TIMMINS - Local skiers have already logged their first race of the season.
Three Porcupine Ski Runners race team U18 athletes — Chantal Kukulka, Nicole Kukulka and Jillian Daguerre — were at the first Ontario Cup of the season in Gatineau Dec. 13-15. The team had a fantastic first race and competed alongside a former teammate on the course.
All three of the athletes competed in three events.
In the classic technique one-kilometre sprint event, Chantal placed 12, Nicole was 22nd and Daguerre placed 34th.
Next up was the 3.3 classic mid-distance race, which was on a quite challenging course.
In that race, Chantal finished in 14th, Nicole in 19th and Daguerre in 36th.
The final event was a 7.5-kilometre freestyle technique race on the same course. It had athletes complete the same difficult 31-metre climb three times completing the 2.5-kilometre loop.
Chantal cracked the top 10 in the race, placing eighth. Nicole finished in 15th and Daguerre in 36th.
At the event, the local racers were competing alongside past teammate Marissa Pladzyk, who's now competing for Carleton University in Ottawa.
Pladzyk finished 28th in the final freestyle event.
The next Ontario Cup is in Thunder Bay in the new year.
