Students Enjoy ‘Fun and Slippery Challenge’ of Island Skiing
By Karen Gould

School’s cross-county ski club members Octavia McClintock, 8, (left) and Keely Johnson, 7, take advanage of new snow.

Experiencing their first winter on Mackinac Island, the school’s two second grade students, Octavia McClintock and Keely Johnson, skied to school Tuesday, January 10.

“It was fun and slippery, and it was a challenge,” said Octavia, who is the daughter of Andrea McClintock, the school’s special education teacher.

Keely agreed. “It was really fun,” she said. “It took a long time and I enjoyed it.”

Her dad, Jeffrey Ferguson, the high school science teacher, followed the girls on their early morning adventure.

The two girls are among 23 members of the school’s cross-country ski club, who meet once a week during the last hour of school to hone their skiing skills under the direction of Kris Clark, a registered nurse at the Mackinac Island Medical Center with more than 40 years of skiing experience.

“I have so much fun skiing with them,” Mrs. Clark said of the students in the ski club. “It is a good way for me to be involved in something I love so much.

“My goal is to get them excited about skiing.”

The program is offered to students from grades two through five. Mrs. Clark divides the students into two groups and is assisted by a parent or teacher volunteer. Students with at least three years skiing experience go on long treks with Mrs. Clark.

“They are pretty proficient,” she said. “It’s really been satisfying to watch those kids. They’ve gotten really good on their skis. I don’t want to get them too tired, but I want to get them to push their limits,” she explained.

The younger skiers work on getting up and down hills and practice basic skiing skills. Mrs. Clark said she rotates working with each group from week to week.

The snacks she brings to replace some of the calories the students burn while skiing have become a big hit, too, she said, and a voluntary Saturday ski outing has also been successful.

“Generally, our Island kids are fit, they are pretty tough,” said Mrs. Clark. “They’re pretty physically fit because of their biking lifestyle.”

All of the ski equipment the students use is donated. Initially, Mrs. Clark said, the Mackinac Island Community Foundation provided a grant to purchase items. Now, funding comes from Mackinac Island Recreational Development, which continues to purchase more equipment and replace skis, boots, and poles. Use of the equipment is free to the students, as is the ski program.

Some students now have gotten their own equipment, which is good, Mrs. Clark said.

“It means they are not skiing because they have to, but because they want to.”