Birchleggings Club Disc Golf and Dinner Wrap Up

On Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Second Annual Birchleggings Club Disc Golf and Dinner was held at the Rosland Disc Golf Course in Edina, Minnesota. Paul Thompson, Birchleggings Club President, organized the event and provided this report.

It was a gray day with the threat of rain, but several participants showed up! Paul put on the event to introduce this new game for Birkie skiers. There were six participants that included Gus Otto, MFA #001 and one of the founders of the MN Frisbee Association, which had their 50^th Anniversary on July 19, 2025.

The Rosland Disc Golf course at the Edina pool and surrounding park was a perfect place for an introduction to the game, as there are few hazards or out of bounds to contend with. All the new throwers showed great improvement through the 9 holes and 45–50 minutes of play.

The second part of the evening was a reserved dinner at the near-by Good Earth Restaurant (side note this is where Paul was working in 1979 when he skied his first Birkie and started his decades long campaign for supporting various causes, that year of ’79 The Hunger Project).

The six participants were joined by special guest and Disc Golf Hall of Fame member Tita Ugalde from Los Angeles CA, who was in town for the World Masters (40+) Disc Golf Championships with her playing partner, and ‘Lightnin Lyle’ Jensen another MFA founder and historian of all things flying disc related. The meal was enjoyed, and the conversation shifted from Frisbee to skiing and back to the games we loved as youth.

Thanks to all for an enjoyable gathering and sharing and combining three of Paul’s passions, skiing, Frisbee and bringing people together in community.

Second Annual Birchleggings Club Golf Classic Wrap-Up

The Second Annual Birchleggings Club Golf Classic was held at Creeks Bend Golf Course in New Prague, MN on July 17, 2025. In addition to supporting the Birkie experience, participants enjoyed a great day of golf on a bluebird morning with temperatures in the high 70s. There were 77 golfers on the course, plus additional people who did not golf but donated directly to the event.  The goal for next year is 100 + golfers! Mark your calendars for next year’s golf scramble, scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 2026

Folks from the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation said, "It was great to spend the day with a group of amazing, passionate people supporting the lifestyle we all love! Getting people out, enjoying new friendships while raising money for the Birchleggings Club was awesome - the start of a new summer tradition!"

 

At the time of this article, the final numbers are still coming, but the money raised will be similar to last year. Money raised by the golf event will be used to keep improving the Birkie trail system, maintain grooming equipment, support youth skiing, support the Birkie Green sustainability initiative, and contribute to the development of Telemark Village.

Many event participants went home with raffle and silent auction prizes donated by over 50 vendors. New this year was moving the silent auction to an online bidding site called Givebutter, which went very well.  Thank you to Gina Fadden, Kelli Hall and Paula Britz for assisting golfers with setting up bidding accounts for the website on their phones.

Team and individual prizes were awarded to the following golf participants:

The Golf Tournament Championship Team was awarded to the foursome team of Mark Strege, Dave Hovel, Steve Davis and Ben Robe.

2^nd place – Jason Stockwell, Matt Folkerds, George Allendorf and Curtis Johnson.

Tie-3rd place – Jody O’Brien, Scott O’Brien, Luke O’Brien, Tracy Bruan.

Tie-3rdplace- Kyle Nordine, Chris Knoll, Mike Flicek and Scott Blum.

The 150-yard target course winner was Willie Borm.

Kyle Nordine was closest to the pin contest winner. 

The longest golf putt was awarded to Dave Britz.

Accuracy Drive goes to Willie Borm.

Early bird registration drawing goes to Ralph Bovard.

The putting contest was won by Mark Busse.

 

The Birchleggings Club board of directors sends its thanks to all the volunteers, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation staff, especially Louise Droessler, and vendor sponsors for making the 2025 Birchleggings Club Golf Classic a huge success.

 

Special thanks to Jim Haubrich, Paula Britz, Kelli Hall, Gina Fadden, Linda & Dick Perbix, LuAnn Tangen, Linda Davis, Linda Hovet, Sue Strege and JoAnn Rutherford for helping with all the activities the day of the golf tournament.

 

Thank you, Louise Droessler, for assisting us with registration on the RunSignup website again this year. Thank you to Gina Fadden, Paul Thompson and others who contributed photographs of the tournament for our website. A big thanks to James Tenorio for all his technical support in getting the golf information out to last year's golfers and the Birchleggings Club membership. A huge thanks to Bob Britz for the overall coordination and leadership of the event and for the vision to create such a successful fundraiser for the Birchleggings Club. It was very much appreciated! 

 

More photographs from the event can be seen on the Birchleggings Club Facebook Page. You do not have to be a member of Facebook to view the photos!

 

 

The Birchleggings Club Golf Outing is Thursday, July 17, 2025, but the auction bidding is open NOW!

