August 11, 2009 (Orangeville, ON) – There was a time when small clubs produced national team athletes. Orangeville District Secondary School in Ontario, with the help of two very keen volunteer high school coaches, helped three athletes qualify for the National Team.

The decade was the 80’s and the athletes were Al Pilcher, Ron Howden and Lisa Patterson. Howden represented Canada at the 1987 World Junior Championships before qualifying for the Great Britain team and skiing at the ’88 Olympics. Al Pilcher had a lengthy career on the National Team representing Canada at two Olympic Games in ’88 and ’92. And Lisa Patterson participated in the ’87 World Juniors and ’89 World Championships.

It was around this same time that these same two high school teachers decided that these athletes were due for some real ski trails to train on, other than the ditch around the soccer field. So Mono Nordic Ski Club was born.

Since then, the teachers have retired, and athlete production has slowed. Phil Wood, former NTDC-TBay skier and 2007 U23 World Championship skier and Jeff Ellis, currently an APU skier, and Brooke Gossling, 2008 National Group World Cup skier, are all products of Mono Nordic.

However, the club has had a deficit of athletes in recent years, likely to a few poor snow years, and the formation of a few large clubs in the region.

As a former athlete of the club who basked in the clubs success of the late ‘80’s, I had promised Mono Nordic to help formulate a full weekend camp. All in the hopes of helping the club rebuild to its past glory.

Under the direction of coaches John Ahokas (formerly of Big Thunder) and Scott Martin, we put together a packed weekend of skill and fitness development for the athletes. Saturday July 25th saw a group of 22 athletes meet for rollerskiing drills in the Hockley Valley followed by a lunch at the Patterson homestead, and concluded with a strength circuit and games. Sunday the camp shifted to Highlands Nordic in Duntroon whereby a small crowd of Highlands Trailblazers and a lone North Bay representative joined the Mono Nordic skiers. The athletes fought off the mosquitoes to hone their ski striding on the all too familiar hills of Highlands. Athletes received some inspiration from CCC’s Eastern High Performance Coordinator and then later set off on the rolling farming roads of the Niagara Escarpment for some skate roller skiing. The day narrowly finished before a torrential rain storm with the infamous Great Canadian Candy Scramble – enjoyable for all ages.

Many thanks to the coaches who assisted with this camp including University of Guelph coach, Richard Lay, and new Highlands Trailblazer coach, Jen Scholte.

Also, thanks to the volunteers who helped create Mono Nordic, especially the original two high school coaches, Ross Martin and Don Ellis.