7,461 skiers from 48 States and 22 Countries registered for the 2009 Birkie events this year, and because I am the worst cross country skier on the planet, I joined the Power Line Drummers for the second year in a row.
The Birkie Drummers set up before the race at the top of the first huge hill under the power lines, and make noise with cowbells, whistles, horns, buckets, waste baskets, and bang beautiful homemade drums, (Made by a teacher named Tom, his students paint them.)
We cheer for, encourage, and at times even chant a friendly heckle towards the skiers as they make their way up the big hill.
We chant the names of skiers we recognize, and chant observations about some of the strange apparel some skiers wear. Nice Hat!-Nice Hat!, to the people in strange headgear. Nice Shorts! - Nice Shirt! to the guy wearing the Hawaiian shirt - Polka Dots! to the skier in bright neon polka dotted body suit. Disco! Disco! to the disco girl in the hot pink sparkled bell bottoms. It is a fun time and we stay and until the final skier goes by, long after the elite skiers have already finished the 50k (skate) 54k (classic) Birkie and 23k Kortelopet races.
The cool thing about doing the drum line is, I get to see every skier in the event. Including Sue, who gets a kiss. Very Kool!
The American Birkebeiner began in 1973, and re-creates a historic Norwegian event when in 1206, two warrior soldiers, called "Birkebeiners" because of the birch-bark leggings they wore, as they skied infant Prince Haakon (Hō-ken) to safety during the Norwegian civil war. Prince Haakon subsequently became King of Norway, and the Birkebeiner soldiers became a Norwegian symbol of courage, perseverance and character in the face of adversity.
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