THUNDER BAY – Kiera Hall said a fourth-place finish in Saturday's one-kilometre sprint race was a good start to her Ontario Winter Games.
It’s a pretty big platform, the Thunder Bay-area skier said, and as the seconds ticked down to the start of her race on Saturday at Lappe Nordic Ski Centre, the enormity of the event started to dawn on the 16-year-old Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute student.
“I forgot to tighten my boot a bit, so I was like, ‘Oh no, that might not be the best.’ But I like starting, it’s my favourite part, because you get to go super fast,” said Hall, who finished in a time of 2:44.21, making her the top qualifier in her region and earning her a spot on the Lake Superior Ski District’s top district relay team, alongside her Lappe Nordic teammates Hanna Abbink and Kai Hautala, and Big Thunder’s Rudy Balabuck.
They went on to win bronze, missing out on silver by 0.4 seconds
It’s a great opportunity, she added, not to mention really convenient.
“I think it’s nice that I don’t have to fly down to Ottawa. I can just come to Lappe, where I’ve been all my life, and just go,” she said.
Winning isn’t everything, though she wouldn’t turn down a medal, Hall said.
“Yeah, It would be nice. I don’t know if that will happen though,” she said.
Also competing in Saturday’s qualifier was Lappe Nordic’s Palmer Hunt, the third local qualifier, who crossed the finish line in 2:34.01, about 21 seconds behind Nakkertok Nordic’s Owen Siderius, the top qualifier for the district relay segment of the competition.
The 13-year-old Ecole Gron Morgan student said it was tough in the lead-up to the Ontario Winter Games, but it felt great getting out on the course and competing.
“And it’s nice to have it in my hometown of Thunder Bay,” Hunt said. “The build-up was quite hard.
“My goal is probably to win the race tomorrow, in the classic race.”
Nakkertok’s Ella Kantz took the female qualifier in a time of 2:39.46, edging out teammate Evelyn Davies by 0.44 seconds.
The skiing competition wraps up on Sunday with the five-kilometre interval start race.
