Submitted
Quinn Morgan and Ben Gadd attended the Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships in Gatineau Quebec from March 12 to 20.
Races were held at the Nakkertok Nordic Centre. Gadd and Morgan both raced in a total of five races over the championships in the junior boy and girl categories. They raced both sprint and distance races (1.0 km to 15 km long) in both skate and classic techniques. This championship is the final series of races in a season that started in November. They raced in the NorAm series, BC Cup Series, and attended the U23 Trials in Canmore. Morgan and Gadd are members of the Kimberley Nordic Race Team, but live in Golden and train locally. Training is year round and involves running, mountain biking, road cycling, roller skiing, strength, and skiing on the Golden Nordic Club trails. Both Morgan and Gadd had a very positive time with great results. Morgan finished with top 10s and a top five for her races which resulted in a third place aggregate award for her age category. She was very happy with her win in the B Final for the junior girl individual sprints. Gadd and Sydney Wilson of Kimberley finished first in the mixed challenge team sprint which resulted in a gold medal for them. Gadd raced well in the Junior Boys Category with personal bests in all his races.
“For myself, the races proved exciting and challenging on the narrow trails. This led to more than a few wipeouts. I learned about persevering and digging deep to do my best,” Morgan said. “Ski Nationals is the one event that brings skiers together from across the country. Therefore, the chances to learn and race with talented skiers were frequent. The week ended fabulously with all four Kimberley racers going home with medals.”
