THUNDER BAY - Local skiers won some hardware on the road to kick off the year.
Porcupine Ski Runners race team travelled to Thunder Bay from Jan. 3-5 to compete in the Ontario Cup 2.
The cross-country skiing team had three U18 racers — Chantal Kukulka, Nicole Kukulka and Jillian Daguerre — racing in the event. Because this Ontario Cup was also the location for the Canada Team Trials, the courses were designed to meet challenging elevations.
On the Friday, regardless of the looming windchill, the team ventured onto their first event, the 7.5 km classic technique race. The team produced some great results with Chantal having a top 10 finish. The results were: Chantal 10th, Nicole 18th and Jillian 19th.
On the Saturday, due to the extreme cold, the 1 km freestyle technique sprint race with heats was modified to a 1 km sprint race with no heats. The results were quite impressive, finding Chantal standing on the podium in second position, Nicole in sixth position and Jillian in eleventh.
Finally, the girls competed in one last chilly 10 km freestyle technique race on the Sunday, producing fantastic results. Chantal stood on the top of the podium as the winner of the race. Team results were as follows: Chantal first, Nicole eleventh and Jillian thirteenth.
The team is hopeful to continue this streak of excellence in the following O cup in North Bay from Jan. 18-19.
