Thunder Bay --
Canadian Ski Nationals, Day One which opened today in Gatineau, Quebec.
Written by Fergus Foster, National Team Development Center Thunder Bay/Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club.
Thunder Bay Nordic skiers grab four medals on first day of National Championships March 13th 2019, Gatineau Quebec Wednesday, Thunder Bay skiers started strong at the 2019 Canadian Ski Championships in Gatineau, Quebec, placing four athletes on the podium. On the first day of the week-long competition, over forty Thunder Bay Nordic skiers competed in classic interval start races along with over 600 skiers from Canada, the US, and Norway. With the women tackling a 5km course, Katherine Stewart-Jones (National Team Development Center Thunder Bay) returned from the World Championships in Seefeld, Austria in fine form, claiming the bronze medal in the senior women’s race. Bob Thompson (NTDC Thunder Bay) secured a silver medal in the senior men’s 10km event. Pierre Grall-Johnson (NTDC Thunder Bay) earned a bronze medal in the junior men’s race, and Alannah Maclean (Lakehead University/Big Thunder Nordic) grabbed a silver medal in the university division.
Adding to Thunder Bay’s strong start on the women’s side were Sadie White (NTDC Thunder Bay/Big Thunder) and Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay/Lappe Nordic) in 13th and 15th in the senior women. Along with the silver in the university division, Alannah Maclean (Lakehead University/ Big Thunder) finished 10th in the senior women. Mia Serratore (Big Thunder) scored a top 20, finishing 16th senior woman, while Erika Mihell (Lakehead University) crossed the line in 11th in the university division. In the junior women, Shaylynn Loewen (NTDC Thunder Bay/Lakehead University) scored a 7th place (7th university division as well), while Heidi Stewart (NTDC Thunder Bay/Big Thunder) was 13th and Sarah Lutes (Lakehead University/Big Thunder) crossed in 28th. Ainsley Carr (Big Thunder) was the top Thunder Bay skier in the junior girls, finishing in 24th. Meanwhile in the juvenile girl’s race, Anna Stewart (Big Thunder) grabbed a 7th place, Brooke Ailey (Lappe) was 26th, and Carley Kiiskila (Big Thunder) finished 29th.
On the men’s side, Evan Palmer-Charrette (Lappe) narrowly missed joining Bob Thompson on the senior men’s podium, finishing three seconds behind him in 5th place, while Graham Ritchie (NTDC Thunder Bay/Big Thunder) finished 9th. Andy Shields (Lappe) also had a strong showing in 20th place. In the junior men, Pierre Grall-Johnson (NTDC Thunder Bay) earned the bronze, while Malcolm Thompson (Lakehead University/Big Thunder) and Conor Mcgovern (Lakehead University) were 7th and 8th, respectively, good enough for 8th and 10th in the university division. Kai Meekis (NTDC Thunder Bay/Big Thunder) finished 12th in the junior men, while Nick Randall (Big Thunder) and Fred Serratore (Big Thunder) finished in 24th and 30th. Teammates Erik Schlyter (Big Thunder) and Max Hollman (Big Thunder) were the top junior boys, finishing in 8th and 16th respectively. And in the university division, Lakehead University put 4 in the top 12 where brothers Malcolm and Noah Thompson placed 8th and 9th, Conor McGovern grabbed 10th, and Geoff Way-Nee solidified a strong first day with 12th place. Racing continues Thursday with a pursuit start skate race. Full results can be found at www.zone4.ca.
