AGM, May 22, 2012, My Thai Restaurant, Waterloo  

All members are cordially invited to join  the Annual General Meeting at My Thai Restaurant, on Tuesday May 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The agenda is as follows: 5:30 - 6:00 Social; 6:00 - 7:00 Dinner featuring a selection of Thai dishes; 7:00 - 8:00 Program Reports and Suggestions; 8:00 - 8:30 Election and Meeting of New Board of Directors. Seating is limited, so RSVP with dietary restrictions to Bill at bhenry@rogers.com.

 

Partner of Year 2011-2012: Anne and Hugh Nauman, HR Storage

Anne and Hugh Naumann cannnot be missed in the Northwest corner of Waterloo. Raspberries, strawberris and pumpkins galore have lead many to their farm. Well they can add kindness to their many offerings, as the WRNSC has stored its grooming equipment there on a annual basis. While storing is not a charitable gesture, the Naumanns have distinguished themselves with accomodating the needs of the club beyond thier customary business plan. Simply put, we enjoy a few extra priviliges; they have made a difference for our volunteers and that's sufficient reason for gratitude and making them the partner of the year. When you visit their farm, let them know that you are a member and thank them... 

Highlands Nordic Bus Trip - Sunday, February 26, 2012

Where does one find the snow? Why Duntroon naturally.Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club members enjoyed a great skiing adventure, practically right next to "Georgian Bay" on Sunday February 26th.
The conditions were as perfect as they could be. 25 cm of fresh snow had fallen on Saturday, the trails were groomed to a "Capital T". The sun out and about, minimal wind, tonnes of fresh air. Who could ask for anything more?
We were greeted by our friendly Bus Driver named "Dean" who picked us up at Conestoga Mall bright and early, and took us safely to Highlands Nordic a mere 1hr and 50 minutes later. The busload of skiers tabulated the amount of kilometers they skied, and in the end 325.5 km was the final result. Everyone skied on some great trails, gathered some Vitamin D, and some were quite tired on the return journey.

 

WRNSC Skiers Have a Great Weekend at the Gatineau Loppet

A group of WRNSC skiers joined more than 2000 skiers from 22 countries to participate in the 34th anual Gatineau Loppet in Quebec, Canada's largest cross-country ski race, on the February 18-19th weekend. They skied under sunny skies and enjoyed good snow conditions. The Gatineau Loppet attracts both competitive and recreational skiers, with ski races that are from 2 to 51 km in length, so this is an event that other WRNSC skiers may wish to try next season.

Here are the results for the WRNSC skiers:

Charles Whitlock 31 km classic 2:37:12

Anna Geiger-Whitlock 51 km classic 3:39:23

Julie Henry 16 km classic 1:57:07

Julie Curry 16 km classic 1:27:05 (3^rd place in her age category!)

Mark Swartz 51 km skate 2:57:22 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Eastern Canadian Championships, February 4-6, 2012 

Despite the lack of snow locally, racing is actually taking place and the WRNSC travelled to the Eastern Championships held in Cantley, Quebec at the famous Nakkertok Ski Club. There was at least 1 foot of icy snow that over 600 young and old were able to test their fitness against some of Canada's best skiers.
Gavin Shields placed 27th and 26th in the Sprints and 15 lm Mass Start, while Andy Shields placed 17th, 15th, and 14th in the Sprints, 15 Km Freestyle and 30 km Mass Start respectively. 

 

Another equipment pick-up on December 21st 

The club is having another children's/youth equipment pick-up on Wednesday Dec 21st, from 7 to 7:30 pm at the club's storage locker. It's located on Goudies Lane in downtown Kitchener. The laneway is off of Ontario St., just behind the King St. Scotiabank parking lot. Look for the brown door up the short flight of stairs. There should also be City of Kitchener vehicles parked in front of the door (for a map, google "Goudies Lane Kitchener").You can contact our equipment manager, Eva, at evasanzsole@hotmail.com, for more information.

