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Let's get ready for another fun season of SKI RACING! Here are FIVE tasks or reminders to help you prepare for another season of skiing!
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Review SRT's Safe Skiing Code with Your Racers (Click Here)
Is your family passionate about skiing? Do your kids love hitting the slopes? Through ski racing, children not only develop advanced skiing skills but also enjoy the thrill of fun and friendly competition.
Here’s a quick introduction to the Sundown Race Team and WIJARA.
- First off, if you're interested in joining SRT, all are welcome, send an email to srteamcoordinator@gmail.com.
- SRT is a non-profit Club, a parent's run club, providing kids an opportunity to learn advanced skiing skills through participation in Alpine Ski Racing.
- As one of the largest teams in the league (Wijara.org), we count on parent involvement and support! We rely on parents volunteering.
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Our coaches start with racers who can navigate down any of the hills at Sundown mountain. The team's objective is to teach kids advanced skiing skills thru repetition, strategy, and skills development. SRT host practices three times weekly; Tuesday and Thursday evening, and Saturday Mornings.
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SRT is one of 9 teams competing in Wijara, Wisconsin Illinios / Iowa Alpine Junior Racing Association, boasting teams from Wisconsin, Illinios, Iowa, all the way South to Hidden Valley, in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Wijara League consists of eight other teams: Chestnut Mountain, Tyrol Basin, Cascade Mountain, Snowstar, Hidden Valley, Blackhawk, Four Lakes, and Wilmot.
- Each season Wijara schedules four weekend events: two in January and two in February. Weekend races typically have between 400+ racers, run on two separate courses and trails. The races are held at Sundown, Chestnut, Cascade, (occasionally Devil's Head), and Tyrol Basin.
- SRT sends coaches to every Wijara race. Our coaching staff ensures that the team is well organized and supported throughout each race day. Coaching staff are on hand to provide support, guidance, and strategy thru out each race day, helping racers and parents with course inspection, communicate start times, calming competition nerves at the start, monitoring finish area, and assist with questions or timing issues.
- For minors, a parent or guardian must attend the race, supporting their children with lift tickets, food, free skiing in between race runs, coordinating schedules, transportation, and (optional) lodging needs.
- Wijara Competitions: On Saturday, teams compete in one day of Giant Slalom (GS), and one day of Slalom (SL) on Sundays, (a.k.a Sunday Slalom!). The weekend events are fun outdoor competition opportunities for kids and parents alike, providing all with the opportunity to get outside during the winter season. The weekend races are a chance to enjoy winter, make new friends, watch the kids compete, and join in a fun carnival like atmosphere.
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Additional Resources (Create a User Account to Continue):
Review SRT's Safe Skiing Code with Your Racers (Click Here)
I. Team Dues for 2025 Increases by +$40 per AthleteThis season the team has increased the team registration fees by $40. This increase provides our racers with an additional opportunity to race, as now all SRT racers may enter the Iowa Games without paying the race entry fee. As in prior years, the team continues to offer a generous opportunity for families with more than one racer. Please note, SRT's registration fees continue to remain in the lower 1/3, when compared to other WIJARA teams. All funds received by the team go directly back into supporting the athletes needs. No doubt ski racing is an expensive sport. Please feel free to discuss financial dilemmas with the team's board of directors. Any questions or comments may be directed to the team's board of directors. 2024/2025 Team Registration Base Fees*
*This season's fees include the entry fees to the Iowa Games Races on February 1st, 2025, (a $40 value). |
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II. Coaching ChangesSRT Board is excited to announce Coach Dan Sherr, will be taking over the Head Coach responsibilities.Coach Dan will be focusing on the U14 & Up program. He will be supported by our staff of qualified and experienced coaches. Dan is a former SRT ski team member. He brings with him an abundance of ski racing knowledge and experience teaching and coaching ski racers and other sports. (Dan's daughter Vera has consistently been one of our top junior ski racers on the team winning several WIJARA races and consistently finishing in the top 5. This year she will be moving up to the U14 & Up Team).
After five successful seasons as Head Coach, Coach Mya will now focus on leading the development of the U12 and Under program in the upcoming season(s). “I hope to keep coaching as long as the team will have me—or until my legs give out, whichever comes first! Then I’m buying a boat!” she jokes. Mya is thrilled that Dan will be taking over as the new Head Coach. “Dan's a fantastic coach and person! ...I'm thrilled with the change. I will be here to support him. I strongly believe that both the U14 & Up and U12 & Under teams within SRT deserve a dedicated head coach figure, someone to focus on the unique needs and development within each age group,” says Coach Mya. We have seen fantastic results coming out of our U12 & Under program. The goal is to concentrate on developing the youngest racers, within the SRT program, by building a strong foundation in skiing fundamentals, which is key to their future success. “This is essential for creating fast ski racers,” says Schaefer. “The sooner you can interdict the bad habits and introduce good ones—like learning to carve their skis, maintaining a balanced stance, and understanding race tactics—the stronger their foundation will be. This will prepare them for the challenges ahead as they grow-up within the program. With a solid grasp of the fundamentals, they have a much better chance at truly developing their skiing skills as they grow.” III. Junior Coaching Spots Open for 2024/2025SRT is once again looking for a few of our Senior Athletes to become Junior Coaches. Senior SRT Athletes, (U18 & Up may apply to become a Junior Coach). Junior coaches receive the following benefits... |
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IV. Before Registering PLEASE ReadTen minutes of reading instructions will save you and the team tracker hours of extra work! The SRT Registration Packet has been updated for 2025 team registration. 1. Know What You're Signing!
