Very very Classic

The Classic divison of the Ontario Winter Games Nordic Ski Races ran today at Arrowhead Provincial Park. Conditions were excellent -- very fast -- over tracks that had been meticulously prepared by the trail-team of Jason, Ian and Jason, who had been at it late into the previous night and again this morning.

The wax crews were hard at work, putting meticulous finishes on the skis to give the athletes the best possible chance.

There were even signs posted to ensure the athletes had up to the minute information on conditions and recommended wax for the skis.

Waxless skis, with rough "fish scales" under the foot aren't favoured by racers. To achieve the fastest glide and the best kick, you need to understand the science of snow, and the physics of the ski, and how wax works.

The competitors and their support crews weren't the only folks there -- quite a lot of specators were out enjoying the day. Mike, Scott and Jodi from the Organizing Committee for the Ontario Winter Games were on hand at the finish to cheer the athletes, all of them sporting "correctly tied" scarves.

The classic race is marked by a mass start - that kept the start team busy to ensure that each competitor was at the correct marker point at the seven lane start. Shortly after the start, these lanes converge to two, and stay that way for the duration of the race. Which was 7.5 km for the Juvenile Section (ages 14 & 15), and 10 km. for the rest. Given the hills at Arrowhead, those are long kilometres, no matter how you kick the skis.

Often sport is it's own reward, and there are personal bests, small triumphs and tragedies that go hand in hand with any competition -- a broken ski, a lost pole, a fall on the hill... but there is a victory in crossing the finish line all the same. And at the end of the day, when all the scores were tallied, for those upon who's stars converged, who were able to pull together on that day the best physical performance, strategy, and heart, there were medals. The medals for the Ontario Winter Games in Muskoka are beautiful things, indeed.

It was an excellent day, even though those of us at the finish line were kept scrambling with the close finishes! It was a wonderful way to showcase Arrowhead Provincial Park, too!

Faster, Higher, Farther...

Well, definitely, FASTER! I was volunteering at the finish line of the Nordic Ski races component of the Ontario Winter Games. It's on at Arrowhead Provincial Park, just north of Huntsville, today and tomorrow. Today was the sprints, and let me tell you, those kids are blazingly fast.

The race opened by running them up a hill. Now me, if I had to ski up that hill, I'd be dialing 9-1 at the bottom, because it would save me all sorts of time getting medical aid when I collapsed at the top, only needing to hit one more number... These whippersnappers RAN up it.

Arrowhead is the home of the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club, and it is a world-class facility for nordic skiing. This park is smaller than Algonquin, but so conveniently located to the town of Huntsville that it draws a lot of action. Groomed hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and toboggan runs lure folks into the great outdoors. And so they should. It was great out there today.

Competitors were here from all over Ontario. Some of the busiest folks were those looking after ski preparation, the wizardry of waxing. Today's conditions ensured that the trails were very fast. We'll see what a drop in the temperature does for tomorrow's snow and the longer classic races! They're taking place in the morning, from 9.30 to noon, and if you want to come on down and watch, spectators are welcome, and there's no charge.

It takes a whole pile of folks to make an event such as this flow. This is the smiling crew who were recording the finishes of the race... (well, all except me, who was handling the camera, but you get the gist of it) and while that is a stressful job, when the skiers start to come very evenly matched, that serious side is no reason not to have a little fun. Before the first competitors, some of the judges helped us check out the timing -- do note that they have worked hard to emulate the skiers, thrusting forward the leading foot at the line, because the clock stops when the skier's toe hits that line.

It's a good thing we practised. You can see in the video clip just how close some of the finishes were! Why so many people? Well, back-up partly -- because it's important, and easy to miss the details. Because there were some, ahem, glitches, with the technological timing equipment, and those 'eyes on the ground' are crucial.

Congratulations to all the competitors. It was amazing to watch you blister round that course.

The rest of the Ontario Winter Games events take place in March. The ski portion had to happen early, because those pesky Olympics in Vancouver interfered with it... (said she, smiling) Maybe not this year in Vancouver, but for sure at a future winter Games, you're going to see some of the skiers that ripped up Arrowhead this weekend.