Familiar territory

Knowing every nook and cranny on the course is a definite home-field advantage, says Lakehead skier Allanah Maclean.

The Sudbury natives said it could just be that extra edge the pushes the Thunderwolves over the top starting Feb. 23, when the OUA Nordic Skiing Championships hit Lappe, the first time they’ve been held in Northwestern Ontario in about two decades.

MacLean, one of 16 skiers who will compete for Lakehead, said it could be the difference between winning a ninth straight OUA women’s title or settling for second or third.

“It’s going to be amazing, especially since we want to repeat as champions. We need to have our best races out there and we need to have that advantage out there – not that we necessarily need to have that advantage to win,” said MacLean, named Tuesday as the school’s female Nordic skier of the month.

“It’ll be nice to have that extra edge.”

MacLean, who last month took part in the Canadian junior trials at Lappe, said the extra support of family and friends cheering one on provides at extra measure of push for the Lakehead team.

Regardless, it won’t be easy she said.

“We have a lot of tough pressure from Carleton this year. They have a lot of strong skiers. We’ll just be able to be comfortable on our own turf.

The Thunderwolves are expected to enter the maximum eight skiers per team in the event, another edge they’ll have skiing so close to home.

Normally the team only takes six skiers to the OUA championship because of budgetary concerns.

The women’s team is led by two-time CIS champion Andrea Lee, fresh off a stint at the world under 23 Nordic championship in the Czech Republic, backed by the likes of sisters Daphne and Moira Haggerty and rookie Bryana van Leeuwen.

The defending champion men’s team, winners of 12 OUA titles since 1994, is bolstered by the likes of Jack Carlyle, Harry Seaton and Scott Hill, who also made the trek to the Czech Republic and like MacLean, was named his sports athlete of the month for January.

Hill, a native of Toronto, doesn’t mince words about how prepared the Thunderwolves are for the OUA event.

“I think we’re by far the best team in Canada right now, in terms of guys and girls. We just have a huge group of good skiers and I think Thunder Bay seems to attract these great skiers. We’re going to have a great team for sure.”

Hill, who earned his berth at worlds at Lappe, said competing on local trails definitely gives him a leg up on the competition.

“For some reason I always race well on these courses. I’m excited for OUAs and hopefully I can do the same,” said Hill, happy with his results at worlds, but confident he could have skied better.

It was a perfect lead in for the provincial championship.

“It will definitely make the OUAs seem a little less competitive. That will be some good and it will give me some confidence, for sure, for these races.”

LU coach Amanda Holdsworth said her skiers know the pressure is there, even more so at home with some lofty goals ahead of them.

“But we have a very strong team,” she said. “But it’s always a fight. And Carleton is always a fight. And on the men’s side it’s going to be tough fight again. Last year I think it was one point that we won by, so it’s going to be a great challenge, but we’re up for it.”