Subject: Skiing in Sault Ste Marie
Mayor John Rowswell and Councillors for Sault Ste. Marie
As an avid cross country skier from Elliot Lake, I have always taken at least two or three weekends per winter in Sault Ste Marie for the express purpose of skiing on the trails at Hiawtha Highlands/ Kinsmen Park. Every time I attend training weekends or races in the Soo, I spend one or two nights in a hotel, spend some time at Station Mall, spending money, eat in local restaurants and often buy ski supplies that are not available in Elliot Lake but which can be found at Duke of Windsor.
As a coach of high school cross country, I have brought my team of about 20 to 30 runners to the Trail Trot, a running race run by Soo Finnish, and to NOSSA Cross Country races at Kinsmen Park on at least 5 occasions in the 19 years I have coached in Elliot Lake, each time booking 5 to 7 hotel rooms.
As a swim parent, I have often spent an extra night in the Soo during winter swim meets just so that I could ski on the trails in question. The economic and social impact the Soo Finnish Ski Club has had on Sault Ste Marie by providing some of the best trails in Ontario has been incalculable.
The trails and the club programs you are considering abandoning are not just a Sault Ste Marie resource. People all over Ontario have benefitted from the strength and quality of the Soo Finnish Ski Club for many decades. People like myself from the North Shore are especially dependant on the club because our local clubs do not have the expertise nor the terrain to provide the excellence in skiing that Soo Finnish provides.
Here in Elliot Lake, we had a strong ski club in the late 80's and early 90's. When the city made a decision which forced us to abandon the trail network we had developed our club programs failed and our club folded. We have recently revised our club, but we no longer have the volunteer base or expertise to host events ar attract tourists to our town. Please do not make decisions lightly which may impact one of the strongest cultural icons in your city. When people from the rest of Ontario think of Sault Ste Marie, they think of the Soo Greyhounds and the Soo Finnish Ski Club. Please do not endanger a legacy that took many decades and thousands upon thousands of volunteer hours to build.
Peter Shipman
Elliot Lake, Ontario
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Follow-up note to Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club
I think you should really emphasize the impact your club has on the rest of us OUTSIDE of the Soo. To lose your trails, your races and your coaching clinics would really hurt the rest of us. And we DO spend a lot on money in the Soo every time we come. A typical race weekend usually costs me $ 200 to $ 300 with hotels, food, gas and spending money. If my letter is helpful, feel free to send it to the local media. When I first arrived in Northern Ontario in 1987, it was Melba Kinnunen and Helen Linfors who welcomed me and had a tremendous impact on my skiing and my coaching. Almost 20 years later, many members of your club are still helping my son and many others from outside the Soo as they are learning to race. Your club's legacy is way to big to lose. If there's anything we can do from outside the Soo to help, just call.
Peter Shipman
Elliot Lake, Ontario
