Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014 - (Page 24)
Participants
await their
turn to race
down the
course in
Aspen,
Colorado.
FAR WEST RACING ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors
- 2O13 / 2O14 PRESIDENT
Bob Ellis (530) 414-4270
rellis9681@aol.com
photo by
Ken Calkins
SECRETARY
Jo Simpson (775) 787-7556
jo_simpson@sbcglobal.net
FINANCIAL OFFICER
Nancy Ellis (530) 582-0566
nancyellis2@sbcglobal.net
RULES CHAIR
Bob Warzynski (775) 266-3976
bwarz@linkline.com
FWRA COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Webmaster
George Stewart (559) 734-9294
gwstewart@prodigy.net
FWRA Championships 2014
George Eachus (949) 874-4739
geachus@cox.net
League Race Chairs
BAY AREA SNOW SPORTS
COUNCIL (BAC)
Open League www.olrc.org
Debi Phelps (530) 414-8503
bmw.rider8@yahoo.com
Singles League www.slracing.org
John Walsh (415) 596-7234
johnwalsh37@sbcglobal.net
CENTRAL COUNCIL
Central League
Jim Grady (805) 929-1334
jjg2@pge.com
LOS ANGELES COUNCIL
Rokka League www.rokkaracing.org
Laura Preiss
rokkaracers@aol.com
ULLR League
Ken Kawahara (310) 944-0371
ken.kawahara@verizon.net
NORTHWEST SKI CLUB COUNCIL
PACRAT League www.pacrats.org
Gordy Lusk
racing@swskiers.org
ORANGE COUNCIL
Schusski League
www.orangecouncil.org
Maxine Hanlon (714) 641-8513
maxch@prodigy.net
SAN DIEGO COUNCIL
San Diego Alpine League
www.skisandiego.org
Eileen Weiner (858) 334-8876
eileenweiner45@yahoo.com
SIERRA COUNCIL
Sierra League www.sierraleague.com
Jo Simpson (775) 787-7556
Jo_simpson@sbcglobal.net
24
Why Do We Race?
by Bob Ellis
President, FWRA / Vice-President of Racing, FWSA
Why do we race? Because it is fun, exciting, competitive, individual, instructive and
social. The Far West Racing Association provides races for any ability of skier or boarder,
and then, we break them down by age, gender
and skill level, so all of our racers are competing with other racers in the same category. On
any given day, Far West racers in any class can
win in their class. In our races, we do not separate our racers only by age, but also by skill
level, so they are not competing with pastOlympians unless they work their way into
that class. Most of us are weekend warriors
that ski or race whenever we get a chance,
and when we get a chance, we want to make
the most of it.
When our racers go down our race
courses, they are going down a run all by
themselves with no one else skiing down the
hill at the same time, and our racers can go as
fast or slow as they want without being cited
by a Ski Patrolman for skiing too fast amongst
the public.
The thrill of skiing and boarding is the
challenge of the slope of the hill and the speed
we get while flying down the mountain. Racing naturally makes skiers and boarders better
athletes by forcing them to turn where they
normally would not turn. Almost everybody
I have seen racing has improved due to the
extra effort required by going down a race
course.
Obviously, not everybody wants to race
or enjoys the competition, but where else can
you be the only person on the ski run for one
to two minutes without fear of being run into
by another person.
When we run our races, we try to schedule them to be punctual and efficient so we
can get our participants down the courses as
quickly as possible, so they can go off and
enjoy skiing the rest of the mountain. We understand that their time is important, especially on a bluebird ski day. We also run
several courses, not one course for everybody.
We set a course for beginners and novice participants so they can progress at their own
speed and move up to the next harder course
when they improve.
We also try to schedule the race times so
participants have plenty of time to make it to
the courses, and we also base the start times
on the predicted snow conditions. If we believe the snow conditions are going to be very
firm in the morning, we normally will schedule the upper level racers in the morning
when the conditions are more challenging, and
the novice racers will end up getting better
snow conditions in the afternoon when they
would race. Sometimes we run into delays because of weather or timing, but most of the
time, we are on schedule.
Our goals are to put on a safe event that
is punctual, fun and challenging for the participants. We want to allow them to see their
times immediately, and an area where they
can congregate safely afterwards and share
their experiences with their friends about the
race course. We are recreational racers that
enjoy the courses, the challenges of the mountains, the social aspect, and also receiving the
awards for good results.
The Far West Racing Program is different from any other program in the U.S. It was
smartly designed back in the 1970's to encourage participation for all abilities and ages of
participants. We also conduct clinics to help
our racers improve and allow them to have a
chance to practice.
Next year, we will be racing at Beaver
Creek during the Far West Ski Week, and the
Far West Championships will be held on
April 4-6, 2014 at Mammoth Mountain. The
ROKKA Race Camp will be at Mammoth
Mountain starting on January 6 and ending on
January 10, 2014. I encourage all of you to try
racing just once. There is a very good chance
that you will enjoy it. L
L
Far West Skier's Guide 2O13 - 2O14 / See the Digital Edition of the Far West Skier's Guide at www.fwsa.org.
http://www.olrc.org
http://www.slracing.org
http://www.rokkaracing.org
http://www.pacrats.org
http://www.orangecouncil.org
http://www.skisandiego.org
http://www.sierraleague.com
http://www.fwsa.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
Index
Board of Directors, Trustees
President’s Message: FWSA is on the Move!
FWSA Committee Chairmen and Other Representatives
FWSA Presidents Gather at 2013 Convention
Council Information
FWSA Council Services Supports Clubs
National Ski Council Federation Brings Councils & Clubs Together Nationwide
FWSA Membership: Through Clubs or Direct
FWSA Direct Member Application Form
Order Form / Far West Skier’s Guide
FWSA Communications
Ski Season - 2014
FWSA Travel Program
FWRA Board of Directors
FWRA League Race Chairs
Why Do We Race?
FWRA Race Schedule
The FWSA Athletic Scholarship Program Helps Junior Racers
Pursue Your Passions Through the FWSF
Hope on the Slopes Events
Winter Trails Day
FWSA 81st Annual Convention - Mountain Magic Moments - Recap
FWSA 2013 Convention Sponsors
FWSA Industry Award Winners
Convention Door Prize Donors & Milestones
2013 FWSA Councils’ Man & Woman of the Year
Silent Auction & Travel Expo Participants - 2013
2013 FWSA Convention Award Recipients
Snowsports Celebrities Entertain & Inform
Candace Cable, Keynote Speaker
FWSA Safety Person of the Year
FWSA Western Ski Heritage Award
FWSA Snowsports Builder Awards
FWSA Ski Clubs & Councils Continue Generous Charity Support
FWSA 82nd Annual Convention - Volcanic Paradise - Bend, Oregon
FWSA 83rd Annual Convention - Salute to San Diego
Twelve Resorts / One Pass
Public Affairs - 2013 Update
The Road to Sochi
Lodging Options
Regional Ski Shows
High Hopes Exist for an Olympic & Far West History Museum in Squaw Valley
Zermatt: Where Legends Meet!
Has Technology Made Skiing Safer?
How Well Do You Know Your Resorts?
A Visit to the 2013- 2014 Digital Edition Only Insert
FWSA Council & Club Information
Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com