LETTER TO THE EDITOR
As Chair of Cross Country Ontario (CCO), the recognized provincial sports organization for cross-country skiing in Ontario, I have been following the situation regarding ski trails in your city with some concern.
Elements of the situation in Sault Ste. Marie are quite familiar across CCO's 85 member clubs, especially the involvement of multiple partners: land-owners, ski-club, and local government entities. The general experience across our clubs is that the maintenance of club trails and facilities can be done much more effectively if that maintenance is done on a unified basis - and that is a service that is normally provided by the club, with their expertise and dedication to the sport.
The future of the ski-trails at Hiawatha Highland and the city of Sault Ste. Marie is of great importance to CCO. Ours is a sport which is rooted not as much in Canada's major population centres as in smaller cities and towns, such as North Bay, Timmins-Porcupine, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Barrie-Orillia, and Sault-Ste. Marie in Ontario; and similar places across Canada like Rimouski, QC, Vermilion and Canmore, Alberta, and Rossland and Prince George, BC.. It is in centres like these, in Canada's "snow-belt", where cross country skiing is most important as a community recreational activity, and which produce most of our National team and Olympic athletes. The Soo Finnish Ski Club has a distinguished record in this respect, including Adam Kates, current National Champion in the Senior Men's category, and Wayne Dustin, National Team member from 1982 to 1993, and an Olympian in 1988 and 1992. The programs run by Soo Finnish, from Jackrabbits to the high-school-age Racing Team, are typical of Cross Country Canada programs run by clubs all across Ontario and Canada as a whole.
Soo Finnish built the trails in the first place and has for many years proven its expertise and dedication in maintaining and grooming the trails, and running programs. The best solution for the ski community of Sault Ste. Marie would be for Soo Finnish to have the opportunity, the responsibility, and the civic support to manage the whole trail system.
In the past few days this issue seems to be evolving towards the inclusion of more stakeholders. I trust the City of Sault Ste. Marie, and the other organizations involved, will make the right decisions to maintain this prize facility.
Jim McCarthy
Chair
Cross Country Ontario
