1st Annual Birchleggings Club Golf Classic Highlights

The 1st Annual Birchleggings golf classic was held at Creeks Bend Golf Course in New Prague, MN on July 18, 2024. In addition to supporting the Birkie experience, participants enjoyed a great day of golf on a bluebird morning with temperatures in the high 70s. There were 67 golfers on the course, plus 10 additional persons who did not golf but donated directly to the event. So in effect, we had 77 paid participants. The goal for next year is 100 + golfers! Mark your calendars for next year’s golf scramble scheduled for the third week in July on Thursday, July 17, 2025.

 

Ben Popp, Executive Director of the American Birkebeiner Foundation, joined forces with the two new Birchlegger board members Kim Rudd and Kitty Earl-Torniainen for a fantastic foursome golf squad. Team members discovered that Ben’s second career may be in professional golfing! "It was great to spend the day with a group of amazing, passionate people supporting the lifestyle we all love! Getting people out, enjoying new friendships while raising money for the Birchleggings Club was awesome - the start of a new summer tradition", said Ben after the event.

Around $6,000 was raised by the golf event which will be used to keep improving the Birkie trail system, grooming equipment, bridges, outhouses, skating pond, and the development of Telemark Village.

 

 

Many event participants went home with raffle and silent auction prizes donated by over 35 vendors. Team and individual prizes were awarded to the following golf participants:

 

      The Golf Tournament Championship Team was awarded to the foursome team of Paul Thompson, Ted Johnson, Dan Riukin, and Jim Tenorio.

      

      The 150-yard target course winner was Paul Tate. John Kapsner and Sam Mohs shared the win for the closest to the pin contest. The longest golf putt was awarded to Steve Hughes and the accuracy drive closest to the line was John Canny.

 

The Birchlegger board would like to thank all the volunteers, Birkie Foundation staff especially Louise Droessler, and vendor sponsors for making the 2024 Bircheggings Club Golf Classic a huge success.

 

All the photographs from the event can be seen on the Birchleggings Club Facebook Page. You do not have to be a member of Facebook to view the photos!

 

Special thanks Bob Britz and Jim Haubrich for the overall coordination of the event, Louise Droessler for assisting us with RunSignUp, Gina Fadden for the photographs, and to Kim Rudd for the wrap-up of the event!

Birchleggings Club Summer Solstice Stroll Wrap-Up

 

 

On a soggy solstice morning, the clouds parted just long enough for a few of us to kick off the Birchleggings Club Year Round Activities with the Summer Solstice Stroll on June 20, 2024. The activity was coordinated by Birchleggings Club Board Member, Gus Virkus.

Gus reported that their group hiked for several miles on the trails at Theodore Park in Minneapolis. There are a variety of paths to choose from, ranging from asphalt to multi use single track. It is interesting and nicely shaded. Of course, the obligatory snacks and beverages followed the hike.

Please consider joining us on our next event, July 18, 2024, for the Birchleggings Club Golf Classic. After the golf, there are other activities that you can find on the Birchleggings Club Year Round Activities Page! Sign up today!

Birchleggings Club Year Round Activities!

 

Come join the Birchleggings Club for several Year Round Activities this summer and fall. Keep in touch with your skiing friends while enjoying, Hiking, Golf, Birkie Green Race Bib Recycling, Disc Golf, Bicycling, and Corn Hole. See all the details on our Year Round Activities webpage!

Sign up now and don't miss these special ways of spending time with friends and keeping in shape for the American Birkebeiner Ski Races in 2025!

Jessie Diggins Autographed Bib To Be Auctioned During Birkie Week

At the American Birkebeiner in 2024, the Birchleggings Club (BLC) will offer at silent auction one of the commemorative 50^th Anniversary Birkie bibs autographed by Jessie Diggins. A limited number of bibs were produced and autographed by Jessie for the milestone 50^th Birkie.

Jessie Diggins has autographed specially-prepared Birkie Bibs to help raise funds in support of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF). The BLC is fortunate to have obtained one of the bibs. Our thanks go to Ben Popp, Executive Director of the ABSF for providing the BLC with a bib. Proceeds from our auction will go to BLC projects that will benefit the American Birkebeiner and the Birkie Trail.

