It was founded at the Hickory Hill cross country area and this year was skiing at Swift River Inn. With over 150 kids, it is one of the biggest Koch Clubs in the country. Like most Koch clubs it was created by dedicated parents. For our club the moving force was club leaders Mary and Ed Hamel. Dozens of other parents had been recruited as coaches and helpers of many sorts.
Parents can be pretty useful, sometimes.
The snowy winter had permitted a full season of Koch practices and races. We hoped this season would be just as good as we drove north on the Taconic Parkway for our first day of skiing. The Taconic is one of New York's winding four lane highways through the woods. Trucks are forever banned from the parkways because of the low stone bridges that span them. Sometimes there are more deer crossing than deer crossing signs.