Registration for the 17th annual Alaska Ski for Women is open, and although women still have plenty of time to enter the Feb. 3 race, those who want to take just-for-women ski lessons need to sign up for those classes soon.
A series of four classes begins Sunday at Kincaid Park. The lessons, for adult women only, run on consecutive Sundays from 2-3 p.m. at Kincaid and will be conducted by the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage.
Cost is $90 for non-members and $80 for members; classes will be offered for both the skate and classic techniques.
Registration for the annual event, as well as for the Sunday lessons, is available online at anchoragenordicski.com. A suggested donation of $25 is in lieu of an entry fee.
To date, the Alaska Ski for Women has raised more than $1 million for statewide non-profit organizations that deal with stopping the cycle of domestic abuse against women and children and helping the abused.
Youth soccer
Velocity claim title
Two goals from Haleigh Van Allen and another from Malia Lyken carried the Cook Inlet Soccer Club Velocity 97 girls team to the U-16 championship Thursday at the Disney Soccer Showcase tournament in Orlando, Fla.
The team of Alaskans ages 16 and under defeated Pinecrest Premier of Florida, 3-0.
Lyken struck for the match's first goal in the 16th minute, getting an assist from Kayle Blackmore for a 1-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Van Allen extended the lead to 2-0 on an assist from Lyken in the 56th minute. Blackmore dished her second assist on Van Allen's second goal in the 78th minute.
Goalkeeper Michelle Cole recorded three saves in the shutout.
The Velocity finished the tournament with a 3-0-1 record, scoring 14 goals and surrendering three.
Speedskating
Duathlon set for Sunday
Despite warming weather that have turned many nordic ski trails to ice, the 7th annual Speedskate-Skate Ski Duathlon will still be held Sunday at Cuddy Park, where good snow remains inside the skating oval.
The event, which combines speedskating and nordic skiing, is a fundraiser for ice maintenance at Cuddy Family Midtown Park. Because of icy conditions, the race will use a shortened ski trail inside the oval.
"It will be a bit more of a frozen gerbil wheel than in years past, but we will still have a fun event," race director Peter Haeussler said in a press release.
The annual cost for ice maintenance at the oval is about $18,000. Two groups, Anchorage Skates and the Alaska Speedskating Club, work together to raise $10,000 of that amount each year.
Racing begins at 1 p.m. Sunday. You can register in advance at alaskaspeedskating.com or at noon the day of the race for a slightly higher fee. Check the website for distances and entry fees.
Anchorage Daily News