News

I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical about the outing to Bodies...The Exhibition! However, what I want to say now is WOW! Those of you that did not go really missed a awesome outing.

Not only was the weather perfect, but the museum was more that I expected.  The exhibits were tastefully displayed. I was amazed at the precision of the dissections, some so thin you could see through them.  This was not a biology class, it was more a "OMGoodness there is a God."  The thoughts that ran through my head were, “Only God could make a body so precise and perfectly planned to function as the human body."

I don’t want to offend anyone, not trying to be politically correct here, just sharing with you my thoughts on the museum.  

Those of us that went want to thank Bobbi Witt for the idea, those of you that missed it, I am sorry that you did not have the privilege of seeing where the “sex drive” is located in our bodies!

If you want more detailed directions, I am sure Don Tomlin, Tom DuBose or Chris Witt will be glad to share where it is located. 

Go with us next time!!             

Barb Wise

Starting with the June membership meeting, the price of a meal will increase from $10 to $12. This new price reflects some modifications to improve our menu and also some cost increases generally by all caterers and restaurants. Chef Tim of The Chef and his Wife will be there at the start of the next meeting to ensure our order is complete and ready to eat. If you have suggestions or questions, you can speak to him or to Mike Hood or any board member. Mike will send out the menu before the meeting with information about reservations as always.

Elections were held at the last Board meeting in April. The following were re-elected for another term:

Ashley Ownby - President
Hilda Jones - Secretary
Tom DuBose - Treasurer

Mike Hood was newly elected as Vice President and a new position of Parliamentarian was created. John Neblett was elected to this position and proceeded to remind us of a requirement of the bylaws about five minutes after he was elected, thereby demonstrating the need for this position. Thanks John! Don Tomlin was also voted as trip leader for the Virginia Creeper trip. Thanks to Mike for his service, for Don for assisting Barb with the special events, as well as thanks to the continuing officers.  It takes a lot of work for all us members to have this much fun, and we are grateful for everyone's service.

 Another fine Chattanooga Ski Club Board has been working for weeks on the next year’s trips.  Our trips continue to evolve to the members’ needs and desires.  We do a lot more than ski. Change is necessary for groups like ours.  We continue to try new events and trips.

Several traditions have remained at the core of the club values.  We volunteer and support charities and community causes with money and manpower.  These activities are both enjoyable and uplifting.

We welcome new members to the club both skiers and non-skiers.  We have a large number of members who join for other reasons than snow sports.  Several Board members are in this group.  Age and injury are moving some of us into this group sooner than we would wish.

We take care of one another on trips and at home. 

I joined the Chattanooga Ski Club for the low cost trips.  I found that benefit and a friendly caring group of people.  Dan Paul and Harry Brundage were the first two to take the new kid under their wings. They made me feel welcome and included on the trip both skiing and off slope both.  They were both gentlemen of the highest order.  The Hilbrandts, Plemons, and Peaks also went out of their way to be inclusive to everyone. 

The people who make up the ski club make the ski club great.  The club will continue to grow and prosper as long as we remember to include everyone.  Thank all the leaders and members for all they have done.  I am proud to be member of the Chattanooga Ski Club.

Sometimes you get lucky with a ski trip, as we did on this year's Park City trip. A significant snowfall AFTER we get there, some blue sky days later in the week, no travel delays or cancellations, a fun barbecue dinner with the group, and no injuries or mishaps. Something for all thirty-five participants. In addition to the fine skiing, there were optional events, such as a horseback riding excursion in the snow with Rocky Mountain Outfitters, a Pure Prairie League concert at the historic Egyptian Theater, dinner at the Deer Valley seafood buffet, and Main Street shopping.

We arrived Saturday afternoon, got settled in, and had a pizza party at the condos, hosted by our tour company. Snow started falling Sunday night and continued all through Monday. Despite the reduced visibility, there was some terrific powder skiing with "free refills" -- ski one place, come back later, and the snow has filled in your tracks.

