NEWS RELEASE
PORCUPINE SKI RUNNERS
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Athletes with the Porcupine Ski Runners (PSR) Race Team represented the city and their club with pride at two Ontario Cup events in January. The first event was the Ontario Cup #2 at Lappe Nordic Ski Club in Thunder Bay from Jan. 3-5, 2020; the second event was the Ontario Cup #3 at the North Bay Nordic Ski Club in North Bay from Jan. 18-29, 2020.
Seven PSR athletes participated in Ontario Cup #2 in Thunder Bay, taking on the challenging hills and tough climbs that this course has to offer. Olivia Vodusek brought home gold for the team in the U12 Girls 2.5 km freestyle event, as well as a 4th place finish in the U12 Girls 2.5 km classic event.
Julia Vodusek, Brielle Charette and Marissa Pladzyk represented the PSR in the U14 Girls 5 km freestyle event, finishing 7th, 11th and 12th, respectively; they also participated in the U14 Girls 5 km classic event, finishing 8th, 9th and 12th, respectively.
In the U16 Boys 7.5 km freestyle event, skiers Dylan Frappier and Will Little completed the course, finishing in 15th and 16th place, respectively; they also took on the U16 Boys 5 km classic event, and achieved 17th and 16th place results, respectively.
In the U18 Boys 10 km freestyle event, Xander Frappier finished the race in 20th place; he also completed the U18 Boys 5 km classic event in 19th place.
The entire team of 16 skiers participated in the Ontario Cup #3 and Ontario Winter Game Trials in North Bay on Jan 18-19. The first day of the race was the freestyle category, which saw the team competing through a snow storm to accomplish excellent results. The team brought home a total of eight medals over two days, and some personal bests were achieved.
In the U10 Girls category, Riley Luhta took first place in both the freestyle and classic events.
In the U12 girls category, Chantal Kukulka brought home silver medals for both the freestyle and classic events, with Olivia Vodusek taking the bronze in the freestyle (as well as the gold for the 2009 year of birth category), and Nicole Kukulka taking the bronze in the classic race.
In the U14 Girls category, Julia Vodusek earned a bronze medal in the 6.6 km freestyle race. Other racers also achieved excellent results; complete race results are as follows:
U10 Girls – Freestyle
• 1st: Riley Luhta
U10 Girls – Classic
• 1st: Riley Luhta
U12 Girls – Freestyle
• 2nd: Chantal Kukulka
• 3rd: Olivia Vodusek
• 4th: Nicole Kukulka
• 8th: Amber Pietila
• 9th: Claire Young
U12 Girls – Classic
• 2nd: Chantal Kukulka
• 3rd: Nicole Kukulka
• 7th: Amber Pietila
• 8th: Claire Young
• 9th: Olivia Vodusek
U12 Boys – Freestyle
• 10th: Tyler Frappier
U12 Boys – Classic
• 8th: Tyler Frappier
U14 Girls – Freestyle
• 3rd: Julia Vodusek
• 10th: Chloe Young
• 13th: Marissa Pladzyk
• 15th: Mari Luhta
• 16th: Brielle Charrette
U14 Girls – Classic
• 4th Mari Luhta
• 7th Julia Vodusek
• 8th Brielle Charrette
• 13th Marissa Pladzyk
• 16th Chloe Young
U16 Girls – Freestyle
• 24th: Jade Shalton
U16 Girls – Classic
• 20th Jade Shalton
U16 Boys – Freestyle
• 33rd: Will Little
• 39th: Dylan Frappier
U16 Boys – Classic
• 38th Will Little
• 40th Dylan Frappier
U18 Boys – Freestyle
• 33rd Xander Frappier
U18 Boys – Classic
• 32nd Xander Frappier
The Ontario Cup #3 in North Bay served as Cross Country Ontario’s Northern Ontario Division (NOD) qualifier for the 2020 Ontario Winter Games, set to be held in Orillia from Feb. 27-March 1, 2020. Six athletes from PSR were selected, and have the honour of representing the Northern Ontario Ski Team as well as the Porcupine Ski Runners at this important event; those athletes are: Brielle Charette, Dylan Frappier, Jade Shalton, Julia Vodusek, Marissa Pladzyk and Will Little.
The Ontario Winter Games are held every two years in the province. The 2020 event will see approximately 3,500 athletes, aged 12-18 years; participate in 27 different sports over four days. The 2020 Ontario Winter Games are supported by the Government of Ontario through its Games Ontario program. This program delivers or supports multi-sport events, including the Ontario Winter and Summer Games for youth, the Ontario 55+ Summer and Winter Games and the Ontario Parasport Games.
PSR Coach David Vodusek said, “We have had two incredible weekends of competition so far in our 2020 ski season. Both weekends were challenging, with the course at Lappe in Thunder Bay being one of the most difficult in the province, and our racers skiing through a snow storm on the first day of racing in North Bay. I’m proud of our team for the dedication and perseverance they continue to show. It’s early on in our season, and we’ve already accomplished so much.”
He added, “I'm also very proud of the five athletes who have been selected to represent the PSR and Northern Ontario Ski Team at the 2020 Ontario Winter Games. This is a tremendous honour for these athletes, and an experience they won’t soon forget. The time and effort they have invested in their sport has certainly paid off.”
For full results from the Ontario Cup races, please see here.
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