2. About the Registration Packet's Forms, Liability Waivers, and Checkout OptionsDue to our country's Liability Laws, SRT requires that parents and guardians to be well informed of the risks involved in skiing and ski racing. And, to remind parents that you play a vital role in teaching safe skiing practices, enforcing safe skiing habits, and educating your skiers on risk awareness within your family.
The registration packet contains an extensive set of liability waivers, which modify your legal rights, these waivers must be signed before your children may participate in the SRT's ski racing program. Contained in a registration packet you will find the following forms & pages:
-- 3. Racer InformationFor returning racers, you will need to enter F & L Name, Date of Birth, and Bib Number from the Previous Year. For new racers, enter zero "0" for the Bib Number and please contact the team's tracker. You should also send an email to the team's tracker at, srteamcoordinator@gmail.com, to let them know you've registered. The tracker will provide you with a bib number. 4. Parent VolunteeringReminder: As you fill out the registration packet, you will need to pick out your Volunteer Positions while Registering, please have your calendars handy. Beyond supporting the races, the SRT program can use your help working to deploy an extensive safety system comprised of crash nets (B-Nets). Each B-Net weighs approximately 30 to 40 pounds. The nets are approximately 2 meters tall by 20 meters long. Each section contains 9 to 12 eight foot long plastic poles. The team owns approximately 20 to 25 rolls of netting, enough to line our most high risk spaces. Deploying B-Net is a labor intensive effort. Early in the season SRT frequently has to remove the B-Nets so Sundown Mountain can make snow. Deploying and removing B-Nets for each practice incredibly labor intensive, but it's well worth the effort. When properly deployed, B-Nets help mitigate the risks associated with a racer loosing control, crashing, sliding, or otherwise headed towards trees or ski area equipment. Below you will find detailed instructions depending on whether you're a returning racer or new to the SRT Program.
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Review SRT's Safe Skiing Code with Your Racers (Click Here)
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Instructions for Returning RacersAre you returning for another year of racing? Follow the instructions below. The following instructions have been streamlined to support your needs and expedite registration.
Click Here to Open a New Registration PacketIMPORTANT: Each season we have a number of prior year racers with the wrong bib number.
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Checklist for First Time Families & RacersFirst Things First -- Welcome to SRT! When registering for the Sundown Ski Team, note that the team/club is separate from Sundown Mountain. We are a group of parents that operate a ski club/ski team for the collective benefit of local children who love to ski. Our mission is to teach advanced skiing skills, mountain knowledge & experience, and most important safe skiing habits. We are open to any and all families and kids interested in learning advanced skiing skills thru participation in a ski racing program. We keep ski racing competition open, fun, and affordable so as many kids as possible may participate. What we do not provide, is the development tempo, intensity, exposure, or duration to produce World Cup or Olympic Level Alpine Ski Racers. We only compete as a team in WIJARA* races and the Iowa Games (part of Iowa Winter Olympics). To successfully join the team and fully participate in SRT you will need to check the following boxes:
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to go ahead and register for SRT.. Or to learn more go ahead and create a new account and login. We have lots of resources for new parents, including FAQ and introduction documentation. If you have any questions about SRT, Registering, or WIJARA please feel free to contact Coach Mya at 802-289-4163. (Note, please send me a text message before calling). *Wijara is not part of US Skiing & Snowboard (USSS, formerly known as USSA)/ |
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Instructions for New Families -- Step-by-Step GuidanceStep1: Send email to Team Tracker: srteamcoordinator@gmail.com
After you hear back from the team tracker, with your child's bib number you may continue to register with SRT and WIJARA.. Step 2: Next, if you haven't already, create a SRT Online user name and password for this site, New User ID & Password *Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder for automated emails from SRT Online. Step 3: Next, read the directions below to be prepared to fill-out the Racer(s) Registration Packet.
Click Here to Open a New Registration PacketStep 4: After joining SRT and receiving a bib number from the SRT Tracker you will be able to register with the race league, Wijara. https://www.wijara.org Once You've Registered -- Congratulations -- You did it!!! |
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Review SRT's Safe Skiing Code with Your Racers (Click Here)
About SRT Coaching Staff
At Wijara races SRT Athletes have the benefit of experienced coaches located at the top of the race hill and in the finish area. Before racing starts SRT team members inspect the course with a coach or team captin. Coaches are on hand thru out the race day to help with the pre-race jitters, talk race strategy, and make sure issues are mitigated.
About SRT Online
Site Contents:
- Practice times and updates
- Race schedule and information
- Team events and updates
- Volunteer Management & Opportunities
- Ski racing tutorials and FAQs
- Media library for race results, videos, and team photos
Apply for an Account
Anybody who was or is part of the Midwest ski community is welcome to apply for an account.
New User ID & Password *
If you already have an account, but forgot your password click here. *
*Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder for automated emails from SRT Online.