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Shred the Local Hills – February Update
by Gari Chaffin 

          All the weathermen were telling us to stay home because of the expected major snowfall (probably wants us to sit and watch their TV station) but 20+ of us from various local ski clubs went to Mt Holly Tuesday Feb 9th.  The roads were not bad so if anyone stayed away because of that shame on you!  When we were all gathering in the ticket office to get our $15 lift tickets I mentioned to the ski school desk to tell their management that the MDSC ski clubs do in fact frequent the local areas – and thanked them for the 2 for 1 lift ticket pricing.  Everyone found a partner and we proceeded out on the slopes at 10:00 to find the entire area opened and in great shape.  As the weatherman promised there was abundant snow which continued their entire day. 

         
An added benefit of going to Mt Holly is we were joined by the “northern” contingent of TBirds including Rocky Rockafello, Larry Miller, Dennis Murray, Todd and Mary Sanderson plus others.  In addition to TBirds we had friends from the SkiWi, DTE, Somerset, and Schussmeisters join us.  At lunch we all gathered in the cafeteria although some were seen looking at the bar trying to figure out their afternoon plan as the wind was blowing pretty hard.  We all decided the bar could wait and finished up the day on the slopes.

         
As I write this we probably only have about one more month of local skiing before spring gets here.  A lot of you are on the email list but for some reason have not joined us yet.  We plan on the remaining Tuesdays in February at Pine Knob and then it will probably depend on the local conditions and weather.  Don’t procrastinate and then realize you did not ski as much as you wanted to this season.  Let’s get a big group out for the remaining Tuesdays – time is short so let’s enjoy the winter!

Photo below was taken on a local hill and is of Jerry Gerson

 

Our Sixth President
Nick Popiel '56-'57

Our sixth club president, Nick Popiel Jr, was born December 1926 in California, Pa, a small coal mining town in southwestern Pa.  His father, of Ukrainian decent, worked in the mines.

He was the middle child of six siblings. Nick played varsity football during his high school days, before the family moved in 1943 to Dearborn to work in the Ford defense plants. Nick finished high school at Fordson, graduating in ’44.

After leaving school, Nick’s sister Nellie, a secretary at Ford, convinced him to apply for the Ford apprentice program.  He was accepted and went to work learning the “die making” trade.  In ’45 he took a leave of absence to enter the US Army Air Force, winding up two years later as a corporal (engine maintenance) in Linz, Austria .  During that time he played on his regimental football team against other army teams.  He received his discharge in ’47.

 
After his military service, he entered the U of M under the GI Bill, graduating in ’51 with an Engineering degree in Math.  He joined Vinco Gear as a designer; leaving in ’55 to join Ford’s Advance Truck Engineering group.  During the next 30 years Nick advanced through Livonia Transmission,  Engine Development (working on the design of the Cardinal small car V-4 engine),  Auto Assembly Div – Quality Control (elec group) during the early Mustang days, finally ending up in Industrial Engine,  providing engines for New Holland tractors .  Nick retired in ’85 with 38 yrs of Ford service.

Nick learned to ski in ’53 from Louie Augee of “T.B Rails Sporting Goods” on Griswold in Det.  Nick purchased his first ski package (wooden skies w/Cubco bindings,  poles and leather lace boots for $29.00).  Augee gave lessons in a nearby high school gym. Nick’s first mountain experiences were weekend jaunts up to the Caberfae ski area, where he and friends stayed at the Welston Inn (between Cadillac & Manistee).  He further improved his skiing skills on the club’s first week long Mt Tremblant trip, which included twice daily lessons by professional instructors.  He remembers boarding railroad cars in Det., which were transferred to Windsor by Detroit River barge, hooked up to an existing Windsor train, then off to Montreal overnight, “partying all the way” (naturally).

Nick joined the Ford Ski Club in ’55.  Ford Employees Recreation Assoc (FERA) representatives Tom Shanahan and Steve Pliska convinced him to run for President for the ’56-57 seasons. Steve became Nick’s V/P.

