Hosting a NOD (Northern Ontario District) alpine ski race in Sudbury for the first time in years, the Adanac Ski Club managed to work a few of their own skiers into the mix at the top of the divisional winners as teens from right across the north made their way to the nickel city.

Bradley Laurin (U19 – Men’s Slalom #2), Ella Prosperi (U14 – Ladies Slalom #1) and Lauren Bouchard (U16 – Ladies Slalom # 2) joined the likes of Quintin Thorsteinson (Elliot Lake – U16 – Men’s Slalom #1 & #2), Maelle Acton (Searchmont – U14 – Ladies Slalom #2), Evan Ayers (Elliot Lake – U14 – Men’s Slalom #1), Ava Currie (Elliot Lake – U16 – Ladies Slalom #1) and Jackson Jost-Noob (Elliot Lake – U14 – Men’s Slalom #1) in earning gold on the slopes.

"The second two runs were better," noted Laurin, a 16 year old grade 11 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. "The morning was a little rough."

Still, the younger of two children in the family who raced (Gabrielle, now 20 years of age, no longer competes) continues to both enjoy and thrive in a sport that he much preferred over both soccer and basketball, the other primary pastimes of his youth.

"I've always found it fun and competitive," Laurin noted. "My coaches have helped me improve a lot over the years. Skiing when you're younger compared to now is so different. When you start, you're not really carving and doing that technical stuff."

"Right now, I am really trying to throw my feet out for every gate," Laurin continued. "And I want to stay right down the middle of the fall line of the course. Little stuff like that helps."

"For me, I find that taking videos in training is really good. You can watch yourself go down the course and see what you have to fix."

The niece of Canadian Olympian Brigitte Acton, Searchmont representative Maelle Acton can watch her own videos, should she choose, or those of her aunt. Either way, she is fully invested in a sport that is engrained in the family bloodlines.

"I don't really remember learning how to ski," said Acton with a smile. "When me and my siblings were born, we all got put into skiing. I was racing right after I learned how to ski."

That kind of experience likely paid dividends as the young woman from the family that moved to Sault Ste Marie some four to five years ago tackled the Adanac Hill for the very first time ever.

"We inspect the course first, just so we know if there's a hairpin or a flush there," said Acton. "We did some training yesterday. Then they just give you the course and you ski it."

Apparently quite well, more often than not, with three of her four runs garnering a thumbs up from the grade 8 student at F.H. Clergue who has her sights set a little beyond her 2023-2024 accomplishments.

"I would really like to go to Can Ams (this year)," said Acton, with the top 15 in each category at the Ontario Championships moving on. "Last year, I went to provincials, so I've already checked that box off."

"I think it is realistic."

Following are the top three finishers from each of the runs in the various divisions that were contested at Adanac:

Ladies Slalom #1
U14 Division
1st - Ella Prosperi (Adanac)
2nd - Finley Prisco (North Bay)
3rd - Kassandra Real (Searchmont)

U16 Division
1st - Ava Currie (Elliot Lake)
2nd - Lauren Moore (North Bay)
3rd - Avery Grieve (Elliot Lake)

Men's Slalom #1
U14 Division
1st - Evan Ayers (Elliot Lake)
2nd - Lucas McMaster (Searchmont)
3rd - Bobby Real (Searchmont)

U16 Division
1st - Quintin Thorsteinson (Elliot Lake)
2nd - Emmett Kreps (Searchmont)
3rd - Reid Gordon (Searchmont)

Ladies Slalom #2
U14 Division
1st - Maelle Acton (Searchmont)
2nd - Ella Prosperi (Adanac)
3rd - Kassandra Real (Searchmont)

U16 Division
1st - Lauren Bouchard (Adanac)
2nd - Myla Goulding (Elliot Lake)
3rd - Lauren Moore (North Bay)

Men's Slalom #2
U14 Division
1st - Jackson Jost-Noob (Elliot Lake)
2nd - Evan Ayers (Elliot Lake)
3rd - Cohen Grieve (Elliot Lake)

U16 Division
1st - Quintin Thorsteinson (Elliot Lake)
2nd - Emmett Kreps (Searchmont)
3rd - Reid Gordon (Searchmont)

U19 Division
1st - Bradley Laurin (Adanac)

Other skiers who represented the Adanac Ski Club included Logan Mannella, Rebecca Jutras, Nicholas Pegues, Charlie Chisholm, Asher Hunt, Chare Robertson, Cael Mannella, Ryan Tagliabracci, Elliot St Onge-Winckel, Emily Massimiliano and Anna Corsi.