Ski clinics aimed at families
Originally Posted: Thursday, January 7, 2010 7:30 am
Reprinted with the permission of the Record-Eagle
By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS Record-Eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY -- Duane Amato is an experienced cross-country skier with 15 Vasa races under his belt. Sons Nicholas, 13, and Andrew, 9, have competed in junior Vasa events but have a long way to go to catch up. Wife Vicki used to ski but hasn't in a while, and daughter Shannon, 30, has only been on skis two or three times.
"It's better for me to have them better skiers, then we can ski as a family," said Amato, who signed the clan up for a three-day WeSki clinic that starts today. "Right now it's difficult to ski as a family because we're skiing at different levels."
Cross-country skiing has long been known as a heart-healthy activity that uses all the major muscle groups. But organizers of the WeSki event -- the Vasa Ski Club, the Vasa Board and Timber Ridge Resort -- are hoping participants discover the sport's family-friendly benefits, too.
"Cross-country skiing accords more family time," said Vasa board member Linda Deneen, who taught her 3-year-old son after learning to ski back in 1973. "You can go a little bit, stop and talk, have a cookout in the woods. There are lots of different levels of cross-country skiing, but the idea is being out and enjoying the woods, enjoying the winter, enjoying the family."
Roger Putman has taught the sport for nearly 30 years and, with son Elliot, coached members of the Vasa Ski Club serving as volunteer instructors.
"Cross-country is more a personal experience," said Putman, whose two sons learned to ski almost before they could walk. "There's time to talk and communicate on a trail. There's a melding together of personalities because its kind a common chore you're doing: getting through the snow. There's more a communal feeling."
WeSki is a new outreach project to promote cross-country skiing to more levels and ages of skiers, said Vasa Ski Club board member Todd Vigland.
"We're hoping to get families on board skiing, especially beginners and people who haven't tried it before," said Vigland, noting that the sport has suffered with the introduction of new snow sports and indoor activities like video games. "There's a lot of technique to it. Good instruction the first time out can make it fun for kids. It can be frustrating otherwise."
Besides trail fees and age- and skill-appropriate instruction in classic or freestyle skiing, clinic participants get a healthy snack before lessons and a meal after. But the real draw is the chance to enhance skills together, said Sutton's Bay's Amato, whose daughter, Shannon, hoped to fly standby from Kansas, where she's a veterinary student, for the event.
"It was a nice deal, $30 for the family -- an incredible deal, in fact," Amato said. "I just thought it was a great opportunity."
With obesity skyrocketing, now is an especially good time to take up the sport, say proponents.
"Nothing beats a cardiovascular workout like cross-country skiing. And there's nothing like having fun while you're working out," Deneen said.
"It's a highly aerobic sport at whatever level you pursue it," added Putman. "Even if you get out and shuffle, you're burning calories and building up cardio (strength)."
If that's not reason enough, here's another: At about $300 to $400 for a set of new high-tech gear, cross-country skiing is less expensive than many other winter sports.
"Especially in this economy, people are finding that the cost of cross-country skiing is certainly more affordable than Alpine skiing," Putman said. "You can get skis, poles, boots and bindings for the price of a pair of good Alpine boots."
Best of all, it's never too late to learn, he said.
"We try to teach agility and not to be too worried about falling down. For the most part, snow is a relatively soft medium."
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