It was hard to find other club members in the huge, combined ski area of Park City and the Canyons. We had better luck on Wednesday when several people went to Deer Valley and we saw the familiar yellow leg bands on a group skiing by. On Thursday, some of the club officers took a complimentary tour of Sundance ski resort and a nearby lodge. They came back raving about how beautiful that area is. Friday night we had the traditional leftover night, hosted in our condo. We had more than enough food, thanks to getting leftovers from the barbecue party. And yes, you can get thirty people, having dinner and drinks, in a two bedroom condo.

One advantage of Park City is the proximity of all the shops and restaurants to the resort and to our condos. Park City has an excellent free bus and trolley service for those who prefer to ride rather than walk.

Although the flight home was long, it also was on time and free of incident. Our bus driver was waiting for us in Atlanta and got us back to the church and our cars with only a minor Atlanta traffic jam (it wouldn't be Atlanta without a traffic jam, would it?). Thanks to everyone who made this a great trip.

Tom DuBose

Trip Leader

(Credit for this entire report is given to Susan DuBose, Ghost Writers, Ltd.)

Crescent Spring Conference - April 28 through May 1, 2017

Mini-Golf Tournament – deadline for signup is April 12, 2017.  All registrations must be received in advance no later than April 12^th!!  Please send your registration form and check payable to Crescent Ski Council to Terri Tokaz at the address listed on the form.  Important – everyone must pre-register!!

Tennis Tournament – first-come basis.  Space is limited to the first 16 players.  Only those pre-registered can play in the tennis tournament.  Please complete the registration form and check for $18 to Cameron Andrews at the address on the form.  Deadline for signup is April 7, 2017.

Golf Tournament – deadline for signup is April 7, 2017.  Cost is $55, which includes greens fees, golf cart & cart attendant tip & lunch buffet.  Space is limited to the first 40 golfers.  Please complete and send your registration form and check to Dave Salisch at the address on the sign-up form.

Reminder: we also have a table decorating contest – one table per club.  The Saturday Night Party Theme as we advised previously is “Out of Africa” or “African Safari.”  Think Safari, Tarzan, Jungle, Serengeti, Drums, Tribal Dancers, Medicine Men, and we can’t leave out Indiana Jones!!  Rules as follows:

1. Any Club that wants to make a centerpiece can do one table per Club.
2. Please notify Faith Campbell at mpcampbsoup@outlok.com by April 1^st if you plan to enter the table decorating contest – Faith will need to determine the quantity of decorations for the remaining tables.  Prior years examples of tables are posted on Crescent’s website.

The deadline for website judging is past (March 13^th).  The video judging form is posted on Crescent’s website.  Deadline for the video entries is April 3^rd.

Contact Bobbi Witt, Crescent Coordinator, at moonsfrost@hotmail.com for more information or forms for these events.

 

Lack of snow was not the issue -- too much snow, wind, and rain turned our ski trip into a tourist trip.  South Lake Tahoe was as beautiful as we had heard it was.  On Sunday, we had great snow and great views of the lake from above.  Sadly, after we quit skiing for the day, Mother Nature came in with a vengeance and stayed all week.

We had five new members go with us: Alica Posey, Phyllis Scoggins, Carol Jackson, Emmie Avery, and Jane Frierson.  It was good to get to know these people. As far as the skiing was concerned,  there was not too much excitement, except Hilda going into a tree. No injuries though!

I would like to thank Larry Plemons for the VIP Super Bowl party, but don’t tell Ken Pilgrim the Falcons lost. We also had an expert slot machine teacher -- Carol Jackson.  I guess if you’re going to be stuck somewhere, it’s good to be surrounded by casinos.

I promise you, I will never mention El Nino again regarding a ski trip!

Mike Hood

HELLO EVERYONE,

Well, the ski season is almost over, and by the time anyone reads this column, some members, myself and Pat included, will be looking for junk cars, rebel flags, and Wet Willie CDs in all the nooks and crannies that Norway, Sweden, and Denmark care to offer.

