January 31st, 2012
Tonight at Bar 1, Squaw Valley Institute is welcoming home Grant Korgan, the adaptive skier who recently pushed himself to the South Pole. It is the first appearance of the team since they returned from their expedition. The team included Grant, two guides and three support team members (also amazing camera men) who were documenting the trip. The Push: A South Pole Adventure was the first ever attempt for an adaptive skier to push himself to the South Pole. There were two adaptive athletes training to attempt this journey however one had to cancel before leaving due to sickness, or so I heard. We are looking forward to the event. I am sure the stories and photos will be incredible and even more so because we personally know four of the six team members who went on this expedition. Click to read my previous blog on The Push.
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January 24th, 2012
So I just got an email that a Nor Cal Tough Mudder has been scheduled for September in Northstar. A few weeks ago Tough Mudder announced the Nor Cal race was in a different location, Diablo Grande. I guess they had so much demand they decided to add a second Nor Cal race here in the Tahoe/Truckee area and this year it is at Northstar. After competing in the Squaw event last year and having such a fun time, it already has me thinking and checking my calendar. There is fun to be had.
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January 24th, 2012
Last Sunday was the Crazy Helmet Day for the Mighty Mites. The ski day started off with a parade of helmets in the corral all rotating around the judges which included Susan, owner and head baker of our beloved Wildflour Bakery. There were 5 categories to compete in: Most Colorful, Most Beautiful, Most Creative, Most Edible and Scariest. There were prizes given to the top three helmets for each category. All the prizes were donated by business in Squaw including Fireside Pizza, Lather and Fizz, Wildflour Bakery, Mind Play toy store and so on. It is always amazing to see what the kids come up with. Here were the winners for Scariest and Most Creative.
Parade of Helmets, our son had a skier on the Palisades.
Squaw meet Alpine, notice the cable car connecting them!
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January 19th, 2012
Well last weekend’s Mighty Mite Squaw Cup was an experience. Sunday morning, race day, it was incredibly cold from a strong wind. The gates were blowing sideways and the Green Stars were shivering at the top of the course at 9:30am ready to start their first Mighty Mite race. It was one of those times when you feel sorry for the kids in the blowing weather but also have to smile as they make 3 turns between gates, switch courses accidentally and even go through the same finish line while they learn what it is to race. Don’t get me wrong, some of those little Green Stars new exactly what to do, but it was a mixed bag of experiences the kids. I think it took over an hour to get all the Green Starts through the course two times. Hats off to the coaches and race crew for providing the experience and staying positive. Next the Orange Stars did their runs and as they were wrapping up 3 of the 4 lifts open on the mountain closed on wind hold. That left only Exhibition for the Mighty Mites, the other ski teams who were training and the general public still wanting to ski. The Red Stars got started and the wind did not let up. Squaw had to close Exhibition, rightly so. The last thing parents want is there children on an extremely windy chair lift ride.
The rest of the race was moved to Monday (Martin Luther King Day). Luckily the wind had subsided and the sun was out but it was still quite cold. Our son is a Blue Star and he enjoyed two great runs on the course. At this age great means: went around all the gates the right way, stayed on his course, crossed the finish line and was smiling at the end for the fun of it all.
There was an issue that came up during the race, the race times. I was a Mighty Mite coach for 8 seasons and now this is my 4th season as a mother of a Mighty Mite/Shooting Star. I know the races times are never shown. That is why I was shocked when I walked over near the race shack and found an electronic board, out for everyone to see, with names and race times. I thought “This is new. I wonder why they are doing this?” Of course I had to take a look and I found my son’s name with a fairly fast first run time and a DNS for his second run. Quite a few kids had a DNS for their second run, but many of them had times.
From my years of racing I know DNS means Did Not Start, differing from the other abbreviation, DSQ, meaning Disqualified. DNS means you did not do the run. DSQ means you did the run but missed a gate, or several in the case of some of the little competitors this past weekend. I knew my son, as well as many of the others raced both runs. One of the coaches was noticing the board as well and went to check it out and came back to report the display was not working accurately and all the times were in the race shack on the computer. I was glad to know and spread the word to other parents who were asking and looking at the board. It really is a bummer the board was even on because it was causing some confusion.
Our Blue Star Wins!
Anyway when the official results came out and the coaches went up on stage to announce the winners, and our son won the gold for Blue Stars. He was so excited letting us know, this was the first Mighty Mite race that he was in the top ten. We are so proud of him and thankful for the opportunity for him to grow in the sport of skiing through the Mighty Mite program. Thanks to the coaches and staff who do their best with a large number of kids gaining their first racing experiences.
Tags: mighty mites, Squaw Valley
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January 13th, 2012
Lawrence Realty is a proud sponsor of the Mighty Mite junior ski program at Squaw Valley. This Sunday over the 3 day weekend will be the Might Mite Squaw Cup of the season. The kids will be racing on the lower part of Exhibition most of the day. Here is the approximate schedule.
9:00 – 9:30 – all teams inspect the courses
9:30 – Green starts and take BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.
10:45 – Orange takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.
12 noon – Red takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.
12:45 – Purple/Blue takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.
1:30 Silver/Gold takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.
2:00 Awards at the Ford Race arena/Julia’s Double Gold
We will be there supporting the Mighty Mites this weekend and especially our son who is a blue star. See you on the slopes.
Tags: mighty mites, Squaw Valley
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January 10th, 2012
Jonny Moseley leading the Mighty Mites
We are in the year of the summer Olympic Games in London and Squaw Valley is celebrating their Olympic Heritage, as the host of 1960 Winter Games. This past weekend some the Mighty Mites got to participate in the celebration by doing a Parade of Flags on Exhibition following 1998 Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley. The Red, Purple and Blue Stars of the Mighty Mites each carried a country flag and followed Jonny in snake like fashion down Exhibition. Then they clicked off their skis and headed to the fire pit where Jonny Moseley spoke. He started by thanking the Mighty Mite parents for having their children participate in the program. Jonny, other well known locals Julia Mancuso, Marco Sullivan, Travis Ganong to name a few, started his successful skiing career in the ranks of the Squaw Valley Ski Team. Also present yesterday at the firepit was three time Olympian Kirsten Clark-Rickenbach. Though Kirsten did not grow up in Squaw Valley, she is a local of the valley now with her family and an advocate of the sport. She also had a few words to say to the gathered crowd about the children and the sport of skiing. All in all it was a pleasant and different way to end a day of Mighty Mites. Stay tuned as next week is the first Squaw Cup of season and Lawrence Realty is a proud sponsor.
Jonny Moseley talking to the Mighty Mite families
Tags: Jonny Moseley, mighty mites, Olympic Heritage Celebration, Squaw Valley
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