The first few weekends at the ski hill with the kids have been a blast for the Asessippi Ski Club.
“This year we have just shy of 20 young athletes skiing with us,” said Rochelle Bonk, Asessippi Ski Club Assistant Coach. “We have kids from ages seven to 15 from Russell, Roblin, Winnipeg, Yorkton, Regina, Rocanville and other surrounding areas.”
Bonk said the focus of the club is to create better skiers.
“Our main goal as a group is to create confident and well-rounded skiers,” she said.
“We started out the season by brushing up on the basic fundamental motions of ski racing. Our kids picked right up where we left off last season and are ready to face new challenges and continue to build skills.”
The club also competes.
“We have our first race at the end of January in Bottineau, North Dakota,” said Bonk. “The annual race in Bottineau is the perfect opportunity for some club wide bonding and ‘Cook Your Own Steak’ at the Turtle Mountain Inn. The kids love the pizza and barrels of peanuts.”
So the club is preparing for the race event.
“We took the opportunity to get our kids into full gates last weekend and they stepped up to the challenge,” said Bonk.
The club is also about learning.
“This past weekend we were hosting a mini Christmas camp for the kids to improve their skills and have fun before the Christmas break,” said Bonk. “Our kids braved through the fog to enjoy the mild weather.”
What do the kids think of the ski club?
“Awesome.” offerdd Laurel Kingdon age 8
“Nnever give up never surrender,” offered Reiken Schoeman age 12.
Bonk also noted parents love coming out to watch the training and volunteer on race days.
“It is the perfect opportunity to get the whole family outside and active all winter long,” she said.
Everyone was looking forward to the holiday break to spend time with family but Bonk said they will see everyone again on the January 4-5th weekend.
“We’re always excited to welcome new kids and encourage parents to bring their children out to hang with us for a day and see how they like it,” she said.
