By Eleanor Wilson, Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
The nordic trails at Mt. Macpherson this past Saturday were alive with colourful jelly fish, clown fish, pink panthers and even a shark! These were just some of the creative costumes that 100 cross country skiers donned for the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club’s annual “Team Scream”.
This year the theme was “Tropical” — and it was. The hot sun burned through the clouds as skiers of all ages hit the 3.75 kilometre Mickey Olsen trail. For relay racers, the first skier skied classic technique and tagged off to the second skier who skied skate technique. This fun race encouraged many combinations of teams: parent-child, buddy-buddy, new friends and old friends.
There was also a skiathlon event where individual skiers did the whole relay race. The Bunny Race kick-started the day as everyone cheered for these hearty four- and five-year-olds as they set off to ski the Stadium Loop or Titan.
Bunnies received homemade cookie medals and the fastest teams and individuals were recognized with ribbons and rounds of applause. There were also prizes for best costumes and ‘tough cookies’. Lucky draw winners walked away with coconuts, pineapples, dragon fruits, pool passes, ski gear, gift certificates, chocolate and much, much more.
PHOTO: Bunnies are lined up at the start line, waiting for the air horn. ~ By Mike Thomas
A big thanks to local sponsors Cooper's, Flowt, the City of Revelstoke Aquatic Centre and La Baguette. Let’s not forget that, amongst the racing, cheering, and dancing to energetic tunes, everyone was enjoying a very tasty chilli lunch cooked and served by volunteers, and provided by the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club.
There were more than 30 volunteers who worked together on the race. Every job – big and small– contributed to making the day a memorable success. We’ll have to wait another year for the next Team Scream to come around again, but there is still lots of great skiing to be done on the trails of Mt. Macpherson!
Team Scream finish times are posted on the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club’s website at www.revelstokenordic.org/