Posted by Sudbury Northern Life
A Grade 5 student from Alexander Public School captured top honours in the Ontario Elementary Nordic Ski Championships, held March 5.
Nicholas Taillefer, a member of the Laurentian Nordic Ski Club, placed first in the junior boys' race held at Hardwood Hills near Barrie. More than 250 skiers from across Ontario participated in the event.
Nicholas' relay team, which consisted of four students, placed fourth provincially, missing third place by only one second.
The team consisted of Tim Tindall (independent) who came first in intermediate boys, Hailey Balaz (Marymount Academy) who placed second in senior girls, and Molly Kennedy (Pius XI) who had a very strong finish in intermediate girls. Dean Waddell, a graduate of Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, coached the team to victory.
Taillefer has been skiing since he could walk and has raced in many local meets and loppets, a press release stated. His passion for racing, however, has only recently been ignited.
In January, he raced at the Sophie Manarin Loppet at Laurentian University and placed second. Waddell noticed Nicholas' impressive style and invited him to ski competitively, to impressive results, the press release continued.
Nicholas raced at the Ontario Midget Championships in Sault Ste. Marie in February. Competing against boys who were a year older, he placed 13th in the skating category and 15th in the classic category.
