Sometimes the simplest solutions can have a big impact. Until this season, the Huntsville High School Nordic ski team would travel to competitions, line their skis up against a wall or a fence, and inevitably cringe as they watched them topple over, domino-like.
So when Algonquin Outfitters approached the team’s coach, John Cowan, to see what they could provide for the coming season, he said a floor rack to hold the skis in place at competitions would be of great help. Last week, AO presented the rack to members of the cross-country ski team.
“With having 35-plus kids on the team, it’s certainly helpful to be able to keep organized,” said Cowan. “We can take this rack anywhere. It doesn’t weigh very much and it enables us to set up our skis quickly and the kids can pick theirs out without knocking the rest down. It also teaches the kids respect for looking after their equipment.”
Most of the equipment belongs to HHS, added Cowan, and the rack will help prolong their life.
Despite the lack of snow, the team has been busy doing dryland training to prepare for the coming season, said Cowan. “It’s about carrying over from the cross-country running season and other sports and transitioning into more ski-specific training, more upper body strength and leg strength – we’re trying to get everybody on the same page.” The school also has 15 pairs of roller skis which the team can use for training when road conditions are good.
The team’s first race is December 21 at the Hardwood Invitational north of Barrie. A December 3 dryland or on-snow camp – depending on the weather – in concert with the school’s Alpine ski team will build camaraderie between the two teams, said Cowan.
“We’re seeing some great success stories – skiing has become an accepted OUA (Ontario University Athletics) sport and there are scholarship dollars available. This year we have 10 athletes from HHS who are competing on the Ontario university circuit. Some of them will be heading off to the nationals. Skiing is a lifelong sport – we try to show that through our elementary races, the kids have that exposure and see they can continue through high school and university and beyond.”
The rack comes as part of a program AO has with one of its suppliers, Swix, which allots a percentage of what the store purchases to a fund to be used to support local sport. When AO discovered that the cost of the rack exceeded what was in the fund, they asked Swix if they’d waive the remaining fees in support of the team. (They did.) Algonquin Outfitters also give both the HHS Nordic team and the Arrowhead Ski Club special pricing on their race team orders every spring for the following season.
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A huge thank you ( again ) to Algonquin Outfitters and Swix for being generous supporters of our local youth sports teams !