Birchleggings Club Annual Meeting and Fall Board Meeting Wrap-Up

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 49^th 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 50^th 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