SHE SKIS

A Q&A with Linda Deneen, 65, North American VASA Board Member.
She is a retired Counselor and Coordinator for Counseling and
Social Work from Traverse City Area Public Schools.    

The job:
As a VASA Board Member, I do all that I can to support the mission of The North American VASA, which is, in part, to promote and support the sport of cross-country skiing in our area.

The program:
“SheSkis” is a dirt-to snow weekly training program for women of all ages and abilities to get ready for ski season. It has begun on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. at Timber Ridge Resort on Hammond Road. We have started with dry land training and will move into both classic and freestyle skiing once the snow arrives. “SheSkis” will continue throughout the ski season dovetailing with the popular Wednesday night women’s gatherings at Timber Ridge. The purpose is to have fun together and enjoy crosscountry skiing.

The start:
We got into “SheSkis” through one of my cousins, Bill Thompson, co-owner of Downwind Sports in Marquette and Houghton. They sponsor “SheBikes” and “ShePaddles,” which are retreats for women to improve their biking and/or kayaking skills. While attending a family wedding, he suggested that we have a similar program here in Traverse City for skiing — so here we are! Specifically, the North American VASA Board wants to expand the concept of cross-country skiing beyond the RACES to include more community members in the enjoyment of skiing by sponsoring the “SheSkis” and “WeSki” programs (more on “WeSki” coming soon!).

The best part:
The best part of “SheSkis” is the women who come! We work hard and have a great time together.

The hardest part:
The hardest part of “SheSkis” has been to get the word out that the program is for women of all ability levels. One does not have to be a racer to enjoy cross-country skiing!

Perks for the participants are:
1) Having a larger circle of like-minded women with whom to enjoy crosscountry skiing and
2) Sharing a healthy activity with women of our community.

The events:
The VASA Board is all volunteer-based; what we do is promote cross-country skiing in our area. Of course, one of the biggest things we do is to sponsor the North American Festival of Races that will be Valentine’s weekend at Timber Ridge Resort. There are several types of races that weekend and will be concluded with a VASA Valentine Tour, which will be strictly for fun.

Linda Deneen can be reached at deneendaisy@charter.net.
Be sure to check the VASA website at VASA.org.