This has been a great season for the ski club so far, and I want to thank all the members for supporting the trips and making everything happen this past ski season.

ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS……….

At the next club meeting in April, we will be having club officer elections for the upcoming year. Please try and attend and cast a ballot for the new officers. We will have other members appointed to board positions that will set our policy for the upcoming year.  Please let me know if you may be interested in serving on the ski club board. Other than Christmas, this is one meeting that you as a member should try to attend.

Remember, …  “if you do not vote, you can still cuss like a sailor!”

TRIPS FOR NEXT YEAR

Please, look at the new web site and notice we have already begun booking the ski trips for next year. Things are changing with how we book trips, and we have to book sooner rather than later to insure we get the lowest air fare possible. The trips are as following:

• Steamboat Springs, Colo.         December 2017 through Crescent Ski Club
• Snowmass Colo.                       January 2018 - Bob Trammel, TL
• Big Ski, Montana                      February 2018 - Roy Brunner, TL 
• Japan                                         March 2018 - Pat Ownby, TL     

We should have all the details of the Japan trip at the next meeting which will be a new type of adventure for the club. Japanese mountains get a very large amount of snow yearly, and this is something we are very excited about.

“A MOMENT FROM A SKI CLUB PAST…..”

This will probably be a little boring, but I wanted to tell everyone about a personal experience that has been on my mind nonstop recently. When you use “I” and “me” throughout something, it gets a little flat and really no one wants to hear personal stuff. But, if you think this post is a real snorer, read last month’s President’s Column again, or imagine in an unreasonable way about how great next month’s President’s Column will hopefully will be.

Alright, here we go……

In 1997, Pat and I were looking for a new sensation. We had been skiing with friends, I blew my knee out, and we were wanting to get started back skiing,  but doing it differently than when we started in the early 90’s. We definitely wanted to go someplace other than Winter Park, Colorado where we had been too many times. We were on the hunt for something new.

If my memory is correct, we attended an event at the Chattanooga Convention Center in October of that year which showcased winter events in the area with various retailers, hotels, and lodges having booths and giving out information.  It was a Saturday, and Pat and I decided make an afternoon of it. To our surprise, a booth was set up for the Chattanooga Ski Club. We had no idea there was such a thing as a ski club in the city.

The person working the ski club booth was Dan Paul. He did not know it, and we did not know it, but meeting him that afternoon and, to a certain degree in many years to come, he changed both of our lives and opened up a path to gaining many new friends  and having experiences from all over the world.

Now, getting back to Dan Paul, he introduced himself and I can safely say he had the most southern of southern accents I had ever heard.  He looked to me to be a skier about as much as Donald Trump was a manager of a South Georgia trailer park.  He did not have dashing looks or blond hair put back in a pony-tail that would remind you of a hard core snow skier. No, he was plain old Dan, kind of bald, and he did not appear to have any trouble being nice to us through all the  stupid questions we asked him.

At that time, Dan was in his mid 60’s, retired from TVA as an engineer, unassuming, and he was very quick to start a conversation. He gave us information for a trip he was leading with the club to Sun Valley, Idaho early in the year.  At that time, we were looking to go to Banff, and going somewhere else out west with the Atlanta Ski Club.  We talked, got the info, and told Dan we would get in touch.

Funny thing happened. We did not get back in touch with Dan. He got in touch with us.  The next week Dan started calling the house encouraging us once again to go on his trip.

Always so nice, and not pushy, he kept telling us he really, really wanted us to go skiing with the club.  He then began sending us post cards telling us about the trip to Idaho with a kind note, still encouraging us, and hopeful we would go skiing with him and the club.

Later on, still about once a week, he would leave a message saying how we really needed to go on his trip and just go ahead and make the commitment now.  He was not trolling us or harassing us in the least. One time, I remember feeling kind of sorry for him because I thought he kept contacting us because he was probably hurting to get people to go on his trip. People in Chattanooga do not ski!!!!!!!