Highlands Nordic ski trip on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 

The WRNSC and the Grand Valley Trails Association (GVTA) are organizing the 6th annual ski trip, via a comfortable Ayr's coach bus, to Highlands Nordic (www.highlandsnordic.ca) on Saturday, January 28th, 2012. Highlands Nordic offers 25 km of impeccably groomed classic and skate ski trails that will impress the novice to expert skier. There is also a toboggan hill and 8 km of snowshoe trails to enjoy. The ski centre provides equipment rentals, pro & service shops, change rooms, waxing facilities and a full service cafeteria that offers hot meals & fresh baked goods.

Advanced registration is required. A minimum of 35 participants are required to register, along with payment, by Sunday, January 8th, 2012. Trip cost includes bus fare & ski trail fee. The fee is non-refundable, unless the trip is cancelled.

Adults - $37; Children over 6 & Youths (18 & under) - $23; Children 6 & under - $12. Fee for Adult non-members is $47.

Make your cheque payble to the "Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club" and mail it to: WRNSC, P.O. Box 40031, Waterloo, ON N2J 4V1. Please include the # of participants, their names, age group (ie adult, youth, child under/over 6), a contact phone # and e-mail address. Also indicate which pick-up point you have chosen (see below).

Skiers will picked up at 2 locations by an Ayr Coach Lines bus:

In Kitchener - Departure at 7:45 AM, Holiday Inn, 30 Fairway Road South. Park in the far side of the lot closest to King St. Provide GVTA leader Charles Whitlock with your license plate #.

In Waterloo - Departure at 8:15 AM, Conestoga Mall at parking lot north of Zellers (enter off of Conestoga Road; parking lot will be to the left). Park as far away from the mall and store entrances as possible.

The approximate arrival time back to K-W is 6 PM. If you have any questions contact Greg at nolanharling@rogers.com.

Andy Shields: Cambridge Athlete of the Year, 2011 

On Friday November 4th 2011, the City of Cambridge held the 38th Annual Cambridge Sports Award Banquet.
Seven gifted athletes were nominated for the TIM TUROW award, of which Andy Shields (Cross Country Skiing, also member of Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club) was one of the 7 selected.
As luck would have it, when the envelope was opened, and the winner announced, a Winter activity would be the sport, and Andy Shields would be the athlete to represent Cambridge for the year 2011.
What an amazing accomplishment for the boy who loved to ski.
Congratulations Andy!

For more information see:
http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/sports/article/1239169--shields-named-athlete-of-the-year

Woodchipping: Simply Marvellous, October 29, 2011

The annual wood chipping and trail enhancement was simply marvellous, as more than 30 volunteers from the WRNSC, the University of Waterloo Nordic Team, and WCI Nordic enjoined splendid sunshine, while adding a few callouses on their hands. We wood chipped a long section in the woods which should give us wondeful straight-away of double tracks in a few weeks. We also repaired some sloped banks that had grooming equipment slide off the trail in previous years. As special thanks goes to the staff of Bechtel Park, especially Chris who operated the front-end loader and coordinated the other two City staff members. As you can see from the picture, the supervisor-to-worker ratio is just right: three todlers, namely Adeline, Natalie, and Lucas as well as two unnamed adults in the distance, supervising four hard working youth members, including Pippi Longstocking. 

Children's & Youth Ski Equipment Pick-up on Sunday, November 13th.

The WRNSC will be holding it's annual equipment rental selection & pick-up program this fall. For best selection it's wise to arrive early.

When: Sunday, November 13, 2011, between 2 - 4 pm.
Where: Room 101, at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex (101 Father David Bauer Drive, Waterloo).

Although it's not required that you go online before you come, it's recommended that you consider these steps before you arrive, to make the process easier:

1. Register online at Zone 4: Go to www.wrnsc.ca and select To Register in the menu. Zone4 is simple to use.

2. Select the rental equipment option when registering: Zone4 allows you to select what equipment pieces (skis, poles and /or boots) you would like to rent for your children.

