For more than 30 years, a hardy group of Will County area residents have gathered during the winter months at a Joliet pizza place for a little club business – but mostly for pizza, beer and camaraderie.

They are committed to promoting a sport they love and want to share with others.

While the snow and cold were unwelcome by many over the past few weeks, the Joliet Nordic Ski Club members were pleased, as it meant they were able to host a race for nearly 40 cross-country skiers Saturday on Woodruff Golf Course for the first time since 2018.

For the last several years, the race had to be canceled because of lack of snow.

However, on Saturday, the hearty group of racers braved the chilly temperatures and divided up between a competitive adult 12K, an adult fun 4K and a junior level 4K races.

Awards were given for the overall winner and male and female winners in each age group.

A passion for snow and skis

The Joliet Nordic Ski Club was started more than 30 years ago by Bill Kozol and Lawrence “Larry” Lottino, who died in May 2023.

Kozol explained that the group formed “because we wanted to promote the sport of cross-country skiing so that people would get out in the winter and enjoy themselves.”

At first, he admitted the group’s plan to ski over the Woodruff Golf Course was met with a little bit of skepticism.

“They didn’t want us skiing over the greens,” Kozol said.

A compromise was struck between the newly formed club members and the Joliet Park District, who owns and operates the golf course at 621 Gougar Road.

The club agreed to create marked trails that would not go over the greens.

For the first couple of years, the Park District handled the grooming of trails. However, after a couple of fundraisers the ski club bought grooming equipment and groomed the trails – if there was enough snow and the conditions were right for cross-country skiing.

When there is snow in Joliet and conditions are good for skiing, the members are hard at work grooming trails for both the classic and skate techniques at Woodruff Golf Course and the adjoining Pilcher Park.

“A few years ago,” Kozol said, “We noticed that there really wasn’t anywhere locally that people could rent cross-country skis.”

[ Photos: Joliet Nordic Ski Race ]

“After a few more fundraisers, we bought 20 pairs of skis,” he said.

The Pilcher Park Nature Center now rents out the skis bought by the ski club during business hours.

Prices are $20 for two hours for adults and $10 for two hours for kids and includes skis, poles and boots.

A longtime member of the Joliet Nordic Ski Club, Joe Galli, said, “Pilcher Park and Woodruff Golf Course are hidden gems. It is great to ski here.”

Galli suggested that anyone interested in starting up cross-country skiing should consider renting at first and then buy used equipment.

In terms of clothing, he added layering is best and “when you first start, you should feel a little chilly because after 20 minutes if you over dress it can be really uncomfortable.”

Club participation

Many of the serious racers came to the Joliet Nordic Ski Club’s race to prepare for the 50th Annual Slumberland American Birkebeiner or the Birkie, the largest cross-country skiing race in North America held on Feb. 24 that runs from Cable to Hayward, Wisconsin.

Earlier in the group’s history, Kozol said a group of hardy members would gather and travel to other states for impromptu ski adventures.

“If we didn’t have snow here, we would chase it,” he said.

Kozol, who still manages to ski about 300 to miles per year, said, “Our membership fluctuates based on how the snow is. If we have a good winter, we average about 50 members. But if we have no snow that number goes down dramatically.”

The next ski club meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at Cemeno’s Pizza, 1630 Essington Road, Joliet.