I am out in Bend, Oregon for a ski camp this week. We ski on snow in the morning and train 'dryland' in the afternoon. Yesterday we tried a little paddle boarding. It was really fun.
Dennis getting us all lined out
I need to work more on my balance. In the first 20 minutes I took a step back and walked off the board. The cold water made me really work on my ankle angle to make sure I didn't get wet again.
I picked up a few new pairs of 2011 Salomon skis this year while I was racing in Europe. They are awesome. Chuck, you have to try this wet klister ski.
Mark and Nordic Ultratune help me manage my ski fleet each year. Mark does some of the best stone grinds in the world including many skis that were used in Vancouver in February. The Ultratune shop is a ski technicians dream and I could and do spend a lot of time in there. You can tell Mark is an engineer; everything is very organized and exact.
I spent the morning using feeler gauges to mark the kick pockets on my new skis. After fresh grinds they will be ready to go for the 2010/11 race season. It was pretty entertaining to watch the stone grinding process and how excited Mark would get when each grind came out. Each time he would bring the ski over to me to show how nice it looked, just like a proud father. Mark is way in to it and a great guy to have working with your skis.
The springtime in the Midwest has been beautiful. I alway enjoy playing outside but the warm sun of spring is hard to beat.
Get off the computer and play outside
The last few weeks I have had the chance to be at the Club everyday. It is great to be with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club regularly. My main goals are to get them active, preferably outside. This spring we have enjoyed all of our favorite games and a few new ones.
Last Man Standing- A form of kickball. The game starts with one pitcher (usually me) against everyone else. The pitcher works to get everyone out by tagging a base or hitting them with the ball. When a player gets tagged out they join the outfield until there is one person left standing.
Worlds Fastest Game of Tag*- everyone is it. If you tag someone they must freeze. If one or more people tag each other at the same time, they both freeze. If you tag a person who is frozen, they are unfrozen.
*I learned this game from Warren Elementary in VT. Thanks guys, everyone really likes it.
Soccer- Right to Play donated a mini-soccer ball for every kid. In addition to playing games, we are enjoying working on our juggling and passing skills.
Shana, Coral, and Zoe happy with their new soccer balls
Right to Play is an Organization working with volunteers and partners to use sport and play to enhance child development in areas of disadvantage. Learn more about Right to Play and how you can help atwww.RightToPlay.com
Shana found the most clues in the Treasure Hunt. She won the Right to Play Ball signed by Beckie Scott
Gabe
Victor, Bahi, Joe and Koons
First Day of the 6-week Spring Run Series
Each Wednesday the Boys and Girls Club hosts the Spring Run Series. Over the next 6 weeks the community will build from running/walking 1 mile to 5km. It is great to see everyone out running. The top 15 in both the short and the long run won baseball caps donated by the Madison Winter Festival. Additionally, the winners of each race won a soccer ball signed by Olympic Gold Medalist Beckie Scott
Winner of Short Run- Steven
Winner of Long Run- Brandon
Thank You to Right to Play, Madison Winter Fest and Becky Scott for your support of the LCO Boys and Girls Club.
Walking through China Town, I saw a spiky fruit I had never seen before.
What better way to experience a new piece of fruit than to buy it and bring it back to the LCO Boys and Girls Club.
The Treasure Hunt is on!
The Next Clue is... 'Let's play basketball outside'
What is it?
Durian Fruit
Together we goggled ’spiky fruit’ and were able to find images and information about the Durian. The fruit doesn’t smell very good. One article mentioned that in some places the fruit is banned in public places. The taste is described as delightful, but our fruit might have gone bad. It was all I could do not to throw up. Still, we did enjoy learning about a new fruit and it was fun to play with the spiky husk and slimy insides.
See if you can find out more about the Durian. You can start by reading this article http://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/durian__the_king_of_fruit
I spent the past weekend in the Big Apple. I really have never lived in a big city so everything was pretty new to me. Experiencing such a different lifestyle was fun and a great way to mentally recover and relax after the race season.
Enjoying some $1.99 pineapple on the 8hr train ride
The train was a great way to arrive into the city. The final part of the journey is underground and it was really quite the entrance to finally pop above ground at see daylight at Penn Station.
Time Square (for Chad)
Running around Central Park
An 843 acre park in the middle of such a metropolis is really quite incredible. There were thousands of people out enjoying the park. It is my understanding the the park is entirely landscaped including the rocks, streams and lakes. Read more at http://www.centralpark.com/pages/history.html
Fantastic Fruit, the best deal we found were strawberries for $1
I think I may have been the only one in the City wearing a Toko drink belt, or fanny pack.
I have always wanted to see a Broadway musical
Broadway shows are expensive, even at 40% off from the discount booth at Time Square. A tough decision for those living on a budge but an incredible experience to have at least once.
Didn't make it to the Empire State Building to see this guy swatting planes. Maybe next time...
[/caption][/caption][/caption][/caption]Broadway shows are expensive, even at 40% off from the discount booth at Time Square. A tough decision for those living on a budge but an incredible experience to have at least once.
[/caption]New York is indeed the city that never sleeps. The trip was great mental recovery but it feels good to be back in Hayward, get plenty of sleep, and eat oatmeal. Visiting the big city was fun but it is good to be home.
