The latest edition of the Val and Ivor Hedman Centaloppet has come and gone at the Flin Flon Ski Club, with the most prized silverware going to a trio of young skiers.
The club’s largest annual community event - not a race, an event, as organizers adamantly point out - took place March 3, held in conjunction with the Bust the Winter Blues festival. Whether or not there would even be a centaloppet this year was not confirmed until days before the event - the mild winter and a small amount of snow this year made the ski club’s trails difficult to prepare in time. A dump of snow last week helped to literally and figuratively cover those gaps.
A total of 58 skiers hit the start line, some as old as 76 years, some as young as six. Each headed down the Valley loop trail starting at 2 p.m. sharp, some taking less than 10 minutes to rip across the 2.3-kilometre circuit.
Following the event came the awarding of the Centaloppet Cup - the trophy given out each year by the club, awarded not to the fastest finisher but to the top participant according to a complicated set of calculations including the skiers’ age, gender, experience level and other factors.
Once the times were entered and the numbers were crunched, the winner was named as Michael Dumenko - one of the youngest skiers on the trails at just six years old. Two other kids around the same age also finished in the top three - seven-year-olds Luke Unrau and Oliver Mitchell.
Other awards were given for the fastest finishers in different age groups - Deakon Anaka made it around the course fastest, doing so in 8:53, having the best time in the boys’ 11-14 bracket. Other awards were given for best dressed skier - James and Shaylene Dumenko took that award for adult participants, while their daughter Lucy won the award for junior skaters - and for the most persevering skier, which went to Jleizy Ortaliz.
The ski club plans to hold the next centaloppet - which will be the 50th edition of the event - next year on the first Sunday in March, pending trail conditions and weather.
