Varsity Invitational Nordic Races - More Cowbell!
Acting in partnership with North Bay Nordic, the Nipissing Nordic Varsity Ski Team is hosting Ontario's varsity ski teams this weekend, January 21 and 22.The races promise exciting action in a beautiful outdoor setting, and are supported by North Bay's well-established ski community. The events are free to watch, with the opportunity to check out the trails and go for a ski or snowshoe yourself after the races. Both the Saturday and Sunday races will be held at the North Bay Nordic Ski Club.
Saturday's races will start at noon, with individual start, middle distance skate races. Saturday's events will also include paranordic and junior categories.
Sunday's events start with a mass start, middle distance classic race at 10 a.m. Varsity men will start out first, followed shortly by the varsity women. These varsity races will offer a new and progressive direction for the sport of Nordic Skiing, with both men and women skiing the same course and distances in an effort at gender parity.
Come on out to cheer on your home team Lakers. Cowbells and other noisemakers are most welcome! This will be the first official race of the season for our varsity squad, and the final selection for the team Nipissing fields to the Eastern Canadian Championships, Ontario Cups and OUA Championships. Nipissing had one racer, Lynsey Bialkowski, representing Nipissing Nordic at the Ontario Cup races in Thunder Bay on January 6, 7, 8, with a strong ninth-place finish in the distance skate race. Bialkowski shaved five minutes off her time from the same race last year, promising good results for the team this year as we grow our Varsity Nordic program.