A small but mighty team of Strathcona Nordic Ski Club athletes demonstrated their grit and tenacity at the recent Western Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships held over three days in Kimberley, B.C. More than 450 athletes from ski clubs throughout western Canada attended the Kimberley Nordic Ski Club event, as well as a handful of skiers from Ontario and Quebec.
Leading the charge was Gavin Chatterton of Campbell River with three top performances in the U16 boys category. On the first day of racing, Gavin came away with a silver in the 5km skate, followed by a gold in the individual skate sprint on day two and a fourth-place finish in the 7.5k classic event on the final day of racing. He showed composure, perseverance of effort and tremendous ability across the disciplines of cross country skiing.
Other top performances came from Carly Ram of Courtenay with a bronze in the U18 girls 11k classic, Amelia Moore of Comox with a fourth-place finish in the U14 girls 3.75km event, Madeleine Galik of Courtenay who was seventh in the U18 girls 5km skate, and Ella Moore of Comox was eighth in the U10 girls one-kilometre classic event.
“The trip was a rewarding experience for this group of athletes with some solid lessons learned and a tremendous opportunity to put the many hours of training to the test with much success,” a press release states. “Many thanks to the parents, support team and coaches who contributed to the success of this race trip.”