In 1955 Nick met (obviously at a wild T/Bird Halloween party) Noreen Livernois, (7 yrs his jr) of Lincoln Park, a nurse at  the  Ford Rouge Medical Center.  They were married in ‘58 at the St Francis Xavier Church in Ecorse.  During the next years Noreen bore four siblings, three boys and one daughter: James (50), a grad of U of M Business  & Wayne State (MBA), works in sales for Quest Communications. He has two boys & one girl: Thomas (48), a U of M grad (Architectural Eng), is  owner of  a commercial Elec Engineering business, in Portland, Or. (no children): Anne (47) is a grad of U of D Mercy, and a dietician at Monroe St Mary’s Hosp. She has two boys and one girl: Larry (45), a U of M grad (Business Adm), owns an Insurance agency. He has two boys & two girls.  Note: Over the years Nick taught his four children and 10 grandchildren to ski, primarily at Schuss Mt near their 2nd home at Lake of the North, near Mancelona.  Noreen retired in ’89 after 20 years as a company nurse at the now demolished Ford North American Auto Operations (the old Ford Div) located on the S.W. corner of Rotunda and Southfield.

During Nick’s tenure as president :
-         Membership increased to 225, with the dues remaining at $2.00
-         A “Beginners Weekend” was organized with advanced skiers giving free lessons to newcomers
-         A “Pow Wow Weekend  was established where club members performed during an annual Mich ski weekend
-         Participated in a very active MDSC racing program, where the T/Bird team were top award winners

Ski activities during late ’56 & early ’57 were as follows;
Western – Winter Park, CO & Alta, UT
Michigan - Caberfae, Thunder Mt & Boyne Mt (Weekend ski trip prices were set @ $19.00 incl bus transportation, 2 night lodging, breakfast each morning, and dinner Sat)

Remembrances
-         ’57 – Played on the TBird touch football team (MDSC league) at the softball field (Rotunda Dr). Came out with a torn LCU.
-         ’58 - Lift chair accident at Nubs Nob, where the safety “clogs” failed and the chair slipped backwards, killing one person.

Noreen relates that in 2002, at Boyne Mt, her niece remembers seeing a skier beautifully gliding down the slope in perfect form (skies tight) looking like Stein Erickson.  When at the bottom, and he removed his hat, she realized it was her uncle “Nick”.

Nick last skied the Rocky Mtns in 2002 at age 75, when he took his three sons to Winter Park. He last skied Mich in 2007 at age 81, at Boyne & Schuss Mts.  “What a guy”.

Nick & Noreen spend half the year at their home at “Lakes of the North”.  At 83, Nick (and Noreen 76) remain active, enjoying  golf and international travel.  They mostly enjoy “vegging” in Northern Mich. with their children & grandchildren.

Nick & Noreen Popiel
25852 Shirley Lane, Dearborn Heights, Mi.48127
(313) 278-1066
popielnick@yahoo.com


Greetings CMSC Clubs (This includes TBirds):

I’m resending our announcement from last week regarding the exclusive partnership between CMSC and Skiing Magazine. My purpose for resending this is to be sure that our members don’t miss this opportunity simply because an e-mail got misplaced or overlooked in the holiday confusion.

For a limited time all members of CMSC Clubs will be able to receive a one year subscription to Skiing for free. Current subscribers are not left out, as they’ll be able to extend their subscription for one year for free.

Designed and edited for those who live to ski, Skiing magazine serves up equal parts inspiration and information; it's the passionate, athletic skier's guidebook to the sport of skiing. Skiing readers want to know where to ski, how to ski, what to buy, and what trends they should embrace or ignore. And it’s all wrapped in a bigger, sleeker design matched with the world’s best ski photography.

To take advantage of this exclusive offer go to www.skiCMSC.com and click on the Skiing Magazine ad. Your members will need to indicate their ski and snowboard club affiliation prior to reaching the subscription page; a link detailing privacy issues is available for those concerned. A credit card is not required. Skiing Magazine will identify current subscribers from the address and extend those subscriptions. This offer is limited to one offer per household.

There is a CMSC code that must be entered to get to the subscription page, and the code is magoffer.

We did have some initial reports of problems with the page that requires the CMSC code to be entered, however changes have been made that should remedy that problem.

Please pass along this information to your members through e-mail and/or your club newsletter, and please be advised that this exclusive offer is for a limited time.

Keith L. Fanta
President, Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council
5537 Laurel
LaGrange Highlands, IL 60525-7011
Voice: 708-246-4303
E-Mail: keith@thefantas.com

PS Don’t forget to pass along the CMSC code that is required:

magoffer
All the Right Moves
By Steve Vollmer
The SnowSports School is a group of approximately 20 Instructors dedicated to teaching “All the Right Moves” for skiing and snowboarding.  The majority of our Instructors are PSIA (Skiing-Alpine, Nordic, etc), and/or ASSI (Snowboarding) certified. The School is currently conducting “Dry Land Clinics” on Monday evenings at the Vollmer home in Canton starting at 7:00 pm.  If the weather permits, we will conduct “On the Hill Clinics” on Sunday mornings starting at 10am on December 20 and 27.  Club members interested in becoming an Instructor are encouraged to join us. 

