February might well be the month for romantic Valentine Day folks and that mid-winter break that is Family Day weekend – but it’s also that abbreviated calendar segment where the glut of SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools Athletic Association) winter sports championship banners are doled out.

It started this week with the ski sports kicking things off.

With more than half of the field (23 of 43 competitors, to be precise), representing the Lo-Ellen Park Knights, it was pretty much a given that the south-end school was going to dominate the SDSSAA Nordic Ski Championships hosted Tuesday in Naughton.

Of course, the presence of outstanding coaches and champions of the sport at the school, individuals who build an excitement capable of enticing experienced skiers and newcomers alike to the sport also goes a very long way.

Beneficiaries of that environment include Corey Lacroix, Callum Wiss, Gracie Dale, Maija Nener, Julian Luoma and Megan Pineau, all of whom captured gold in their individual races, with only Lockerby Composite junior Gord Farrell breaking through to avoid a complete purple and gold sweep.

A multi-sport athlete from a multi-sport family, Gracie Dale welcomed nordic ski to the mix around the age of nine, having done “running my whole life” and adding hockey at the age of seven or so.

“Hockey and the striding helped me a lot with nordic skiing – but it also made it a bit harder for me to clock in that I needed to be less wide on my feet and a little bit more graceful than when I am skating,” said Dale, the eldest of the three children of Tara Baldisera and Andrew Dale (with her brother, Grady, and sister, Daviy, following in her footsteps).

“Also, working on the one skate – two skate offset and the differences between those was a pretty big distinction that I needed to figure out.”

For as much as Lo-Ellen simply inherits a good number of athletes that are already knee-deep into their athletic passion by the time they arrive in grade nine, the simple truth is that the overwhelming majority of the Knights that competed on Tuesday took part in the “High-School” division, separate from the club-trained skiers who are entered in the “Open” grouping.

It’s all part of the environment that promotes versatility to teenagers who arrive with some basis of athleticism, even if that is nothing more than being able to head out on a comfortable jog.

“Mr Ward (head coach Colin Ward) does a great job of encouraging people to just try out other things (other than cross-country running), other endurance sports, with nordic ski being one,” said Dale.

“He really captivates you and shows you that you can do it if you work hard and like pushing and the mental grit.”

While Dale would finish roughly 90 seconds ahead of the second place skier (Misaki Diavolitsis of Lockerby), it really is not the gap she enjoyed that drives her pursuit of faster and faster times.

“My mom came up with a quote for me: “do you best on this day”,” she stated. “I’ve taken that and often asked myself, when the challenge comes: what’s your best today? Your best today might be going really hard, or maybe it’s not and I feel horrible. I try and let myself do what my body is telling me.”

“I know my line.”

Looking to pursue post-secondary athletics but open to the idea that this might involve either nordic ski or hockey or track and field, Gracie Dale thrives in those environments where mental toughness is the name of the game – such as at the Walden Cross-Country trails.

“Mentally, Walden is a very, very tough course, especially with a 5km hill,” she said. “It’s pretty much right away in the course. You have maybe 700 metres and then you hit the hill – and it’s a hill that feels like it goes on forever.”

“I try and approach it with a “you can do it” mindset,” Dale added. “Just get over it and on to the next thing, so focused on smaller steps versus looking at the hill in its entirety.”

With pretty much average snow conditions for racing on Tuesday, Dale and company now prepare for the NOSSA championships in Sault Ste Marie next week before returning home for the OFSAA on February 20th and 21st.

She might be alone in this regard, but Gracie Dale knows exactly what kind of surface she would prefer come time for provincials. “I love the icy snow,” she said. “Not too icy, because then you have hazards. But when it’s icy and fast and you feel like you’re flying, that’s pretty much my favourite.”

Top finishers in the various races included:

Senior Boys – High-School
1 – Corey Lacroix (LEP) – 21:53
2 – Raphael Belzile (ESMC) – 23:45
3 – Austin Conroy (LEP) – 23:58

Senior Boys – Open
1 – Callum Wiss (LEP) – 19:17
2 – Hector Loiselle (LEP) – 21:57

Senior Girls High-School
1 – Gracie Dale (LEP) – 24:46
2 – Misaki Diavolitsis (LCS) – 26:17
3 – Tyla MacLeod (BAC) – 27:38
4 – Lea Lemieux (LCS) – 28:48
5 – Lea Maki (LEP) – 28:54

Senior Girls – Open
1 – Maija Nener (LEP) – 26:18

Junior Boys – High-School
1 – Gord Farrell (LCS) – 14:05
2 – Ewan Duncan (LCS) – 15:38
3 – Cameron Young (LCS) – 15:46
4 – Ben Lamarche (LEP) – 17:35
5 – Lucas Graham (LEP) – 18:03

Junior Boys – Open
1 – Julian Luoma (LEP) – 13:43
2 – Eden Abols (LCS) – 15:25
3 – Chesley Godwin (LEP) – 15:57

Junior Girls – High-School
1 – Megan Pineau (LEP) – 19:52
2 – Alex Haan (LEP) – 21:29

Adanac Ski Club veterans Lauren Bouchard (St Benedict) and Bradley Laurin (Lo-Ellen) along with talented skiers Kate Bouchard (Marymount) and Ryder Coe (Lockerby Composite) were near flawless when it came time to contest the SDSSAA Alpine Ski Championships on Wednesday.

That entire quartet would go three for three in their races in sweeping the slalom and giant slalom events at the meet which attracted more than one hundred student athletes representing 13 different schools.

Team titles were well distributed as the Marymount Regals (girls) and Lockerby Vikings (boys) would take their gender specific crowns, but gave way to the St Benedict Bears, overall aggregate champions after finishing 2nd in boys and 4th in girls.

Following are the top three aggregate finishers in the four divisions that were offered:

Girls Aggregate – Open
1 – Lauren Bouchard (STB) – 1st / 1st – 2 points
2 – Ava Woods (STB) – 2nd / 2nd – 4 points
3 – Avery Grieve (LCS) – 5th / 3rd – 8 points

Girls Aggregate – High-School
1 – Kate Bouchard (MMA) – 1st / 1st – 2 points
2 – Annalie Jarvi (STB) – 2nd / 2nd – 4 points
3 – Alexys Wagemann (MMA) – 3rd / 3rd – 6 points

Boys Aggregate – Open
1 – Bradley Laurin (LEP) – 1st / 1st – 2 points
2 – Quintin Thorsteinson (LCS) – 2nd / 3rd – 5 points
3 – Gord Farrell (LCS) – 3rd / 5th – 8 points

Boys Aggregate – High School
1– Ryder Coe (LCS) – 1st / 1st – 2 points
2 – Mac Young (LCS) – 2nd / 2nd – 4 points
3 – Cole Trottier (LCS) – 3rd / 3rd – 6 points