 

 

 

 

 

Silent Auction Schedule

 

Birchleggings Club Booth at the Birkie Expo

Thursday, February 22 & Friday, February 23, 2024

Hayward High School, Hayward, WI

 

and at the

 

Birchleggings Club Annual Breakfast

Sunday, February 25, 2024, 8:30 am

Steakhouse & Lodge, Hayward, WI

 
Jessie Diggins, X-C Ski Legend

 

Jessie Diggins is the USA’s most-decorated world-class cross-country skier of all time. She is the first US Nordic racer ever to win an Olympic gold medal, obtained in the team sprint with Kikkan Randall, at PyeongChang in 2018. She won individual silver and bronze medals at Beijing in 2022. Her FIS Nordic World Ski Championship record includes four medals from 2013 to 2017. Jessie was the first American to take the top spot in the women’s overall standings of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup for the 2020-21 season. She has been making multiple podium appearances during this 2023-24 World Cup season. She took top honors in the 2008 and 2009 Kortelopet skate races. The Kortelopet wins and coming from her home in Afton, Minnesota make her accomplishments even more heartwarming for Birkie enthusiasts.

 

Jessie was instrumental in helping the BLC raise the funds to purchase for the Birkie trail an all-electric Taiga “Nomad” snowmobile in 2023. She autographed and donated four of her World Cup race bibs and several Birkie and Korte bibs to the BLC for the 2023 auction.

 

In Jessie’s own words:

“As an athlete, following a gas-powered vehicle filming the lead pack is harmful to both my lungs and to the planet. I highly encourage EV snow machines to be used at race venues whenever possible to reduce the breathing issues for the athletes and to cut down emissions.”

2024 Birchleggings Club Breakfast and Awards Meeting

 

The 2024 Birchleggings Club Breakfast and Awards Meeting will be starting at 8:30 am on Sunday, February 25, 2024. It will again be held at the Hayward Steakhouse and Lodge.

New 20, 30, 40, and 50 year Birkie and Korte skiers will be recognized and presented with their Birchleggers awards. New 20 year Birchlegger and Kortelopet skiers will receive a free breakfast, compliments of the Birchleggings Club!

We are asking skiers and guests to please register for the breakfast in advance! We will still accept walk-ins on the morning of the breakfast. Price of the breakfast is $16.

 

The address, telephone number, GPS Coordinates, and website of The Steakhouse & Lodge are:

Steakhouse and Lodge

15860 T Bone Lane

Hayward, WI 54843

715-934-4411

GPS:46.002568, -91.486723

Website: https://www.steakhouseandlodge.com

 

Birchleggings Board Members Get Enjoy My Deals and Membership Renewal Letters out!

 

The Birchleggings Club Board Members that live in the Twin Cities area came together on January 15, 2024, to send out Enjoy My Deals and Membership Renewal Letters through a mass mailing. Many other board members, including Dave Balsiger, Treasurer and Jim Tenorio, Secretary, assisted with this process. Special thanks to Mindy Ahler, the Regional Coordinator for the Citizens Climate Lobby, for organizing the activity and taking the photograph!

Birchleggings Club Members and Renewing Members, be on the lookout for the mailing! If you do not receive a letter, you can always join or renew your membership by going to the Birchleggings Membership Page. Additionally, learn more about the Birchleggings Enjoy My Deals discount card.

From left to right are Steve Carmazon, Membership Chair; Edward Eroe, Webmaster & Social Media Coordinator; Jim Haubrich, Board Member; Bob Britz, Vice President & Fund Raising Chair; Paul Thompson, President & Birkie Green Chair; and Gus Virkus, Board Member.

Time to Renew Your 2024 Birchleggings Club Membership and Sign up for the 2024 Awards Breakfast!

 

It is time to renew your 2024 Birchleggings Club Membership and register for the Awards Breakfast on Sunday, February 25, 2024!

Membership information can be found on our Membership Page or at this link: https://www.birchleggings.com/p/membership.html

There is a new easy way to renew and pay now too!

 For information and registration information about the 2024 Birchleggings Club Awards Breakfast, go to Awards Breakfast webpage or to this link:

https://www.birchleggings.com/p/birchleggings-club-awards-breakfast.html

There is also now a new easy way to register and pay!

New Birchleggings Club Fire Pit at the Mosquito Brook Warming Hut

 

A big thanks to Birchleggings Club Board Member, Gus Virkus, who donated a Fire Pit at the Mosquito Brook Warming Hut!