 

Birchleggings Club Golf Classic Sign Up Donate

The Birchleggings Club Golf Outing is Thursday,  but the auction bidding is open NOW! There is still time to participate. Only four days before we tee off at the second annual BLC Golf Tournament at Creeks Bend Golf Club in New Prague, MN. You can still register and take part if you have not already signed up to play. Here is the link: Sign up for golf here

The auction is live right now! Bidding opens on Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 9:00 am CDT. Bidding closes on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 3:30 pm CDT. The auction is now taking place online using a bidding website called Givebutter. Anyone (you, family, friends) can bid on the nearly 50 items if they sign up for a Givebutter auction account. We highly recommend that you register for your personal auction account and have it bookmarked on your phone well before you arrive at the golf course on Thursday. You can browse the auction items and bid early and often! If you still need to register for an auction account, the instructions are repeated for you in the last section of this message: How to Register for a Givebutter Auction Account. Have you already registered for the auction? Here are Some tips to make signing in to your auction account easier. Once you are registered for the auction, and each time you login to bid, the auction site sends you a code in your email that you must use to verify that the login is you. This is called Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). It is a good way to keep your account safe. Although it is more secure, some folks find it a bother to have to go to their email, get the code, and enter it on their phone every time. Here is the way to disable the extra step of requiring the 2FA code if you so desire. How to disable the need for 2FA. Note: This disabling process may work better if you use your computer or a tablet. Some folks told us they had difficulty doing it on their phone.       1)    Complete your registration for a Givebutter auction account. Instructions were in our previous email that was sent on Thursday morning, 7/10/25. They are also reprinted for you in the last section of this message. Sign in to your Givebutter personal profile page using this link/button: https://givebutter.com/profile       2)    Enter your email address and Givebutter password.       3)    Go to your email and find the six-digit 2FA code.       4)    Go back to the Givebutter website and enter the six-digit code.       5)    Click on the green 2FA Enabled button.        6)    Get another six-digit code from your email. Again?? Yup. It is required whenever you make changes to your profile.       7)    Enter the code.       8)    When you are given a choice of using your phone or email address, check the phone number. You can then choose to receive six-digit codes via text message, which is often easier than going into your email to retrieve the code.       9)     Click on the green 2FA Enabled button.       10)    Get another six-digit code from your email (or phone if you checked above).      11)  Enter the code.      12)  Select the red Disable 2FA button. Note: If you login from a new location or device or across multiple locations/IP addresses, 2FA will still be required.      13)  Log out of your profile page by clicking on the round profile button containing your initials in the upper right of the screen and select Sign out.   How to login for bidding.       1)    Go to the Birchleggings Club Givebutter auction page by any of these three methods: a.    Scan the QR Code in the instructions at the end of this message. Or... b.    Enter this link into your web browser:    https://givebutter.com/c/5plUAY   Or... c.    Use the Auction Registration Link below. Birchleggings Club Auction Link       2)    Select Auction (It is to the right of the small Birchleggings Club Logo at the top of page).       3)    Select Register to Bid.       4)    Select Sign In.       5)    Enter your email and Givebutter account password.       6)    If you have not disabled 2FA, retrieve the six-digit code and enter the code.       7)    Happy bidding!

How to Register for a Givebutter Auction Account 1)    Scan the QR Code below (use the camera function on your phone/tablet) or use the Auction Registration Linkbelow the QR Code. Auction Registration Link 2)    Select Auction – (It is to the right of the small Birchleggings Club Logo at the top of page). 3)    Select Register to Bid (blue button). 4)    Select Sign up (if you are new to Givebutter) and follow the prompts: a.    First Name & Last Name b.    Email & Phone Number c.     Create a Password for your Givebutter account d.    Select Sign up 5)    Verify your email address by entering the verification code that was sent to your email address. 6)    Set Up Bidder Profile:  7)    Select Credit/Debit Card or Pay Pal. 8)    Enter your payment information. 9)    Select Cover processing fee. 10)     May Select – Appear Anonymous. 11)     Select Allow Birchleggings Club to contact me. 12)     Select Complete Registration. Check your email for the link to use the bidding site. You can preview the auction items now and begin bidding on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Bookmark the link in your browser for quick access when the bidding opens. Golf Team Captains – Email this information to your team members and have them register as bidding starts on Sunday, July 13, 2025. See you on Thursday, July 17, 2025 – Good luck on your auction bids!

Birchleggings Club Golf Classic

Birchleggings Club 2025 Awards Breakfast Wrap-Up

Approximately 150 Birchleggers, spouses and family members attended the 2025 Birchleggings Club (BLC) Awards Breakfast on the Sunday of Birkie-51 week at the Steakhouse/Lodge in Hayward, WI. The purpose of the breakfast was to honor the new 20, 30 and 40-year Birkie finishers and acknowledge their long-standing commitment to the Birkie and to build awareness of and membership in the BLC. The breakfast itself was delayed 30 minutes (kitchen breakdowns), so there was abundant time for attendees to meet each other and share their current “Birkie Stories.”

To kick off the program, Ben Popp, Executive Director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) gave his reflections on this year’s race.

New this year was welcoming to our club 20-year Kortelopet finishers and the new “Combi” category (a combination of 20 or more Birkies plus Kortes).  Only one 20-year Korte finisher attended, and many Birkie skiers realized they were also “combi” skiers, including ABSF Executive Director Ben Popp. In the coming year, the BLC board will formulate how to recognize and engage these new “club eligible” skiers.

