Ski camp relay finish

Check out the big finish of the ski camp relay ...

Upcoming races

We have two races on the schedule this week - a WMC race at Pineland on Wednesday, January 2 and the Telstar Relays in Bethel on Saturday.

Wednesday, January 2:
Due to the lack of snow, it is virtually assured that the WMC race scheduled for Wednesday, January 2 at Pineland will not happen.  There is a skate race at Black Mountain in Rumford that same day and we don't want to be held back by lack of local snow so, as of now, we are intending on joining that race.  We will be leaving school by 12:30 and vans will be returning back to school around 6:00-6:30.  Let Susan know asap (ideally by Monday, December 31) if you are unable to attend this race (sick, injured, doctor's appointment, etc.) as our registration is going in tomorrow (Monday) before 5:00pm.  If Susan doesn't hear from you, we will assume you are skiing in this race.

Saturday, January 5:
The Telstar Relays are always fun, with mixed (boys and girls) skate relay teams and possibly a few individuals if we don't divide up evenly, along with the crazy tights raffle at the end.  Vans will be leaving Desert Rd at 8:30 and returning around 4:00-5:00.  Since this is not a WMC race, Telstar is an optional race for our skiers, however we do hope many will attend.  In order to have accurate race registration and plan relay teams, as well as arrange transportation, every team member needs to drop Susan an email (highschool@mainecoastwaldorf.org) by Wednesday (January 2) morning, letting her know one way or the other whether they plan on racing on Saturday.

Ski Camp 2018-2019 season

SKI CAMP INFO …

Probably the most important thing to convey is that everyone should be sure to have the right gear for ski camp.  Having the right clothes (layers are super important) will make for a much more pleasant experience for the week.  If anyone thinks they are missing some critical piece of gear, do reach out to John ahead of time and he will help in getting/loaning you what you need.

Also, everyone should have received an email regarding help needed with food for camp.  Everyone will be needed to make and/or shop for something, so do check out that email and sign up as soon as possible.

On to the regular details ...

Camp will take place at the Sugarloaf Touring Center in Carrabassett Valley

• Wednesday, December 26 - Saturday, December 29

• Lodging is at the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center (AOEC), which is located on the access road to the touring center - https://www.adaptiveoutdooreducationcenter.org

• The adults on this trip will be John Tarling, Megan Shore, Gina Quinn-Skillings and Jim Skillings.

• Contact information:  If communication is necessary during camp: Megan 318-0961, Gina 210-0864, Jim 699-8713 and John 807-1919.
• We will assess the cost per family after camp once all expenses are known.  Families will be billed at that time. Costs will include food, lodging, trail passes and gas.

Pre-Camp:

All skiers should prepare their skis prior to camp.

Classic skis:

• Clean kick zone

• Sand kick zone lightly with a 100g sand paper or scotchbrite

• Wax tips and tails with green or green&blue glide wax

• Brush

Skate skis

• Clean and wax with same green or green&blue glide wax

• Brush 

Having skis ready will save time. We will add kick wax at Sugarloaf before skiing.  Skiers should take responsibility for their skis, so everyone should bring a cold hard kick wax and glide wax along with scraper and cork.

Please bring only two pairs of skis.  There shouldn't be a need (and we won't have room) for more.

Trail Passes:

We will be purchasing trail passes for all skiers each day.  If you have a season pass to the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, please let Susan know via email (highschool@mainecoastwaldorf.org) this week.

Feeding the Team:

Chaperones will be preparing meals and feeding the team at our lodging, with pre-trip help from ALL the families. THANK YOU to all for contributing to this task.  Since the sign-up just went out today, everything is still needed. Here is the link to the spreadsheet with food info and shopping/cooking help - ***Link to Food Sign-Up***

Since everyone has their own preference for bars/snacks, all skiers should bring their own.  These should be small enough to be stashed in pockets/waistbelts.

Travel details:
The group will be taking one school van up to Sugarloaf. Departure time is 10:00 am on Wednesday, December 26, from the high school parking lot at Desert Rd.  Do check the blog Tuesday evening, in case for any reason the departure time is adjusted.

We will have lunch upon arrival and prior to heading out to ski, so everyone should wear their ski gear so they will be ready when it's time to ski.

***If you are already at Sugarloaf and will be meeting the team there instead, let Susan know asap.  Even if you think you already told her, please remind her again.

***If you will be staying at Sugarloaf with your family and not riding the van back to Freeport on Saturday, let Susan know asap.

Return travel info:

We plan to ski on Saturday morning and head home after lunch, unless weather and conditions dictate otherwise. We should know by Friday evening what the plans are for the return on Saturday.  Either way, the kids will be home by dinnertime on Saturday and could be home as early as 3:00. Please check the blog on Friday evening in case of updates.

Packing List:
*LABEL ALL THE GEAR AND CLOTHES YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE.

Must have:

• Your own SNACK for the van ride
• Your own LUNCH (or $ to purchase) for the first day

• Sleeping bag + pillow

• Towel
• Snacks for the 4 days (to be stashed in your water bottle belt). Bars are ideal.

• Workout clothes for 4 days for skiing AND running, including multiple sets of base layers (wool or synthetic long underwear)
• Outer layers: warm jacket parka, wind layer jacket, xc ski pants, etc.

• Warm mid-layers:  vest, sweater or fleece

• Multiple pairs of socks

• Hats, gloves, mittens, etc. - you will need WARM gloves

• Neck warmer / buff

• Plan on layers!

• Warm snow boots

• Apres-ski clothes for evenings + indoor shoes or slippers if you want something on your feet inside

• Pajamas

• Toiletries (including sunscreen)

• Headlamp

• Sunglasses

• Classic AND skate skis, poles, boots - packed as compactly as possible.

• Water-bottle holder with a water bottle - ideally the kind that you can wear around your waist that also has a pocket for a snack

• Basic wax equip

     o   Scraper

     o   Cork

     o   Small amounts of cold, hard kick wax and glide wax

Optional:

• Cash for snacks/hot chocolate at the Outdoor Center

• Books, games, etc. - If you have a good group game, please bring it!

*Please leave CANDY at home.

A note about electronics ... 

-       Cell phones/ipods may come on this trip

-       Leave your laptops/ipads at home

-       We ask that the athletes keep electronic use to a minimum. Using them from time to time should not be a problem, but it will be in the purview of chaperones to assign rest time to the gadgets as they deem necessary.

Practice expectations

A reminder that all team members are expected to attend all practices, with rare exceptions and/or in the case of a regular arrangement (e.g. a music lesson every Tuesday, etc.).  If something compelling comes up such that you can't attend practice on a given day, skiers must communicate that as far in advance as possible to both John and Susan.

Thursday practice ON SKIS

See the Practice Schedule tab for updated info on Thursday's practice.