Snow or no snow, 2024 Ski for Light is a go
By Eileen Persike
MMC STAFF
RHINELANDER – More than 200 cross-country skiers will descend upon Rhinelander the end of the month for the 2024 Ski for Light (SFL) International Week.
It’s the 49th such event that brings together visually- or mobility-impaired participants, sighted guides and volunteers from across the United States and several countries to cross country ski, to better their skills, compete and have fun.
The event will take place Sunday, Jan. 28 through Saturday, Feb. 4 and will be headquartered at the Quality Inn in Rhinelander. Skiing, provided there is adequate snow, will take place at the Northwoods Nordic Trails adjacent to the Northwood Golf Course.
Local SFL volunteer guide and board member Michael Evelo said it’s a special week for the skiers.
“For many of them, this is the only time all year they get on snow,” Evelo said. “And it gives them a sense of freedom. It’s the only time where they can move at any speed without being attached to a cane or somebody’s elbow.”
“Monday through Friday, we’ll be teaching and advancing the skills of the skiers and then on Saturday is the race rally,” Evelo added. “By the end of the week, they get to see how they do against each other.”
Ski for Light is an all-volunteer non-profit organization founded in 1975. Its mission is to “enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross-country skiing.”
Having snow-covered ski trails is ideal, but Evelo emphasized the event will take place even if Mother Nature does not cooperate. He has been volunteering with SFL since 2015 and began advocating for a Rhinelander-based event the following year.
In 2015, he was selected to speak at the awards banquet. He was curious who else from the Rhinelander area was there.
“I was quite embarrassed,” Evelo recalled. “The closest guide was over 100 miles away from Rhinelander. And I made a pledge to the group that I was going to change that. And that was a lot of my motivation to bring this event to Rhinelander.”
Evelo said he was pleased to see that there will be about 40 skiers and guides and volunteers from Wisconsin at the event in Rhinelander, with 27 of them attending SFL for the first time.
Volunteers needed
An event of this undertaking requires a number of volunteers – something Evelo still seeks.
More than two dozen community volunteers are needed to help with an activity night at the Hodag Dome on Thursday, Feb. 1. Basketball and wheelchair basketball, blind soccer, bocce ball, giant jenga and axe and lawn dart throwing are just a few of the activities to be offered.
“That’s going to be one of the highlights of the week,” Evelo said. “There are activities they can’t participate in outside of this type of setting.”
Sign up to volunteer at www.tinyurl.com/3cax6xwc or email Evelo at [email protected].
The community is encouraged to attend the race rally on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the ski trails to cheer on the skiers. The opening ceremony begins at 10 a.m.
For more information, visit www.sfl.org.