WHY RACE? TO IMPROVE YOUR SKIING

My sons started skiing when they were two and three years old. Within two years they were deaf to advice from mom and dad. They still are. And, they're not interested in ski lessons unless we're paying big money at a big mountain.

     So, we hid "lessons" by signing them up for the Big Creek Ski Area Race Team. To improve their speed, they have to improve their stance and carving turns. Racing forces them to be better skiers. When the coach works with them each week, they don't think of it as a lesson. It's race practice.
     Score one for mom.
    Jodi Tusik, former marketing director at Alpine Valley, agrees. "I saw my skiing improve because of racing," says the Chardon mother of two. "I thought it would help my daughters. Rachel doesn't want to make turns she just wants to bomb the hill. With racing she has to make turns around the gates."
     This team, like others, participates in the CMSC race program. Launched in 2000 by Laine and Peter Keefe, the CMSC Junior Race program offers a chance to compete with others from the region. The big racing events make my sons feel official and competitive about their skills. Score one for CMSC.
     Avid racers the Keefe's simply started the race program so their sons, Jeff and Will could race with them. Today, their program operates six races each year, three locally and three out of state. "We do the local races to get parents and kids who don't want to travel far from home," says Peter.
     To race, children of CMSC club members show up at the day's race site, buy a lift ticket, pay a minimal fee and ski. The Big Creek Ski Area race is typically in late January or early February. For more information, check out www.skicleveland.com . - By Paris Wolfe Ferrante, Big Creek Ski Area