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Show Saturday, February 10, 2001 The Park Record B-14 New ski design unfavorable to women Talce S of the ie one uou love... YOU! Lj with regular chiropractic care. It helps alleviate pain and promotes general well heing. Stau happu and healthu ( all today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Christine. Phillips m Chiropractic Bellemarc Building 1912 Sidewinder Drive, Suite 209 (435) 655-2708 RED LODGE (AP) Jeannie Thoren has a theory on why many women skiers feel inept on the slopes -- it's the equipment's fault. Thoren said her theory isn't based on a feminist idea. Men tend to ski better than women because of biomechanical differences. differ-ences. "It should be emphasized that this is not a feminist issue by any means," Thoren said. "The changes made to the ski equipment equip-ment have nothing to do with psychology, but have everything to do with anatomy. Women are not small men. They are not better, bet-ter, not worse, just different." Thoren, a ski and boot tester for Ski and Skiing magazines, brought her theories to Red Lodge Mountain recently for a three-day women's workshop. She knows her stuff. For the past 30 years, Thoren researched the way women ski. Through her own skiing experiences, experi-ences, the "Thoren Theory" emerged as a way to help women skiers improve their technique with equipment modification. Appearing at trade shows and ski hills, Thoren travels the country with her husband. Tom Haas, preaching that "the weak link in a woman's skiing is usually usual-ly her equipment." The Red Lodge clinic included includ-ed loads of information on equipment skis, boots and bindings bind-ings but it also touched on skiing technique and provided custom boot fitting and demo skis and boots for participants to try out. Thoren's theory outlines the main differences between men and women. A woman's center of gravity is on average one-inch lower and farther back than a man's. Women also carry more weight below the waist; around their hips, buttocks and thighs. Men, broader in the chest and shoulders, carry their weight above the waist, making it easier for them to get farther forward on his skis. A woman's ankles and knees also are less flexible, making it even more difficult to get farther forward on her skis. To compensate, she must bend forward at the waist. To correct for their different biomechanics, Thoren taught the women what a properly fitted ski boot feels like, what type and length of ski is best for each skier and where bindings should be placed to give the most control over skis. On a recent Saturday, 24 women skied the mountain with their own, unmodified equipment. equip-ment. Thoren videotaped each participant before and after modifications so they could view the improvements in their skiing. Modifications included everything every-thing from adding minor heel lifts to an entirely new ski package. pack-age. Thoren modified the equipment equip-ment a little at a time. She started start-ed out adding heel lifts and footbeds to every woman's boots. Thoren's inventory of skis and boots impressed Kathy Baldner, a Red Lodge ski instructor. "It was one-stop shopping having all the equipment right there," Baldner said. "Usually skiers wont make a change like that unless they know it will HI $-&V HmhB US wl ! ' kJw i ' ' P flp In ""ti-' n SebK 'ILt' fMC XTi make a difference." During each run, Thoren asked if the skiers could see and feel the difference in their skiing. The women who attended the clinic had nothing but praise for Thoren's enlightening workshop. "The presentation was great," said Becky Scripps, of Los Altos, Calif. "(Jeannie) presented a very technical subject with a lot of humor." Scripps said she attended the clinic to get some help choosing what new equipment to purchase. "I didn't know what to buy," Scripps said. "This was an opportunity oppor-tunity for me to test all the brands of equipment." Martha Reavis, of Cody, Wyo., also attended the clinic to become a better skier. "The best part was discovering it works, that I really could turn the skis," she said. "I'm going to buy new boots with heel lifts. I'm going to take lessons. les-sons. I've never taken lessons before. Ill take them once a year so I can get better." Roadless initiative is under attack BOISE, Idaho (AP) Conservation groups Tuesday intervened in a court battle over attempts to overturn the U.S. Forest Service's new rule protecting protect-ing designated roadless areas. The latest filing comes one day after the Bush administration's administra-tion's announcement it would delay the rule's implementation by 60 days to review it. The groups filed to intervene in support of the Forest Service against two lawsuits initiated last month in U.S. District Court in Boise. "It's time to defend these wild forests and the public interest in permanent protection of our land," said John McCarthy, Idaho . Conservation League conservation conserva-tion director. The Boise Cascade Corp. wood-products company, Boise and Valley counties, an Emmett rancher, off-road vehicle groups and the Kootenai Tribe filed one suit. The second was submitted rule. They were the second attempts by both groups to block the roadless initiative. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge then ruled the Forest Service had not wound its way through the process of environmental environ-mental studies to the point the plan was "ripe" and could be sued. State Attorney General Al Lance said the Clinton administration's adminis-tration's process ignored Idaho views and was designed for a pre-' determined conclusion. He added the Land Board is a bipartisan bipar-tisan panel including two Democrats who backed the suit. McCarthy said the designated areas would not undergo any more road-building, but they are open for recreation, as well as being prime wildlife habitat. "Leaving roadless areas undeveloped unde-veloped goes a long way toward protecting the blue-ribbon trout fisheries of many Idaho rivers, including Kelly Creek, the Middle Fork Payette, South Fork Salmon, Long Canyon Creek, Deadwood, the St. Joe and others," oth-ers," said Sara Denniston of Idaho Rivers United. The Forest Service plan protects pro-tects 58 million acres of roadless areas nationwide from road construction con-struction and commercial logging. log-ging. The conservation groups said the Clinton administration's program came after 600 public meetings with 60 in Idaho, as well as 1.6 million public comments in favor of the roadless initiative. About 9.3 million acres of roadless forests in Idaho are included, although the conservationist conserva-tionist analysis shows more than 1 million acres have been developed devel-oped since the last inventory a dozen years ago. Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund and Natural Resource Defense Council went to court on behalf of the Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Rivers United, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Oregon Natural Resources Council, Pacific Rivers Council and Defenders of Wildlife. Exouisite TjleWorks Don Rubalcnvo Ceramic tile Installation. I i New or Remodel. 5 25 Years Experience J Phone (435) 655-9093J POOR CO |