Remembering Milo Martin, upcoming events and more…

Well Jack Frost has been busy giving Yellowknife some frigid temperatures for the start of 2022, but luckily warmer weather is now in the forecast along with flurries. All in perfect timing to come out to the YK Ski Club this weekend for World Snow Day! 

Here are some handy dates to keep in mind….

  • Sunday, January 16, 2022 – World Snow Day – Free Ski
  • Sunday, January 30, 2022 – “Boys on Boards” all ages Costume Ski
  • Sunday, February 13, 2022 – NWT Ski Day – Free Ski
  • Saturday & Sunday March 12 & 13, 2022 – YK Ski Races
  • Saturday, March 19, 2022 – Frostbite 50
  • Sunday, April 3, 2022 – Yellowknife Gold Loppet
  • Saturday, April 9, 2022 – Nordic Cross

Remembering Milo Martin….

The Yellowknife Ski Club would like to pass our most sincere condolences to Milo Martin’s family for their tragic loss of their very talented and outgoing son. Milo is remembered as being a fun and energetic member of the Yellowknife Ski Club, someone that had a way to make special connections with other skiers, even his coaches. 

Milo comes from a family of skiers and his Grandfather contributed a great deal to the club, served on the board. Milo participated in both the Jackrabbits and Track Attack programs when he was younger. 

His former coach, Stephen Dunbar shares a few words:
Milo was a special soul I had the privilege of coaching for many years. He had an eclectic range of interests, which allowed him to connect with all the other skiers. His innate ability to connect and intuit when another skier was having a bad day was phenomenal. So often he would be one of the last skiers to get back to the clubhouse, because he would be happily chatting with another kid about some game/movie/music – whatever they were interested in. On the coldest days of the year, he enthusiastically organized indoor fitness dodgeball workouts – I think it was his favourite part of skiing!

I took Milo to a couple big events in Alberta. He was never very fussed about how he did in the race, but he was very concerned if everyone wasn’t having a good time. On more than one occasion I found him consoling another skier who was upset over their race. He was such a sweet soul. My heart aches for his parents, sister and friends.

Rest, dear Milo. You will be so very missed.

Photo from Shawn McCann. Taken by coach Stephen Dunbar. Canmore race several years ago. Milo is #423

World Snow Day

Mark your calendars for next Sunday for World Snow Day at the Yellowknife Ski Club!

Trail fees are waived all day! A big thanks to Overlander Sports for offering half price rentals for the day. And don’t forget to grab a piece of handcrafted fudge from Sundog to give you that extra boost enroute. 

And please kindly note that all participants 12 years and older must be fully vaccinated. If you are in the chalet masks must be worn at all times. 

Updates due to COVID-19 situation

With the COVID-19 situation changing rapidly in the NWT, the Yellowknife the ski club is adapting again to get us through this time and continue to offer our outdoor programming.

As per the Office of the ​Chief Public Health Officer​, outdoor sports activities are not restricted by the temporary order. The gathering limits are also not removed. The only change that will affect YK Ski Club is that any indoor location that is part of the YK Ski Club operations (i.e. the chalet) cannot have any high-risk activities defined in the order. temporary_partial_suspension_of_gatherings_order_-_jan_4.pdf (gov.nt.ca)

At this time, general membership can continue to enjoy the ski club trails while limiting time spent within the chalet.  Please continue to wear masks inside the chalet and all ski club structures, avoid gatherings, and​stay home if you are experiencing symptoms and/or asked to isolate for any reason.

A big thanks to our groomers

Our groomers have been busy grooming and setting tracks at this ski club. A big thanks to our Thursday crew: Oliver Hodgins, John Buckland and Ed Hoeve who groomed the 10km loop and the stadium. And a big thanks to Sean Marshall, Rob Tumchewics, Shamus Gordon who went out Friday to groom and set the loop on Fault, and the Con Flats stadium. 

Frostbite 50 March 19th!

This year’s event directors, Jill Vaydik and Ben Linaker, and their team are busy getting this event off the ground. Registration is now open on zone4.ca. A discount of 25% for YK Club Ski Club members (a separate email with discount code will be sent to members soon). Or if you are interested in volunteering for this event, please reach out to ykfrostbite50@gmail.com

Meanwhile, the YK Ski Club FB50 training group are in their forth week of training and this cold weather has not slowdown this dedicated group of skiers! Last Sunday was the coldest day of the training program so far, yet it had the biggest turnout. The group took their training indoors last Monday night with a one hour fitness class taught by our YK Ski Club President, Heather Scott.  

       

Coaching

Coaches Needed for the Arctic Winter Games and Canada Winter Games
Cross Country NWT is seeking expressions of interest from coaches who would be interested in receiving support to coach NWT athletes at major games such as the Arctic Winter Games and Canada Winter Games.

We’re looking to increase our pool of coaches with the certification, experience, and interest to lead Team NT’s skiers at major events. Below, you’ll find details of the two events coming up in early 2023 – Arctic Winter Games and Canada Winter Games – but we’re also looking beyond that to the rest of this decade. If you’re just starting out in coaching or you’re an experienced coach, and you think you may be interested in coaching at major events either next year or in the future, let us know! 

We want to build a list of interested coaches and support them to achieve the experience and certification required. There is no commitment to sign up for any event now – we simply want to hear that you have an interest.

To express your interest in hearing more about the pathway to becoming a Team NT ski coach at future events, reply to this email. Thank you! — Ollie and Sarah, CCNWT – nwtski@gmail.com

— Forthcoming Major Events —

ARCTIC WINTER GAMES

Next edition: Wood Buffalo, Jan 29-Feb 4, 2023
Coaches: Total of four, must include male and female coaches

Athletes: Up to 24 athletes aged roughly 13-19
See draft technical package, attached, for more information

Ideal requirements:
Head coach – Train to Train certified, previous race experience as a ski coach
Assistant coaches – Learn to Train certified, strong skills as a wax technician, previous race experience as a ski coach or athlete

Commitments:
Arrange and oversee athlete selection process with CCNWT in fall of 2022
Arrange and oversee intensive coaching of athletes pre-AWG
Attend and coach at AWG Jan-Feb 2023
Must be available to attend all selection events and the competition itself

Available from CCNWT:
Support to achieve requirements listed above
Organizational and administrative support for athlete selection, training, and AWG attendance
Funding to assist with preparation of athletes for AWG

CANADA WINTER GAMES

Next edition: Prince Edward Island, Feb 18-Mar 5, 2023
Coaches: Total of four, including one manager and one wax technician, plus option to bring apprentice coach under certain programs (see attached technical package)
Athletes: Up to 12, aged 20 or under

Requirements:
Coaches – Competition Development (Learn to Compete) certified. See Canada Games coach certification policy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G3R4LPSxy5bc_IZALgwLYqQzOpxFSm4x/view

Commitments:
Arrange and oversee athlete selection process with CCNWT in fall of 2022, potentially to include at least one out-of-territory event e.g. Alberta Cup
Arrange and oversee intensive coaching of athletes pre-CWG
Attend and coach at CWG Feb-Mar 2023
Must be available to attend all selection events and the competition itself

Available from CCNWT:
Support to achieve requirements listed above
Organizational and administrative support for athlete selection, training, and CWG attendance
Funding to assist with preparation of athletes for CWG

Stay tuned for our next round of SKINGO BINGO cards that will hopefully encourage you to set some exciting and fun new year’s resolutions for 2022! Winners to be announced very soon!

Stay warm and stay safe! The YK Ski Club Board wishes everyone an exciting year ahead!!

Happy Trails!

Ashley Janes
Volunteer Communications Director