Four Kimberley skiers recently attended the 2015 Ski Nationals in Thunder Bay, ON. Colin Ferrie, Annika Ackermann, MacKenzie McLean and Molly Miller competed in a series of Skate and Classic ski technique races from March 21-28 against Canada’s top skiers. Annika, Mackenzie and Molly competed in a large Juvenile Girls category of 70 skiers, and despite the high level of competition, the three girls showed great results. Highlights included Molly’s two gold and two silver medals, Annika’s 4th,14th, 18th and 19th place finishes, and MacKenzie’s 19th place finish. Colin competed in the Open Men’s category and raced against members of Canada’s National Team and Olympic level skiers. Colin demonstrated strong results in this competitive category with one 7th, two 9th and a 15th place finish.
Molly Miller also won the Sophie Manarin Award for having the most aggregate points in the Juvenile category. This is the second consecutive year that Molly has won this prestigious award.
In addition, the Kimberley Nordic Racers placed second out of all BC Clubs for Aggregate standings. This is a significant accomplishment given that the Club had only four members race at Nationals, one of the smallest groups at the competition.
Annika, MacKenzie and Molly would like to thank their coaches Frank Ackermann and Paul Freeze for coaching the team this season. Also, a special thank you to Paul Freeze for travelling to Thunder Bay with the team this year. Colin currently trains with the Black Jack Ski Club under Dave Wood, and Colin would also like to thank Dave for his support this season. Colin would also like to thank Salomon, Bliz Eyewear, The City of Kimberley and All Saints Anglican Church-Outreach Committee. Molly is thankful for the sponsorship she received this season from Kootenay Cycle Works, Canmore Trail Sports, Fischer and Swix. The Kimberley Nordic Club is also a great supporter of these skiers and many thanks go out to the members of the Club. Lastly, The KIXS Team would like to thank Moody Bee for providing them with lip balm all season!
It takes a great deal of dedication from these young athletes to compete at a National level in their sport. Congratulations to all skiers on their perseverance and determination this season -- they represent their community and province very well!