For Release: March 3rd, 2000

One hundred and fifty chewed finger nails, one half pound of pulled hair and one venue change all add up to just one thing for the O.F.S.A.A. Nordic Ski 2000 Organizing Committee this week: the championship will proceed.

The warm temperatures and rain have cast quite a shadow over the event slated for today and tomorrow, but event Chair Mary Waddell, amid a flood of anxious phone calls, is pleased to report the 650 athletes registered for the event will indeed have a surface to ski on today.

The Windy Lake Ski Trails in Onaping Falls report a base of between 6" to 8" and although spring-like conditions are present, the actual condition of the trails are surprisingly good.

Some sixty schools from all across the Province will be participating, with the event social taking place at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary tonight. The Championships will wrap up tomorrow with relay races scheduled throughout the day.

N.O.S.S.A. EVENTS SLATED

If Northern Ontario high school championships are your bag, boy are you in for a treat this weekend.

As if four O.F.S.A.A. Championships weren't enough, the S.D.S.S.A.A. will be hosting five Winter Sport N.O.S.S.A. Championships this weekend (boy does my phone ring).

The Championships include: "A" Boys' Basketball at ES Hanmer, "AA" Boys' Basketball at Northeastern, "AAA" Boys' Basketball at Lasalle, "A" Girls' Volleyball at Chelmsford, and Boys' Hockey at the Countryside Arena.

Combined, the five championships will attract a total of twenty-three teams from outside the Region. For boys' basketball, the events will take place on Friday and Saturday, while the Girls' Volleyball action will be limited to Saturday. N.O.S.S.A. Hockey action begins next Tuesday.

Championship final games for basketball and volleyball are slated on Saturday as follows:

"A" Girls' Volleyball (Chelmsford) - Junior Final at 5pm, Senior at 6:30pm

"A" Boys' Basketball (Hanmer) - Midget Final at 1:15pm, Junior at 4:45pm and Senior at 3pm

"AA" Boys' Basketball (Northeastern) - Midget Final at 10am, Junior at 11:45am and Senior at 1:30pm

"AAA" Boys' Basketball (Lasalle) - Junior Final at 1pm, Senior at 3pm (no Midget AAA contested)

Winners in the Senior division earn the right to advance to their respective O.F.S.A.A. Championships hosted one week later at various sites.

To hockey we will go where the four teams (now three) remaining in the girls' loop are impressing all onlookers in their struggle to advance to the best of three S.D.S.S.A.A. Championship Finals next week.

Games have been close, hotly contested, well played and well attended. Tuesday afternoon, Notre Dame completed a two game sweep of the Lockerby Vikings (although by the slimmest of margins), 2-1 and 3-2. Marymount took the first game of their series against Lasalle 3-1, with the result of the second not known at press time.

Championship Finals begin next week with game one on Monday at 3:30pm in the Carmichael Arena, game two at 7:30pm in the Carmichael Arena and game three, if necessary, on Wednesday at 3:30pm in the Countryside Arena.

In boys' competition, St. Charles will be advancing to the N.O.S.S.A. Hockey Tournament as Sudbury's number one seed, by virtue of their three-game sweep over the Bears. The Bears will also advance as the number two seed from Sudbury, while the Soo rep has been determined the Eagles from Sir James Dunn. The North Bay representative will be the winner of the Scollard Hall/Chippewa series, expected to wrap up either Friday or Saturday.

N.O.S.S.A. Hockey action begins Tuesday, March 7th at 10am and continues through Wednesday, March 8th, with the Finals at 7pm. All games will be hosted in the Countryside Arena with game admission set at $3/student, and $4/adult (no tournament passes will be sold). Should either the Bears or the Cards manage to win the N.O.S.S.A. event, both teams would qualify to participate in O.F.S.A.A.

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