Skiers vs. Snowboarders — Rumble at the Statehouse Edition

I know what you're thinking: skiers vs. snowboarders? Um, isn't that a totally dated battle? To that I would answer, yes. Totally. For those of us who regularly ski or ride, there's not a whole lot of thought that goes into determining which snow sport is better or more sick or fucking rad.

Maybe it used to be the case, you know, when snowboarders were a rowdy, saggy-pants posse of rule-busting young guns and skiers were old fuddy-duddies rocking one-piece fart bags and leathery goggle tans. Perhaps they would battle for supremacy of the slopes à la 1984's Hot Dog...The Movie, thus fomenting this rivalry of sorts.

But now, that's not the case. Everyone seems to get along A-OKish, apart from the occasional kerfuffle when I get run over by douchey skiers who forget that I don't have eyeballs at the back of my helmet. But enough about me.

So, if all the knuckle-draggers and two-plankers get along, then why are our esteemed leaders at the Statehouse trying to start something? Apparently, there's been a vocal lobby working to get snowboarding named the official state sport of Vermont. Hawaii has surfing, Massachusetts has basketball, and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming all chose rodeo as their official state sport. So why not designate snowboarding as Vermont's sport?

Heave-Ho — Vermont Frost Heaves Fold

If you picked up the latest issue of Seven Days yesterday or read it online, you'll know that we wrote about a man from Calais named Dick Rouelle who is the ultimate Vermont Frost Heaves superfan. Over the years, Rouelle has let nothing stand in his way of catching every Heaves game, both home and away. Not only is Rouelle a devotee of the Barre-based minor league basketball franchise, but he's also one of the founders of Go Heaves, Inc., the fan nonprofit that owns the team. Or rather, more correctly, owned the team. 

On Wednesday, the nonprofit announced that the Heaves were folding. If you read the rosy, heartening piece we wrote, you might be scratching your head, wondering how that could be. By all accounts, the team was financially solvent enough to scrape by and the fans weren't going to let the team go under.

So what happened? How did the team collapse so soon after their season began in early January?

The answer, of course, is all about money. Or more specifically, the lack of it.

Overheard on a Ski Lift

This past Sunday, I dusted off the battered, old snowboard and hit the slopes for the first time this season. I figured I'd get in a few quick runs at Bolton Valley before heading home to make Christmas cookies. And by make, I mean eat the dough and pour sprinkles into my mouth.

Sunday proved a great day to go riding. The sun was out, the temperature was mild-ish and the snow was downy and soft. And the best part of the day was that I didn't have to take a notebook or a pencil with me on the lift, unlike last year where, because of my 20/20 Challenge, every day at the mountain was a work day. No, on this day, I rode unencumbered by writing utensils and paper.

But in a way, I wish I did have some way of recording the day's events, particularly the conversations that I overheard on my many lift rides. There's something about ski lifts that makes people lose all sense of propriety. It's like somehow, but virtue of proximity, you become part of their crew. Or maybe just part of the scenery. People will have the craziest-ass conversations with their friends, while completely ignoring that you're sitting at the other end of the bench, listening to every poorly chosen word that that tumbles out of their mouths. 

Corm, Coach and Lana Wilder Team up for New Morning Show

They're baaack.

The Champlain Valley awoke this morning once again to the sounds of Corm, Coach and Lana — only this time from their computers and smartphones rather than the radio.

Steve Cormier ("Corm"), Tom Brennan ("Coach") and Lana Wilder ("Lana"  launched a new, two-hour morning show on Northeast Sports Network (NSNSports.net). The show airs from 7 to 9 a.m. After the first of the year, the show will be simulcast on WCAXtra, WCAX-TV's secondary digital channel.

News of the deal with NSNSports was first reported back in November, but no date had been set for a launch.

"Corm & the Coach" has been broadcasting to the Champlain Valley for nearly two decades and was among the region's most popular morning talk shows until it ended in 2008. "Corm & the Coach" returned to the airwaves in 2009 but stopped broadcasting in April when the station they were on fell into financial difficulty. Wilder was let go from her morning radio gig at Star 92.9 FM earlier this year after seven years at the station and more than 20 years in the local market.

Bolton Valley Resort For Sale ... Again

For at least the fifth time in its history, Bolton Valley ski resort is looking for new owners. Current owners Doug Nedde and Larry Williams have signed up a New England investment banking firm to help it find a new owner, or possibly new investment partner to handle the day-to-day operations.

Mike Krongel of Mirus Resort Capital said the resort will open as scheduled this coming weekend — good news for local skiers and riders. Krongel hopes to have a sale completed by the end of the ski season next spring.

