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Abortions On County Women Drop 9%

Sunday, January 09, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 11C QUICK WORDS: SKIERS STARTING TO
WARM UP TO RACING 





Skiers starting to warm up to racing &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There's a mounting interest in alpine ski racing now that the Winter
Olympics are near and there has been televised coverage of a few World Cup
eventsYou can sense the rising competitive spirit watching skiers rip through
the gates at Montage, Jack Frost Mountain, Elk or any other ski area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regardless of age or ability, skiers are bashing gates. They are running
giant slalom. They are having fun. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Anybody can run gates. You don't have to be a pro, you don't even have to
be an expert skier. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The idea is to compete against the clock, improve your skiing ability and
have oodles of fun, fun, fun. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Interested, but still a wee bit hesitant? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Try running NASTAR (National Standard Race) at Montage. For $5 you can
blaze twice through a relatively easy giant slalom course on a forgiving
intermediate trail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hank Montz, marketing director at Montage, said the NASTAR course is open
Monday and Wednesday afternoons as well as Saturday and Sunday from about 1-3
p.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Night skiers can race Wednesday and Friday nights from 7 p.m. until legs
grow weary as wet noodles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "NASTAR was designed for recreational skiers. From an adult standpoint,
this takes care of it. It's open and available to everyone," Montz explained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Montage also has a junior racing program for young people that runs on
weekends for eight weeks. There's still time for kids to get involved in this
program, as well as Montage's freestyle program. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our corporate racing program has also been popular," Montz added. "It's
run in a team format on Thursday nights. Right now the teams are formulating,
but last year there were 17 involved. That was a pretty good turnout." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Big Two -- Big Boulder and Jack Frost Mountain -- is also off and
running on the alpine ski racing bandwagon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Both Boulder and Frost offer junior development and junior racing programs
that teach young people the fundamentals of running gates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Adults can learn to be a gate-basher at Frost's Monday Racing Workshop. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It runs from 9:30 a.m. until noon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For $25, adult skiers learn the ins and outs of racing in this mini-clinic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What you learn at Frost on Monday morning can be put to good use that
afternoon, and again on Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For exactly $1 you can take advantage of Frost's Buck-A-Run Program. For a
buck you can slash down a GS course from 1-3 p.m. Monday, and from 10 a.m.
until noon and again from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Have a club or a team? Take advantage of Big Boulder's Miller Lite Club
Challenge on Tuesday night. You must be at least 21-years-old to compete for
team honors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Elk Mountain can also prepare you to breeze through the gates. But, the
Adult Racing Program at Elk has been designed to improve not only racing
technique but free-skiing technique as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The program has been tailored to improve a person's skiing skills, balance
and agility," said Elk's racing director Elliot Ross. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We try to get skiers feeling comfortable traveling at a faster pace in
free-skiing situations. Then we have them run gates. Running gates for
practice does improve the quality of skiing." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Careening down a mountain on the very edge of control might be a
frightening concept to some -- if not all -- recreational skiers. Not to
worry: Ross said one of the keys to Elk's program is "controlled speed." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We aren't trying to initiate a feeling of reckless abandon on the
mountain," Ross explained. "We want skiers to pick up the pace a little, to
feel comfortable with that, and to improve their technique by getting a lot of
mileage on the mountain." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ross added that Elk also has junior racing programs which involve a lot of
on-course, gate-skirting training. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The junior program has more gate training," he said. "The kids train on
the mountain then travel to various races and are assisted by our coaches and
staff." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Virtually all the major ski areas have activities and programs geared
toward junior and adult racing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shawnee has NASTAR and a junior Development Race Group. Camelback has a
Race Challenge Series for $7 a race; a Masters Race Clinic for $30 a day; and
a Junior Racers program for $30 a day. Blue Mountain has its own special
junior racing program. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Race. Bash those gates. Have fun. Improve your overall technique. Prepare
to experience something close to what U.S. Ski Team racers will feel when they
rocket down the Olympic courses in Norway. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you're in the mood for freestyle competition, Montage will holds its
Mid-Atlantic Bump Challenge today on Boomer, a North Face, double black
diamond plunge. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's an event that will pit some of the best amateur and former pro mogul
skiers, from Virginia to Vermont. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Preregistration is required, and competitors must be at least 15 and
experienced mogul skiers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Register between 8 and 9 a.m.. Qualifying runs are to begin at 9:30 a.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The finals are set for 1 p.m. sharp. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spectators, take a camera and be prepared for thrills and spills. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ski Scene is written by Times Leader Outdoors Editor George Smith and
Assisting Managing Editor Scott Wasser and appears on Sunday during the ski
season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Area Ski Calendar &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 JANUARY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 9: Shawnee -- BSA Free Merit Badge Testing &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 9: Montage -- Mid-Atlantic Bump Challenge &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 10 &amp; 19: Camelback -- Consumer Demo Day &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 11: Shawnee -- Ladies Day Ski Program &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 12, 19 &amp; 26: Big Boulder -- High School Cup &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Challenge &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 12: Elk Mountain -- Women's Day &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 16: Montage -- Mid-Winter Fun Fest &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 17: Montage -- Mega Snowboard Demo Day &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 21: Montage -- Ski with former U.S. Ski Team Champion Lisa Wilcox &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 22: Elk Mountain -- Randy Turner Memorial Race &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 22 &amp; 23: Montage -- Ski coaching &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 22 &amp; 23: Camelback -- Scout Weekend &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 22 &amp; 23: Shawnee -- Jeep Ski Club Challenge &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 23: Elk Mountain -- Wilburger Memorial Race &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 23: Montage -- Jimmie Huega Ski Express for MS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Racing workshops, like this on at Jake Frost, help skiers get started in
the exciting world of ski racing

Skiers Starting To Warm Up To Racing 
There's A Mounting Interest In Alpine Ski Racing Now That The Winter Olympics 
Are Near And There Has Been Televised Coverage Of A Few World Cup Events.

Skiers Starting To Warm Up To Racing There's A Mounting Interest In Alpine Ski Racing Now That The Winter Olympics Are Near And There Has Been Televised Coverage Of A Few World Cup Events.