Itasca Club of the Minnesota Youth Ski League (MYSL )

Itasca Club of the Minnesota Youth Ski League (MYSL)

MYSL Itasca Club is a cross-country ski program for youth and their families in northern Minnesota. The Itasca Club meets at the Mount Itasca Winter Sports Center, Coleraine, MN for eight Sundays in January and February. The Itasca Club is organized by volunteers and is one of 24 clubs of the Minnesota Youth Ski League (headquartered in Minneapolis, MN).

VISION  The skill, art, and joy of the life-long healthful winter activity of cross-country skiing instilled within youth and families of northern Minnesota

MISSION  To support and develop cross-country ski skills by providing lessons and fun events for young skiers and their families

CORE VALUES  Provide six ability levels from an entry-level Level 1 with no prior experience to a Level 6 graduate with skills adequate for junior high ski racing in classic and skate techniques  Provide lessons, games, and trail adventures that cumulatively build skills to master each level over a 1-2 year period  Meet the needs of individuals and group dynamics through volunteers to facilitate lessons, events, and learning  Provide a respectful and fun environment for learning on and off the trails  Practice sportsmanship and good work ethic for life-long athleticism in any sport

Table of Contents: **2014-2015 Information and Dates to Know** SEASON TYPICAL DAY CANCELLATION POLICY CURRICULUM REGISTRATION & RENTAL EQUIPMENT LOCATION TRAILS CONTACT INFORMATION LINKS ______**2014-2015 Information and Dates to Know**

Dates to Know  2014 November, Registration opens (See REGISTRATION below). 2014-15 registration is $30/skier for early sign-up (Nov-early Dec) or $40 for late sign-up.  2014 December 4, 4-7 pm. Equipment Rental and Fitting Night at Mt. Itasca Winter Sports Center downhill chalet (See REGISTRATION below). In 2013, equipment (skis/boots/poles) rental fees were $25 per registered skier.  2015 January 4, 1-3 pm, Session #1  2015 January 11, 1-3 pm, Session #2  2015 January 18, 1-3 pm, Session #3  2015 January 25, 1-3 pm, Session #4  2015 February 1, 1-3 pm, Session #5  2015 February 8, 1-3 pm, Session #6  2015 February 15, 1-3 pm, Session #7  2015 February 22, 1-3 pm, Session #8

BOARD 2014-2015  Bob Conzemius, President  Cathy McLynn, Communications Director  Christel Kern, Curriculum Director & Treasurer  Marlo Gangi, Liaison to other Mt. Itasca user groups  Shannon Benolken  Dorothy Duquette  Frank Gangi

COACHES by Level (Name Bib color) 2015  Level 1 (Red): Lindsay Yannuzzi, Mary Gephart  Level 2 (Purple): Christel Kern, John Connelly  Level 3 (Blue): Dorothy and Jacques Duquette, Shannon Benolken  Level 4 (Green): Dylan MacLean, Geno Eddy  Level 5 (Yellow): Cathy McLynn and Tornado Bob Conzemius  Level 6 (Orange): Marlo and Frank Gangi

Skiing adventures beyond MYSL: Parents are highly encouraged to support the Club’s vision by skiing with their children at any time and any trail system. (See TRAILS below)  In 2014-2015, for the biathlon trails, individual passes are $6 per day and family passes were $135 per season.  In 2014-15, for any state trail, individual Minnesota Ski Passes are $6 per day, $20 per year, or $55 per three years.

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SEASON

Classes for all levels meet from 1:00-3:00 pm for eight consecutive Sundays in January and February weather permitting. (Make-up lessons are scheduled in March as needed.) The first session is scheduled the first Sunday in January. To benefit most from the weekly skill-building curriculum, we encourage regular participation. However, we understand that family commitments or illness may prevent participation. ***Note although lessons start in January, registration begins in November (See REGISTRATION below). Back to Table of Contents

TYPICAL DAY

Sessions are two-hours long and include skill drills, games, trail skiing adventures, and a snack break. Skiers check-in by marking their attendance and getting their name bib for the day at the Mount Itasca Nordic Ski Association headquarters (first building on the left). Skiers are out on the trails for 45-60 minutes at a time with one break at the warming building. During trail time, coaches use skill drills, games, and adventures to meet weekly lesson goals. Coaches use adult helpers to assist with activities. Therefore, all adult helpers are highly encouraged to put on their skis and join their skier’s group each session. At break, hot chocolate and cookies (donated by Club families) are offered. Back to Table of Contents

CANCELLATION POLICY

If the temperature is -10˚F or lower or if the wind chill is -15˚F or lower, classes will be canceled. Parents will be notified via e-mail by 8 am Sunday morning if classes are canceled. Canceled classes will be re-scheduled in March, weather permitting. Although we suggest this weather cancellation policy, it is always the parents' decision to send their child to class when weather conditions are a concern. Back to Table of Contents

CURRICULUM

The Itasca Club uses and adapts curriculum guides published by MYSL. The curriculum outlines eight sessions for six ability levels. Each session includes warm-ups, lesson goals, skill development, trail skiing, and games aimed to attain skill goals for each ability level. Ability levels are cumulative, starting at an entry-level Level 1 with no prior experience and finishing at a Level 6 graduate with skills adequate for junior high ski racing in classic and skate techniques.

