The Blow Me Down Elementary School League (After School Ski Program) tournament (Race on the Rocks) for 2016 was held on March 8th and 9th.  The relay races were held on Tuesday with several teams from each grade level participating.  Partial teams from schools were combined to form complete teams as much as possible representing more than one school.  Each lap on the course was .5km long.  As in previous years the stadium was setup with a start area, start lanes, an exchange area and two finish lanes.

Individual races were held on Wednesday, March 9.  These races were timed electronically with skiers starting in 30 second intervals.  Each skier skied one kilometre lapping the course once.

First, second and third place winners in the relay and individual races received gold, silver and bronze medallions.  These were all crafted from local birch wood and painted in the gold, silver and bronze colours.  These locally produced medallions are always a high light. Also the school receiving the most points overall was awarded the annual trophy.  These points were accumulated from individual participation in the program, participation in the tournament and individual placings in the races.

The tournament was organized and conducted in a very professional way with lots of cooperation from experienced people including active and retired teachers, Blow Me Down staff and other volunteers.  The stadium area was setup as for any professional race, the course was well marked and properly groomed.  Starters, timers, spotters, race officials and our announcers all worked cooperatively to make the tournament a success.

The annual banquet was held immediately after completion of the individual races on Wednesday. The banquet meal consisted of pizza, fries and juice. The children were supported by their parents, grandparents, teachers and other volunteers. Approximately 65 children participated in the races and tournament.

 Report by John Moores