March
13, 2007 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR KIND EDITORIAL IN TODAY’S DAILY PRESS
Sometimes
the information we send to you comes out slowly and other
times in a virtual torrent. Well today I have quite a bit
to send to you and I just wanted to start out by saying that
your coverage of out athletes this winter has been
spectacular.
Beginning
this Sunday, the PSR will have a contingent of skiers at the
2007 Ski Nationals in Quebec City and Mont Ste Anne. This
will be for the National Cross Country Ski Championships.
Members of this contingent are Andrea Dupont, Natasha
Kullas, Mallory Deyne, Kaylie Iserhoff, Brianna Yard,
Bridget Yard, and Ghislain de Laplante. These racers will
be supported by Coach Greg Deyne and Coach Sue Kaczmarek,
along with other club members who will provide logistical
and waxing support.
The race
schedule covers eight days with 5 different races taking
place during that time. The first race will be the Team
Sprint, which will take place on the historic “Plains of
Abraham” in Quebec City on a specially designed racecourse.
The course is some 1200 meters and the two racers on each
team will take turns covering the 1.2 km course before
tagging their partner. This will happen 3 times over making
the race 7.2 km in total and there will be great action
throughout this Freestyle Race. Natasha Kullas and Andrea
Dupont will represent the PSR in the Open Division. Kaylie
Iserhoff and Brianna Yard will race in the Juvenile/Junior
Division and Mallory Deyne is participating with her
Lakehead University teammates in the University Division.
After this
day of racing everyone will move back to the main race venue
at Mont Ste Anne for the remainder of the race program which
includes short, medium and long distance races along with a
full day of “Sprints” the most action packed of all cross
country races.
While this
group is racing somewhat east of Timmins, one member of the
PSR is going to the Far East, specifically Charlo, New
Brunswick for the Biathlon Ski Nationals. Martha Sutton,
recently home from the Canada Winter Games, has qualified to
race in her specialty along with the best in Canada. Martha
will be supported by her coach Jamie Kallio, formerly of
Timmins.
So that is
a look ahead for the next couple of weeks, but what has been
happening closer to home, last weekend with the other PSR
Racers, namely the Development Team, coached by Rhys and
Karin Lucas and the timeless Master Racers?
The Ontario
Midget Championships took place in Walden, just west of
Sudbury this past weekend. An enthusiastic group that
included Liam McGillis, Ryan Allard, Ethan McGillis,
Caroline Coderre, and Elizabeth Roy represented the PSR.
However the Relay Team of Johanna Coderre, Marie-Louise Roy
and Jessica Demers were the ones who came home with the
medals, taking Silver in the 3X2 km relay. Over the total
distance of 6 kilometers, our racers were just 10 seconds
out of first place. Coach Rhys Lucas was thrilled at the
outcome and felt that all three racers left everything they
had out on the course. A great effort this past Sunday.
Just one
day earlier there was a very different race where each
participant began the day with a classic race and then after
a 2-hour rest break, a second freestyle race took place with
the two race times totaled to determine the winner. All
eight of the PSR Development Team Racers took place in this
event however in the end, Jessica Demers emerged the winner
in the Girls Mini Midget category taking both stages by a
wide margin. Jessica was awarded 3 Gold Medals for winning
each leg of the race and First overall.
At the
other end of the spectrum, a contingent of Master Racers
from the PSR was participating in the Ontario Masters
Championships in North Bay. The “Magnificent Seven” was
made up of Brenda Caesar, Mary-Anne Martin, Susan Kaczmarek,
Kim Wagner, Tom Martin, Stan Kaczmarek and Nick
Kanya-Forstner. With the emphasis on friendly competition,
mutual support, and in some cases just finishing the darn
racecourse, the necessity for reporting detailed results is
outweighed by the fact that everyone has their own personal
goals. However there are medals awarded in various age and
gender categories. Sue Kaczmarek added a Gold to her
already extensive collection, Stan Kaczmarek received a
Silver Medal for his trophy case and Mary-Anne Martin and
Nick Kanya-Forstner were given Bronze Medals for their
efforts.
That’s a
not so quick wrap-up of where things stand with the
Porcupine Ski Runners Racing Program at this point and we
will be sure to keep you up to date with all the happenings
in Quebec at Ski Nationals 2007 over the next 12 days.
