Written by AOA Executive Director Scott Barrett. 
After a tough first day at Camp Fortune with winds too high to allow for racing we returned to find bright blue skies, cold temps, less wind and a rock hard surface! Perfect racing conditions actually for mid-March in Ontario.

Tundra is a word a few of us used to describe what the 250 U14 athletes from all 4 AOA divisions encountered on the black diamond runs Canadian, The Chute and Swan Dive. For those of us standing hillside the ‘chatter’ and sheer ice showing through the snow reminded us of just how hard this course was for these youngsters. Add to this the dump of snow on Tuesday night and the kids were faced with terrain that moved from icy steeps to a bend of softer snow and back on to a 2nd steep pitch of ice.

It was a very long day – 250 kids will make it a long day – and I’m glad for daylight savings allowing us to continue well past 4pm! I hope racers and spectators appreciated the idea to run a training run – gate-free – prior to the actual race starting after lunch. Again big thanks to the many volunteers, jury, coaches who grabbed a rake/shovel and worked so hard keeping the track safe.

I emphasize again that the SuperG was not an easy race so all racers, regardless of their result, should be proud of facing this square on and not letting fear overtake (it’s not easy I know!).

Congrats to podium winners Day 1 at the Mackenzie Investments U14 Provincials:

WOMEN
1 Stewart, Natalie – Craigleith/SOD 41.35
2 Eastwood, Gabby – Georgian Peaks/SOD 41.75
3 Kiss, Cadence – Alpine Ski Club/SOD 41.82

MEN
1 Blandford, Kyle – Toronto Ski Club/SOD 39.21
2 Keller, Maximus – Craigleith/SOD 40.27
3 Gatcliffe, James – Georgian Peaks/SOD 41.03