The Birkie end of season BBQ will be held this year with a slight change to ensure we keep within the COVID-19 guidelines (hygiene, social distancing, masks AND no sharing of food this year).
When: Saturday 28th November 2020
Where: In the picnic area by the lake in Mount Beauty
Time: From 5:00 pm
What to bring
We will provide the meat (and veggie burgers for those who prefer them), as well as bread and sauce.
You’ll need to bring your own chair, cutlery, plates, drinks and a small table. NOTE — this year due to COVID-19 protocols families and singles will need to BYO salad and a sweet. No sharing this year.
RSVP to Michelle Forrer by Thursday 26th November.
NOTE — The previous RSVP was to Elaine Thomas. Please ignore those details and contact Michelle Forrer as above.
As a courtesy, please let us know you will be coming and if you need vegetarian food (or else BYO meat!). If you don’t reply, we’ll assume you are not coming so we don’t over order. It also makes it easier to contact you if the weather necessitates a change of venue.
If you decide to come at the last minute, please bring your own meat!
Action at last years Roller Ski Championships Canberra ACT
With international travel and events off the table for most athletes during the 2020-2021 northern hemisphere winter due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Snow Australia is providing more athlete development opportunities for the Australian summer. This includes both camps for junior athletes and rollerskiing events.
Snow Australia is seeking expressions of interest from junior cross country skiing athletes to be involved in training camps and other development activities over the coming summer. The dates and locations for the first of these camps are as follows:
December 5/6 – Mt Beauty (Victorian athletes only)
December 12/13 – Jindabyne Camp (NSW/ACT athletes only)
Expressions of interest — Click thisGoogle Form. Further camps and rollerskiing events will be held in 2021. Priority for these December camps will be given to athletes previously identified for AUSXC Emerging Talent camps and other athletes born between 2001-2006 demonstrating a professional attitude towards the sport (as evaluated from their EOIs).
Both camps will be led by the National Team Head Coach, Valerio Leccardi, with assistance from other leading Australian coaches and National Team athletes. Activities will likely include rollerskiing, ski striding, strength training and time trials. The preliminary cost for each these camps is $132 (less for athletes with Snow Australia XC Base membership).
All camps and activities will follow Snow Australia’s Covid-19 protocols. No accommodation/meals will be provided during the camps, and all individuals will need to make their own transport/accommodation arrangements.
Details of further camps from January to April will be made available at a later date, however we can already inform that plans are underway to conduct FIS rollerski races in Canberra on January 17/18 and April 10/11.
Expressions of interest should be made by Friday, November 27. This EOI is applicable also for camps and activities in 2021 if athletes are unavailable for the December dates. A link for the December camp registration will be sent to suitable camp candidates after their EOIs have been evaluated.
International Event Statement
A statement on International Events and Travel from the Snow Australia Cross Country Committee (November 2020).
Click[HERE]to read all the details about the National XC Committees position on athlete overseas travel 2020/21. It’s important.
End of Season BBQ — a reminder
Saturday 28th November 2020 by the lake in Mount Beauty from 5:00 pm – RSVP to Elaine Thomas (social secretary) Email: <elainemt66@yahoo.com.au> or Mobile: 0429 380 408 (text) by Thursday 26th November. Look for details in an email to you on 10th November 2020.
The Birkie end of season BBQ will be held this year with a slight change to ensure we keep within the COVID-19 guidelines.
When: Saturday 28th November 2020
Where: In the picnic area by the lake in Mount Beauty
Time: From 5:00 pm
What to bring
We will provide the meat (and veggie burgers for those who prefer them), as well as bread and sauce.
You’ll need to bring your own chair, cutlery, plates, drinks and a small table plus, for families, a salad and a sweet to share (singles and couples – please bring a salad OR a sweet to share).
RSVP to Elaine Thomas (social secretary) by Thursday 26th November.
As a courtesy, please let us know you will be coming and if you need vegetarian food (or else BYO meat!). If you don’t reply, we’ll assume you are not coming so we don’t over order. It also makes it easier to contact you if the weather necessitates a change of venue.