Thanks for
your continued support. The trails are still in superb
condition due to the never ceasing efforts of our grooming
crews. Come out and enjoy the beautiful spring conditions
before they disappear.
Silver Medal winning Relay Team
at the Ontario Midget Championship Relays Sunday March 11th
in Walden Ontario. Left to right are Johanna Coderre,
Marie-Louise Roy and Jessica Demers.
January 16, 2006 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Fresh off their strong
performances in Quebec last week, Natasha Kullas and
Mallory Deyne lead a contingent of thirteen Porcupine
Ski Runners at the Ontario Cup Series of Races at Lappe
Ski Center in Thunder Bay this past weekend. Natasha
Kullas began her weekend on a winning note in the Junior
Girls 7 1/2 km mass start Classic Race. "Natash" lead
the race from start to finish never once relinquishing
the lead over the entire distance. Mallory Deyne, who
attends Lakehead University while still representing the
PSR, was easily the class of the Junior Women's field
over 15 km also taking Gold. Skier/Coach Sue Kaczmarek
overcame numerous travel obstacles to reach the race
start line, on just a few hours rest, to take the third
gold of the day in the Master Women's 15 km Classic.
Brianna Yard reached the podium for the first time this
year finishing second for the Silver Medal in the
Juvenile Girls 7 1/2 km classic race. Veteran Stan
Kaczmarek completed the Master Men's 30 km Classic and
brought home a Bronze Medal for his efforts.
The other members of the PSR
Team finished as follows:
Bridget Yard
Juvenile Girls 6th
Veronique Massicotte
Junior Girls 5th
Martha Sutton
Junior Girls 8th
Kaylie Iserhoff
Junior Girls 18th
Ashley Kullas
Junior Women 7th
Ghislain de Laplante
Junior Boys 7th
Rob Martin
Junior Men 4th
Rhys Lucas
Senior Men 9th
On Sunday the style of
racing changed to "Skate" or Freestyle. While the
distances were somewhat shorter, the course was just as
tough and the competition was equally fierce. Natasha
Kullas came up just 1.4 seconds short of completing a 2
day sweep and settled for a Silver Medal in the Junior
Girls 5 km Race. Mallory Deyne and Sue Kaczmarek both
continued on their winning ways by taking Gold in the
Junior WOMEN AND Master Women categories respectively.
Brianna Yard was 1.2 seconds out of third to place 4th
while her sister Bridget placed 7th in the Juvenile
Girls section. Other results were Martha Sutton 6th,
Veronique Massicotte 11th, and Kaylie Iserhoff 17th, all
in the Junior Girls. Ghislain de Laplante 8th in Junior
Boys, Rob Martin 6th in Junior Men and Ashley Kullas 6th
in Junior Women.
The entire PSR team was
coached this weekend by Greg Deyne and supported
by Master Wax Technician Yvan Massicotte and his
assistants. All in all another great showing by some of
the finest young athletes in the Timmins area. The next
stop on the Ontario Cup Circuit is in 3 weeks when the
team travels to the National Capital Region and the
Eastern Canadian Championships at Nakkertok Ski Club in
Gatineau Quebec. To keep the racers sharp, there will
be the annual "Sprint Series" every Tuesday evening,
under the lights at the Porcupine Ski Runners Club in
Schumacher. Also coming up very soon is Timmins First
Annual Winterfest where everyone is invited to come out
to Gillies Lake to enjoy a short race in the Sprint
Format on a specially designed course where everyone of
any skill level can participate for fun and enjoyment.
We hope to see you there on the weekend of Jan 28-29.
The emphasis is on fun and participation with everyone
welcome.
I have enclosed some
pictures of the medallists from this past weekend and
should you require any further information, please feel
free to contact me as listed below. Thanks for your
assistance in publicizing our team's efforts.
