NEWS RELEASE
SOO FINNISH NORDIC SKI CLUB
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Nineteen youth from Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club, ranging in age from 8 to 20+, participated in Ontario Cup race #3 at North Bay Nordic Jan. 18 and 19.
Kate de Beer lead the pack with two gold medal finishes in the under 12 girls 3 km freestyle and 3 km classic pursuit races.
In the 10 and under age category, teammates Thomas Towle and Jasper Tchir brought home medals in both the 1.3 km freestyle and 2.6 km classic pursuit races. Towle finished gold in freestyle and bronze in classic techniques, while Tchir won gold in classic and silver in freestyle.
Samuel Byman won gold for his 1.3 km freestyle technique race in the under 10 category for birth year 2011.
Declan MacDougall, racing jointly for Soo Finnish and Nipissing University, landed second place finishes for his performances in the under 20 men’s 10 km freestyle and 10 km classic pursuit races.
Matteo Reich, skiing jointly for Soo Finnish and Laurentian University, achieved podium finishes in the senior men (20+) with a third place finish in the 10 km freestyle, and second place in the 10 km classic pursuit race.
Algoma University sent two varsity athletes, Rebekah Gwynn and Nicholas Korsunski, keeping in the under 20 women’s and men’s 10 km freestyle and 10 km classic pursuit races, respectively.
Saturday’s blizzard conditions made freestyle technique particularly challenging, with racers skate skiing through heavy snowfall, braving plummeting wind chill. The sun shone on Sunday’s classic technique races, bringing out smiles in spectators and competitors alike.
Kudos goes out to all the stellar athletes who competed. Soo Finnish Nordic racers who attended these races include: Connor Psiuk, Matteo Reich, Sebastien Gingras, Declan MacDougall, Camren McClenny, Owen Duncan, Trysten Kahtava, Erik Kary, Micah Peake, Micah Byman, Helena Schoahs, Anna Towle, Ava Meadows Delbel, Ahnika Davey, Kate de Beer, Jenna de Beer, Jasper Tchir, Thomas Towle, and Samuel Byman.
Race results are listed here.
This tight group of hard-working athletes train three days a week at Hiawatha Highlands. On top of some spectacular performances at this past weekend’s event, the camaraderie and sportsmanship spanning such a wide age group is something the team can be very proud of.
Nordic skiing is a sport for life! If you would like more information, visit the club website. See you on the trails!
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