If you decide to come at the last minute, please bring your own meat!
We look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you
Elaine (social secretary)
Snow Australia Medal Recipients – past Olympians
Snow Australia has just announced three more cross country recipients of the Snow Australia Medal from the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympic Games. We have the club’s first winter Olympian from the 1988 Calgary Canada Games being recognised – Chris Heberle. Congratulations Chris.
The other recipients are Chris Allan – Sarajevo Yugoslavia 1984 and David Hislop – Sarajevo Yugoslavia 1984 & Calgary Canada 1988.
Click[HERE]to read all about them on the club’s website History page.
Please note – If these emails do not display correctly in the email application that you use e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail etc you can always view the content on the Club’s website. A shortcut for this is displayed at the top of the email ‘View this email in your web browser’.
Late Snow at Falls Creek
Welcome to new members
The club would like to welcome all the below new members to the Birkie family for 2020/21. It appreciates your support and interest in joining for a year with really no benefits. See you on the snow in 2021.
Laidlaw family — Tawonga South
Germancheve/DiCristoforo family — Wattle Glen
Kelley/Lee family — Bright
Wurfel/Nyein family — Tawonga South
Greenhalgh family — Mount Beauty
Goodwin/Spinks family — Yackandandah
Aaron Knight — Mount Beauty (Search & Rescue)
Atila Kerestes — Mount Beauty (Search & Rescue)
Heather McFarlane – Melbourne
Birkie Bits by Nordic Ned
Clubhouse — the clubhouse is still closed until further notice.
Constitutional Review — thanks to the good work of our treasurer Jeanette Meaney the constitutional review is nearly completed. The changes will be communicated to members later in the year and a special general meeting held (via ZOOM) to vote on the changes.
Athletes still training — congratulations to our dedicated club athletes who are still training to improve fitness and technique and to maintain the hard-won gains for a future winter — local or overseas .. who knows?.
The Birkie Award (to replace the Ian Ryan Award) — watch this space for more developments.
FIS Sub-Committees for Women’s Cross Country Skiing — Club members Anna Trnka & Ronice Goebel have been nominated to be the Australian Reps on the FIS Sub-Committees for Women’s Cross Country Skiing and Youth and Children’s Questions respectively.
Kangaroo Hoppet Attracts Record Participants
The Australian and international skiing community rallied around the 2020 Kangaroo Hoppet, Australia’s international ski marathon, with 1901 participants from 37 nations taking part in the virtual “Do It Your Way” version of the event.
The Kangaroo Hoppet was scheduled for 22 August 2020. With Covid-19 restrictions on social gathering and international travel, the decision was made in April to replace the normal 42km, 21km and 7km cross country skiing events with a virtual version in which participants could take part in the event using an activity of their choice at any location over a three week period.
The main aims of the virtual race were to maintain skiers interest in the event and to offer an exercise goal for people restricted by Covid-19 quarantine rules.
With the support of our two major sponsors AGL and the Mount Beauty and District Community Bank the organising committee was able to implement their key strategies of keeping the entry fee as low as possible and offering a souvenir gift, as well as promoting the event through a dedicated Hoppet 2020 social media page, email, Worldloppet social media and international cross country skiing websites. With hindsight we can also identify ‘word of mouth’ as a very effective method of promotion not only in the local upper Kiewa Valley community with almost 400 ‘locals’ taking part, may of whom were either non skiers or alpine skiers, but also around the world through skiers sharing news of their involvement in the event via social media.
The response from both the international and domestic cross country skiing communities exceeded our expectations with the 1901 entries including 475 internationals and, with two enthusiasts completing their activity at research bases in Antarctica, the event reached all seven continents, which we believe is a world first.
Past event winners from Norway, Germany and the USA took part as well as local world champions in mogul skiing and mountain biking. Activities included running, walking, cycling, swimming, roller skiing, inline skating, paddling, canoeing, mountain biking, swimming, exercise machines, and, for the limited number of Australians with the opportunity to ski at Perisher and Falls Creek, (not to overlook ski tunnels in Finland and Norway), cross country skiing.
