February was a busy month for Vancouver Island's cross-country ski club.
Strathcona Nordic Ski Club (SNSC) racers brought home medals from the B.C. championships in Kamploops last weekend. Earlier in the month at the Western Canadian championships in Kelowna, they found more precious medals. On Feb. 12-13, SNSC racers and organizers hosted and competed in the fourth and fifth races in the Coastal Cup series.
Michael Ravensbergen led the way at the B.C. championships on Feb. 19 by capturing gold in the gruelling Junior Boys 10K skate ski race, while Alec Stapff skated to a third-place finish in the 5K Midget Boys group. Marilyn Atkinson rounded off the medal collection by capturing a silver in the Masters Women's 10K skate race.
On Feb. 4-6, SNSC sent a large team of 30 racers to the Western Canadian championships and B.C. Cup #2 races. They had the race categories covered from ages 7 to 70. In the Masters categories, Marilyn Atkinson brought home a gold and a silver, and Brian Stamp brought home a pair of silver medals. Among the younger racers, Stephen Lamon brought home a bronze, and many other race team members enjoyed top 10 finishes and personal bests.
Currently, at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, the SNSC's Andrea Lee is racing for Team BC. Lee now trains at the National Development Team Training Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont. This week she is reunited with her former coach, SNSC coach Dave Battison, who is in Halifax coaching the B.C. Nordic team.
As SNSC heads into their final weeks of winter programs, they are offering their Nordic club members some fun social events – look for Wednesday fun nights in March. SNSC is also busy preparing to host the 29th annual Vancouver Island Loppet at Mount Washington Nordic on Saturday, March 26.
To learn more about the Loppet and other events, visit the club website at http://StrathconaNordics.com.