After the Ball - Looking Back on February 2008

Knitting together B-Net - Mark ApplemanThe Poniac GMC Canadian Alpine Ski Championships and the Telus Whislter World Cup races are history. Only a few A-Nets remain to be  taken down.  The Timing Flats are clear of its tents and trailers and recreational skiers have reclaiimed Franz's Run and the Dave Murray downhill.   Dusty's at 6:30 AM is deserted and the upper level of the Creekside Parkade is bare.  Only echos remain and memories of friendship and community based on hard work and long days devoted to a common cause.

Our Canadian Alpine Ski Team have given us a lot to celebrate this year with over  40  top nine World Cup finishes and seven placings in the top 10 overall stadings.  Check out our  CAST page for details.   As we write this, the World championships are still before us, so we may yet have more great results to record.

For many reasons,  the February 2008 races presented significant challenges.  However, we came together and succeeded.  We built two side-by-side courses and ran two major race series.  We made history in a number of ways.   The crews that built the first-ever women's downhill track on Franz's Run overcame unrelenting weather problems.   They showed the way and beat the odds to complete training runs and women's and men's downhill races.  Fortunately, Mother Nature smiled  on us for the World Cup races and over 20 million  European TV views saw Whistler at its usual best.    Racers and coaches were all smiles, and are looking forward to returning for  the  2010 Winter Olympics.  

This page on the Whistler Weasel Workers Web site is dedicated to our members who worked so hard to make the February races a success .  Please send us your comment, share with us your experiences and, in  particular, please tell us about those special moments that left a memory and the special people who  made a difference.  

It's  nice to focus on the positive but there is always the down side too.  Help us do better in the future and send us your suggestions. It's important that we learn from our mistakes and understand where we fell down.  We will  publish the good, the bad and the ugly, but nothing in poor taste or libelous.      Send your comments to editor@weaselworkers.com

A Cluster of Roses to Jason K. of the Transporation crew who brought wine to the Race Office crew whose work schedule and isolated location (during WC)  made visits to the Beer Tent pretty much imposible.

A Big Thanks  to the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC)  for hosting a welcoming party for volunteers at the Club Cabin.  The night was enjoyed by all.  One day, we'll get around to posting some of the photos from this affair.

During a dry-land training session at the Myrtle Philips School,  WMSC  J1 and J2 racers  had a great timemeeting and interacting with  members of the US Ski Team who were also using the school for training.  Sounds like the US skiers were very friendly and accommodating.    Roses all around!

A hearty thank you to  George K  for  warning us that  local elementary school kids were going to be excluded from watching the  World Cup Races. Roses to Peter A and John R for running with this and making sure  our kids were at the finish line.  A well done also to  Willy R.  for making sure that the WMCS kids were at the finish line too.

We all step up to the plate and do our jobs, not expecting  many "Hurrahs".  However, sometimes people go that extra mile that makes such a difference.  Hats off and buckets roses to Joyce M and her crew who worked for months prior to the races making  gallons and gallons of home-made, fresh vegetable soup  for the Soup Tent.    While we're in the food department, many thanks to Jane O and her crew for the great sandwiches during the Nationals.

The volunteers staying at Lockies place really appreciated the nightly feasts cooked for us by Lauren W.    They were a great treat after a late night cleaning up the Beer Tent. (A pox on those people who can't deal with their own garbage).  Thanks, Lauren and thanks to Thommy T for bringing us Lauren. 

Please send  your recollections
to
editor@weaselworkers.com

Alpina Training Jan 2008