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Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon Photo by Bob Pennell An 81-year-old Dan Bulkley skis past two snowboarders looking for new powder to ride on. Bulkley left for Grindelwald, Switzerland, on Monday to defend his championship in the International Ski Federation's Masters World Cup cross-country ski races. STILL KICKING & GLIDING 81-year-old Phoenix man remains on top of his game By BILL KETTLER Dan Bulkley has seen a good chunk of Europe on a pair of skis. Name a country where it snows, and Bulkley has probably skied there. His passport's littered with visas for Italy, Austria, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden and Finland, and he's bound for Switzerland next week. But there's more to Bulkley's travels than fun in the snow and some sightseeing -- he takes his skis abroad to race. He's travelling to Grindelwald, Switzerland, on Feb. 22 to defend his championship in the International Ski Federation's Masters World Cup cross-country ski races. Bulkley won the crown for the 80-and-over age group in 1998 at Lake Placid, N.Y., covering a 20-kilometer (12-mile) course in 1 hour, 15 minutes. On the way home from Switzerland, he'll stop at Yellowstone National Park to compete in the United States national championships. "I like to compete," he said, "I'm sure the competition is what keeps me going, rather than exercising for the sake of exercising. "If it weren't for the competition, I'm not sure I'd be this gung-ho active." The 81-year-old Phoenix man knows what it means to be active. A five-sport athlete in high school, he also competed in college sports, then taught physical education and coached track and field for 30 years at what was then Southern Oregon State College. For almost as long (28 winters) he skied the slopes of Mount Ashland as a member of the Mount Ashland Ski Patrol. Bulkley laid off racing during his working career and didn't return to competitive athletics until he turned 70. A friend, retired Talent dentist Dick Nordquist, told Bulkley about masters sports, where people over 30 compete against others within the same five-year age cohort. "I didn't even know about masters sports," he said. "I did a few 10K runs after I turned 50, but most of the time while I was teaching PE I didn't compete. It (the competitive urge) just sort of reignited itself at 70." Masters sports gave Bulkley a new impetus to compete in his favorite sports -- skiing and track. He began entering masters track-and-field events during the summer season and cross-country ski races during the winter. He holds several age-group world records in track and field in addition to the world championship ski crown. "I sort of pride myself that I can do a lot of sports," he said, "and I'm good at them." Bulkley races in the skiing style known as skating. Skiers race against each other and the clock over a smooth, hard-packed, groomed course. Skate skiers look much like ice skaters as they push their skis back and to the side in a skating motion to propel themselves forward. They also use long poles to push themselves ahead with their arms and shoulders as well as their legs. Skate skiing, also known as "freestyle," is faster than the traditional "kick and glide" style that most cross-country skiers favor for weekend recreation, said Bulkley. "You can take longer, harder, more aggressive strides." To prepare for the races, Bulkley tries to train on skis three days a week, often with fellow masters skier Reider Peterson of Ashland. They vary their training regime trying to achieve a balance of muscular strength and endurance. "Some days we'll try to get in more distance work," said Bulkley. "We might get eight or 10 miles in on a day when we're trying to do a lot of skiing. Other days we work on strength building. We'll only go about three or four miles. But we'll go hard for maybe three minutes, then recover and then go hard again." Peterson said Bulkley's vigor inspires him to train hard, too. "I don't think his enthusiasm for this sport has diminished at all," said Peterson. "He's still working on technique. He and I coach each other. We take videos and critique each other's technique. "I think he enjoys the competition more than the training," said Peterson, who will travel to Switzerland to race in the 55-59 age group. "I think his success keeps motivating him." Bulkley's wife, Marge, will travel to Switzerland, too. She typically accompanies him to the ski races, where she becomes his cheering section and support crew. "She's my athletic supporter," Bulkley joked. "She holds my jacket and my bags and my warmups." "I go and have all the fun," she said. "He goes and does all the work." On days Bulkley doesn't train on skis, he lifts weights at the Ashland Racquet Club. And when the snow is fresh and deep on Mount Ashland, he still enjoys downhill skiing. "When you've skied as much as I have you get a little choosy," he said. "If it's not good, I just wait for a better day." Bulkley said he's only begun to feel a little slower on the ski trails since he started his ninth decade. "From 70 to 78 or 79, I didn't feel like I slowed down a lot. Now I think I notice (the years)." Bulkley's zeal for skiing has lured his grandson into the sport. Years ago, little 4-year-old Jed Hinkley was impressed by all the medals his grandfather had won in competition. Now 17, Hinkley recently helped carry the United States team to a gold medal in competition in "Nordic combined," a sport that includes both cross-country ski racing and ski jumping. "Needless to say he and his grandfather are pretty close," said Marge. "They have a lot of interests in common." Don't just sit there - give it a shot Whether they're 80 or 8, most beginners make learning cross-country too hard, says world champion Dan Bulkley of Phoenix. "Most people when they're learning fight it too much," said Bulkley, who holds the world championship for skiers age 80 and older over distance of 20 kilometers. "Most beginners work too hard at it and don't get the proper technique," he said. "They walk on their skis, and they just don't get a glide." Bulkley said skiers "get a glide" by transferring all their weight to one ski and pushing down on that ski while they glide forward on the weightless ski. "Once they learn to kick a bit and get a little glide they start to enjoy the sport." Bulkley teaches beginners to ski without poles at first to get them to feel the "kick and glide" motion. "People tend to use their poles too much for balance," he said. "Most people tend to kick too late," he said. "Just as your feet pass each other, push down (with the kicking foot) and think of kicking a ball up the hill (with the gliding foot). That pushes the (gliding) leg forward. To do that, the other leg has to push back. "You've got to commit all your weight to one (kicking) ski." Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA