When the gals at the Georgian Nordic Ski Club decide to help each other improve their skills, it quickly becomes a daylong social event.
In fact, the first annual Women on Skis day held back in 1996 was such a hit, that it’s become a sell-out event – weather permitting – every year since.
“It was a day for women to come out and learn to ski and have fun,” explains Pam Wedd, who organized the first Women on Skis with Ann Dunnigan, based on their success in running women’s winter weekends, while working at the YWCA Camp Tapawingo at Rose Point.
“These were well received and popular, so we thought why don’t we try it at the ski club?” says Pam. “And it was sold out from day one – I don’t think we’ve ever had one that wasn’t sold out.”
She remembers the Georgian Nordic Ski Club’s first Women on Skis as being “pretty exciting”. They had a brand new ‘burrow’ clubhouse offering the ladies a comfortable place to gather as a group and the Nine Mile Lake trails had all been upgraded.
“It just went together really easily,” she recalls. “Women always step right up to help when it comes to meal time. It flowed nicely and was a lot of fun. At the end of the day everybody was really excited about it and they were already talking about the next year.”
The annual event, usually held around the third Sunday in January, follows a highly successful, yet simple formula. Participants consider instruction in either the traditional/ classic or the freestyle/skating technique, then sign up at the beginner, intermediate or advanced level.
“The club always had enough good skiers that we’ve been able to share their expertise with others,” Pam explains. “And by and large it all seems to split up evenly.”
After an outdoor warm-up of aerobics or pilates, the ladies head out to the trails in their respective six groups for morning instruction by club volunteers. At noon, an inviting hot lunch of homemade soup or chili (usually with a vegetarian option), sandwiches, plus dessert, and plenty of steeping tea, coffee and hot chocolate, awaits by the woodstove in the burrow. After a rather boisterous chatty mealtime of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, the ladies are treated to any combination of a local skiwear fashion show, a waxing demonstration, or a presentation of what’s new in Nordic ski equipment. It’s a break of learning, laughter, socializing, warming up chilly hands and toes, and relaxing tight muscles that remind these skiing women that they’re practising new skills. Then, it’s back to the trails for final instruction.
Club members who volunteer as instructors ensure the day isn’t all play and no work. The girls practise a series of drills and soon find themselves gliding over the trails, up and down hills, and around tricky turns with newfound finesse.
“You do see improvement, although one day is a short period of time,” says former Georgian Nordic Ski Club president Wendy Grater. “What I try to do is leave people with the tools so they can work on things themselves afterwards. Not only am I teaching them, I’m trying to do it so that they understand and take little tips away with them.”
A World Masters silver medalist in the sport, Wendy has volunteered as an instructor since Women on Skis began.
“I feel that skiing has given me so much, that I like to be able to give back,” she explains. “And this particular day has such great energy. The people that go there are so keen and appreciative, that it makes volunteering for it very easy.”
She’s been impressed by the tenacity of the women who band together to make it successful despite some challenging odds.
“There were some years when people really doubted that we could pull it off – like it was really cold, or we had minimal snow, and there was one year when we had a rain and ice storm right beforehand – but we went ahead and did it anyway,” she recalls. “So you can have a fun day with a group of people like that, no matter what the conditions are. So that to me is a highlight, that everyone still gets it done.”
Since those formative years when Ann and Pam were first organizing Women on Skis, many brave and hard-working gals have taken over the reigns to ensure this popular event continues.
One of these, Jane McDonald, who organized the event in the late 1990s with Lynn Martin and Kathy Dyer, also remembers the year when the event went on despite rather icy ski conditions.
“We still had it because women see it as their day away,” Jane says. “They want the fashion show and the door prizes and, I think, just the camaraderie of being with other women.”
Last year at Women on Skis, the club’s rental skis were getting a workout from beginners getting a feel for the sport.
“It’s a great way for us to get new members, because a lot of people don’t want that initial outlay for equipment, if they’re not sure whether they want to take up cross country skiing,” she explains. “So Women on Skis gives them instruction, they enjoy the day, and then decide. Usually people get pretty turned on about becoming a member and coming back out to ski. So it’s a win-win for us.”
For Jane, a former organizer who is now employed as a burrow attendant, simply watching everyone involved in the daylong flurry of activity, is always a highlight.
“People are just up,” she says. “It’s a really happy day, and just the fact that every year we sell out and have a waiting list tells you how much people look forward to it.”
The event is capped at between 45 and 50 participants due to limited space in the burrow. Women on Skis attracts not only club members but their friends, relatives, visitors from other clubs, and area cottagers. While some are beginners breaking in new skis, others are seasoned competitors hoping to pick up a few tips at the advanced level and meet others who share their love for the sport.
Diane Bezdikian, a Horseshoe Lake cottager who lives in Cookstown has attended two Women on Skis days.
“It’s nice to meet people in the community where I live part-time, and it’s nice to have an environment where you can learn new skills in an encouraging way,” says Diane, who received beginner classical instruction during her first year at the event, and moved to the intermediate level last year. “It’s good value for $35. It’s a full day of entertainment, good company, good food and a great opportunity for learning. You can’t beat it. Women on Skis is all those things combined and that’s what I like about it.”
Liana Bradley of Seguin Township was also attending her second Women on Skis day last year. The first year, she borrowed a pair of skate skis to try at the event before deciding whether to pursue the sport and buy herself a pair.
“I wanted to try it and see if I liked it,” she explains. The following year, she was back again, this time, registered in the intermediate classical technique group.
“It’s easier,” she explained. “And I’m training for the Sounder ski race.”
Overall, Women on Skis is a win-win event for participants, the club, and even the instructors, who find it rewarding.
“It started as a comfortable place to learn,” explains Georgian Nordic president Ron Chase, who has been with the club since its formative stages more than 28 ago. “We never really looked at it primarily as a fundraiser. If we happened to break even or make a little bit of money, then great, but that was never really a big purpose behind it. It was just one of the club’s big events.”
Over the years, the club tried unsuccessfully to transfer the highly popular instruction-and-social-fun day template of Women on Skis, to a Men on Skis format.
“It’s like herding affable cats,” Ron jokes. “It was brought up once or twice and was never really aggressively pursued. There didn’t seem to be much interest. I don’t want to be stereotypical, but I think most males just prefer to get out there and ski. That’s my impression anyway.”
Women On Skis
Every winter you can count on women turning out in numbers to to learn cross-country skiing at the Georgian Nordic Ski Club.
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