January 09, 2006 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Good evening,
Yes, we have more results
for you and yes, Natasha Kullas garnered another Medal
over the weekend in the Haywood Nor-Am Cup/World Junior
Trials in Val Cartier Quebec. Following up on her
Silver performance on Thursday in the Junior "A" Women's
10 km Classic Race, Natasha powered her way onto the
podium with a Bronze Medal on Saturday in the Sprint
Free Technique Elimination Series Races. After
qualifying 8th in the first race of the day Natasha knew
she had her work cut out for her. In the elimination
heats, where only the first 2 out of 4 skiers advance to
the next round, Natasha advanced 3 times to gain entry
into the "A Final" where she streaked to a 3rd place
finish, once again against a group of racers older than
herself. Moving through the heats with Natasha was her
teammate of many years Bibiane Mahy. After it was all
said and done, Bibiane competed in the "B Final"
finishing a very solid 8th overall. Mallory Deyne
qualified 19th overall and in the Junior "A" Men's
Sprints, Rob Martin qualified 29th.
Sunday's race was very
unique in that the racers had to race 5 km in the
Classic Style and then change into Skate or Freestyle
equipment on the fly and ski another 5 km. Needless to
say, this was a very spectator friendly race and
although the PSR Racers did not medal on this day, their
results were once again extremely good. Natasha Kullas
5th, Mallory Deyne 8th and Bibiane Mahy 22nd. On the
Men's side where the distances were doubled to 20 km
total, Rob Martin put on another gutsy performance to
cross the finish line 19th.
As we had mentioned earlier,
these races are the "World Junior Trials" to chose the
team of Junior age Women and Men who will represent
Canada at the World Junior Championships this February
in Krajn Slovenia. No word as yet about the makeup of
the team but if our PSR Junior Race Team is represented,
you can be sure you will hear about it immediately.
This weekend, Natasha,
Mallory, Rob and the entire PSR Junior Racing Team is
off to Lappe Ski Center in Thunder Bay to compete in
Race Series # 2 of the Ontario Cup. There are two
races, a Classic Mass Start Race with distances ranging
from 7 1/2 km up to 30 km on Saturday and on Sunday an
Individual Start Freestyle/Skate Race. Once again
distances vary according to age and gender. Heading
over to T-Bay with the racers mentioned above are
Brianna Yard, Bridget Yard, Veronique Massicotte, Martha
Sutton, Kaylie Iserhoff, Ghislain de Laplante, Chantal
de Laplante, and Ashley Kullas. Bibiane Mahy is
returning to University of Northern Michigan where she
studies and skis for her University Team for the balance
of the winter.
Thank you all for getting
our results out to the public. Your support is greatly
appreciated. Should you require any further
information, please contact me at your convenience.
January 09, 2006 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Martha Sutton and Veronic
Massicotte return home tonight from the Atomic Cup Race
Series at Club Nordique (Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec) with
no less than SIX MEDALS!!!!!! As reported earlier,
Martha won Gold in the 5 km Classic race. She followed
up on this great performance by coming second in a photo
analyzed finish to capture Silver in the Sprint
Elimination Series on Saturday. Not satisfied with
narrowly missing the top step of the podium, Martha left
everything on the 5 km Freestyle race course on Sunday
to climb back on top with another GOLD MEDAL
performance. Congratulations from all the cross country
skiers in Northern Ontario!
Not to be outdone by her
teammate's performance, Veronique Massicotte proved to
be the measure of consistency, bringing home Bronze
Medals in both the Sprint Elimination Series Saturday
and the 5 km Freestyle on Sunday. "Vro", as she is
affectionately known by her teammates, now has a total
of 3 Bronze for 3 races in the Atomic Cup Series.
Both Martha and Vro ventured
into Quebec for this Atomic Cup Series of 3 races to
garner more experience and to gauge the competition for
the Eastern Canadian Championships to be held in Ottawa
this Feb 3-5. It would seem that their venture was
somewhat more than just measuring up the competition.
They definitely impressed everyone who watched them race
this past week. Head Coach Lorne Luhta was heard over
the roar of the crowd, shouting at both Martha and Vro
to "Slow down and save something for the finals" as they
each handily won their heats in the elimination series
leading up to the finals in the Sprints on Saturday.
The combination of year long conditioning, effective
coaching and great wax on the day of the race made this
pair of PSR Junior Racers hard to beat. The talk of the
Ski Chalet back here in Timmins over the weekend was all
about how our racers were doing and what did they win
today. All in all a tremendous performance by these two
Junior Girls.
This weekend the entire PSR
Junior Racing Team is off to Lappe Ski Center in Thunder
Bay for Ontario Cup Race Series # 2. Press releases and
results will be sent out on Monday afternoon. Thank you
for taking time to let the people in Northern Ontario
and Timmins know about the progress and success of the
PSR Junior Racing Program. As usual, should you have
any questions or need additional information, please
contact me as listed below.
