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12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. Janvary 17, 1984 SKI BUNNY ...or how The Pod conquered Mount Tiny Tot Just call me the Pod. me coming. Nancy I mean, Todd Brooker Greene is green with by Cathy Robb shudders when he sees : | | - " ee Ph ; JR a Se. "Eg \L / J This is me and this is where | spent most of my time -- on the ground. This is NOT a posed picture. | really did fall but to make it look good | pretended that | fell on purpose in order to get my picture taken. Really. up again, envy. Jean-Claude calls me his little snowbird. I am SUCH a pro. I wasn't always such a .great skier. In fact, up until last Friday after- noon I'd never skied before in my life. Unless you want to count water- skiing (where even the worst fall is cushioned by water, unless you're skiing on a sandbar, in which case you're crazy and deserve to make like an ostrich) or cross- country skiing. But we all know that cross- country skiers are simply frustrated down- hillers too fraidy-cat to hit the slopes--right? In my case, right. To put it mildly, I was terrified of alpine skiing. Even the word alpine sent visions of mountains, avalanches, falls, broken bones and more broken bones reel- ing through my skull (which, by the way, I prefer to keep in one piece). Various acquaintances have tried to persuade me to At least | wasn't the only one who fell a lot. This little guy made a spectacular wipe-out on the Tiny Tot hill, going at least 4 km. per hour. As he soon realized, the hardest part of falling is trying to get And they're off! Prior to their first lesson, the R.M. Cornish Ski Club lines up to separate the Steve Podborskis from the novice skiers. In the front row are the kids who have never skied before join them on jaunts to Collingwood and the like but I've always manag- ed to be busy with other things. Like washing my hair or feeding the dog. But a recent Friday, changed my life. Thanks to Dagmar Ski Resort and. the kids at R.H. Cornish Public School, I am now a ski buff. My first lesson on the Dagmar Tiny Tot hill (really nothing more threatening than a snow bank to anyone but a novice skier) taught me not to be afraid of the sport--an important first step, believe me. It all started because I thought it might be funny if a non-skier like me got together with the non-skiers of the Cor- nish Ski Club for a little friendly lesson. It just so happened that the club was starting a series of weekly lessons at Dag- mar, something that goes on every year, and teacher John Beirness was more than happy to have me along for the first time out. I guess he needed a good laugh. And I admit that I was the laughing- stock of my group. Not one of them really understood who I was or what I was doing hang- ing around with them- all they knew was that this geek who towered above them fell down alot. But now that I'm such a master of the Tiny Tot hill, I thought I'd pass along a lesson to other novice skiers, a little expert knowledge from The Pod: 1. Unless you're really rich, you'd be better off renting equipment for your first time on the Tiny Tot hill. Make sure your boots fits properly- "the better the fit, the less chance of breaking your ankle or leg or head. A good fit also means more control, even though it feels like you've got a cement block strapped to your foot. 2. Get a lesson from a trained instructor, not your boyfriend or your girlfriend or some goof that's going to send you up the Mogul Masher the first time out. Instructors know what they're doing and can teach you the basics like nobody else. Besides, they're almost always young, good-looking and single.. What more do you want? 3. Walking in~skis is not like cross-country skiing, no matter what anybody tells you. It may LOOK like a flat piece of grouna but the Tiny Tot hill was like Mount Everest to us novice skiers who were so busy trying to master the snow plow we hardly noticed { i ! on ig HEE 1 LR 4 ! { 4 2 3 R : i Sy N 4 2 '? ak. He. : There's no way to be graceful. All you can do as a beginner is slide forward and flail around a lot. Even advanced skiers flail around so it's okay. 4. After you master the flail, head halfway up the smallest bunny hill (at Dagmar it's call- ed the Tiny Tot). Do not go straight down. You will kill yourself. 5. Learn the snow plow. Bend forward at the knees and hold your poles like you're riding a bicycle. Move your feet until the tips of your skiis are pointed in- wards and the back out- ward like a 'V'. Do not cross the tips or you'll fall. Believe me, I talk from experience. Now, go down the hill in a snow plow position. If you want to go slower, spread your 'v' even wider--the wider the 'V' the slower you go. To stop, open your 'V' all the way or just head for the nearest tree. Which- ever appeals to you most. 6. Learn to turn in the snow plow position. As my instructor pointed out, all you have to do to turn right is to put all your weight on your left leg and push your heel out to the left. Reverse the process to turn left. Really, it's easier than it sounds. 7. 1 don't know any- more because that's al] we learned in our first lesson. I can hardly wait for number two. . Next week, a look at Dagmar Ski Resort with co-owner Christa Marton. Madd a a JT VV VV YOUN o o Quit time In the past ten years, women's death rates have doubled for lung cancer which previously attacked mostly men. Statistics indicate that smokers have a better chance of beating the smoking habit, when they quit with help. So, Health and Welfare Canada and the Cana- dian Cancer Society have developed "Time To Quit' a self-help smok- ing cessation program using free self-help guides. A three part television mini-series, to be broadcast in January, will help spur them on. And, for those who need it, information on follow- up and maintenance pro- grams will be available. Contact your local Cancer Society for more information. when we fell down. Above, a young Cornish student snow plows down the Tiny Tot under the watchful eye of her ski instructor. -- that's where | was, in the front row, feeling like the Jolly GREEN Giant in a miniature pea patch.