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Sunday, October 25, 2020

Gearing Up for the season

The season is almost upon us and we have even had a good dusting of snow to get us excited (has someone been practicing the snow dance?). Registration will be opening soon - watch for an email on that coming in the next week or so. And if you need skis, you may want to act now. The scuttlebutt is that this may be a busy year for skis as people figure out what we have always known: skiing is a pretty great way to get outside in the winter!  

So as we gear up for the season, there are a few programming changes to share with you:

We are going to be expanding our programming to include the Track Attack level. The Nordiq Canada ski program for kids has 3 levels: Bunny Rabbit, Jackrabbit and Track Attack. We have generally just called our program Jackrabbits, and will keep doing that, but at age 10, kids should start moving into Track Attack and we have never had that option. This new program will be geared to the older kids with some experience in skiing. Coach Ted and Coach Adam will run the program. We will go to different locations in and around the city to try out other courses and do skills work geared to the course and the conditions. It will still be family-based, so everyone can come and ski!. About once a month we'll join up with the rest of the Wildwood family for a session at Wildwood. We are still working on a schedule and locations - so let us know if you have favourites we should try!

The Bunny Rabbits, and Jackrabbits will stay at Wildwood. We are super thrilled to announce three new coaches: Sara, Bryan and Chad, who will step into coaching ski boots to run this program. All three have been part of Wildwood Jackrabbits, and they have some considerable skills and experience. While the program may shift a bit (it always does as new coaches bring their own energy and skills), it is still going to be a family based program focusing on teaching kids to ski by having fun together. We are grateful and thrilled (did I mention thrilled) that they are taking up the ski poles of leadership as we expand the program. 

Now, COVID. With the current 5 person outdoor gathering limit, it doesn't make sense to start. Once those restrictions are relaxed we will get underway. Skiing, as it relates to COVID, is a pretty safe sport, and we will put practices in place to ensure we comply with all  provincial health orders and guidelines, and will follow guidance from the Cross Country Ski Association of Manitoba (CCSAM) and Nordiq Canada. This will include distancing, some modifications to games, and how we organize groups. There will be more on that as we get closer to go time. 

If you have any questions as we start to prepare for the season, don't hesitate to contact us. 

We are looking forward to a great season!