Classic Sprint Day Brings Speed and Strategy
THUNDER BAY — Day two of Ontario Cup #2 delivered exactly what fans love about sprint racing: tight margins, quick tactics, and head-to-head drama.
Saturday’s racing at Lappe Ski Centre featured classic technique sprint qualifiers in the morning, followed by the crowd-favourite King’s Court heats—an elimination-style sprint format that keeps the pressure on every round.
What Is the “King’s Court” Format?
In King’s Court, athletes advance through multiple rounds of sprint heats. Win your heat, and you earn the right to keep moving forward—eventually getting a shot to challenge the “King” later in the progression. It’s fast, unforgiving, and a perfect fit for sprint specialists who can handle repeated high-intensity efforts.
Saturday Winners: Classic Sprint Results
Top finishers in Saturday’s classic sprint events included:
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U14 Girls: Forest Wheeler (Lappe Nordic)
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U14 Boys: Xiaokang Cui (Soo Finnish Nordic)
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U16 Girls: Abigail Skomoroh (Big Thunder Nordic)
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U16 Boys: Jasper Tchir (Soo Finnish Nordic)
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U18 Girls: Anna Liisa Vurma (Team Hardwood)
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U18 Boys: Percy Wiersma (Team Hardwood)
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U20 Women: Tzipi Levkoe-Stephens (Lappe Nordic)
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U20 Men: Willem Abbink (Lappe Nordic)
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Senior Women: Mia Sawatsky (Boundary Trails Nordic)
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Senior Men: Luke Pollex (Big Thunder Nordic)
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Master Men: Werner Schwar (Lappe Nordic)
Thunder Bay Athletes Stack Podiums
Local racers turned in a strong day across the age categories, collecting a long list of podium finishes:
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U14 Girls: Forest Wheeler (1st) and Maren McMahon (2nd), both Lappe Nordic
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U14 Boys: Carter Cameron (Big Thunder Nordic) took 2nd
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U16 Girls: Abigail Skomoroh (Big Thunder Nordic) captured 1st
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U16 Boys: Palmer Hunt (Big Thunder Nordic) finished 2nd
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U18 Boys: Nigel Kingston (Lappe Nordic) earned 3rd
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U20 Women: Tzipi Levkoe-Stephens (1st) and Ruth Zavitz (2nd), both Lappe Nordic
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U20 Men: Willem Abbink (Lappe Nordic) won, with Willem van Duyn (Big Thunder Nordic) 3rd
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Senior Women: Sophia Marshall (Big Thunder Nordic) 2nd, Sarah Peters (Lappe Nordic) 3rd
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Senior Men: Big Thunder’s Luke Pollex 1st and Johann Taylor-Gregg 2nd
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Master Men: Werner Schwar (Lappe Nordic) closed the day with victory
Sunday Finale: Free Technique Mass Starts
Ontario Cup #2 wraps up Sunday with free technique mass start races, where skiers will go head-to-head off the line across multiple categories—setting the stage for one final day of fast racing and tactical battles.
Hosting and Results
The event is hosted by the Lakehead Superior Nordic Association (LSNA) in partnership with Lappe Nordic and Big Thunder Nordic Ski Clubs, with support from the Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC).
Full results are posted on the Zone4 event page (Zone4.ca)