Gus set the wheels in motion when he first became a Birchlegger, and it has taken two years to come to fruition. The new Fire Pit will stay at Mosquito Brook, and it can be used by anyone. Hopefully it will provide some comfort to volunteers during the variety of area races that come by the warming hut.

Thanks, Gus!

Birchleggings Club Annual Meeting - September 22, 2023

The Birchleggings Club Annual Meeting was held on September 22, 2023, at the Samuel C. Johnson Family Outdoor Center at the Highway OO Trailhead on the Birkie Trail.

 

In attendance at the 2023 Birchleggings meeting at the OO trail lodge were the honorable BLC founder John Kotar (and 2^nd BLC member after Dave Landgren) and American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) CEO/Director Ben Popp. During the meeting, we learned that Ben has skied 19 Birkebeiners. However, due to his responsibilities as the CEO for the ABSF over the past decade, he has not been able to slip away from his job to complete his 20^th race. The 2024 -50^th Birkebeiner offers a unique opportunity for Ben to ski his 20^th Birkie in the “Open Track” race on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, in the company of Ernie St. Germaine. A goal might be for individuals to sponsor Ben & Ernie for $1 per kilometer each, such that $100 would be raised for the two of them for completing the race. Our goal would be to raise > $10,000 for these two legendary skiers coming down Main Street to wild, raucous cheers on Wednesday, February 21, 2024!

 

ABSF & BLC LIAISON: Louise Droessler (Birkie Enterprises Retail Manager) will serve as the liaison between the ABSF and the BLC. She will enhance and strengthen the essential relationship between the BLC and ABSF.   At present, the BLC lacks visibility and does not have a prominent link on the ABSF Birkie website. This is something that hopefully can be reviewed and addressed in the near future. We continue to lobby for a non-voting seat on the ABSF board. The BLC Bylaws are currently under revision and review.

 

BLC MEMBERSHIP: There are 314 (~16%) of the eligible 2,000 twenty-year Birkie skiers who are currently paid members of the Birchleggings Club. Increasing the percentage of BLC members can significantly enhance financial stability and provide creative new input to the organization.  Ways to generate new membership, particularly in the 40-50 year-old age group, were discussed.  A telephone survey/solicitation of ~100 BLC eligible skiers was completed with encouraging results. The opportunity to promote lifetime memberships can provide additional upfront funds for the organization. For reference, of the 11,010 skiers who have registered for the 2024 Birke Races (Birkie/Korte/PH/OT), 1,357 (12.3%) have joined the ABSF.

 

NEW BOARD MEMBERS: New board members were elected at the annual meeting.  These are David Rhude, Jim Haubrich and Gus Virkus. They will be introduced at the October BLC Board meeting. Brian Fitzgerald has volunteered to serve as an unofficial “liaison” to the ABSF for the Birchleggings Club. He lives in the Hayward area and can access and assist with such matters.

 

DEI & GENDER EQUITY:  We continue to honor DEI and hope to expand racial & gender diversity by supporting participation in “Silent Sports” and recruiting eligible 20-year skiers to join the Birchleggings Club.

 

 

New Birkie Homecoming Bell Installed by the Birchleggings Club!

A new bell, called the Homecoming Bell, was installed near the Mosquito Brook Warming Hut this month by the Birchleggings Club to alert skiers that there are 14 kilometers to go before the finish in Hayward. The bell was donated by Marva Saha and family, who used the bell to summon home their children. It was located near Lake Hayward, close to the finish of the race.

Below is a note from the Birchleggings Club Homecoming Bell Project Planner and Coordinator, James Tenorio.

A big “Thank You” goes out to our hard-working crew that installed the Homecoming Bell at Mosquito Brook on Monday! They included Bob Britz, Steve Carmazon, Rick Enz, Connie Meek, and Scott Smith.

We also had some spontaneous help from a passing pair of female Birkie Trail hikers at the crucial moment of lifting the 215-pound post and bell into its concrete forming tube.

Special thanks are heart fully given to the Birkie Trail Crew for boring the four-foot deep hole for us. It would have been a nearly-impossible task for this bunch of old Birchleggings Club veterans to dig it by hand ourselves!  

Honorable mention goes to the last Ice Age Glacier for depositing hundreds of various-sized rocks into the site of the post hole. Many of those rocks now decorate the base of the post.

We once again say, thank you to Marva Sahs and her family for bringing the idea and the bell to the club. Their generosity will ring on for generations!

 

JT

Project Planner and Coordinator