Six racers from the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club were among 600-plus athletes from North American and Europe at the Ski Nationals, March 10-17 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Achieving his best-ever result at this level, 15-year-old Gabe Gledhill won a bronze medal in the skate sprint.
“The event was a big success for our racers,” said wax technician Stewart Lamon, who worked tirelessly to match ski waxes to changing snow conditions, from minus 15 in morning races to above zero in later races.
“The race venue at Lappe Nordic was stellar,” added racer Stephen Lamon.
Junior racers, aged 15 and 16 years, train hard all season and prepare with dedication and focus for the final championship race of the season, against the fastest skiers in the nation.
“It was a great week at nationals for our athletes with several best-ever performances,” said head coach Andrea Stapff. “I’m really proud of the entire team; they really put it all out there when it mattered most. They showed tenacity, composure and brilliant skiing throughout the week in a very competitive and challenging series of races.”
Top 10 results are impressive, considering the large fields of up to 70 racers. Along with his bronze, Gledhill was sixth in skate middle distance and classic long distance. Lamon was eighth in overall pursuit, ninth in classic short distance and 10th in skate short sprint. Emma Wong placed ninth in classic long distance and 10th in classic short distance. Amelia Wells was ninth in overall pursuit. In the classic team sprint relay, Wong and Wells earned fifth, and Lamon and Gledhill came in seventh.
Locals earned national aggregate awards, based on cumulative results at all national and provincial races throughout the season. Tallon Noble was fifth for 1999 boys; Gledhill sixth for 2002 boys, Lamon seventh for 2002 boys, and Wong ninth for 2002 girls.
Next on the agenda for Strathcona Nordics is May ski camp. Stay tuned for details.
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