Special Olympics Ski Racing - Working on the Plan

So it's now time to leave Hurricane, Cory's first-ever ski racing camp. But one more thing to do.

Cory raced so well on his Volkl Racetiger SL skis, that he decides he wants to buy them.

So one more visit up the rickety stairs to the small Volkl shop and yes, he can buy them for $500, including the bindings. We had already talked to Max about the skis and he took a look at them and thought $500 was a very good deal. Bob liked how Cory skied on them, so it seemed like the right thing to do.

Since then, I've done some research and Cory definitely got a very good deal. Brand new the skis are worth about $700 on their own, and these demos are in very good shape. The bindings are Marker 20 EPS and according to their website, they are the top-of-line racing bindings, worth close to $400. They may be a little above his capabilities, but he sure has himself a very competitive set of skis and bindings, and it's a set of skis that he will never outgrow skill-wise.

So we head back home and now it's several months of no skiing - it's mid-July and it's usually mid-December before we can ski on our mountain in Vancouver. But we still have a plan to work on:

>> fitness and weight training
>> better coaching
>> better equipment
>> more race experience



So, fast-forward now to October, 2007:

Cory had been working out at our local weight room (the Ladner Leisure Centre in Delta, BC) with other Special Olympic athletes throughout the winter of 2006-2007. He enjoyed it and wanted to continue throughout the summer even though the Special Olympics program ended in April. So we talked with his coach, who gave us some guidelines and both Cory and I worked out a couple of times per week throughout the summer - something I had never done before. So once again, just like skiing, one of Cory's activities gets me involved in something that I now really enjoy, and is good for me.

Cory is back in school now, attending Vancouver Community College, so he has less time for working out, but he is back with the Special Olympics weight training program, and I go to the weight room on my own a couple of times a week. I'm hoping this will result in better skiing for both of us. Obviously, as Cory continues to improve his skiing, it's going to get harder and harder to keep up with him so better fitness for me will give him more skiing time. There were several times last season - especially on Whistler - where he had to stop to let his poor old Dad rest, cause my thighs were just burning and cramping up.

And Cory's weight work is really starting to show - his biceps and triceps are getting better defined. I've got a ways to go yet just to get more fit, but we're still a month away from our first run of the season.

So weight and fitness training is moving along. Now for better coaching. Obviously, Cory received some excellent coaching from Bob Vial at Hurricane. But that's only 5 days per year, so we need to find something locally. Special Olympics is operated by volunteers, most of whom can provide excellent coaching for beginners. But once an athlete reaches a certain level of ability, then those coaches cannot really do much more to improve those abilities. So we had to start searching locally, and of course, we would have to find someone who would be as agreeable as Bob to having Cory join their programme.

I don't actually recall how I found it, but I discovered a programme called "Gatebusters" operated by Tom Prozchaka on Whistler Mountain. In fact, Gatebusters takes place on our very favourite run - the Dave Murray Olympic Downhill. They run either a slalom, giant slalom, or super giant slalom course every Saturday during the winter, with coaching, for a reasonable cost of $40 for a full day. But that's not quite so reasonable if I have to pay $40 to accompany Cory, especially when you factor in the cost of getting to Whistler - a full tank of gas, plus lift tickets for each of us at about $70 each - that's about $250 in total each time.

So I send an email to Tom Prozchaka and he responds that not only can Cory participate, but that I can accompany him at no charge. He asks that we contact him early in the season so we can make arrangements. So thanks to another benefactor, Cory's lined up for some challenging runs with good coaching throughout the coming winter. He will of course continue to ski with Special Olympics every Monday night, but there is not always a race course set up and when it is, it is not as challenging and without the same type of coaching that he will get at Gatebusters.

Our thanks to Tom Prozchaka, and here's a link to his Gatebusters website:

http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/rentals/school/ski/gatebusters.htm


So, now we have weight & fitness training on the go, we have better coaching set up at Gatebusters - so now onto better equipment.

Cory has his new Volkl Racetigers for slalom skiing and he demo'd some Atomic GS 12 skis on Mount Hood. Atomic wasn't selling their equipment, so he only bought the Volkls, and at the price of this equipment, that's about all he can afford for now anyway.

So he'll make do with his Volkl SL skis this winter and use his Head Monsters for those days when snow conditions may damage his race skis. And hopefully, he'll return to Mount Hood next summer, demo some GS skis, and he may buy something then. It just seems much better to buy skis he's already tried, at a discounted price since they are demos, than paying full price for a pair of skis he's never skied on.

But since good boots are critical, Cory will have to get some new boots before the season starts. And since he liked the Atomic RT Ti 100s that he demo'd on Hood, I sent an email to Atomic Canada back in mid-July asking for any financial assistance that they could provide. The Atomic rep at Mount Hood told me that those boots retail at around $800, and with Cory's limited ability to earn income, that's a hefty price.

Atomic's reply is not encouraging, but they obviously do not know enough about Special Olympics, since they mention that Cory will have to earn FIS points (most ski racers belong to a ski club which has an affiliation to the Federation Internationale de Ski - FIS) in order to qualify for Atomic's assistance. I respond with a complete explanation of the situation, but for some reason, there is no further response from Atomic - in spite of several follow-up emails to them.

So I try a different route. I visit Comor Sports in Vancouver, an Atomic dealer, and speak to their manager, Steve. I fill Steve in on our story and ask if there is anything he can do to contact Atomic for us. He says he will do so, but again, not much happens. I call him back 2 or 3 times over a period of 4-6 weeks, he tells me he has been busy etc etc, and then I call one more time and learn that he is no longer working at Comor.

So we try another retailer who is helpful, but he tells us that those boots are not available and that he would be best in Atomic's RT CS 90, a slightly more flexible boot. I'm reluctant because race boots are special orders and not returnable, so I'd prefer he stick with the RT Ti 100s. This retailer does offer Cory a discount though, so that's a step in the right direction.

But I decide to give Atomic one more try. I remember that Tom Prozchaka's Gatebusters program is sponsored by Atomic, so I email Tom and ask if he has any contacts at Atomic that he could share with us. I find it strange, but Tom does not respond. I email him once again about 4 weeks later and this time he does respond, with an apology for not doing so earlier. And he gives me the email address for Dave "Army" Armstrong at Atomic.

So now I email him Army, and not only does he respond, he calls me within a couple of days! Now this is Atomic's top person in Canada, and the World Cup is now underway in Europe, so I can imagine how busy Army must be, so it would be easy for him to dismiss this individual request from someone like us. But he does take the time to call us.

We talk things over, he looks into the situation a bit more, and responds the next day with an email offering a pair of Atomic RT Ti 100s for a very, very reasonable price.



And this is no ordinary boot, virtually the same boot as used by World Cup skiers, but less stiff. The "100" refers to a flex of 100, which is the most flexible boot in this line. Male World Cup skiers use the same boot, but with a flex of 150, much stiffer. Cory is neither strong enough or skilled enough to use such a stiff boot. And he may even struggle for awhile in the 100, but he skied well enough in them on Hood, and it's a boot that he will simply improve his skiing as he improves his skills. Probably more boot than he needs, but we learned at the Provincial Games that fractions of a second make a difference not just in the World Cup, but in Special Olympics too.

And it looks like Cory likes his new boots. Here he is eating lunch and reading the newspaper, all while wearing his new Atomics...




So we have another very special benefactor - Dave 'Army' Armstrong at Atomic Canada. Thank you, Army!