Feedback from participants to the organisers has been overwhelmingly supportive of the virtual edition of the event, with many Victorians in stage 3 and 4 lock-down saying how great it was to have something positive to work towards while living with coronavirus restrictions, while for international skiers it provided a unique opportunity to be part of the Kangaroo Hoppet. For the AUD$10 entry fee participants received a digital race number to print and display during their activity and a commemorative ‘buff’ neck tube, as well as the opportunity to upload their times, event details and photos onto the event results page. (AUD$10 is about €6). Entry of times and completion of distance was an honesty system. i.e. no proof was required.
Many participants, especially from the local community, have expressed interest in whether or not a similar virtual event might be offered in 2021 in conjunction with the real event. With Worldloppet investigating setting up a formal recognition of virtual activities associated with member nation’s events, all we can say is ‘watch this space’.
Such an important decision definitely needed a committee meeting (1990), no minutes were kept, but it went something like this. We need something Australian. Something to do with skiing. ‘Too hard .. let’s have a drink’. Kangaroos are Australian. Kangaroos hop. Hopp is a word in Scandinavia meaning ski jump (or so some local linguistic expert claimed). Loppet is a Swedish word meaning bloody long ski race. ‘Let us open another bottle of this excellent north-east Victorian red wine’. Kangaroo loppet .. Kangaroo hop .. ‘Aargh! Someone go out and get another bottle’. Kangaroo Hoppet!
2020 Perisher Valley to Kiandra Crossing
The opportunity only arises about once every 2 – 3 years but given its enormity it’s probably a blessing in disguise. The ski from Perisher to Kiandra – the Crossing – is etched in Australian skiing history. Herbert Schlink and others made the first winter crossing of the Snowy Mountains in 1927 over a nearly a week. This was the first ‘Kiandra to Kosciuszko’ (‘Kosciuszko’ meaning Hotel Kosciuszko, or Sponars Chalet as it is today). They were caught in blizzards along the way, but thanks the huts they had specifically built in the summers prior they survived.
In the 1960’s the idea of skiing across the Snowy Mountains, from Perisher rather than Sponars Chalet, to the historic town of Kiandra in a single day was born. The idea was to promote skiing in Australia. It probably wasn’t the greatest marketing idea ever developed, but it certainly set a benchmark in terms of Australia’s greatest long distance ski.
The first Crossing in a day was done by Kore Grunnsund and Otto Pinkas in 1963 in a time of 11 hours and 12 minutes. Their attempt 2 weeks earlier almost ended in disaster as they almost froze to death and had to spend the night in the open near Mt Tabletop. Other attempts are documented in Klaus Hueneke’s ‘Kiandra to Kosciuszko’ book, but efforts such as Robbie Kilpinen’s time of 8 hours and 11 minutes in 1964 and the jaw-dropping time of 6 hours and 18 minutes by Dave Hislop in 1985, which remains the ‘record’ today, are more than worthy of a mention. Click[HERE]to read three-time winter Olympian Anthony Evan’s account of his and Chris Darlington’s crossing on 1st September 2020(scroll 1/2 way down the webpage). It wasn’t a bad time either! Note: you can also read David Hislop’s account of his Crossing at the same location.
From left: Chris Darlington and Anthony Evans. Two tired lads after skiing 81km in 6 hours and 55 minutes. This is the burnt-out Kiandra Courthouse (built in the 1880s) – the finish point of the K-K Crossing. Fortunately, it will be rebuilt in the coming years.
Looking Back
All Australian Birkebeiner Results 1979 to 1990
Maybe you or a friend skied in one of these eleven Birkebeiner races and would like to reflect on past performances or how you compared to so and so. Here is your opportunity. ClickBirkie Past Resultsto view.
Roller Skiing
Rollerski Safety Best Practices & Current recommendations from the USST on rollerski safety.
The following is the roller ski safety protocol created by athletes and coaches of the U.S. Ski Team. Click[HERE]. The protocol applies to Aussie athletes as well. Please read and follow the recommendations. We don’t want a road fatality.
