SKI TO SEA: Contestants come from all over

MEL MONKELIS

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 19th in a series of weekly stories leading up to the May 25 Ski to Sea race that will give a behind-the scenes look into the largest annual community sporting event in Whatcom County. Each story will be written by a member of the Ski to Sea Race Committee. This week’s is written by Ski to Sea Coordinator Mel Monkelis.

Every year, thousands of individuals come to Whatcom County to partake in Ski to Sea.

Some of these racers are here for the first time, while others have been participating in the race for more than 20 years.

The following self descriptions of some of the teams will give you a flavor for some of the characters that the Ski to Sea Race attracts:

POLAR COWBOYS

“Our team is comprised of employees from NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle. Most of us have experience capturing, wrestling and tagging live seals, sea lions or fur seals in Alaska or Antarctica... thus the name, Polar Cowboys.”

COMPLETE OCTET

“Five of us are traveling from Bozeman, Mont., where we go to school and/or ... just graduated. We will meet two friends in Bellingham where they go to college at Western Washington University. We are all avid fans of the out doors and are excited to compete in our first Ski to Sea race ever. Our love of the outdoors may possibly only be outdone by our love for chemistry (which all of us have studied in college), hence the name of our team. Complete Octet is in reference not only to our complete Ski to Sea team of eight people, but also to the full set of eight valence electrons required for most atoms to be “happy” or complete.”

WASHINGTON STATE PATROL IRON BEARS

“The Washington State Patrol Iron Bears have taken first place in the corporate division the last two years and placed second in the division in 2005. The Iron Bears are all employed with the Washington State Patrol working in Field Operations as Troopers and Sergeants.”

WHERE’S MY TEAM?

“Our team first raced in 2002. My friend lives in Bellingham and got a couple of her old elementary school buddies interested in the race. We added friends from college and work, and we recruit new friends each time. “Where’s My Team” members specialize in attempting legs they have never participated in before. Our goal is to finish without being disqualified and have a good time doing it!”

BTC LOOSE SCREWS

Who says teachers can’t “do?” Most of the team is made up of Bellingham Technical College faculty: Hilde Hettegger- Korsmo (downhill skier) is a Culinary Arts/Pastry instructor; Paul Wallace (runner) is an Auto/Diesel Repair instructor; David Knapp (road biker) is with the Worker Retraining program; Liz and Steve Cunningham (canoe team) are married and both teach at BTC — she’s in the Math Department and he’s in Welding; and Mike Massey (kayaker) is a Computer Networking instructor. Western Washington University Accounting professor, Steve Smith is on the mountain bike, and the race will be kicked off by Whatcom County Health Department Nutritionist Jackie Stear on the crosscountry ski leg. Team motto: “It takes hundreds of nuts to hold a machine together, but only one loose screw to scatter it all over the floor.”

THE SWEATY MUSKRATS

The Sweaty Muskrats come from far and wide, and share many things in common. They all make their homes in the Pacific Northwest where ferryboats abound and the beer flows like wine. They indulge in many types of athletic endeavors and excel at everything they attempt. Ski to Sea is no exception. You can tell by the sweat on their brow that they mean business and have their eyes on the prize. Beware! The Sweaty Muskrats are a force to be reckoned with! — The Muskrat Monthly”

For previous Ski to Sea stories, please visit TheBellinghamHerald.com/skitosea.

SKI TO SEA TRAVELERS

Here is a breakdown of what state or country the Ski to Sea racers come from, according to their online entry forms. Not all racers have completed their entry forms as of press time so expect more states to be represented by the May 25 race. The team that is traveling the furthest to be in the race is Team Tateyama, from Japan, which will travel approximately 5,272 miles. 2,017 — Washington State 57 — Oregon 49 — British Columbia (Canada) 25 — California 17 — Colorado, Montana 9 — Alaska 6 — Minnesota 5 — Maryland, Albertan (Canada) 3 — Idaho, Illinois, Utah, Washington, D.C. 2 — South Carolina 1— Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Tateyama (Japan)

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Tuesday, May. 06, 2008

SKI TO SEA: Contestants come from all over

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