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Here are the stories of just a few WSC adventures. If you have written a story or have an idea for one, please Contact us.
A beloved member and faithful friend of the Wichita Ski Club, Steve Schroeder, passed away 1 May 2008. Steve was twice president of the club, from 1978 to 1979 and again from 1988 to 1989. Many may also know Steve as the owner of Kirby's Beer Store, the quirky little bar just south of the Wichita State University campus that gained national attention by being one of the 50 most interesting bars in the United States. Steve was survived by his mother and sister. No services were to be held.
Read the Wichita Eagle's story plus view and sign a special guest book for Steve.
webmaster
Steve Schroeder a two time Wichita Ski Club President and proud owner of Kirby's Beer Store the hippest place in town went to the Happy Hour in Heaven on May 1, 2008.
Steve was a great snow skier and an avid outdoors person. He rarely missed a lake event or canoe trip. Steve joined the Wichita Ski Club in the 70's and was President of the 1978/1979 and 1988/1989 seasons. In 1989 he led the ski club to win the WSC first ever overall 1st place at the Flatlands snow ski races. The club will be 50 years old in 2009 thanks to the vision of people like Steve.
Steve was also known for some of his famous parties he put together for ski club members and friends. It was at Steve's annual Beer and Wine tasting party in 1984 that I first really met him. God those were good times. I got locked in the upstairs bathroom for about 20 minutes at one of them. The inside door knob fell off and some one took it with them to show Steve. I've joked with Steve about that for over 20 years. In fact the day he died I spoke to him in an email about starting that awesome party tradition up again. He told me he now had so many friends to invite that his backyard wouldn't hold them all so he wasn't sure how he could pull it off.
Steve started his job career as a Physical Education teacher and then moved into the banking business for several years. He got to traveling and living out of Wichita so much that he decided it was time to find something that he loved to do and would keep him at home and near his friends. It was then that Steve purchased Kirby's Beer Store which was a place dear to his heart. Kirby's is rated in the top 50 Tavern's in the United States by the Men's Journal Magazine. Steve was heavy into the music scene and always ready to give a new group a chance to perform. I once asked Steve what kind of music the band of the evening would be performing. His answer was "Their Own". It was because of his way of thinking that the music scene is a better place today. Kirby's is not your average Tavern. It is smaller than most living rooms. The décor hasn't changed in 36 years other than adding a new poster over the top of an old one on the wall or ceiling. But Steve's attitude made Kirby's an icon in the history of Wichita and the hearts of its patrons. Thank you Steve for the memories, on the ski slopes, at Kirby's and as a friend.
Mark Greer
Photos at flickr
Tag of
crosstimbers08
It was our great fortune that the warm and sunny springtime weather coincided with calm winds for our hike. We arrived as quite a bit of the prairie along the way was burning and filled the sky with smoke, also a sign of spring in eastern Kansas. First our group of around a dozen hikers enjoyed the Cross Timbers trail past the ancient post oak trees. The trails were well marked and included information signs dating many of the trees at several hundred years old. Then we hiked the longer Chautauqua Hills trail which followed the eastern arm of Toronto Lake. Afterward most of our group gathered at the Blue Goose in El Dorado to replenish their fluids. Thanks to John Hough, Lisa Walls and Fox Thornton for their reconnaissance hike earlier this month. I think they found an interesting new place for the Wichita Ski Club to hike.
webmaster
If you did not make the hike on the trails around Toronto Lake on April 19, you missed a wonderful day! Everyone had been tired of this cold and windy winter and was looking for a spring day. Well, Mother Nature provided a mid-70's day with sunshine and no wind. We could not have asked for more, except more hikers. Many people spoke about hiking, but time to head for the trails; there were only a hearty lucky thirteen of us!