3. Payment online: You can pay by credit card (with no transaction fee) or by cheque. If you're paying by cheque, bring your cheque with you on Nov. 13.

4. Important - Print off and bring along your Zone4 registration receipt.

The club is also collecting Zehrs and Sobey's cash register tapes as a fundraising initiative, so it would be very much appreciated if you could contribute to our collection.

Dryland Games Begin for Young Skiers
Now that it is fall, our Dryland games and training will begin Wednesday, October 5th.
Come out to play and get in shape for the upcoming ski season.

Who: Jack Rabbits, Magic Rabbits and Bunny Rabbits with parent
supervision.
What: Fall Training program
Where: Waterloo Park ... meet by the Lion's Lagoon parking lot.
When: Wednesday October 5th at 6:00pm - 7:00pm
( time or location may change due to light in park )
Why: To get together and have some fun and run... run ... run.

This program will run for 12 weeks until Wednesday, December 21.
For more information please contact:
Susan Shields
(519) 650-8909 

John Cooper Retirement, September 2011

Congratulations goes to John Cooper, who celebrated, with style, his retirement from over 30 years in municipal services.

John had, since the inception of the WRNSC in 1985, played a significant role in guiding and encouraging the club along the way. As many speakers mentioned; he was an advocate for the "Little Guy" and the WRNSC was one of the benefactors of his philosophy. Stephan, Farida, Adeline, and Barbara were in attendance to represent the club. We wish John well in his retirement and trust that skiing will play a role in his next stage of life. 

2011 Partner of the Year Award: Bryce Crouse and Bechtel Park Staff 

Congratulations goes to the staff of Bechtel Park, under the leadership of manager Bryce Crouse, for winning the 2011 Partner of the Year Award. While they have been instrumental in making our endeavours possible for many years, they have stepped up in the past year beyond the customary services. They have assisted with the wood chipping in the fall, moving wood chips with the Gator to the site, as well, they have snow plowed the parking and access route to the snowmobile storage. In addition, Bryce Crouse has been receptive to the idea of a club house on site. That gesture and the early planning meetings in themselves have been cause for celebration and hope in the future. To celebrate their contribution, we sent Bryce and staff to Mediterraneo Restaurant. 

2011 Banquet: It is all in the hips!

Ski coaches will often dwell on the significance of the hip position and movement in cross country skiing, but few of the many in attendance had any ideas of the WRNSC twist to such fundamental instructional component. This year's banquet will not be forgotton as the usual awards and recognitions were accentuated with belly dancing, courtesy of Anne Cambell's expertise and accessories. The award winner are listed in the About Us Page and the personal accomplishments are within your set of memories or picture albums. We also enjoyed a visit by Pavol Skravilo from Skitrab who displayed ski equipment for order in the future. Thanks to all for contributing the wonderful food and spirit.   

 WRNSC Skiers Put In Great Performances at Ski Nationals, March 2011

Four Athletes from the Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club competed at the Cross Country Ski Nationals which were held last week in Canmore, Alberta. On Saturday the long distance skate races rounded out the four race series.

In the final race Andy Shields took the win in the Junior Male 30 km skate race. This also gave him the aggregate championship in Junior Men for the four races at Nationals. Andy had a great week of racing with a huge performance in the 15 km Classic interval start race. With a controlled, relaxed, powerful stride from start to finish he crossed the line in 42:35.4 placing him 6th in the Open race against some of the top seniors in Canada. Three of the guys ahead of Andy were on last years Canadian Olympic team.
Andy has one more event this season, in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Christy Campbell raced in the Para Nordic Sit Ski Category, finishing 2nd overall.

Oliver Conway-White finished the week 20th in the Junior Male 1992 year of birth aggregate score, while Gavin Shields was 24th in the Junior Boys 1994 year of birth aggregate.

Shields Claims National Junior Title, March 2011