For Release: February 24th, 2000

Organizers for next week's O.F.S.A.A. Nordic Ski Championships have had their worse fears realized: rain!

This week's mild temperatures and precipitation have wreaked havoc with technical committee efforts to make the trails in the best condition possible to suit a championship of this magnitude and significance. To make matters worse, warm temperatures are predicted through the weekend with a projected high on Saturday of 8 degrees!

But the news, according to Convener Mary Waddell, is not all bad: "There are certainly measures we can take to minimize the damage to the trails. We have our committee members on stand-by - with shovels - in case we need to move some of the white stuff around to accomodate any of the areas that may have thinned out. I have every confidence that come the first race next Thursday, the racers won't even realize that we have had extremely mild temperatures this week."

And its all systems "go" for the championship next week according to Convener Waddell. Individual races begin Thursday afternoon with team relay races slated for Friday from 10am to 1:30pm. Says Waddell, "I would really encourage people to come out and watch the relays on Friday. They are an extremely exciting part of the championship and there are several excellent vantage points which can be accessed by non-skiers."

Spectators to the event should be prepared to park near the Medical Sciences Building at Laurentian University, then make the short walk up the track stadium where the actual races take place. The beauty of taking in this championship? Admission is totally free.

Another beauty of this championship will no doubt be the success of local athletes and teams. It's no secret that Lockerby Composite has quietly established dominance in this sport, both in Northern Ontario and Provincially, a dominance that will very likely be expanded at this year's O.F.S.A.A.

Why would I feel safe making this prediction? How about a Lockerby-led sweep of all age groups at both cities and N.O.S.S.A. in North Bay last week? How about six out of six individual race wins at cities, followed by five out of six at N.O.S.S.A.?

I spoke to Coach Paul Brunelle to get some thoughts about his team's chances for success at O.F.S.A.A. next week: "I think we're gaining momentum just at the right time and I feel good about our chances at O.F.S.A.A. The students have been training very hard and I'm extremely pleased with their overall progress. We could very well be heading towards some best-ever performances next week."

And for Lockerby, best-ever performances could mean some world-class times!

On tap tonight is a pair of game twos in Senior Hockey Championship Final action. In the best of three Division II series, College Notre Dame travels to the Confederation Arena to take on the Chargers at 3pm, while in Division I, those surprising St. Benedict Bears host the St. Charles Cardinals at 8pm in the Countryside Arena. Both the Alouettes and Bears will be out to equalize matters having dropped their first games, 4-3 in overtime and 4-2 respectively.

Tonight's line-up of games also includes the Boys' Basketball Division II Championship Finals at ESC L'Heritage, the Boys' Midget Basketball Semi Finals at Lockerby, Girls' Hockey quarter finals at Cambrian and Carmichael Arenas and Girls' Division I Volleyball Semi Finals at Lo-Ellen (double header), Champlain and Marymount Academy.

And on Saturday, the Championship Finals will be hosted in Boys' Midget, Junior and Senior Division I Basketball beginning at 12pm, as well as Girls' Junior and Senior Division I Volleyball Finals, beginning at 4pm. The sites of both sets of games will be the highest placing Senior team's gym, according to the regular season standings.

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