Joey Payeur
It’s been a whirlwind ride for the new Muskie Nordic ski team—and the journey is far from over.
From its first practice session only two months ago, Fort High has been improving by leaps and bounds.
So much so, in fact, that at least three team members have qualified for the OFSAA championships Feb. 19 in Sudbury.
Arthur Van Ael led the Muskie charge at the NWOSSAA championships in Kenora on Monday with a silver-medal performance in the senior boys’ 7.5-km event with his time of 31:41.
That well surpassed his bronze-medal showing at the NorWOSSA championships in Dryden last Thursday, when he clocked in at 36:22.
“Arthur made huge progress over Dryden,” Muskie co-coach Rebecca Himanen said about Van Ael, who finished behind only Grant Legaree of Atikokan High School (29:23).
The Muskie team’s OFSAA chances got a boost when Thunder Bay schools stuck to its usual position of not attending the NWOSSAA finals.
That meant it almost was the same cast of characters who took part at NorWOSSA going up against each other one more time.
The top six individuals in each event (outside of members of the top finishing team) who cross the line within the OFSAA time standard qualified for the provincials, so less athletes meant more opportunities for the Muskies.
Along with Van Ael, Sara Selman and Marin Loncar capitalized to earn berths to Sudbury.
Selman was fifth out of five starters in the junior girls’ 3.5 km race in a time of 22:40.
Kenora Bronco Claire Hensrud topped the event with a mark of 9:30.
“It was a good time for Sara and she made a lot of improvement over her NorWOSSA showing [43:07],” lauded Himanen.
Loncar, who was seventh at NorWOSSA with a time of 41:25, also placed seventh out of 12 competitors in the senior boys’ 7.5-km event at NWOSSAA at 36:57.
But he qualified because fourth-place finisher Jesse Bachinsky (Beaver Brae) is foregoing OFSAA to be part of Team Manitoba’s contingent at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C., where the visually-impaired skier will compete in the Para-Nordic portion.
Muskie skier Andrew Roth, meanwhile, still may be in the running for a trip to Sudbury despite placing ninth in the junior boys’ five-km race in 41:25 after taking eighth spot at NorWOSSA in 48:33 (that race was 5.5 km in length).
A decision was expected by later today whether Dryden’s request to attend OFSAA as a team, despite one of its racer not being able to compete at NWOSSAA, will be accepted by the conveners.
If the request is approved, Roth becomes one of the top six non-team affiliated individuals in the category and can go to the provincials.
Aidan DeGagne was fifth in the junior boys’ race with a mark of 43:58, behind winner Billy Patterson of Red Lake (17:51), after placing in the same spot at NorWOSSA in the 5.5-km event (59:36).
But DeGagne’s time exceeded the OFSAA standard for the event, thus making him ineligible for the all-Ontarios.
“For a Grade 9 skier, Aidan had a good season,” said Himanen.
“And when he starts skate skiing next year instead of classic-style skiing, he will have more speed that way,” she added.
Another classic-style skiing novice, Jenny Hammond, managed to grab fifth at NWOSSAA in the five-km senior girls’ division behind champion Lisle Compton of St. Thomas Aquinas in Kenora (16:57).
Hammond clocked in at 37:26 after not posting a time in the 5.5-km event at NorWOSSA.
But OFSAA regulations state eligible skiers must have attended a required number of team practices during the season, which Hammond was unable to do due to work obligations.
“Jenny, while not placing at NorWOSSA, has already made excellent progress in her rookie year on skis,” said Himanen.
“As she is in Grade 12, she won’t have the benefit of another year to hone her skills with us but we hope she continues skiing wherever she goes.”
Himanen said there were two motivating factors behind creating Fort High’s first Nordic ski team.
“We wanted to both span a gap between cross-country running and track and field, and also provide an opportunity for students to get out in the winter to enjoy the weather we get,” noted Himanen, who shared coaching duties with Ilka Milne, the Muskie coach for both those sports.
“We also wanted to provide students with an opportunity to develop a Canadian lifelong skill they may otherwise miss,” she added.
“The opportunity to compete at the regional and provincial levels provides incentive for some of our students and gives a framework for our schedule,” Himanen noted.
“But that is not the entire purpose of the program.”
Himanen said the feedback upon news of the team spreading around the school was very positive.
“A number of students wanted to participate but couldn’t because there wasn’t a lot of notice and they were already committed to other things,” she noted.
“Some students came who didn’t have any experience skiing but figured it was a skill they wanted to learn,” she added.
“Most students came because it was great cross-training for other activities they already do,” Himanen explained.
“We were very happy with the numbers we got this year.”
Himanen also was grateful for the support received from Fort High administrators, as well as the local community, whom she described as extremely welcoming and very encouraging to racers and coaches throughout the process.
The team started training in December and practices three times per week most weeks, with most using new equipment purchased recently by the high school while a few stuck with their own gear.
In the squad’s inaugural event, the Muskies took to the snow in Atikokan, with Van Ael coming away with a team-best third-place finish.
“The program is gaining momentum,” said Himanen.
“Arthur is a committed athlete and we have benefitted from his dedication from the start, but it certainly helps the P.R. around the school when there is talk of OFSAA,” she conceded.
Himanen, meanwhile, anxiously is waiting to see what her athletes can do against the best in the province.
“It will be a great experience for the kids who were willing to blaze the way,” she remarked.
“We’ve already raised some interest for next year.
“It’s huge to have that golden carrot seem more attainable for everyone,” added Himanen.
“Our skiers are very happy with their results this year and are very excited for next year already, and that can only be good for the program.”
Editor’s note: Marin Loncar’s seventh-place showing at NorWOSSA was omitted from the story in Friday’s Daily Bulletin.
The Times regrets any confusion or disappointment this may have caused.
