Lakehead Nordic Skiing National Champions

For the second year in a row, Lakehead University's Varsity Cross Country Skiing Team claimed the National Champion title in both the men's and women's divisions at the 2006 Canadian Colleges & Universities Championships.

Stephen Hart and Skeets Morel are the Lakehead cross-country skiers who topped the charts in the university men's division of the 2006 Ski Nationals. The best Lakehead women's finisher was Rena Bode at fifth, while Linnaea Kershaw was seventh and Amanda Holdsworth was eighth.

For the first time ever, the Canadian Colleges and Universities Championships were held in Thunder Bay at the Lappe Nordic Centre from March 5-12, 2006. They were held in conjunction with the national club championships, coinciding with the annual Sibley Ski Tour.

"The Thunderwolves' win - the second in two years - has definitely put Lakehead on the map as the place to be for cross-country skiers," says Hart.

Lakehead's ski team prides itself in being one of the most accomplished varsity teams in the classroom, says Head Coach Lisa Patterson (BEd'96). "Fifty percent of our team members maintained an 80% plus average in 2004-2005, not an easy task considering that in some weeks, skiers will have between six and seven practices.

"Lakehead University has a strong Nordic Skiing program because of the tightly knit ski community here in Thunder Bay," she says. "People in this city really care about cross-country skiing. We have the National Team Development Centre here, lots of local support, as well as fabulous ski trails at the Lappe Nordic Centre, the Kamview Nordic Centre, and the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Every weekend, it seems, there is a high-quality race to attend right here in town."