TVRA Nordic skiers headed to OFSAA Championship

Fourteen Nordic skiers from London and Woodstock are headed to OFSAA. CTV's Brent Lale reports.

Fourteen Nordic skiers from London and Woodstock are headed to OFSAA.

The rain may have ruined any more practice time for the high schoolers, but they feel ready to compete against the best in the province next week.

“OFSAA is always really exciting because we get to compete against people from all across the province and just get to go out and have fun for a week,” said Logan Lawrence of Saunders Secondary School.

Lawrence qualified when he blew away the field last week in the WOSSAA Championships to win the boys 6.5 km race.

He joins other skiers from Beal, Laurier and Woodstock Collegiate Institute headed to the competition in Orillia, which begins Feb. 23.

“I love spending time with the team and getting the chance to compete against higher level racers and challenging myself,” said Sienna McColl of Beal, who won the WOSSAA girls 6.5 km race to qualify for OFSAA for the fourth time.

“This year’s course is really challenging. I think there’s a 28 per cent incline, so it’d be interesting to try a new course,” she added.

Paul McEvoy from Beal Secondary School is the coach for the local skiers.

They have been working out on the trails at Circle R Ranch all season but knows they are in tough against skiers from northern and eastern Ontario who have better ski conditions.

“I’m always excited to see them go,” said McEvoy. “A lot of them haven’t skied before coming to high school, so we’re basically teaching them to ski and then for them to get to OFSAA is just fantastic to see the journey and watch them get there.”

The event begins Feb. 23 with registration and open skiing at Hardwood Ski and Bike north of Barrie, followed by racing on Feb. 24 and 25.

“I think it’s amazing, especially considering that we don’t get the chance to ski very often,” said McColl. “Maybe only a few times a year, but we can still perform pretty well at races and, put together a team, so it’s awesome.”