The Australian and international skiing community has rallied around the 2020 Kangaroo Hoppet, with 1894 participants from 37 nations taking part in the virtual “Do It Your Way” version of the event. Previous record from the mid nineteen nineties was just over 1600 from 24 nations.
Entries included 475 internationals with their activities spread across all seven continents. In what is probably a world first for a virtual sporting event there a couple of people doing the Hoppet their way in Antarctica. Past event winners from Norway, Germany and the USA also took part. Activities included running, walking, cycling, swimming, roller skiing, inline skating, paddling, canoeing, mountain biking, exercise machines, unicycles and a tricycle, and, for the limited number of Australians with the opportunity to ski at Perisher, Falls Creek and Dinner Plain, cross country skiing.
Feedback from participants to the organisers has been overwhelmingly supportive of the virtual edition of the event, with many Victorians in stage 3 and 4 lock-down saying how great it was to have something positive to work towards while living with coronavirus restrictions.
Committee — Thanks to Ben Derrick (race director) and his team for the pre-season work that went into thinking up the virtual event idea and making it a reality. What a success.
Entries & Results — Thanks to Michael Trnka of Alpine Timing for all the IT skills associated with this task.
Merchandise — Thanks to Trish Cross for all the ordering and for the arranging of the helpers to distribute the T-shirts and Buffs.
Race Secretary — Thanks to Kerry Lucas for keeping the Hoppet Office ticking over during the season.
Media Liaison — Thanks to Allan Marsland for the work he does to put the Hoppet out there.
Entry — 1,894 as of 2nd September, 1,419 Australians, 37 nationalities completing their activities in 40 countries including Antarctica and 377 entries from the Upper Kiewa Valley. Countries with more than 20 participants – 123 USA citizens in 20 states, 66 Canadians, 46 Germans, 31 Finns, 28 UK, 22 New Zealand and 20 Swiss.
International entry — 475
No 1 Bib Holder — Marg Hayes (Mount Beauty). Congratulations.
Hoppet – Do It Your Way Facebook page.View photos, comments and video[HERE].
Hoppet Buffs — Many ways to wear your Buff. Click[HERE] to view a short 2-minute video of 14 ways to were it.
Left photo – Clancy Rosewarne & Lucie Mariethoz on their unicycles. Right photo – Lorice Vine on her tricycle
We all know the normal modes of Hoppeteering but there have some unique ones as well as illustrated above. We are also aware of a Melbourne lady (Sarah Low) swimming in the ocean for her 7km Joey challenge over a few days.
Committee Meeting Happenings
The Committee has been meeting monthly via video link using ZOOM. Items of business have included the following:
Constitution review.
Birkie Award Policy review.
Race Committee to develop a draft MOUwith Snow Australia re conducting National Junior & Senior Championship Races.
Registering the club with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC)
Discussion on the installation of a Webcam in the Nordic Bowl.
Search & Rescue Group have good numbers (20+).
Investigating options to remotely switch the clubhousepower on/off.
Colleen Bolton (NSW) — Snow Australia Medal Recipient
Collen competing in the 1992 Pub to Pub in Perisher Valley NSW
Colleen competed at 1980 Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid – the first Australian women to be selected for a Winter Games. Two remarkable achievements that stand out and are not well know about her was the second-place finish in the 1980 Swedish Vassaloppet and second in the 1982 Norwegian Birkebeiner. Leading up to the Olympics Colleen completed in the USA National Championships finishing 4th, 5th & 6th in individual races and 4th fastest time in the relay. For her consistency, she was made the overall women’s champion at the titles. Nationally she won eight 5km and six 10km championship titles. She was a tough lady!
To view Colleen’s ski profile click[HERE]. It makes interesting reading.
Merino Muster (NZ) Virtual Event
The Virtual Merino Muster (NZ) is open until 20th September 2020. Many New Zealanders supported the Hoppet – Do It Your Way so let us support our neighbours across ‘the ditch’ by entering the Muster. Click[HERE]to enter. Look for the green button. Follow the action on the Virtual Merino Muster Facebook page. Click[HERE].
