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.
For the first time in more than two decades, the Flin Flon/Creighton Ski Club will be hosting a major event. In the past, the club was known for putting on great races, but they have since come to a halt. This coming weekend, the club will host the Saskatchewan Cross Country Skiing Provincials with athletes from across Saskatchewan as well as Manitoba. The idea came to fruition as Duane Davis, a member of the Saskatchewan board, noted that Flin Flon had been having success for the past few winters in attracting skiers. With months of work behind them, the club has organized the weekend with events taking place tomorrow and Sunday. Putting on an event like this, says organizer Dave Price, takes a lot of volunteers and community support Ð something he says, the club has a lot of. Now if only the weather would cooperate as easily. "We are hoping to get a warming trend," says Price. "We are working on the ski trails and out there each to day to get them in top shape." At last count, the event was looking to host 50 registered skiers, although there is still time to register with no age limit and no limit of skiers. Though the event is the Saskatchewan Provincials, athletes from Flin Flon as well as Thompson and the rest of Northern Manitoba are invited to join. Tomorrow, the events will have skiers out on the trails with a start at the Ski Chalet while Sunday's event will have a mass start on Ross Lake before hitting the trails. The distance of the events, according to Price, ranges from one to 16 kilometres, depending on the age of the skier. And while those coming to participate are serious about the sport, Price says half the fun is the social tonight and the banquet tomorrow night. Having an event like this, says Price, is a good profile booster for the club as well as the community. "It's positive," he says. "We're making local young skiers enthusiastic and (we) hope to have some good racers coming out of this club like we have in the past." As well as having local racers, Price says it will be positive to have skiers in the event hitting the trails in Flin Flon as well. For those who like hitting the trails but aren't up for any races themselves, the Ski Club will be hosting their annual Centaloppet in March Ð a fun family day on the trails.
