The Junior Racers of the Strathcona Nordics achieved several top ten results and earned a number of medals at the Western Canadian Cross Country Skiing Championships in Red Deer, Alberta mid-January.
Strathcona Nordics skiers competed in a field of close to 500 racers from across western Canada and Ontario.
In the day one skate sprint race junior mens category, Tallon Noble’s victory earned him a gold medal. Emma Wong, juvenile girl, placed 6th. In the juvenile boys group, Stephen Lamon blasted ahead of the field to earn a gold medal, his teammates close behind with Gabe Gledhill taking home a bronze and Aiden Noble a 9th place finish. In the classic mass start event on day two, Noble took home a bronze medal for junior men. Juvenile boys Gabe Gledhill earned his second medal, a bronze and Stephen Lamon came in 5th.
On the final day of competition, the skate relay, Noble’s open mens team brought in a bronze medal. Amelia Wells and Emma Wong placed 6th for juvenile girls. The juvenile boys team with Gabe Gledhill and Stephen Lamon skied hard for a bronze medal.
“Wow, what a weekend!” said head coach Andrea Stapff. “This is the first time any of us have skied the race courses in Red Deer, site of the 2019 Canada Winter Games. The host club did an amazing job of preparing this facility and the trails – and our athletes loved them! While the surrounding area is pretty flat, the River Bend courses were fun, fast and hilly, making for a roller coaster like course with steep ups and technical downs. I was incredibly proud of how they performed, how they worked together and how they represented our club and our province at these Championships, a test event for the games.”
Next, the racers are off to Prince George for BC Cup Race #2 in early February. For more information about Strathcona Nordics, go to www.strathconanordics.com or check them out on Facebook and Instagram.