The weather forecast is heading south for Sunday’s Loppet. -2F is now the expected high for the day. If Saturday’s weather sticks around for Sunday … bad news. However, in the theory that misery loves company, my wife and son have decided to join in my Loppets for LingYun quest. They will both ski the 35 kilometer free style event, while I do the 42 kilometer classic. Molly shares with me the the role of Midwestern Regional Representative for the China Tomorrow Education Foundation. Consider warming us up with an emailed pledge (rhoeg@comcast.net). Your donation is tax deductible in the USA. Expand any of the images with a click!
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Category Archives: China
Like Son … Like Father?!
The BIG Loppet for LingYun is this Sunday … the Mora Vasaloppet. I’ll race / ski through 42 kilometers of Minnesota country-side. Some of my inspiration for this race will come from my son, Erik. Yesterday, in his last high school cross-country ski race, he had his best performance ever … finishing for the very first time as his team’s top skier! Hopefully I can measure up for the kids in LingYun! (short video).
Oh yes … the expected high temperature on Sunday … 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-14 Celsius). Here are photos of my son (yesterday’s ski meet), me (last Sunday’s loppet), and the weather forecast. Click to expand any image … the forecast is not pretty!
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Loppet Number 1!
This morning, for the first time in 30 years, I competed in a cross-country ski race (City of the Lakes Loppet). My choice for races was the 25 kilometer classic race (traditional style). After all, what would you expect from a man who is just shy of 52 years old! The other marathon ski race was the skating style. More importantly, almost $3,000 has been raised for the kids of LingYun and their new dorm. However, I need more money to finish the project. Thus, next Sunday I’ll increase the distance to 42 kilometers for the Mora Vasaloppet. Your tax deductible donation to this project would be greatly appreciated. Send your pledge via email to Rich Hoeg, at rhoeg@comcast.net. Learn more by watching this short video:
- Loppets for LingYun (4 minutes long)
Finally, here are three photos from this morning’s race. The first two pictures are in the finishing chute, just before I crossed the finish line. The final photo is "relief!" Click upon any thumbnail image to view at full size.
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Legos (and Loppets) for LingYun
Last Fall when I visited the LingYun region of southern China, near the border with Vietnam, I was amazed to meet little children who hike for hours on mountains paths to reach rural schools. These same children then live in dorms … not getting home for weeks at a time. The living conditions for these children was saddening.
It was hard to imagine 10 to 12 year old children living away from home at such a young age. Thus, I'm expanding my dorm project to include Legos! These "dorm children" have nothing except what a small backpack holds. Wouldn't it be neat if in addition to rebuilding their dorm, we gave the kids some basic Legos to play with? … nothing fancy … just basic building kits. I've found Legos to be almost indestructible, and for children the fun of building is universal. When school and homework are completed for the day, these children could play with Legos! Last year I brought books to the school I rebuilt. This year … Legos and Loppets!
If you have used Legos, please send them to me. I will take them to the children of LingYun. I have two requirements:
- Legos should be in good condition
- Legos should be basic construction pieces
You may either contact me by email for more instructions, or just send (or drop off) your Legos to:
- Rich Hoeg (the Northstar Nerd!)
- 3924 Wisconsin Avenue North
- New Hope, Minnesota 55427
In addition, please consider a financial donation to help cover the cost of rebuilding the dorm. In the U.S.A., your donation is tax deductible via the China Tomorrow Education Foundation (CTEF). Here is background concerning the dorm rebuilding project:
- Read the full project report and donate via PayPal
- Loppets and Legos for LingYun (4 minute video)
- Loppet for LingYun … A Frigid Success (we're off to a good start!)
Finally, I've attached two photos and a map from my recent trip to JiaYou. One photo shows me with the JiaYou kids; the second photo are some LingYun children who need your help.
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Loppets for LingYun
- Question: What happens when you take a 51 year old man who has not entered a Nordic ski race for 30 years, and combine that fact with a desire to rebuild a dorm in southern China?
. - Answer: You have Loppets for LingYun’s Kids. (What’s a Loppet? Watch the video and learn!
Please watch this short video (4 minutes in duration) and learn about the Northstar Nerd (i.e. me!) and my quest to help the kids of LingYun. The answer really involves Southern China, Wikipedia, technical conferences, Grandma’s Marathon, and now loppets!
If your family budget allows, send your pledge via email to Rich Hoeg, at rhoeg@comcast.net. Thank you! Donations are tax deductible in the U.S.A.
Learn more about my entire effort with the China Tomorrow Education Foundation via this link. (also read about my Legos for LingYun effort)
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