Looking WAY Back
The Skiing Swaggie – 1936
Late afternoon on 21 August 1936 four ski tourers stumbled into Cope Hut. The scarcity of firewood was totally unexpected as it was a tradition that hut users ensured ample supplies were always left for those that followed. The lack of firewood was attributed to a “hobo” found in the hut when the group arrived.Click [HERE] to read about this unusual encounter that made it into the newspapers at the time.
The 1st Birkebeiner – 1979 including Results
The club was only in its second winter when the committee at the time decided to organise a large citizens race named after the Norwegian Birkebeiner from which the club took its name. The course started on the other side of the Dam Wall and went to Watched Creek, Fitzgeralds Hut, Edmondsons Hut, Heathy Spur and finished in the Nordic Bowl a distance of 25km. The classic technique was used in those days. Participants had to carry a 5kg pack that symbolised the crown prince from the Birkebeiner legend. We had 84 finishes. To read about the event and view the results click[HERE].
Editor’s note — It is interesting to note that the 15th place-getter (out of 84 finishes) was 14 year old Chris Heberle (time – 1:57:32). In 1988 in Calgary Canada Chris was our first club member to represent Australia at a Winter Games. In 1991 (1st Hoppet) he appeared on the official Kangaroo Hoppet poster (see below).
Birkies, support the 2020 virtual Hoppet by entering for only $10.00. ClickHoppet 2020 – Do It Your Wayto enter.
The Hoppet has been the main financial supporter of the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club since the first event in 1991. In return, the club, the community and other supporters have provided the workforce needed to conduct this international skiing event. Here is your chance to be a participant instead of a volunteer. Club members are encouraged to support this year’s event and help make it the biggest event ever.
Entrants have from Monday 10th to Sunday 23rd August to complete their chosen distance in the activity of their choice at a venue of their choice, i.e. ski, run, jog, walk, cycle, swim, roller ski, rollerblade, rollerskate or canoe/kayak (or any combination). For those under stage 4 restrictions, your event can be completed over several days.
Snow Australia Cross Country Committee is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 AUSXC Awards. These awards celebrate and recognise the achievements and efforts of Australian skiers, coaches and volunteers over the 2019 Australian winter and the 2019-2020 northern hemisphere winter. Because of COVID-19, the 2020 awards were announced via Instagram in the last week of July.
Ewen Silvester VIC Volunteer of the Year – congratulations!
The full list of 2020 AUSXC Award winners is as follows:
Cross Country Skier of the Year: Jessica Yeaton
Coach of the Year: Callum Watson
U23 Skier of the Year: Seve de Campo
Junior Cross Country Skier of the Year: Bentley Walker-Broose
Rising Star (must be U18 in 2018): Zana Evans
Development Coach of the Year: Robert Catto-Smith
Youth Achievers (must be U16 in 2018): Heli Laajoki & Jayden Spring(Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club junior member. Congratulations Jayden)
Masters XC Skier of the Year: Jane Scheer
NSW Volunteer of the Year: Arnold D’Bras
ACT Volunteer of the Year: Geraldine Blanch
VIC Volunteer of the Year: Ewen Silvester
Special Achievement: Jessica Yeaton
Further details and images of all award winners can be viewed on the AUSXC Instagram account.
Looking Back – Hoppet Beginnings
From Allan Marsland re celebrity entrants for this year’s Hoppet
Our latest Hoppet 2020 celebrity entrant has been involved with the event since 1990, not a bad effort since the first Hoppet was held in 1991.
Bib number 6 goes to Tom Duffy from Hayward Wisconsin (USA), home of the American Birkebeiner, where Tom is still a member of the Board after more than 40 years involvement with the event. Tom has been involved with the Worldloppet ski federation since its inception in Uppsala (SWE) in 1978. Tom and his wife Carol have completed some 45 Worldloppet events between them with Carol holding Worldloppet Master medal #1 and Tom medal #3.
