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s o iris economist suntribune sports tuesday jan 252000 15 making tracks along the snowcovered trails snowshoeing a great way to stay fit and enjoy the outdoors by bruce stapley correspondent nobody was more disappoint ed than cindy elder with the lack of snow that marked the early stages of the current winter elder a toplevel canadian triathlete who won the eastern canadian hawaii ironman age group qualifier in 1996 is a recent convert to snowshoeing she took up the traditional win ter outdoor activity last season as a crosstraining vehicle to keep her in peak form during the winter months she experienced imme diate competitive success placing first in the mont sthilaire in quebec last january and picking up a second and a third at the algonquin outfitters snowshoe assembly in algonquin park ive been a triathlete and an endurance runner for several years and snowshoe running has been a natural progression says elder who is in her mid30s the stouffville resident is deter mined to share her enthusiasm for snowshoeing with anyone else looking for a way to stay fit and enjoy the outdoors in winter if you can walk and theres snow you can snowshoe she says with traditional ash and rawhide snowshoes having been replaced by lighter ergonomically designed and maintenancefree models made out of aluminum and plastic composites the sport has started to take off in north america the good thing about snow shoeing is you can do it anywhere in your backyard in parks region al forests resort trails or golf cours es and families can do it together elders quickly acquired exper tise has led vermonts renowned tubbs snowshoe company to sign her on as the first canadian team tubbs ambassador she joins a select group of top amateur and professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts which had previously been limited to 10 americans along with her husband jeff who joined the tubbs team recently elder competes in snowshoe run ning races on behalf of the compa ny assists with promotional events 1 rvrttt r triathlete competitor cindy elder feels snowshoeing is a great cross training vehicle to use during the winter months even if you arent a triathlete elder suggests the growing sport is a great way to stay in top physical condition and to enjoy the outdoors during the winter such as snowshoe festivals races and tests new product lines she was responsible for marketing and organizing a wellattended snow- shoe festival at uxbridges skyloft ski and country club last winter and is looking into organizing an event through a special sports events company she started up with her husband in 1997 elder is the first to admit that adjustments have to be made when shifting from running to snowshoeing even todays lightweight snow- shoes weigh considerably more than running shoes while running on unpacked snow adds to the exertion required to keep up a fast pace the first time jeff and i went out to snowshoe we only got 100 metres in snowy conditions before we had to stop we were so sur prised she says snowshoeing on packed trails is easier but its still more difficult than running its not the same stride she suggests a fivekilometre run is roughly equivalent to a two- km snowshoe outing elder points to a recent study undertaken by the university of vermont as evidence of the bene fits of snowshoeing for walkers runners and cyclists the study concluded that snowshoeing at three miles per hour on a flat snow packed trail expends 510 calories per hour compared to 335 calories for walk ing at the same speed 570 calories for running at 52 miles per hour or 600 calories for cross country running at 35 mph snowshoeing is lowimpact so theres no pounding on the joints elder suggests the emergence of snowshoeing in recent years is in keeping with an overall tenden cy towards outdoor activities and environmental appreciation more and more people are get ting outdoors the 1980s environ mental craze helped get people off the couch she said the advent of more sophisticated snowshoes has also contributed to that interest snowshoeing is keeping com pany with the more hitech sports its evolved some ski resorts are now offer ing specific trails for snowshoers and rentals are available from retailers she said elder recommends people who want to get serious about snow shoeing should set their sights north of barrie to avoid the disap pointment that can come from the lack of snow that marked the early part of this winter tips for the beginner when choosing snowshoes consider snow conditions and ter rain to be walked larger shoes are required for backpacking and hik ing especially in ungroomed and offtrail conditions smaller less hardy shoes are good for recre ational snowshoeing or walking snowshoers stressing aerobics should choose specifically designed lightweight aluminum or titanium snowshoes for run ning these shoes have an asym metric design that allows the ath lete to train without altering their natural gait too much alpinenordic or telescopic hiking poles add stability and bal ance and also provide an upper body workout wear waterproof and insulat ed hiking or winter boots running snowshoes require waterproof trail running shoes or regular running shoes with warm synthetic or wool not cotton socks wear gaiters to protect the ankles and lower legs from the snow layer appropriately wear a base layer of synthetic lightweight long underwear at least one mid- layer a fleece or wool sweater and a windproof jacket wear insu lated windproof mitts a hat and neck scarf or neck warmer bring along sunglasses sun block water and energy bar for long walks bruce stapley juniors hoop it up put another log on the fire thats the message coming from the camp of the stouffville district secondary school junior boys basket ball team as the spartans have caught fire with the onset of winter after a loss in their york region athletic association season opener the spartans reeled off six straight wins a feat that hasnt been accom plished by a junior sdss hoops squad in over a decade their fifth triumph saw the spartans make amends for their- 20- point opening day loss against milliken mills as they outdistanced the knights 5753 in a rematch jan 1 1 in the sdss gym the win hoisted the spartans into a firstplace tie with the knights the credit for the win fletcher said had to be shared among all the players as it was in their previous four victories we have a disciplined offence and a strong team defence says fletcher the key to the spartans sharp learning curve lies in the hours they spend on the court practising early in the season after being pounded by markville ss at a weekend tourna ment fletcher had his charges on the floor monday morning for a long practice prior to that days yraa league match between the two teams we regrouped we worked on a new defence and we beat them by seven points recalled fletcher following their breakthrough vie- tory over milliken mills the spartans returned to the court two nights later from 7 to 915 pm and returned thursday at 730 arh the extra work paid off when they walked off with a 4442 road win over unionville high school on jan 17 theyre dedicated to practising notes fletcher the teams offence is co-quarter- backed by ben bellissimo and shane timms handling the yeomen work on the boards are derek konga and curtis cromwell while jon ferguson and jacob anderson are the kings of the three pointers cassidy franks can be counted on for some timely scoring also making major contributions off the bench are tyler mcmaster kevin mcgrath tim lowrie andrew haines and nathan boyd dkadllnlv keaturks monday prior to publication dates january 27th wheels is an informative section featuring the latest in the automotive industry including road tests feature articles dealer profiles maintenance after market products used and new cars trucks wheels its sure to reach your customers distributed to over 49000 households for more information or to book your ad markhams automotive buyers guide call your sales representative now economist sun znwtis stouffville tribune posoo f wm aaga