March 02, 2005 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Great news from the 2005 Cross Country Ski Nationals in Prince George B.C. today. Despite very wet and ever-changing race conditions, every one of the PSR Race Team improved their standings during the final of the Pursuit Freestyle race today. Leading the way for the PSR Team was veteran racer Bibiane Mahy with a BRONZE medal in the Junior Girls 5km Freestyle Pursuit. Bibiane had one of the fastest times today and was edged out of second place by less than 1/10 th of one second. The finish was so close that a photo had to be studied by race officials to determine the Silver and Bronze positions. Bibiane's reaction to her medal performance was her typical million dollar smile and encouragement of the her other PSR teammates to do even better. Coach Lorne Luhta felt that Bibiane started the race looking determined and confident and her focus on technique
along with her superb conditioning overcame any obstacles the course threw her way.
Other results had Natasha Kullas steadily moving up on her competition to take 4th in the Junior Women 10km pursuit. Not far behind was Mallory Deyne in 8th place. Ghislain de Laplanet once again showed he will be a force to be reckoned with by maintaining his 6th position in the Juvenile Boys 7.5 km Pursuit. In the Juvenile Girls 5km Free Pursuit, Veronic Massicotte moved up two places to stand 6th overall while sisters Brianna and Bridget Yard Improved to 13th and 22nd respectively.
Martha Sutton moved up 3 places to finish 25th in her division while Andrea Dupont showed her consistent strength and improved 4 places up to 13th in the Open Women 10 km Free Pursuit. Chris Martin finished 46th in the Open Men 15 km Free Skate and brother Rob Martin moved up to 16th in the 15 km Junior Men Free Pursuit.
Today was one of days where the course was so soft from melting that in some places the skiers had to go through large puddles of water. This takes a tremendous toll on an athlete and so tomorrow, Thursday will be a day of recovery and rest for all the athletes. Friday will be an absolutely action packed day with the Classic Sprint Qualifications, elimination heats and finals all in one day. Some racers may be racing up to 5 races before the winners are determined. We will have details available to you as soon as possible on these races.
Yes, today is a day for the PSR to celebrate a tremendous effort by all its athletes and a special congratulations goes out to BIBIANE MAHY for her absolutely fantastic BRONZE MEDAL performance.
Once again thank you all for your continued support of our athletes, our Champions of both today and tomorrow.
Jack Yard, Publicity Chairperson
Porcupine Ski Runners Race Team
(705)363-8619
info@roofgardenbb.com
www.skinationals2005.com
March 01, 2005 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Greetings from beautiful downtown Prince George B.C.
Well today the PSR Junior Racing Team took on the country and ended up with a very successful day at the races. Leading the way was Bibiane Mahy with a 4th place in the Junior Girls 5KM with Martha Sutton finishing in 28th. Ghislain de Laplante had one of his best races of the year securing 6th position in the Juvenile Boys 5km division. Two top 10 finishes were recorded by PSR racers in the Junior Women category with Natasha Kullas (racing above her age group), taking 6th and Mallory Deyne 8th. Andrea Dupont came 13th in the Open Women category, Rob Martin placed 11th in the Junior Men 7.5km and brother Chris Martin finishing 49th in the Open Men 7.5km race. Last racers on the course, that saw 345 competitors this day, were the Juvenile Girls 5km. Leading the way for our PSR team was Veronic Massicotte in 8th, Brianna Yard in 14th and Bridget Yard in 28th.
Coach Lorne Luhta had some tough decisions to make about the wax for the ever changing conditions that ranged from plus 2 to plus 12 celcius. With the help of wax testers Stan and Sue Kaczmarek, and Master Wax Technician Yvon Massicotte, our racers had the best possible wax combination for the difficult course.
Tomorrow will see another race where the start times will be dependent on today's finish times. Therefore the fastest racer in a particular grouping will start first and everyone else will start after according to how far they were behind the leader at the finish. The distance for tomorrows races will increase with some male racers covering 15km and some female racers 10km. All in all it will be an exciting finish and the PSR racers are positioned well for this second leg of the Pursuit Race.