Tom’s involvement with the Kangaroo Hoppet began at a Worldloppet meeting in Hämeenlinna (Finland) in June 1990 when the Australian International Ski Marathon was a candidate for membership of the international series. The meeting appointed Tom Duffy (USA), along with Robert Steiner (AUT) and Rolf Kjaernsli (NOR) to visit the 1990 event and decide if it was good enough to become the eleventh member of Worldoppet. They gave the OK for the event to join, but recommended that the name be changed as Worldloppet already had two Birkebeiners (the original Birkebeiner in Norway and the American one) and a couple of international ski marathons (the Engadine in Switzerland and the Sapporo in Japan). After much discussion, allegedly involving some good North East Victorian red wine, the name Kangaroo Hoppet was created. Tom came back to Falls Creek for the first 1991 for the first Hoppet, bringing a number of his friends from Hayward to swell the international field, and visited again in 1992.
Tom Duffy at the inspection of the 1990 Australian International Ski Marathon. l-r Rolf Kjaernsli (NOR), Robert Steiner (AUT), and Tom Duffy (USA)
Development of Skating
For decades, the skating techniques lay forgotten or ignored by racers, but in the 1970s they were reintroduced by Pauli Siitonen (FIN), whose contribution to popular racing (citizen/tour racing) and to cross country skiing, in general, cannot be overestimated. He popularized the Sitonen Step (later to be called the Marathon Skate). In the 1980s Bill Koch (USA) introduced it to the World Cup and in 1982 won the overall World Cup using primary skating techniques.
Read all about these two skiing innovators. Click [HERE].
Pauli Siitonen (FIN) demonstrating his skating technique (know as the Siitonen Step) later called the Marathon Skate.
Bill Koch (USA) credited with developing modern skating techniques.
Also, read this article taken from the International Skiing History website on ‘How Skating Started‘ written by Bengt Erik Bengtsson. Click [HERE]. Read about Australia’s part in the decisions made at the captains meeting prior to the 1985 World Championships in Saalfeld Austria.
My colleague, Ben Derrick, has passed on your details as the best point of contact for the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club.
I just wished to advise that we have been able to release a number of Falls Creek Season’s Passes for sale. There is limitation of the number sold therefore I wanted to advise and ensure you club was aware of the availability of these passes.
If Birkebeiner members have previously purchased Resort Entry day or multiday passes and would like to now purchase a Resort Entry Season’s Pass we are happy to refund the previous days purchased. These members should email fcrm@fallscreek.com.au with their details and the team in the Visitor Information Centre will organise a refund for those days.
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind Regards,
Sarah Watt
Falls Creek Resort Management Marketing & Communications Manager
Other News
Winter Olympian – Grenoble France, 1968
In 1968, New South Welshman Ross Martin represented Australia at the Winter Olympic Games – Grenoble, France. Ross is the fifth Australian cross country skier to be awarded the Snow Australia Medal. Click[HERE]to read Ross’s profile on the club’s website History page(scroll 3/4 down the page).
Welcome to new members
Germancheve/DiCristoforo family — Wattle Glen Melbourne
Kelley/Lee family — Bright
Wurfel/Nyein family — Tawonga South
Greenhaigh family — Mount Beauty
Goodwin/Spinks family — Yackandandah
Aaron Knight — Mount Beauty (Search & Rescue)
Atila Keretes — Mount Beauty (Search & Rescue)
Athlete Overseas Travel Grant …. update of policy
The committee has reviewed and updated the Athlete Overseas Travel Grant Policy.Click[HERE]to read.
Club Award
For the last 20 years, the club has presented the ‘Ian Ryan Award’ to a ‘Quiet Achiever’, ‘Best Club Person’ or the ‘Best Volunteer’. The widow of Ian Ryan wishes the award to be ‘retired’ as from the end of last season. The committee has had recent discussions along the lines of should we initiate another similar award (name?), present an annual Achievement Award, award it every two years or drop the idea altogether. Members who have thoughts on this please email them to the secretary Ronice Goebel<secretary@birkebeiner.org.au>. This request was notified to members in a previous Post and the committee is still looking for suggestions on the subject. Please email the secretary.
