Carpathian Ski Club holds 52nd ski races in upstate New York
WINDHAM, N.Y. The Carpathian Ski Club held its 52nd ski races here at Ski Windham on Saturday, March 4, with racing in age groups ranging from boys age 4 and under to men 65 and over, and, on the female side, from girls age 5-6 to women over age 50.
The annual ski races organized by KLK (the Ukrainian-based acronym of the club's name) are a family event that attracts parents and their children. This year's largest groups were boys/men age 17-20, a group that drew 12 competitors; and boys age 7-8 with seven competitors.
Ninety-eight competitors signed up for the races the vast majority of them skiers, although there was a sprinkling of snowboarders among the participants, marking the fifth year that boarders competed in separate categories.
The races at Windham took place on a NASTAR-sanctioned course, especially reserved that morning for the Ukrainian skiers. (NASTAR is the acronym for the National Standard Race, the largest public recreational grassroots ski program in the world.)
That evening, athletes of all ages, their families and friends, as well as supporters of KLK attended the awards banquet held at the nearby Hunter Mountain Ski Lodge. KLK President Erko Palydowycz welcomed all to the dinner; masters of ceremonies were Vira Popel and Orest Fedash.
A special guest at the dinner was Karl Plattner, former world downhill champion from Austria, who resides in the town of Hunter. Mr. Plattner, it should be noted, was among six men nominated by the Austrian Ski Federation to be honored in recent ceremonies marking 100 years of Austrian ski racing. Mr. Plattner received a Swarovski crystal award from the president of Austria for his achievements.
Mr. Plattner, who is a longtime friend of the Carpathian Ski Club, recalled his 35 years working at Hunter Mountain. Today he is affiliated with Windham Mountain, carrying a business card that identifies him as "ski ambassador."
Also present at the KLK dinner was Roman Pyndus, who delivered greetings from the Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.S.A. and Canada (USCAK), an umbrella group for Ukrainian sports clubs, among them KLK.
Trophies were awarded for first place in each age group; while second- and third-place finishers received medals.
Special traveling trophies, which are passed on from year to year to each successive winner (no repeat winners are allowed), were presented for the fastest time posted among male and female competitors. This year's winners of the highly coveted trophies were Askold Sandursky, 33, who turned in a race time of 25.99, and Katia Kozak, 11, who came in with 30.03.
A record-breaking 70 percent of the KLK skiers also received gold, silver and bronze medals awarded by NASTAR based on the course time posted by pacesetters, as well as the gender and age of each racer.
The Carpathian Ski Club held its first races in the United States in 1954 at Whiteface, near Lake Placid, N.Y. KLK was founded in Ukraine in 1924 and then transported to Europe and the United States, where it grew and flourished. It was re-established in Ukraine in 1989.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, April 2, 2006, No. 14, Vol. LXXIV
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