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Main image: The HHS Senior Boys A team with their OFSAA Nordic silver medals (from left) David Laughton, Zak Varieur, Ryan Clarke, Cam Heinz, and Riley deGans (Brenda Liddle)<\/em><\/p>\n OFSAA (the Ontario Federation of Secondary Athletic Associations) Nordic ski championships, the largest organized youth Nordic event in North America, took place at Arrowhead Provincial Park on Thursday, Feb. 20.<\/p>\n There were more than 650 student athletes competing for top finishes in the province. The athletes, their coaches, and supporters travelled here from more than 90 different high schools across Ontario, and as far away as Red Lake and Fort Frances.<\/p>\n The athletes got a sunny day, with -15\u00baC temperatures providing true Nordic ski conditions for the culminating event of Huntsville High School\u2019s Nordic team season. The parking lots were filled to capacity for the event while the local and visiting crowds rang their cowbells and cheered loudly.<\/p>\n The racecourse highlighted some of Arrowhead\u2019s popular cross-country ski trails, including Lumby and Arrowhead Lake, with their challenging hills and sharp cornering. For HHS Senior Nordic athlete Madeline Horton, her fifth OFSAA competition was the first time on home turf. \u201cIt was amazing to have the OFSAA championships in Huntsville this year. We all found it so exciting to get to race on the trails we\u2019ve been skiing and training on for years, and to have so many people we know show up to cheer us on.\u201d<\/p>\n The staging area\u2014with the start line next to the pavilion and the finish line alongside the visitor centre\u2014showcased Arrowhead\u2019s relatively new structures, which were unveiled last season. Athletes and parents in the crowds were heard commenting on Huntsville\u2019s wonderful facilities, as well as the race event layout and exemplary organization by convenor and HHS Nordic head coach John Cowan.<\/p>\n The HHS Nordic ski team finished the competition with some remarkable results in the individual distance races, including two gold medals, four silver medals, and several top-ten standings.<\/p>\n In the Special Olympics category, Mark Cheek received a gold medal for his first-place finish.<\/p>\n Out of 165 Junior Girls competitors, Mya Marshall took home a silver medal in the club-trained category, while Dale Graham took home silver in the high school-trained category, followed by Grace Gaughan in sixth place.<\/p>\n\n\t\t