Level placement is based on skill assessments by the coaches as well as the age and/or physical and emotional maturity of the skier (See Table 1). In order to maintain a quality program aimed at meeting the Club’s vision and mission, a skier may spend two years in one level to master skill goals: the first year is skill introduction and the second year is skill refinement. Having skiers of the right ability and maturity allows the program at all levels to use the curriculum efficiently and challenge the skiers appropriately.

Table 1. MYSL ability levels adapted for the Itasca Club. Name Bib Group Suggested Level Lesson context color Name Ages First 1 Red 4 - 7 Trail difficulty: Easy. Technique: Classic. Steppers 2 Purple Climbers 6 - 8 Trail difficulty: Easy to moderate. Technique: Classic. 3 Blue Gliders 7 - 10 Trail difficulty: Moderate to Hard. Technique: Classic. Trail difficulty: Any. Technique: Classic. Comfortable on 4 Green Striders 8 - 12 skis; Endurance for long trail skis on difficult terrain, Mastered classic technique Introduction to the skate technique. (At least one prior year 5 Yellow Skaters 9 - 13 of classic skiing is required.) Advanced skating technique. Comfortable on skate skis; Endurance for long trail skis on difficult terrain, Mastered skate technique; Mastered advanced skills required in ski- 6 Orange Nordics 11 - 14 racing (Competitive racing is not a part of the Itasca Club, but graduates will have skills complementary for Junior and Senior High racing if desired) Back to Table of Contents

REGISTRATION & RENTAL EQUIPMENT

There are two parts to registration for the Itasca Club program – 1) Skier registration with MYSL: See on-line the registration guide with MYSL (http://www.mysl.org/registration-guide). Registration opens in November. !!Note: Please do not pay for equipment rental on-line – See Step #2 below!!

2) Equipment rental with Itasca Club: Equipment rental fees are paid directly with cash or check to the Itasca Club (“Itasca MYSL”) on rental night or coordinated through Itasca Club Chair. Equipment fitting and rental fee collection is scheduled on the first Thursday in December. Note: A limited selection of equipment is available in adult sizes courtesy of the NLNSC.

If a child already has ski equipment, then equipment rental fees or rental night attendance is not necessary (meaning you can skip step #2). Back to Table of Contents LOCATION

Sessions take place at the Mount Itasca Winter Sports Center in Coleraine, MN (See map: http://www.mtitasca.com/ ). Back to Table of Contents

TRAILS

Itasca Club sessions are conducted on the two cross-country ski trail systems at Mount Itasca: the biathlon (east side) and state (west side) trails. Volunteers, Mount Itasca Nordic Ski Association (MINSA), and Itasca Ski and Outing Club, in cooperation with local government agencies, maintain the facilities and provide snow-making and grooming. MYSL uses both trail systems and the MINSA headquarters building. $10 from each youth skier’s registration is donated to MINSA, which represents only a small part of the cost to use these facilities.

Families are encouraged to support these services by purchasing trail passes.  Biathlon trail passes are paid in a box in front of the Mount Itasca Nordic Ski Association headquarters.  State trail passes (“Minnesota Ski Pass”) are paid at any electronic licensing station for skiers 16 years and over. (Minnesota Ski Pass can be used to ski on any state trails. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/skipass/index.html)

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CONTACT INFORMATION

 Itasca Club Communications Director, Cathy McLynn: 218-326-1313 or [email protected]

 Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/282997311863242/

 MYSL, http://www.mysl.org/Club/itasca-youth-ski-Club

Supporting Organizations:

 Mount Itasca Winter Sports Center, http://www.mtitasca.com/

 Mount Itasca Nordic Ski Association, http://minsa.zzl.org/Welcome.html

 Northern Lights Nordic Ski Club, http://www.northernlightsnordic.org/  Grand Rapids High School and Middle School Nordic Ski Team, https://sites.google.com/site/hawksnordic/home

 Itasca Ski & Outing Club, http://www.skisprungschanzen.com/EN/Ski+Jumps/USA- United+States/MN-Minnesota/Coleraine/0715/

 State Grant-in-Aid Trails, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/recreation/gia_crosscountry.html

Cross-country Ski Information:

Greater Mount Itasca area: http://www.visitgrandrapids.com/recreation/x-country-skiing/

Greater Minnesota area: http://www.skinnyski.com/