For the 2009-10 season, skiing and snowboarding lessons will be available by appointment at Mt. Brighton, or Alpine Valley starting in January, 2010 (weather permitting) for Club members, guests and children (8yrs min).  The costs will remain at $10/lesson/person.  For lessons, please contact: Steve Vollmer, H 734-416-9369, C 734-756-0350, or sdvollmer@gmail.com

 Sunday skiing events are also planed for January 17th at Mt. Brighton, and Feb 14th at Alpine Valley starting at 10am.

Now is the time to have your skis and snowboards tuned and waxed.  Repair the bases as necessary, and have them stone ground to assure flatness. Also have the edges sharpened and tuned to the proper angles for your skiing ability.  Your local ski shop has a chart of recommended angles for the bottom (base side) and sides of the metal ski edges.  Sharp edges are a MUST for skiing on ice.  
Race Team Gets Ready for the Season
by Mike Jablonski

Each year more than thirty TBirds participate in the Michigan Alpine Competition Council (MACC) downhill ski racing program. The program is open to both men and women of all ages (we have TBird racers from 16 to 75 years old) and levels of skier (with TBirds from Elite to D, and most classes in between), and includes slalom, giant slalom, and super giant slalom races. Racing takes place five weekends each season.  For 2010, there are four weekends at Boyne Mountain (January 9-10 and 23-24, February 20-21, and March 5-7) and one at the Searchmont Resort, north of Sault Ste.Marie, Ontario (February 5-7).  Each day of racing has individual awards for the top three racers in each of the classes, so if you can’t make every race, you can still go home with hardware.



Arlene Bellas Runs the Course


Will Heckman Clears a Gate

Of course, there is more to a race weekend than just racing.  The Race Team also gathers for the awards presentation on each Saturday afternoon to pick up their award(s) and to cheer for their fellow TBird racers.  This is followed with a party or dinner on the Saturday evening of each race weekend.  The season finale is the famous, three day, on-the-hill barbeque for the last race weekend of the season in early March at Boyne Mountain.

To make racing more fun and more convenient, the MACC program has the use of a dedicated race hill (Superbowl) at Boyne Mountain, which has its own parking lot at the foot of the hill and a warming hut (the Othmar Chalet) at the side of the slopes.  The Othmar is a great place to warm up, change clothes, eat your lunch, use the rest rooms, view the race results, or just hang out with your fellow racers.

The Race Team also has ride sharing so you don’t have to drive up north by yourself, and has a condo and house available to make the lodging more convenient and economical.  In addition, everyone that races becomes a better and more confident skier.  You may not become Bode Miller or Lindsey Vonn, but you’ll sure feel like it going through the race course.

You’re probably thinking, this sounds like a lot of fun, but how did the Race Team do on the race course.  The 2009 season was quite successful, with 32 TBird racers going through the courses at least one time, making us the largest racing club in the MACC program (out of twelve clubs).  This participation is the true measure of success for the program, but the club is also quite successful in the winning part of the equation.

After a full season of racing, the TBird Race Team finished third (out of twelve teams) in the overall combined standings.  In the giant slalom standings, we were in third, while we were fourth in the slalom standings.

The individuals that made the season long World Cup podium (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) are as follows:
1st        Janie Guiliani (E2W), Will Heckman (AM), Tim Loula (BM), Dick Synowiec (SVDM)
2nd       
Mike LeVan (VE1M), Scott Soucie (BM), Doug Fellman (SVCM)
3rd        Dale Pacynski (VBM), Gail Kovaleski (CW), Ron Glowzinski (SVCM),

Of the 32 TBird racers, 26 made the podium at least once during the regular season, 23 made it at least twice, 19 made it at least three times, 15 made it at least four times, and 10 made it at least five times.  The top racer who made the podium six times include Gail Kovaleski..  Making it seven times are Janie Guiliani and Tim Loula.  Making it eight times was Dick Synowiec.  The king of the hill, Will Heckman, made it to the podium in nine of the eleven races.

If this sounds like something that you’d like to try or if you have any questions, contact any member of the TBird Race Team or Mike Jablonski, Race Team Director on 734-283-5510 or at mtjablonski@wowway.com.  Additional information can be found on the TBird website (www.tbirdskiclub.com/Racing) or the MACC website (www.maccracing.org).