THUNDER BAY — With the help of his family, Orran Nichols is making his way to the alpine skiing Ontario development team.
The Ontario Development Ski Team is a high-performance program made up of Ontario's best U19 FIS ski racers, based in southern Ontario. Nichols, 16, will be the only male athlete from the Lake Superior Division Alpine Club on the provincial team.
Nichols started his skiing journey as a child, where he developed a love for alpine racing and is now selling coffee to help make his way to the Ontario team because his uncle owns Rose N Crantz Roasting Co.
“This is First Tracks Coffee, and it's brewing the future of ski racing from Thunder Bay to the Ontario Development ski team,” Nichols said.
“So, (my uncle) is helping me out with this journey,” he said. “And, a portion of the sales go to me for skiing.”
So far, the fundraiser has been successful with limited bumps in the road, Nichols said.
“I work on the weekends, so I can't really sell it then, but I'm trying to get into more stores besides Fresh Air,” Nichols said.
Being on Fresh Air’s Mountain biking team helped Nichols secure his pop-up storefront, he said.
“I was like, hey, can I set up a stand here and sell some coffee, and they're like, yeah, for sure,” Nichols said.
With a fundraising goal of $2,500, Nichols is determined to not to let the opportunity slip by.
“It's pretty expensive, so I'm trying to fundraise for it and hopefully, I can be on that team and then continue on to the national team, representing Thunder Bay,” he said.
The limited-edition coffee, $15 for 225 grams or $24 for 454 grams, will be available for purchase online and at the Fresh Air location on 710 Balmoral Street for the rest of the year.
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