Lodi Cross Country Ski Club

About Us

HISTORY

The Lodi Area XC Ski Club was formed in November, 2005 with the mission of providing local cross-country skiing. The Lodi Golf Club and the City of Lodi have generously allowed the club to groom the golf course for skiing. We have a 2 kilometer easy trail and a 3.5 difficult trail with an additional 3k snowshoe trail with a spur trail leading off to the Lodi High School. All grooming is done by volunteers on a shoe-string budget so donations would be much appreciated.

The team is comprised of middle and high school students and practices 3 days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday and usually one weekend day from 3:30 to 5pm. There is also an adult training group in the development. Practices are held at the following sites:

Lodi Middle School
Lodi Golf Course
Tyrol Ski Basin when we have no snow
HWY 12 Bike Path

The ski club sponsors the High School and Middle School Ski Programs.

The Lodi Ski Club is supported by a Community Grant offered by the SaukPrairie Memorial Hospital Foundation to promote Wellness and Healthy lifestyle choices and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation. Madnor ski also gives us support for equipment.

Other sponsors include the Lodi Canning Company, Optimist Club, the Rotary Club, the Kuenzi family, Jake & Julie Jacobson, the Endres Farm, and 25 local patrons.

Thanks to the Community Pages for providing us free space for our webpage.

Volunteer

Options for community volunteers include:

Grooming the golf course
Driving skiers to races/events
Chaperones for overnight trips
Baking for events
Sponsoring our team
Coaching
Ski clinics
Donating equipment
Building wax benches

Costs
This year, registration for the season will cost $40 with a discounted cost of $20 for a second sibling on the team and a cost of $10 for a third sibling! This fee includes a team ski hat for first-timers. Race fees and ski trips are the skier's responsibility. Rental equipment will be available from the team and Madison Nordic for exceptionally low prices… $5 apiece for skis, boots, and poles up to $15-$25 for boots and racing skis from MNSC. Dale Fanney will help any skiiers buy equipment and locate sales/discounts when available. If members rent racing equipment from the Madison Ski Club, they will have to buy a membership for $10.
There will always be additional costs for races and travel. These tend to be minimal per event (EX: $5 for Tyrol and $5-$9 for races). Our two or three overnight trips to Upper Michigan and Minocqua will cost around $50-100. Some races will be subsidized this year. We have Team hats and Jerseys.
Coaching, trail grooming and some equipment are free.

Ski Wear
At times the coaches have been amazed by the clothes---or lack of--- that skiers wore to practice or races. There were lots of frozen hands! By the end of the season, many of the members learned what kind of clothing is needed for warmth, dryness and comfort while exercising. Try to buy good light ski gloves, under layers like BodyArmor,Craft, or Sugoi, and black or blue lycra tops and pants. Many skiers already have these items for cross country running. Atheltes also need water bottles and holders.

Liability
Every skier will need to have a waiver of liability statement signed by their parents. The club also need a generic race form and waiver signed. XC skiing is an incredibly safe sport with virtually no injuries. The Lodi Golf Club and the Lodi Schools assume NO responsibility or liability for use of their facilities. Coaches and skiers are covered by the Central XC Skiing Association at practices and races.
Students will be allowed to drive to practice, Tyrol Basin, and Elver Park for Tuesday races. Otherwise, parents will need to drive to races and overnight destinations.

Coaching
We have 3 coaches this year: Dale Fanney, Head Coach; Don Fariss, Assistant Coach with years of experience as a coach with Junior Olympics, Madison Juniors, and Rhinelander HS; and Peter Tonn who was last year's Middle School coach! All coaching time is voluntary for the love of the sport!

Affiliations
The Lodi Middle School/High School teams are officially sponsored by the Lodi Area XC Ski Club and represent the schools through the Wisconsin High School Nordic League. There are currently about 30 schools represented. This year the team hopes to compete again in the Southern Conference (Banana Belt) which includes Waukesha West, Oconomowoc, Madison West, Madison Memorial, and Lodi. The team does not receive any funding or transportation support from the schools at this time and hopes to receive some funding locally and support from the Optimists and Rotary clubs.