Nedde and Williams own Redstone, a Vermont commercial real estate development company in Burlington. The partners have owned and operated Bolton Valley Resort since 2007, when they purchased the interests of Bolton’s former owner/operator. Mirus’ assignment is to identify purchasers or equity investors to implement Bolton’s plans for growth.

Corm and the Coach are Back (Maybe)

The morning radio duo Corm & the Coach may (again) return to the virtual Vermont airwaves — this time on an Internet-based sports broadcaster Northeast Sports Network.

Steve Cormier ("Corm") and Tom Brennan ("Coach") are negotiating a deal to relaunch their show as part of a multimedia broadcast with NSN.

In a joint release, the two sides offered no specifics regarding how the show would be presented or when it might debut.

Corm & the Coach has been broadcasting to the Champlain Valley for nearly two decades and was among the region's most popular morning talk shows until it ended in 2008. Corm & the Coach returned to the airwaves in 2009 but stopped broadcasting in April when the station they were on fell into financial difficulty. The current plan would relaunch the pair's popular radio program with a few additions and the resurrection of a few old favorites. 

“We’re encouraged and excited about the potential of our partnership with NSNSports.net. The technology is out there to advance beyond a single form of broadcasting and there’s no better group for creating this relationship than NSN.” said Cormier. “No one else in this market is looking to do what we’re doing nor is anyone capable of it.”

The Great Turkey Chase, pt. 3

If you ride bikes, or you're rad, you should be at the Great Turkey Chase Food Drive & Alley Cat this Sunday. It's a fun way to show off your sick two-wheeled skills while collecting food for the underserved and hungry in the area. 

Here's how it works: you get a checklist of items you need to purchase and a map of the locations of the stores where these items are found. Pedal from checkpoint to checkpoint as fast as your little legs will spin collecting the foodstuffs along the way. Bonus points if you buy a turkey. Winner is the one who crosses the finish line first. 

Last year's race attracted 38 riders and netted more than 550 pounds of food, including seven turkeys, for the food shelf. You can read my account of participating in last year's race (and not coming in Dead Fucking Last) here. This year, organizers are trying to top that. And as long as the weather holds off and the traffic gods cooperate, they should. 

Details: 

What: The Great Turkey Chase Food Drive & Alley Cat

Where: Oakledge Park, Burlington

When: noon-2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14

More event info can be found here. 

To learn what an Alley Cat race is, go here. 

 

Centennial Field Fixes Could Top $10 Million

Local officials hoping to keep minor league baseball at Centennial Field learned this week just what it might cost to upgrade the 106-year-old ballpark.

The study found that the stadium, built in 1906, is in solid shape for its age, but to meet the standards established by Major League Baseball, drastic improvements are needed in stadium seating and clubhouse facilities, along with major field and lighting fixes, new fences and dugouts and more parking.

The mid-range cost of those fixes is $6.6 to $9.2 million, but if the committee decides to tackle some additional fixes, the cost could easily increase to a range of $14 to $19 million. That latter figure includes a parking garage that is estimated to cost $4 to $6 million.

Sketchy Cycling with Lance Armstrong

At 10:42 a.m., Lance Armstrong sent out the following Twitter message to his 2.6 million tweeps: "Hey Vermont - let's ride!! 4pm in Waterbury. Corner of Main St & Warren Ct at what looks like a park to me (on Google Earth). #twitterride!"

To bike dorks, here's what the message actually sounded like: "Hey buddy. Just blowin thru town 4 a few hours. Dying 2 see u. Wanna come 4 a ride?"

As a result of that reading of Lance's tweet, just about every Spandex-clad cycling nerd in northern and central Vermont showed up at 4 p.m. on the dot to ride with Lance. You know, an intimate little spin.

How Many Burlington City Councilors Does it Take to ... ?

The agenda for tonight's Burlington City Council meeting raises lots of interesting questions, not the least of which is: "How many city councilors does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Please post your responses below.

OK, the real question being posed tonight — though couched in legalese — could have a big impact on how the council operates in the coming months.

The real question being debated tonight is: How many city councilors does it take to constitute both a quorum and a majority? Hint: It may not be the same number.

When Marrisa Caldwell suddenly resigned from the city council, the council's membership was pared to 13 until a replacement is elected in November.

As I noted in "Fair Game" last week, state law seems pretty clear that the council still needs eight councilors in order to constitute a quorum (a quorum is the amount of councilors needed to hold an official meeting).

Both City Attorney Ken Schatz, and Democratic caucus attorney Dan Richardson agree it takes eight councilors to constitute a quorum given that it's a 14-member panel — even when it's missing a councilor. That's good news for the seven-member Democratic caucus, which can still meet without fear of having to open up its caucus to the public or warn it to voters. Not sure any of the Democrats on the council have a living room the size of Contois Auditorium.

However, the two attorneys disagree on whether the council needs eight councilors to agree on any particular resolution in order for it to pass.