We will be sure to get you the results as soon as we are able and hope that you are able to pass them on to your various audiences.
That's all for now from Caledonia Nordic Ski Club at the Otway Nordic Ski Centre just outside of beautiful Prince George, British Columbia. As always, should you require any clarification or more specific information, please feel free to contact me as listed below. The PSR Racers and their coaches, parents and support staff thank you for your continued interest and support.
Jack Yard
Publicity Chairperson
Porcupine Ski Runners Race Team
(705)363-8619 (Cell)
info@roofgardenbb.com
www.skinationals2005.com
February 28, 2005 -
Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Hello everyone from sunny, and warm, Prince George British Columbia. On Sunday afternoon, under a cloudless sky, the PSR Girls A team started off the National Championships on a successful note by securing the Silver Medal in the 15km three person relay. The defending Gold Medalists from last year in Charlo New Brunswick were narrowly edged out by the threesome from Kanata Racers of Ottawa. The PSR team was lead off by Bibiane Mahy in this mass start race. The second leg was covered by Veronic Massicotte and in the anchor position, Natasha Kullas was able to finish ahead of the team from Banff Alberta to secure the Silver Medal. This race was run under very challenging conditions as the temperature hovered around plus 8 Celsius. The PSR Girls B team of Martha Sutton, Brianna Yard and Bridget Yard posted some good times to end up 12th in the field.
Later on Sunday the University teams took to the course for their 3 person relays and when the dust had settled, the Lakehead University team of Catherine Bode, Emily Hayman and PSR Alumni MALLORY DEYNE, had won GOLD. This is the third gold medal in as many years for Mallory Deyne in the Relay event and it was made even more special as it occurred on her 19th birthday. Congratulations Mallory!
The racers used today (Monday) for training and recovery and are preparing for Tuesdays Individual Classic race which will be run over a 5km course for the women and a 7.5km course for the men. There will be little margin for error as the conditions are very icy on the hilly portions of the course. Coach Lorne Luhta stated, "This will be a real test for all the PSR racers. Yesterday during the relays the girls got rid of some of their first race jitters so the Individual Classic will let them go all out and show everyone just what they can do."
There is little doubt that there are more podium appearances in store for the PSR team and the Individual Classic is one of our teams strengths. We will keep you up to date with what's happening here in Prince George There are 4 more races on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and the athletes will be returning to Timmins on Monday March 7th.
Thank you all for your support and should you need further comment or information please call or e-mail to the listings that follow.
Jack Yard
Publicity Chairperson
Porcupine Ski Runners Racing Team
(705) 363-8618
February 22, 2005 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Hello Everyone!
Just a matter of 74 hours until the 2005 Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships are underway in Prince George B.C. These next 3 days are filled with a flurry of activity both here in Timmins as the racers, coaches and technicians make final travel preparations, and also at the race venue, Prince George B.C. where hundreds of volunteers are preparing for the arrival of the various provincial teams and delegations.
There are some ongoing challenges vis-à-vis the weather and snow conditions, but the organizing committee have mobilized the community and all venues should be race ready by weeks end.
Here in Timmins, the Porcupine Ski Runners (PSR) Racing Team will be departing Timmins Airport Friday morning at 6:00 AM. The team of 8 racers, 2 coaches and 1 technical support person will arrive in Prince George in the early evening that same day. The entire team have spent the last week fine tuning all aspects of their technique for both the Classic and Freestyle (Skate) races they will compete in over the next 10 days.
Racing will begin on Sunday Feb 27th with the Open and Challenge Classic Relays. Tuesday March 1 will be the Individual Classic races, Wednesday is the Pursuit Freestyle, Friday the Sprint Classic and on Sunday March 6th the Mass Start Freestyle Distance races.
During the "Nationals" I will be in Prince George sending you results, background stories, information and updates so that you can use this material as you see fit to keep your various audiences up to date on the happenings in Prince George. Listed below are the contact #'s where I may be reached, AS OF 9:00 PM PACIFIC TIME SUNDAY FEBRUARY 27TH. (These #'s are at a private B&B residence) From there I will be able to direct access to the coaches and athletes as they may be available considering their ongoing training, rest periods and of course the races themselves.
February 15, 2005 - Jack Yard, Publicity Chairman
Ontario University Championships
Hello everyone.
