Interview: Claire Wilson, City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation
June 11, 2002
The City of Lakes Loppet was one of the great success stories
in a rather poor snow-season last winter. Claire Wilson was
the race secretary for the event, which involved quite a wide
range of duties including the always fun job of registration.
As it is, the City of Lakes Loppet is just one service offered
by the parent organization, the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation.
This non-profit organization is also actively working to improve
trail conditions at Theodore Wirth and growing the metro ski
community by encouraging area youth to cross country ski.
The organization has already made great strides working with
the Minneapolis Park Board on the trail improvements and now
this summer, Claire Wilson will head up a new summer youth
program called "Get Outside!".
We talked with Wilson by e-mail on June 10th about the new
summer program.
- Skinnyski: Where did the idea for the "Get Outside!" summer program come
from?
Wilson: The City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation's mission
is to promote cross-country skiing in the Minneapolis
area with a particular focus on youth. We decided that
a great way to fulfill that mission statement would be
to reach out to youth who would not necessarily normally
be exposed to cross-country skiing and get them excited
about not only skiing but endurance sports in general.
- Skinnyski: What kind of activities are planned for this summer?
Wilson: Get Outside! evolved from the idea of a nordic
program into one that encompasses a great array of silent
sports while also focusing on the importance of excercise
and nutrition in the lives of adolescents. We are going
to be doing some great things this summer. We will be
engaging in some ropes course activities, orienteering,
mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking, in-line skating,
and of course, some fun and exciting dryland ski activities.
The program will culminate in a giant Adventure race incoporating
everything the youth have learned into one incredible
relay! "From Wirth to Everywhere" is our motto for that
event. There will never be a dull moment in the Get Outside!
world.
- Skinnyski: How many kids will be in the program this season?
Wilson: Get Outside! has partnered with the Minneapolis
Park Board's program Youthline to bring the youth to Get
Outside! The kids will be ages 12-16 and will come from
different parks in different parts of the "inner city".
The parks involved this summer will be Mathews, North
Commons, Sibley and Peavey.
- Skinnyski: When does the program start, and how often do they meet?
Wilson: The program begins soon -- next Wednesday, June
18th. We will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-5 pm
at Theodore Wirth Park. Two parks come on each day. This
is just the inaugural year for the program and it is our
hope to build community excitement and involvement so
we can expand to a much broader calendar next year.
- Skinnyski: What other organizations are involved?
Wilson: Get Outside! will be working with Wheels for
Winners, Robichon's In-Line Skate School, Hoigaards, and
the Minnesota Orienteering Club. These groups will be
providing instruction and equipment in the various activities.
We are also working to get elite athletes from each field
to come out and volunteer. Jayme Stricker and Piotr Bedarnski
will be two such athletes. Volunteers from all spectrums
are very welcome (and needed!). Of course, the Youthline
staff will also participate and they too are very excited
about the program.
- Skinnyski: How is this program different from some of the other summer youth
programs and the nordic training programs?
Wilson: This is not a program to develop elite athletes,
but rather a program to develop enthusiam in a broad range
of communities about all the sports that the "skinnyski"
world cares about. While Get Outside! does focus on nordic
skiing, it's primary goal right now is to get kids out
into the parks and engaged in movement and sports in which
they are not usually involved. We will be focusing on
instruction and hopefully some skill improvement but our
main focus will be FUN! It will be getting the youth super
excited about the world of silent sports and maybe interested
in trying out cross-country skiing next winter. If one
youth walks away with the urge to ski, we'll consider
it a very sucessful summer.
- Skinnyski: How does the program wrap into the City
of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation goals?
Wilson: The COLNSF is working to help develop cross-country
skiing in our urban area. Since it's primary focus area
is Wirth Park, it seemed perfect to start a program where
youth from that area and beyond could come and see what
an oasis Theodore Wirth is in the city. It is the hope
of the foundation that we will be able to develop more
trails at Wirth and bring cross-country skiing to some
of the schools in the area that are not currently offering.
We would also like to see the ski world expand into other
communities. Get Outside! is just the first foray into
making nordic skiing a more visible and accessible sport
in the Twin Cities.
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Volunteers
Needed
The
Get Outside! program is seeking volunteers to help with
the summer activities. Please contact Claire Wilson
at 612-715-1479 or [email protected]
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Related links
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