TIMMINS - The final Ontario Cup series was a success for local racers.
The Porcupine Ski Runners race team's last event in the series was on home turf Feb. 15-16.
“The race team athletes exemplified the heart and determination this weekend on their own trails by skiing in challenging conditions and adjusting to a change in courses. The coaches are very proud of their efforts and the results were evidence of their hard work over the season so far," said coach Andrew Wray in a news release.
On the first day, the U14-U20 division had two separate events which included the 1,250-metre freestyle sprint and the 6x1,250-metre. The U10 and U12 racers had a 500-metre freestyle sprint.
The race team produced fantastic results, including several podium finishes.
For the U20 racers, Marissa Pladzyk found herself on the top of the podium with a time of 3:34.95.
The U18 girls had a strong showing across the board with a 1-2-3 finish in the sprints. Nicole Kukulka came in first with a time 3:11.7, Chantal Kukulka was second with a time of 3:13.6 and Jillian Daguerre placed third at 3:25.46.
The U14 girls had great results with Elisabeth Girard coming in sixth, Avery Legault seventh and Muriel Wray eighth. Their times were as follows, 4:17.0, 4:28.0 and 4:31.2.
The U12 group also had fantastic results finding Anna Wray on the podium. Anna placed second with a time of 1:52.85, Audrey Franchuk seventh with 2:03.86 and Morgan Legault ninth with 2:36.66.
The U12 boys were looking strong as well with Théo Collins coming in fourth. His time was 1:59.79. His teammates came in right behind him. Markus Franchuk was fifth (2:00.76), Wyatt Palik sixth (2:01.13) and Joseph Girard seventh (2:08.8). John-Leonard Schewehr
In the afternoon, the U14-open divisions participated in a team relay.
There were two divisions, with each separated into two categories. The official category consisted of pairs of team members. The unofficial category was comprised of members from different clubs, who had no teammate to participate in the official group race.
The PSR race team posted great results in the official U14-18 category with Nicole and Chantal taking first place (20:45.8) and Muriel and Avery in 10th. For the unofficial U14-18 category, PSR found one of their teammates in second place. Jillian was matched up with a member of the Arrowhead Nordic ski team, Braunwyn Strictland. They completed the 6x1250m in 22:02.6. Elisabeth also paired up with a member of the neighbouring club, Temiskaming Nordic. Alongside her partner, Mathilda Story, the team finished fifth. Marissa teamed up with Temiskaming Nordic’s Isaac Desilet in the U20 unofficial race. The team took the win with a time of 20:45.8.
On the second day, the team was challenged with a cold and snowy distance classic race.
The U20 and U18 divisions were set to race nine kilometres. For the U20s, Marisa placed first with a time of 38:42.7.
The U18 girls had a solid performance finding themselves in 2-3-4 positions. Chantal took second place with a time of 35:41.5, Jillian third (36:15.5) and Nicole fourth (38:14.1). The U14 girls had superb results in the three-kilometre race, with Elisabeth finishing in seventh, Muriel eighth and Avery ninth.
The U12 group had stellar results finding Anna at the top of the podium with a first-place finish with a time of 15:00.6. Her teammates had equally great results with Audrey in fifth and Morgan in sixth. For the boys, Joseph Girard had a solid race finishing in fourth with a time of 17:08.6. Wyatt was close by with a fifth place finish, followed by Markus in sixth and Théo in seventh. PSR’s solo U10 athlete, John-Leonard, completed his 2.3-km course with a time of 13:33.0 for a third-place finish.
Overall, PSR's Christine Dorion said the Ontario Cup was a huge success.
"We had great feedback from visitors who enjoyed the facility and trails. The event ran smoothly," she said.
The event received $5,000 through the municipal accommodation tax grant handed out through the Timmins Economic Development Corporation. Dumas donated vests, and ATCO donated toilets, which were delivered by Cooper Equipment.
While the Ontario Cup series is over for the season, the U10-14 athletes can still race at the Ontario Youth Championship in Huntsville March 1-2.
The U18 girls are getting ready to compete at the Nordic Canada Cross-Country Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alberta, March 16- 23.