NU lakersA new junior cross-country ski team has been formed by the Nipissing Lakers to support elite level junior ski racing.

The new team draws in the fastest juniors from the north to train and race alongside Nipissing’s varsity student-athletes.

Athletes are coming from divisional clubs in North Bay, Temiskaming, Timmins and Sault Ste Marie.

The juniors have already joined in regular dry land and training camps locally.

The new team will make it’s debut at the World Junior/U23 Championship Trials in mid-January in Thunder Bay.

They’ll be looking to put the Lakers juniors on the map of Canadian cross country ski racing.

In a release, Lakers Head Coach and Northern Ontario Division (NOD) Coaching Coordinator Dr. Toivo Koivukoski acknowledges that the bar for junior cross country ski racing in Canada has been raised in recent years, with a growing necessity of professionalizing coaching and full wax support teams at races in order for junior athletes to perform competitively.


“Our aim is to assist volunteer clubs in the Division with these capacities, helping to mentor club coaches who work day-to-day with our athletes, while creating competitive training camp situations where the juniors can test themselves against the best kids in their categories and senior varsity student-athletes,” said Koivukoski. “One of the bonuses of our individual sport is that different ages can train together quite easily, supported by a healthy team environment to stay in the sport and excel.”