After carpooling to Toronto, our group seemed to naturally split into the group of lady fitness 'power walkers' and a group of more nonchalant 'woodland strollers'. We first hiked the Ancient Oaks Trail, which was an interpretive trail of about 1 1/4 miles that displayed some of the oldest Post Oaks and Blackjack Oaks left in the Plains.
It seemed that a search for a restroom was the next priority. After the 'nature calls', the 'Power Walkers' made it to the next trail first and headed out on the Chautauqua Hills Trail. Unlike the limestone outcroppings of the Elk City Lake trails, Toronto is in the Chautauqua Hills, a narrow region which only extends about fifty miles north of Oklahoma and is mainly reddish sandstone. Dave Dodson, Ilene Penna, Mike Lietz, Deb Taylor, Mark Greer, and the other 'Stroller', finally hit the trail. We walked and examined nature bursting through this early spring. We walked in woods, grasslands, and crossed streams running with water. Modern cell phones allowed the 'Strollers' to keep in touch with the 'Power Walkers' who were trying to make the whole trail length that day. After about a 4-5 mile walk, the day started to shorten, so after crossing the mighty Toronto Creek, the 'Strollers' started back to the trailhead when Ilene Penna tripped on a rock sticking up in the trail and took a hard fall to the forest floor. To our surprise out came the first aid kits from Mark and Debbie, to cover Ilene's scratches. It's always good to have a Boy and Girl Scout on a hike. Thanks! Jane Moriarty, Carol French, Veronica Casados, Lisa Walls, Charlotte Farrar, and Linnea Baker, the 'Power Walkers', caught up with us right at the trail end. Some of the group headed back to Wichita, while the rest headed to El Dorado to quench our thirst with some well deserved beverage. By the time I got home, the day was gone and I was bushed. A winter of sitting around had not prepared me for the work my legs got, but the best day of the spring made it all worth while. If you missed out, shame on you!
J.R. 'The Wood Man'
You're invited to join the Wichita Ski Club Friday, 30 May 2008 through 1 June 2008 (the weekend following Memorial Day) for some great water time on the premier national river at our backdoor. Well it about 6 hours away if you drive slow but a trip to the Buffalo National River is well worth it. What follows is the itinerary.
Friday, 30 May - Drive down and setup camp at Kyle's Landing (Alternate Steel Creek).
Saturday, 31 May
Sunday, 1 June - Break camp and drive back.
Activity Tickets are $40.00 per person which includes:
Local motels or cabins for those who don't want to camp alternate lodging can be booked independently in the area.
Our trip captains are Paul Warren, work 316.517.5726 or home 316.744.7946 and Lori Snodell, 316.393.5674. You can also Contact us for information.
For Saturday's potluck dinner please let me know what dish or item you will be bringing. Some of those are hotdog buns, hamburger buns, ketchup, mustard, pickles, pickle relish, chopped & sliced onions, other food dish or dessert dish. We are also looking for some volunteers to bring grills and help cook, bring firewood, and shuttle driver/vehicle.
Some last trip notes:
See you there.
During this April's general meeting we held the election of several board positions. The results were a new president of Michelle Grillot. Paul Warren has become our Trips coordinator, which was Michelle's old position. The new members of the board are Lisa Hartnett in the Memberships position and Dave Barker in the Race coordinator position. Photos will be added to the Officers section once the webmaster remembers to bring a camera to the meetings.
Also voted and approved were some changes to the club bylaws, which will be posted online here soon. Last but not least was the announcing of this year's Ambassador Award to Steve Ashmore. Last year's recipient Ilene Penna has promise to bring the actual copper boot to the next meeting. We'll be looking forward to seeing the good ol' boot again.
A few of the concerts of the summer have been announced. There are still many dates to be filled but here is what we know.
KEYN Summer Concert Series on Friday at 8:00 pm (Free). Location: Farm and Art Market Plaza. Seating starts by 6:30 pm
River Festival Concerts
Bradley Fair Summer Concerts on Thursday at 7:30 pm (Free), Location: Bradley Fair Shopping Center. Seating starts by 6:00 pm.
