December 12, 2008
NORDIC WOLVES PREPARING FOR SKI SEASON
THUNDER BAY, Ont. - After yet another successful 2007-08 season which saw both men's and women's teams capture an unprecedented fourth straight OUA title, the Lakehead Thunderwolves nordic ski team has begun training as a group in preparation for what looks to be another great year on the ski trails.
With the departure of long-time coach Lisa Patterson, the Thunderwolves will look to former national team member Adam Kates for guidance. A former national champion, Kates brings a wealth of racing experience to a talented and proven Lakehead squad.
"We have a great group of athletes here who have shown that they can compete with the best university skiers in the country," said Kates, who hopes to follow in Patterson's footsteps by leading the team to title defences. "Lisa set the bar very high in terms of results and it is my job to come in and continue the tradition."
Kates will also rely heavily on assistant coach Frank Luckai for guidance and support throughout the year. Luckai, a member of the Forestry Department at Lakehead, brings a wealth of coaching and leadership experience; having been the Nordic Wolves right hand for a number of years.
This year, the women's team will also look to defend their CIS-CCUNC national championship; something they have won five consecutive times. They will be led by returning star Anna Crawford, who showed her dominance by winning two gold at the season ending CIS-CCUNC championships at the 2010 Olympic venue in Crawford, B.C. Crawford will team up with a stellar cast including 2008 OUA All-Star Kaylie Iserhoff (also a varsity runner for Lakehead cross-country), returning 2007 OUA All-Star Mallory Deyne, Linnea Kershaw, Ava Rudachyk, Amanda Holdsworth, Katherine Hall and Lauren Stoot, as well as a host of promising freshmen including Canmore, Alta. native Hillary Schrama and local Thunder Bay junior star Brit Bailey.
The Wolves again have fallen victim to their own success, as has been seen often in the past, the team lost another skier to the National Team Development Centre squad; this time 2008 OUA MVP Christina Groulx. Although Groulx's loss is a big one; the roster looks solid and ready to contend again this year.
On the men's side, Thunder Bay natives and 2008 OUA All-Stars Chris Hamilton and Scott Sullivan will lead a talented squad in defence of their OUA team title. The duo finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the race for the 2008 overall OUA individual title, with Hamilton being named OUA MVP, and this year they will again anchor the Wolves. Ghislain DeLaplante, another 2008 OUA All-Star, also returns, as well as returning skiers Mathew Cuddy and Rob Martin who will also add punch to an already potent Thunderwolves attack. Kates will also look to newcomers Jake Porter and Jon Winter, both new recruits from North Bay as well as promising local Lachlan "LA" Armstrong to bring energy and to solidify the team's title defence.
The team has begun holding practices and has been training hard throughout the fall in preparation for the upcoming race season. The travel roster will be trimmed in late January after one of the two OUA qualifying meets in preparation for the OUA Championships in February to be hosted by the University of Waterloo in Haliburton, Ont. and for the Canadian Colleges and Universities National Championships in March which will be staged as part of the Canadian National Nordic Ski Championships in Duntroon, Ont.
Source: Thunderwolves Athletics
With the departure of long-time coach Lisa Patterson, the Thunderwolves will look to former national team member Adam Kates for guidance. A former national champion, Kates brings a wealth of racing experience to a talented and proven Lakehead squad.
"We have a great group of athletes here who have shown that they can compete with the best university skiers in the country," said Kates, who hopes to follow in Patterson's footsteps by leading the team to title defences. "Lisa set the bar very high in terms of results and it is my job to come in and continue the tradition."
Kates will also rely heavily on assistant coach Frank Luckai for guidance and support throughout the year. Luckai, a member of the Forestry Department at Lakehead, brings a wealth of coaching and leadership experience; having been the Nordic Wolves right hand for a number of years.
This year, the women's team will also look to defend their CIS-CCUNC national championship; something they have won five consecutive times. They will be led by returning star Anna Crawford, who showed her dominance by winning two gold at the season ending CIS-CCUNC championships at the 2010 Olympic venue in Crawford, B.C. Crawford will team up with a stellar cast including 2008 OUA All-Star Kaylie Iserhoff (also a varsity runner for Lakehead cross-country), returning 2007 OUA All-Star Mallory Deyne, Linnea Kershaw, Ava Rudachyk, Amanda Holdsworth, Katherine Hall and Lauren Stoot, as well as a host of promising freshmen including Canmore, Alta. native Hillary Schrama and local Thunder Bay junior star Brit Bailey.
The Wolves again have fallen victim to their own success, as has been seen often in the past, the team lost another skier to the National Team Development Centre squad; this time 2008 OUA MVP Christina Groulx. Although Groulx's loss is a big one; the roster looks solid and ready to contend again this year.
On the men's side, Thunder Bay natives and 2008 OUA All-Stars Chris Hamilton and Scott Sullivan will lead a talented squad in defence of their OUA team title. The duo finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the race for the 2008 overall OUA individual title, with Hamilton being named OUA MVP, and this year they will again anchor the Wolves. Ghislain DeLaplante, another 2008 OUA All-Star, also returns, as well as returning skiers Mathew Cuddy and Rob Martin who will also add punch to an already potent Thunderwolves attack. Kates will also look to newcomers Jake Porter and Jon Winter, both new recruits from North Bay as well as promising local Lachlan "LA" Armstrong to bring energy and to solidify the team's title defence.
The team has begun holding practices and has been training hard throughout the fall in preparation for the upcoming race season. The travel roster will be trimmed in late January after one of the two OUA qualifying meets in preparation for the OUA Championships in February to be hosted by the University of Waterloo in Haliburton, Ont. and for the Canadian Colleges and Universities National Championships in March which will be staged as part of the Canadian National Nordic Ski Championships in Duntroon, Ont.
Source: Thunderwolves Athletics