Another new effort this year is the “Birch Legacy” podcast by spirit of 35 skier John Peterson. John did not attend, but skiers were invited to participate in an easy and effective way to have their Birkie story told. So far, nine of our BLC stories have been recorded. Listen to the podcasts and add your legacy at: https://birchlegacies.buzzsprout.com/2450262

The program continued with each BLC board member introducing themselves and sharing their role with the BLC and for some, their non-snow-season BLC event on our 2025 activities calendar.

Following the board intro, Diane Berry gave a moving testimony on the impact that the Birkie had on her husband Terry Berry, a 41-year finisher, who passed away last year after battling many health challenges. The Birkie was a touchstone for Terry and his family and pointed to the powerful impact of “Birkie Fever.” Terry’s son, Ryan, completed his 14th Birkie the day before the breakfast to carry on the family tradition. The BLC will always welcome the Berry family back to the Birkie.

Steve Carmazon presented the Tony Wise Spirit Award to Jane Bidwell and Marcia Engebretson for their long-standing work supporting Birkie Volunteers by starting the Tusen Taak foundation. Jane gave an emotional response after receiving the award.  Steve Carmazon recommends to the BLC board deserving award winners every year with his vast knowledge of Birkie history and the inside stories behind the visible.

The breakfast gathering culminated with the presentation of the awards plaques to skiers. There were one 20-year Kortelopet “Skiløper,” approximately six 40-year Birkie finishers, about ten 30-year Birkie skiers and nearly twenty brand new Birchleggers. Hearing the voices of the award winners was a powerful way to complete the decade chapters for these courageous skiers of 20, 30, and 40 years.

We gathered after the awards for a group photo with board members and key volunteers. People then quickly dispersed back into their post-Birkie lives, and we will see many of them before Birkie 52, hopefully.

 

As our club approaches 375 active members, we are aware of the aging level of the current board of directors. We are actively seeking new board members and volunteers to help in the areas of Membership, Communication, Fundraising, Grants, Birkie Green, Birkie One, to work on sustainability projects, and engage area youth in American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation priorities.

If you are interested in helping our BLC club reach our goals for 2025 (you don’t even need to be Birchlegger) please contact me, Paul Thompson, at paul@coolplanetmn.org or 612-810-4664.

Birchleggings Club S’mores-N-More Birke Week Social - Wrap Up

 

The inaugural Birchleggings Club Birkie Week Social, called S'Mores and More, was held at the Birchleggings Club Mosquito Brook Warming Hut on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Over thirty people showed up during the course of the event from 01:00-05:00pm. Hot cocoa and roasted marshmallows, chocolate bars and s'mores took the chill off the air.

Birchleggings Club Founder, John Kotar showed up and regaled us with many great stories. A good time was had by all. Let’s do it again next year! Gus and Julie Virkus planned this new fun event for the club during Birkie Week.

 

 

Tony Wise Birkie Spirt Award 2025 presented to Jane Bidwell and Marcia Engebretson

 

At the Birchleggings Annual Awards Breakfast on February 23, 2025, Jane Bidwell and Macia Engebretson were presented with the Tony Wise Birkie Spirit Award for 2025 for all their work in supporting volunteers at the American Birkebeiner. The award was presented by Steve Carmazon, Birchleggings Club Board Member.

Jane and Marcia started the Bidwell Engebretson Tusen Takk Legacy Volunteer Fund several years ago. This is some information from the Birkie website:

In Norwegian, Tusen Takk means “a thousand thanks,” and if there was ever a group for whom we should all give thanks, it is our dedicated Birkie volunteers. Without their energy and commitment, there simply couldn’t be the year-round slate of Birkie events for all to enjoy. Last year, 3894 Birkie volunteers worked to make our events successful. Tusen Takk!

This is an opportunity for all Birkie participants to celebrate the ABSF’s volunteers by supporting the Bidwell Engebretson Tusen Takk Volunteer Fund. Managed by the Foundation for the Endowment of the American Birkebeiner, the income from this fund will endow the future of the ABSF’s volunteer program for years to come. From bibs, jackets, and volunteer participant gifts, to appreciation celebrations, recruitment & retention programs, as well as communication tools and training, the goal is to endow all volunteer related expenses in the future by means of the Bidwell Engebretson Tusen Takk Volunteer Fund.

Jane Bidwell and Marcia Engebretson, long-time Birkie participants and volunteers themselves, graciously donated funds to seed and create the Tusen Takk Volunteer Fund. Bidwell and Engebretson believe volunteers are the most important element in the Birkie’s success. We couldn’t agree more.

Donors who want to support a well-recognized and long-standing need are encouraged to donate to the Tusen Takk Volunteer Fund and support Birkie volunteers both now and in the future.

Donors making a gift of $1,000 or more will also become de facto members of the Birkie Legacy Circle of the Endowment. All Birkie Legacy Circle members wear race day bibs with the distinctive gold Birkie Legacy Circle shield logo.