Kangaroo Hoppet 2020 — Do It Your Way
Click[HERE] to read all about it. Keep an eye on the Hoppet Website for further developments <www.hoppet.com.au>. Come on put in an entry it’s only $10.00.
Young athletes roller skiing on Damms Road Mount Beauty. The club has a Roller Ski Policy which all skiers who train this way should read and adhere to. The Policy contains the rules for borrowing club roller skis and the all-important Safety Guidelines. Click [HERE] to read.
• Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club — Click [HERE] to join.
Winter Olympians – Squaw Valley USA, 1960
In 1960, Victorian Dick Walpole and New South Welshman Hal Nerdal represented Australia at the Winter Olympic Games – Squaw Valley, USA. Hal Nerdal was selected as a Nordic Combined representative (cross country skiing & jumping). Both these skiers have just been awarded the Snow Australia Medal. Click[HERE] to read all about them on the club’s website History page(scroll 3/4 down the page).
Last Weekends Snow Report — Video Aerial view
Falls CreekSnow Report — Saturday 27th June. — Play the video —
Back in 2016, the club was involved in discussions with Falls Creek Resort Management(FCRM) about future development options for the Nordic Bowl. The development would cater for both summer and winter users with facilities including toilets and changing rooms, public shelter, equipment storage and race office, along with a flat area for summer training and sporting activities.
Following this consultation process, FCRM put in the hard yards to flesh out the proposal and secure the necessary planning permits. Since then, the project has been sitting on the shelf ‘shovel ready’, waiting for a funding opportunity that would allow works to proceed.
Such an opportunity has just appeared in the form of the Victorian Government’s $68 million Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program to build and upgrade community sports facilities across the state and boost Victoria’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As well as the requirement for projects to be ‘shovel ready’, the guidelines also state that “Priority will be given to projects that include a mix of other confirmed funding contributions from project beneficiaries. Projects with a mix of funding, including confirmed and appropriate financial contributions will be highly regarded”.
Last week our club received a request from FCRM to support the application. In light of the guideline regarding contributions from project beneficiaries, the committee has replied, not only offering a letter of support, but also a commitment to contribute $20,000 to the local funding contribution. With a further $30,000 commitment coming from the Hoppet, this makes a total commitment of $50,000 from the cross country ski community towards the 10% local financial contribution that is required. i.e. our $50 000 will be supported by $450, 000 in grant funds from the Victorian government. (Thanks to Allan Marsland for this summary).
Concept drawings & photographs (nothing set in stone). The cross country community will have the opportunity to provide input to the project if funding becomes available.
Club Beanies for sale
The club has a number of beanies for sale in the club colours of royal blue & white. If you would like to purchase one at the giveaway price of $8.00 please contact the secretary by email <secretary@birkebeiner.org.au>. To pay by direct credit, check out the club bank details on the website under Membership (reference it club beanie).
Pictured is the club’s three-time winter Olympian, Esther Leccardi, proudly wearing club colours.
Club races and events
The committee have decided that no on-snow club races or events will be conducted this winter.
Clubhouse — 25th Anniversary of the opening
This is a milestone for the club. In June 2021 it will be 25 years since the clubhouse was opened and what a resource it has been for members. The club will have a function to celebrate the occasion. Watch this space… Click [HERE] to view the clubhouse history. Note: the clubhouse is closed and the door code changed due to the COVID-19 situation.
Falls Creek Resort Entry
Click [HERE] to find out what you need to know and do.
Brianna Oldis’ Profile
Young AchieverBrianna Oldis. Click [HERE]to view her profile.
Our First Winter Olympians – Oslo, Norway, 1952
In 1952, Australia had our first cross country skiers at a Winter Olympic Games. Both skiers have just been awarded the Snow Australia Medal. Click [HERE] to read all aboutthem on the club’s website History page.
FIS Ban on the Use of Fluorinated Waxes
The message from the FIS is clear — ‘The use of fluorinated waxes in all FIS disciplines is not allowed anymore and we will start to control the ban with the start of the upcoming season 2020/21’.Click[HERE]to view the details.
