Hoodoo Hopper Ava Lund entered the two-day competition on Saturday, March 26.  The snow was fresh (for the end of March skiing), the sky was crystal blue and the sun was shockingly bright.  Her first run placed her third – although the skiers placing one and two were tied for first and Ava was a mere fraction off their score.
    The judging is quite comprehensive.  Basically the judges individually score the skiers on their acrobatics: air, form and landing as well as level of difficulty.  They also look for how the athlete goes from the top of the hill to the bottom (choosing a fall line which is the shortest from start to finish) and not going out of bounds.  The skier must maintain a proper form that shows athleticism, control, balance and continuity of motion.   Finally, the judges tally their scores to see where each athlete places. Those who make the first day’s cut go onto day two to compete – there are a number of skiers (depending on how many are in each race) who are eliminated for falling, lowest scores…)
     Day two was more challenging.  It was raining and quite windy which made the mountain much icier.  The 100 plus competitors, in age categories from under twelve to under eighteen, felt the difference in conditions.  Some athletes fell, lost skis and were disqualified for a myriad of reasons.
    Ava represented the Hoodoo Hoppers well.  In fact, coaches from many different teams approached her and said they had never seen her ski better.  One Calgary coach said he felt she really deserved second place.  The judges scored Ava as fourth – the first five are placed on podium in this sport – and, again, she was a fraction off the first three.

Grade 5 students at Greentree School and members of Drumheller’s Emergency Services are getting ready to dodge, duck, dip, dive and …dodge.

Come Thursday, April 28, the Grade 5s will be taking on the RCMP, members of Fire Department, EMS, and commercial vehicle enforcement in a no holds barred dodgeball match. It is a lot of fun and also a great fundraiser. 

“Every year the kids go on an end of year class trip,” explains Constable Eric Doucette. “We do it as fundraiser.”

This year the Grade 5 class is going to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and the Grade 6 class is going to Telus Spark. 

The game is between 1:15 and 3:15 p.m., and students wishing to come watch can make a donation. Doucette adds the members of the 911 Dodgeball team that participate, typically also donate to offset the costs of the trip. Parents and well-wishers are welcome to come and support the cause.