The Birchleggings Club Annual
Meeting and Fall Board Meeting was held on September 23, 2022, from
03:00-06:00pm at the Mosquito Brook Hut on the American Birkebeiner Trail. See link to YouTube Video below.
In attendance were six of the
nine board members, Andrew Wall the Development Director of the American
Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) and ABSF Board member Sue Scheer our grill
master for our picnic, and seven new Birchleggers and spouses.
Reports were made from our three
working groups: Membership, Fundraising and Birkie Green, along with our
Treasures report and plans for our activities at the Birkie Trail Run the next
day and the upcoming American Birkebeiner 49th Ski Race in February
2023.
Highlights from the meeting
include Birchleggings Club Vice President, Bob Britz explaining the benefits of
the “Birkie Bucks” Discount card that will be distributed to paid members and
others at the price of $20, a real steal for a card worth upwards of $500.
Steve Carmazon, our Membership
Chair and a 46-year Birkie finisher, encouraged all Birchleggers to consider
being an active member and visit our website using the handy QR code shown
here.
Birkie Green continues to be a core principle of the ABSF and the Birchleggings Club is supporting the efforts to drive sustainability in four areas:
1. Waste Reduction and the introduction of composting.
2. Electrifying tools and machinery.
3. Offsetting the Birkie’s carbon production using local offsets when possible.
4. Committing to sustainably sourced swag whenever possible.
The Birchleggings Club supports
these efforts with a unique project called Birkie Bib Bags (BBB). The
collection of used and unused Birkie Bibs to be sewn into re-usable shopping
bags. These bags will spread the Birkie Brand while serving a practical
purpose. Bags will be sold for $10 with proceeds going to the Birkie Green Fund
to help purchase an electric snowmobile for the American Birkebeiner filming of
the lead male and female skiers.
Also discussed were the upcoming
events including the Birkie Trail Run, our annual participation in the Birkie
Expo, and the Birchleggings Club post Birkie Breakfast the Sunday after Birkie
Number 49.
After the meeting, we enjoyed
a zero-waste picnic and some time to socialize with ourselves and the new
members who joined our gathering with an interest in getting involved. Andrew
Wall spoke to the group about the upcoming Telemark Village, the new roller ski
trails, a possible World Cup race in 2024 for the 50th Anniversary of
the American Birkebeiner Ski Race. See YouTube Video below.
The Birchleggings Club has
big plans for the future, and we need new members and younger members to keep
this rich “more than a purple bib” tradition alive and well.
Video of Annual Meeting: https://youtu.be/8aEHJairUl0
Video of Andrew Wall Talk: https://youtu.be/ID06JzoHQco
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