silver Ski Tour any (5/10k) White Pine 10:00 16 Sun Bryce Canyon Archery Biathlon free (6k) Ruby s Inn 11:00 17 Mon Bryce Canyon Ski Festival free (10k) Ruby s Inn 9:00 22 Sat Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series free (20k) White Pine Farm 10:00 22 Sat Intermountain Division Youth Festival Utah Olympic Park 23 Sun Intermountain Division Youth Festival Utah Olympic Park March 1 Sat O Nordic Championships any (10k) North Fork Park 10:00 6 Thu NCAA Cross Country Championships Soldier Hollow 8 Sat NCAA Cross Country Championships Soldier Hollow 8 Sat Yellowstone Rendezvous classic (25k) W.Yellowstone, MT 8:45 8 Sat Yellowstone Rendezvous free (25/50k) W.Yellowstone, MT 9:00 8 Sat Wasatch Powder Keg mountaineering (10/15k) Brighton 7:00 8 Sat Steamboat Pentathlon ski/bike/run Steamboat Spr. CO 10:00 15 Sat Wooden Ski Classic & Potluck classic (5k) Alta 10:30 15 Sat Glide the Divide free (15/45/90k) Steamboat Springs, CO 9:00 (formerly North Routt Coureur des Bois) 22 Sat Equinox Snow Challenge ski,bike,run W.Yellowstone, MT 10:00 (3/6/12/24 hours) For more up-to-date information check the TUNA web page at January Race Details Wednesday, January 8 Wild Rose Fun Race place: Mountain Dell time: 4:45 distance: 5 km technique: any registration: 4:30 in the parking lot contact: Tim Metos, Wild Rose, 702 E. Third Ave., sponsors: Wild Rose Wednesday, January 15 Wild Rose Fun Race (See January 8 for details) Saturday, January 18 Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series place: Mountain Dell time: juniors & sit skiers 0:00, others 10:20 distance: juniors & sit skiers 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 15 km technique: classic registration: 8:30 to 9:30 fee: juniors $8, TUNA members $17, others $25 contact: White Pine ( )?? sponsors: Smartwool, Scheels Saturday, January 25 Smartwool Wasatch Citizens Series place: Soldier Hollow time: juniors & sit skiers 10:00, others 10:20 distance: juniors & sit skiers 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 10 km technique: free registration: 8:30 to 9:30 fee: juniors $8, TUNA members $17, others $25 contact: Soldier Hollow ( ) sponsors: Smartwool, REI Wednesday, January 29 Wild Rose Fun Race (See January 8 for details) Wednesday, January 22 Wild Rose Fun Race (See January 8 for details) January 2014 page 27

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28 The Utah Nordic Alliance PO Box 9008 Salt Lake City, UT Non-Profit Org. U S Postage PAID Salt Lake City, UT Permit No Hosting Visitors To Bryce Canyon National Park Since 1916 Ski Bryce Canyon BRYCE CANYON WINTER FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 15,16,17 BEST WESTERN PLUS RUBY S INN PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND AT RUBY S INN ICE SKATING, X-C SKIING, ARCHERY BIATHLON, PHOTOGRAPHY, YOGA, RACES, AND MORE, CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES. BEST WESTERN PLUS Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel MOTEL - RESTAURANT - GENERAL STORE - POOLS / HOT TUB - ACTIVITIES FOR SNOW AND TRAIL CONDITIONS AND RESERVATIONS CALL TOLL FREE HWY 63 BRYCE CANYON CITY, UTAH New Ice Rink ICE SKATING X-COUNTRY SKIING SLEIGH RIDES RENTALS THE CLOSEST ACCOMMODATIONS TO THE ENTRANCE TO BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK S E A S O N P A S S MOUNTAIN DELL $80 SEASON PASS $55 FOR CURRENT TUNA MEMBERS Purchase online with a credit card or check

Unofficial Results. Wasatch Citizens Series Race # Racers. PDF created with pdffactory trial version

Unofficial Results. Wasatch Citizens Series Race # Racers. PDF created with pdffactory trial version Unofficial Results Wasatch Citizens Series Race #3 227 Racers at Soldier Hollow 10:00 on 1/21/2012 Place Class: MO - Male Open 12.1 km Start Wave: 4 1 385 FLETCHER, Taylor 42:36.1 0 2 456 HENDRICKSON,