The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Submitted Article The Flin Flon Nordic cross country ski team is coming to the end of their race season with a lot to remain focused on. Next on their busy race schedule is a major race called the SaskMan Cup which will be skied on their home course at the Flin Flon Ski Club on February 18-19. This event is a collaborative effort between Cross Country Ski Association of Manitoba (CCSAM) and Cross country Saskatchewan (CCS). The team members, Isaac Dufour-Jarvis, Nick Martin, Callum Spencer, Nicholas Novasel, Mackenzie Grove, and Nathan Whitbread are led by their coaches Brett Unrau and Bob Jarvis. No doubt the athletes will go into the event with a great deal of determination to perform their best on their home course. Making this event unique is that the best skiers from both provinces get a chance to face off in a head to head format. Following the SaskMan, the team will head to Prince Albert for the final stop in the Sask Cup points race at the Saskatchewan Provincials. This is not the first time that Flin Flon has hosted big races, last year and in 2009 Flin Flon Ski Club was the site of the Saskatchewan Provincial Championships. This year trail conditions in Flin Flon are near perfect with the mild temperatures and amount of snow the north has gotten this year. Pair that with some very dedicated groomers the makings of a great event are sure to be had. CCSAM has gotten behind the race in a big way deeming it their provincial championship, ensuring that their very best will be making the trip. The races begin on Saturday with the exciting sprint events, skied in freestyle technique or skate skiing. Typically sprints are less than a kilometre in distance based on age, and are skied in a stadium style so that fans can watch the entire race. Skiathlon Then, on Sunday there is a distance event skied in what is known as a Skiathlon or Pursuit race. In this type of format racers ski in classic style for the first half of the race, then come into the stadium switch gear and then ski the last half freestyle. It is a type of race where a lot of strategy is employed in order to make the transitions as smooth and fast as possible. Recently the Flin Flon Nordic team got a good look at where they stand in the nation a few weeks back when they returned from Canmore AB, and the site of the three-day Canadian Western Championships. The Flin Flon athletes performed very well, all posting personal best times at the Championships and hanging with some of the best skiers in the country. Even though they weren't skiing at the front of the pack, the skiers showed great resolve. Many of the teams at Westerns were comprised of only top athletes who had to earn a spot to travel to Canmore. In conjunction with that, the majority of the other skiers only compete in skiing and train year round, whereas the Flin Flon athletes are well rounded athletes often participating in other school sports and activities. They now have a good idea of what it takes to compete at an elite level, and if their times are any indication they are not far off from being able to hang with the big dogs. For information pertaining to the race as well as the Flin Flon ski club and it's various programs and services, visit www.flinflonskiclub.com
