Fri, Nov 20 2009 - Intro to X-Country skiing – with Jan V. XC Programs Dir., CANSI Ontario (View Original Event Details)
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We met in my condo’s party room near St George and Bloor Sts. We had 34 people in the audience for Jan Vopalensky’s presentation, “Introduction to Cross Country Skiing”. As well as being a TOC member, Jan is the Cross-Country Programs Director for the Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors (CANSI), Ontario region. Jan brought together his extensive knowledge in the form of a PowerPoint presentation with video links showing various points he wanted to make. Some of the links showed how skiing began generations ago, while other demonstrated specific points about the skate skiing or diagonal stride techniques. As well as ski technique, his presentation also covered clothing and equipment. One of my favourite parts of the evening was Jan’s demonstration of a “dry land” modification of the 5 Steps to Classic Skiing Heaven They are: 1. Proper Athletic Stance 2. Lean Forward from the Ankles 3. Put a foot forward to catch yourself from falling on your face 4. Still leading forward, put your other foot forward 5. Walk around in this fashion And pretty soon, we were all staggering around the room like Frankensteins! I for one can hardly wait to try it out on snow and skis Thank you Jan for putting together such a fun and informative evening! Thanks also to those members who help us with set up and take down, and Victor for taking attendance and money. The money covered the cost of the room rental and $95 extra in donations.
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