High school cross-country skiers shine at provincial championship

For the first time in decades, Sault Ste. Marie student athletes who competed at last week’s provincial championship in cross-country skiing have returned home with medals.

Melina Bernardo, a Grade 9 student from St. Mary’s College who had never skied until this year, earned gold in the Para-Nordic Division for Junior Girls.

But her sweet accomplishment in Lakefield during the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association (OFSAA) Nordic Championship wasn’t just about the win itself.

For Bernardo, it was representation.

“I was the only one there in my division, so I knew I was going to get gold,” she said. “I’m hoping this gets attention so I can have more people to go against in the future.”

Since she was young, Bernardo has lived with a slight impairment on the right side of her body.

Despite having some difficulties with coordination, the young athlete has conquered her condition time and time again by excelling in a number of sports at a competitive level, including ringette and swimming.

Going into high school last September, Bernardo never imagined herself as a skier. But some encouragement from friends and teachers sparked her interest.

“I didn’t even think I was going to do skiing when I started high school,” she admitted. “I didn’t know the Para-Nordic division existed until I started either. Jen Nieson pointed it out to me, so I went into that category.”

“I just wanted to try it and see how it went, and I really liked it, so I kept going,” she added.

Competing in the Para-Nordic Division meant Bernardo would be granted assistive devices that allowed her to compete at a high level. Those devices included ankle support, as well as special poles that Velcro to the hands while providing additional support during competition.

After competing at the city and northern Ontario championships last month, Bernardo qualified for OFSAA along with 650 cross-country skiers in Lakefield last week.

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it all the way to OFSAA if I wasn’t in the Para,” she said. “Because I was, it felt better because I knew I could do something and go somewhere.”

Being the only competitor in her division, Bernardo’s experience was unlike any other.

“Since I knew I was going to get gold, I was just trying to beat my time and get a better score than I did at the cities and NOSSA,” she explained. “I did classic skiing while everybody else did skate skiing. It was a little bit harder because the trails were icy and there wasn’t a lot of snow at some points, and there were no tracks for the skis. But I had fun.”

While there were moments where Bernardo didn’t think she’d be able to finish the 2.5-kilometre course due to challenging conditions, the St. Mary’s College student toughed it out and crossed the finish line in 28 minutes and 51 seconds.

She’s now an OFSAA champion.

“I never thought this would happen,” she said. “I’m going to ski every year in high school now. Instead of doing classics, I’m going to try skate skiing next year.”

“Everybody there was really supportive,” Bernardo added. “I loved getting the chance to meet people from other high schools, and I made some friends there as well.”

Meanwhile, Korah’s Junior Boys team members Oliver Benac, Ryan Elgie, Kieran Dopp, Simon Trombello, and Alexander Townsend took home a bronze medal after their exciting race in the sprint relays landed them on the podium.

Trombello, a Grade 10 student and long-time skier with the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club, told SooToday that Korah’s impressive result came down to one simple area: “Teamwork.”

“Everybody tried their best and did as well as they could,” Trombello said. “Everybody worked really well together. It’s nice to represent Korah and prove why you deserve to be there.”

Also finishing 19th overall in the Junior Boys Open Division, Trombello noted the hard snow and icy conditions were a challenge, but a raucous crowd and supportive friends made for a memorable experience in southern Ontario.

“The crowd there was alive – it was a lot of fun,” he said. “The conditions weren’t great for skiing, but it was fun to compete with my school. Earning bronze, it was overwhelming at the beginning, but once it sinks in, it’s that feeling of, ‘Oh, I can’t believe I just did that!’ It’s a great way to keep in shape and I really enjoy the sport.”

Superior Heights student Kate de Beer was also a standout in the Junior Girls Open Division where she secured a top ten finish by coming in seventh place. She skied a five-kilometre course in 16 minutes and 21 seconds.

This was the second straight season Sault Ste. Marie had representation at OFSAA in Nordic skiing after the sport made a return to local schools for the first time in decades last year.

“The high school cross-country skiers want to shout out and say thanks for the support from the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club and Hiawatha Highlands for the use of free skis and free trail passes,” said cross-country organizer Greg MacLachlan. “We want to say thanks as well to Algoma Bicycle Company for donating wax for NOSSA and OFSAA, and all the Metro Grocery Stores in town, Aurora's Hillside, and National Grocers Wholesale Club who generously donated food for our banquet.”

Below are the results of Sault athletes who competed at the OFSAA Nordic Championship last month:

Junior Girls Open

• 7th: Kate de Beer
• 22nd: Taylor Nieson
• 24th: Myka Broad

Junior Girls High School

• 60th: Ariya Rooney

Junior Boys Open

• 19th: Simon Trombello
• 29th: Oliver Benac
• 37th: Ryan Elgie
• 41st: Mateo Ivorra
• 43rd: Felix Schamp
• 47th: Camden Slagel

Junior Boys High School

• 71st: Kieran Dopp
• 96th: Zackory Henderson
• 120th: Alexander Townsend

Junior Girls Para-Nordic

• 1st (Gold Medal):  Melina Bernardo

Senior Boys Open

• 24th: Erik Kary
• 27th: Trysten Kahtava

Senior Boys High School

• 24th: Joshua Lamming
• 53rd: Alder Devries
• 58th: Linden Devries
• 100th: Matt Dacosta
• 110th: Dominic Albury

Senior Girls Open

• 24th: Anna Towle
• 25th: Rhiannon Barbeau
• 27th: Ahnika Davey

Senior Girls High School

• 56th: Sadie Pedlar
• 84th: Aili Luomaranta