Stay tuned as we will update this list when the information becomes available.
Photos at flickr
Tag of
flatland08
Once again we went to battle the elements, that is going to Steamboat to compete in the FSA races. The bus left on time equipped with all the needed supplies to sustain all of us for the upcoming events. Plenty of refreshments and cookies, ample amounts, thank you Virginia. Virginia always brings cookies to the bus, whether she goes on the trip or not.
In Salina we picked up a group of skiers in from the Topeka Ski Club. Nice people , thanks to them for going with us and helping each to keep the costs down. We had tons of snow, the champagne kind of stuff. We had a lot of categories with no racers from Wichita which hurt our overall point total, but when we had racers in a category we did well.
I would like to thanks all the people who made this possible, a special thank you to to Michelle, Steve A. and Paul.
Skihog
Read Skihog's full article in February Flatlander eNewsletter. The results of Flatland 2008 will be available online soon.
What follows are several emails from our member John Kimball on duty in Afghanistan. We wish him and all his fellow service men and women our best.
All,
Thought you might enjoy seeing this. I was really photographing the Blackhawk flying as our wingman, not the flightline.
John
(Editor: Photo is included with the others at Flickr tag of "onduty", link above.)
Hello to all,
I want to thank the Wichita Ski Club for generous donations I recently received from Jane Moriarty. The three packages were waiting for me when I recently returned from a trip to north Afghanistan. I have already sent some of the items down-range to the smaller FOB's and will take some down myself within a week or so. All personnel were very grateful and thankful for the donations. Thanks to everyone for the support.
Three of the attached photos were taken on a recent convoy to eastern Afghanistan very near the Pakistan border. We traveled about 430 miles over four days. One shows how some of our folks are living at the very small forward operating locations. The other one was from an earlier convoy in that same area.
If all goes well, I should be back in Wichita sometime during the first half of April and I will enjoy seeing everyone again.
Take care and thanks again.
John
Hi all,
I do not think we will be allowed to do extreme skiing here. However, I did get to climb the Ghar Mountain near Kabul. The climb gained 1600 feet of elevation from a starting elevation of around 6,000 feet. It took about an hour to make the climb and 30 minutes for the decent. We finished with breakfast at the French dining facility in the French camp located nearby.
I have attached a few photos of the climb.
John
Wichita Ski Club,
As you can tell, I am ready for the Elk City Lake hike. This is a FOB that I just visited and is about a three-hour humvee convoy ride from my permanent location. I convoyed down on Monday, but came back today on a Blackhawk helicopter. I am carrying about 75-80 pounds of gear, so I don't plan on hiking far.
Two hours after I arrived Monday evening, we had three rockets fired at the FOB, but no one was injured and no damage was noted.
The FOB has no lights at night for obvious reasons, so one has a great view of the sky. It sits at 8,000 plus feet and I had a great view of the Milky Way Monday night. Very beautiful.
From one of the firing position within the FOB, you can see three old castle-like structures sitting on the mountain top. They are said to have been built by Alexander the Great. I have some nice pictures of them and an aerial shot of the FOB that I will show you later.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the Fall WSC activities.
John
First, our longtime member Seth Roland submitted a few of his photos of the past, a houseboat trip in 1987. Now another longtime member, Lou Myers, has sent us some of his golden oldie photos from the 1960's. If you recognize yourself or any other members having a good time in one or more of these, please leave your comments at our Flickr photos.
The latest topic is:
An Invitation to Visit the Arapahoe Inn in Keystone, Colorado
315 Topics
374 Posts
51 Registered Members
Updated:
Mon, 05 May 2008 17:13:10 GMT
Each year we present this trophy of the Copper Boot to the person (or persons) whom the board feels has gone above and beyond in helping promote the fun and camaraderie that the Wichita Ski Club is all about. You could be next!
Here are our past recipients:
wichitaskiclub.com
