OFSAA Nordic and Alpine Skiing Championships and Snowboard Festival immediately follow the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, giving student-athletes something to aspire to as they take the slopes.
For more on each championship/ festival please see the websites
These snowy OFSAA events gather a large number of Ontario student-athletes, especially the cross country course that can gather close to 600 participants with skiis and poles.
This story by Benjamin Aubé from the Timmins Press talks about the OFSAA experience and what it takes to put together a championship of this magnitude. To read the whole story please visit this link to TimminsPress.com.
“TIMMINS – Rarely has the City of Timmins welcomed a sporting event on the scale of the 2014 OFSAA Nordic Championships.
From Feb. 24-26, nearly 600 of the best high school cross-country skiers from across the province will compete at the Porcupine Ski Runners for a spot at the top of the podium in both team and individual races.
Participants from 85 school across the province have traveled from far and wide for the races, in addition to their families and coaches. Event convenor John Labine said the sheer amount of skiers who take part in the Nordic Championships every year make it the third-largest high school sporting event in the country, and one of the largest cross-country ski meets in North America.
Labine said he and more than 75 volunteers in the community chose to get involved in the championships because of the unique opportunity presented to them.
He also thanked the city, as well as tourism co-ordinators Guy Lamarche and Mandy Wilson, for helping making the entire process of organizing the provincial championships a top-class event, and invited the general public to come out and watch the talent in action.
“It’s definitely a team effort,” said Labine. “There are about 75 volunteers or so involved, and it wouldn’t be possible without them. It’s all a little overwhelming when you’re organizing something of this scale, but it’s a great thing for everyone here, and it’s great for the city.”