Dan Paul was never married, had no children, and had been a member and leader with the ski club for years. He and Harry Brundage, another older member, would always room together, would take time on trips and teach newcomers with the club on the first day how to ski. He had limited family, and I understand he spent much of his time involved with ski club folk and ski club activities.

Well, the long and the short of the story was, we did go to Idaho with the club and had a ball.  Dan had more than enough people going on the trip because it was full of Chattanooga Ski Club bums.  John Rollins, Charlie Peak and Willis Jones were on the trip and we got to meet them and they are still friends with us today.  

Now, as for me and Pat, the rest is history with the club.

With Dan, he only took maybe one other ski trip. I guess everyone in the club knew, except us, that he had dealt with severe heart disease for some time. In the early 2000’s, he had serious heart surgery that was somewhat successful, but unfortunately he passed away shortly afterwards from a stroke. 

His brother came from New Jersey to care for him at the hospital prior to his death. While Dan’s brother went to the cafeteria to get a bite, he passed away quietly while members of the ski club were visiting him in his hospital room.

It was right and proper that ski club members were with him at his passing.

I have never understood why Dan continued to contact us time and time again to go on the Idaho trip. I am sure he did not know twenty years later it would be such a large part of our lives. I never had a long conversation with Dan, and only saw him two or three other times from a distance after the Sun Valley trip.  I think about him almost every time I go on a ski club trip or I am at a ski club function. He did not have to go as far as he did getting Pat and me to join the club but he did.

Looking back, maybe Dan understood and knew years ago, the day-to-day grind of living can be relatively easy, but sometimes enjoying life and grabbing its pleasures can be so difficult or almost impossible to do at times.

Maybe Dan thought if he got just one new person to go on a trip with the club, they just might enjoy the ski club. And if they enjoyed the ski club, maybe they might even take a leadership position and write stupid babblings for everyone to read monthly.   And, if that ever happened, then it just might be worth the telephone calls, post cards, hassles, and sitting at a lonely booth on a fall afternoon while living to a certain degree on borrowed time. “Yeah,” I bet he said, “get someone else to enjoy the club just as much as I do; that’s not too much of a stretch (you have got to be kidding me!!!!!).”

I would bet ten dollars, we were the only people Dan met that afternoon at the Convention Center who would later join the club, and definitely the only ones that went on his trip. Pat and I made a smart decision way back then, and we did not have the slightest idea what we were doing.

God bless you Dan Paul for giving me and Pat a great time in Idaho, and also letting both of us in on the special magic that goes on with the ski club and the friends we have enjoyed for almost twenty years.  You can do good works and live a decent life, but to help people have a more complete, a more full, and a more fun existence requires a “Go Straight to Heaven” card for the high rent condo side of the pearly gates.

You are missed Dan Paul, and not forgotten.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”  Shannon L. Alder

See you at the next meeting!

At the January Board meeting, a tentative slate of candidates was offered for the upcoming year.  They are as follows:

• Ashley Ownby - President
• Mike Hood - Vice President
• Tom DuBose - Treasurer
• Hilda Jones - Secretary

Jim Bates was named as Nominating Committee Chair for elections scheduled for the April membership meeting. If you are interested in running for one of these offices, please contact Jim Bates at: (706) 965-6331 or jimbates18@gmail.com. Election of officers will be held on April 4, 2017 at the Enclave.

The Premier Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station

Saturday May 13, 2017

For those of you that would like to see this Excellent Exhibit we will be meeting at 9:30am (meeting place TBA), carpool to Atlanta, have lunch, tour the museum and go home early.  The cost is very reasonable.  Adult at the door $24, online $22, Senior at the door $22, online $20. 

If we have enough interest I will contact the Center for the  “Group” Price.  At this time we have 14 that showed interest at the February meeting.  From what I can determine from the website a “Group” is 20 or more. 

Thanks to Bobbi Witt for suggesting this event.

If you would like to join us please contact:

Barb Wise

Special Trip Coordinator

barbwire@flash.net

423-902-6095