Over the next six weeks students and families in the Annandale area have the opportunity to sign up for the Cardinal Cruisers Ski-Snowboard Club and tackle the slopes at Powder Ridge this winter.
The volunteer-run club, which is independent of the school district and is open to students in grades 1-12, started in 1985. There were 110 students signed up last year, which might have been a record.
Current coordinator Josh Trutwin, who manages the club along with Sarah Wiles, said the number of participants has typically been around 100 since he began helping to head up the program about four years ago.
The club is open to anyone, whether or not they own equipment, and there is a wide range of skill levels among those involved.
"Some of the kids have never skied before. Lessons are an optional part of the club as well." Trutwin said. "There is a small fee for three hours worth of lessons, an hour each time you go out. The group lessons are done by trained instructors at Powder Ridge. They do that for an hour and then basically the kids on their own for a few hours as well."
Club nights are on Mondays, and the dates this year are Dec. 5, 12, 19; and Jan. 9, 23 and 30. The registration period opened in early October and remains open through Monday, Nov. 28.
"This is a good way to get kids outside during the winter when they might not choose to go out on their own," said Trutwin. "We’ve had some really cold nights when I’ve contemplated cancelling the club or it’s just on the borderline. We usually say if the wind chill is below zero we’ll cancel. Even on those nights when I think I maybe should have cancelled, very few kids are hanging out in the chalet. They’re outside and they’re still going at it. They really enjoy it."
Family activity
The Cardinal Cruisers do not participate in any competitions, and there is plenty of unstructured time for participants to do their own skiing and snowboarding. Adult chaperones are welcome, however, and parents of younger children are encouraged to come along to help keep an eye on the students.
"The nice thing about being a chaperone is that Powder Ridge says you’re helping out with the club, so you get a lift ticket and rental on them," said Trutwin. "If that fills up but parents still want to ski we can offer a discount as well. We have a lot of parents who are interested because it’s one of those sports where you can actually participate with your kids, which a lot of people enjoy."
With 110 students involved last year, Trutwin said the club wanted to have a minimum of eight chaperones. There were usually that many and more. Many parents of the younger students in particular get involved, which is how Trutwin himself ended up working with the club in the first place.
"My oldest son Ben was a first-grader at the time and I felt like I had to be there with him," said Trutwin. "He could do the lessons, but then I was there to ski with him. So I just kind of kept coming out, helped as a chaperone and then eventually the coordinators at the time said, ‘You’re out here a lot. Would you take over the club when the next person leaves?’"
A typical day
On the day of a club meeting students get on one of two buses that cover all three Annandale schools to Powder Ridge, where the club has a dedicated room set aside with an adult supervisor to watch over students’ belongings and provide supervision.
Students who need to rent equipment take care of that step before lessons begin at 4 p.m. for those who are enrolled in them.
The lessons end at 5 p.m. and students then have until about 7:30 p.m. to ski or snowboard, stopping whenever they would like to have dinner brought from home or purchased at Powder Ridge.
At 8 p.m. the buses return to the middle school where parents pick their students up, and coordinators check rosters to make sure everyone is accounted for.
Trutwin said the largest age group is generally the middle school range, with the sixth grade being the largest group. There are generally only a handful of first-graders, and while there are high school students involved the numbers tend to dwindle.
"From first through sixth each grade gradually gets a little bigger, and then it starts to taper off," said Trutwin.
A winter alternative
Some members of the Cardinal Cruisers go on to compete with the school’s Alpine ski cooperative, but most simply enjoy skiing and snowboarding without the pressure to perform.
"Some of the kids go on to a race league, but a lot of them just choose to come out and ski for fun," said Trutwin. "It’s a little bit different than a lot of the other winter activities like wrestling or basketball or hockey. There’s no competition, so it’s very relaxing for kids. We try to keep it drama-free. Just come out and ski, do what you want, and have fun."
Registration
Anyone looking for more information about the club can see www.cardinalcruisers.com. Organizers are planning to set up online registration this year, or there is a printable registration form on the website.
"Generally we don’t have too much trouble getting people interested," said Trutwin.
Participants pay for a six-night program, and if there is a cancellation due to weather the program is extended.
Students who miss one night due to a scheduling conflict get a bonus pass so they can fully participate. The cost of the program varies depending on the age of the student.
"We’ll take registration up until the week before the club starts, sometimes even after that if we need to fill up a number to get to a certain break point with chaperones. So there’s plenty of time to register," said Trutwin.
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