May 28, 2010   (Duntroon, ON) – With the windchill, the temperature at the startline is -30 degrees. Snow whips off banks and fills tracks. Skiers shiver, jumping up and down trying to avoid frostbite. Yet each winter in these frigid conditions for so many decades, there was one calm person standing at the start – just as he would be standing at the finishline when the race was completed with clipboard and stop-watch in hand. If the race was in Southern Ontario, and in the Collingwood area in particular where he was inducted into the their Hall of Fame, Jim Sinclair was there, and so was his family – wife Audrey, and children Larry, Shelly and Shawn.

The ski community mourns the loss of one of its greatest contributors as Mr. Sinclair (which is how most of us addressed him when we raced against his kids) passed away on April 26. A celebration of his life will be held at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, Ontario, on Sunday, May 30, from 1:30-4:00 pm.

Highlands Nordic was created by the Sinclair’s vision, skill and commitment to the skiing community they helped build over the past forty years. If you were there at the end of the day when the sun fell behind the escarpment and the snow turned grey/blue, there was a good chance you would see Mr. Sinclair walking with a load of wood, or a shovel, or a smile.

It is hard to imagine how Nordic skiing in Ontario would have grown without this pioneer fueling it with passion. He developed a love for the sport while teaching in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and when he moved his family and profession to Collingwood, he brought that love with him. Collingwood Collegiate Institute became a hot-bed of fast skiers in the early 1970s, with Sinclair’s own children – Larry, Shelly and Shawn – leading the way for generations to follow. How fitting that there will be a bursary in his name set up at the high-school. Donations will be welcome at the celebration, or contact Highlands Nordic.

The Sinclairs were rooted in the old, sensible traditions of Nordic skiing, that was part of the foundation that put the sport on the map in Canada. In an earlier interview Jim said they didn’t have the $5 each for a lift ticket to Alpine ski, so out of necessity they developed the sport of cross-country skiing. And develop it they did. Highlands Nordic is a treasure in Southern Ontario with its homemade soup, cookies and banana bread, and real porcelain cups for tea. One feels as if you’re sitting in the Sinclair’s farmhouse and Mr. Sinclair has just brought in the smell of pinetar after preparing a pair of wooden racing skis.

Larry went on to coach the University of Guelph varsity xc ski team, the Ontario team, the national junior team, and plenty of area skiers who went on to compete at the international level. He also contributed to SkiTrax Magazine for many years

The Highland Nordic racing team always shines at every race and Shelly initiated the JackRabbit ski program there years ago. No matter how accomplished they are, they continue giving to the sport they love so much. This generation of Sinclairs is passing on their knowledge of the sport to their children just as their parents did with them. And along the way tens of thousands of skiers have been influenced over the years by their collective passion and deep love, love that began years ago, with Audrey and Jim Sinclair.