Events Archives - Cross Country Ski Ontario

XCSO KM Challenge Final Results

April 5, 2021/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

795,337 KM skied this season by our ski community. Thank you to everyone for participating! Final Results

Ontario Re-opening Information

February 11, 2021/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

Thank you to our ski community for their commitment and efforts during the Government of Ontario’s Stay at Home Order. The government has indicated that the province will transition to the familiar colour coded system in a staggered approach. As health units transition to the colour coded system, programming can begin once again with all relevant public health guidelines in place. Clubs and coaches/leaders should become familiar what is allowed based on your District’s Health Unit colour status (link below). Please be reminded that all members access their local trails only and do not travel to other areas of the province.

Government of ON COVID-19 response framework: keeping Ontario safe and open

Ontario Stay at Home Orders

January 13, 2021/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

The Government of Ontario has issued a Stay at Home Order (news release & regulation). At this time, cross country ski facilities (page 26) can remain open for exercise and mental health. Please note that in person team training, club programming, coaching courses continue to be prohibited. It is imperative that all members access their local trails only and do not travel to other areas of the province.

A note from XCSO Chair

Dear Skiers across Ontario:

This week, we have reached a new level of concern over the pandemic. We are in a critical situation in the province, and we need to do our best to participate in being the solution, and not contributing to the further spread.

And yet, here we all are, participating in a sport that is “Naturally Distanced”. On Sunday, for example, I skied over 40km in full compliance with social distancing requirements. It took an occasional pause on the trail, and a shared awkward nod now and again (usually to a faster skier), but that was what it took to participate in maintaining my health, my club members’ health, my community’s health.

XCSO has been engaging with the Ontario Government to maintain access to our facilities, because we can make the claim that we are naturally distanced, outdoors, and that facilities are able to manage capacity and flow. We have also prepared return-to-sport guidelines that have provided focus to our clubs and facilities, in accordance with the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Culture.

So, let’s all pull together for our communities, while maintaining our own fitness and mental health.

Angus Carr, XCSO Chair

KM Challenge Do’s & Don’ts

January 12, 2021/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

We are excited at the incredible interest in our KM Challenge. It is fantastic to see clubs embracing the ‘What We Can Do’ attitude! Due to the overwhelming interest, we have put together a do’s and don’ts list!

All Ontario Continues in Lockdown

January 8, 2021/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

All of Ontario continues in lockdown. Read the official regulation.

The good news continues to be that cross country ski facilities are able to remain open during the province wide lockdown announced yesterday by the Government of Ontario. Please note that team training, club programming, coaching courses etc are not allowed under the lockdown regulations.

Let’s take this time to get ready for our COVID Challenges (live links to each challenge embedded in the document). The Challenges are lockdown friendly and allow athletes to continue to log their KMs for the KM Challenge and do strava segments. The COVID Cups, which begin on January 16 & 17, are also possible with creative coach planning and athlete self timing.

Please follow the public health guidelines which include not travelling outside your region.

Ontario Goes Into Lockdown

December 22, 2020/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature /by Liz Inkila

Ontario goes into lockdown. Read the official Gov’t of ON Lockdown Slide deck.

The good news is that cross country ski facilities are able to remain open during the province wide lockdown announced yesterday by the Government of Ontario. Unfortunately, team training, club programming, coaching courses etc are not allowed under the lockdown regulations.

Lockdown is in place until January 9^th in Northern ON, and January 23 in Southern ON. Of course, these regulations may be extended. A list of Health Units considered to be in Southern ON is available in Appendix A.

Let’s take this time to get ready for our COVID Challenges (live links to each challenge embedded in the document). The Challenges are lockdown friendly and allow athletes to continue to log their KMs for the KM Challenge and do strava segments. The COVID Cups, which begin on January 16 & 17, are also possible with creative coach planning.

Please follow the public health guidelines which include not travelling outside your region. Athletes in the National Capital District are reminded of our QC-ON Border Training Guidelines.

Nordiq Canada/FIS Racing License Renewal

December 14, 2020/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature, Races /by Liz Inkila

FIS and Nordiq Canada race licenses must be active for athletes to retain their points on both the FIS points and Canada Point lists this season even if athletes are unable to attend an FIS or Nordiq Canada sanctioned competitions. The points systems will recognize active (paid for 2020/2021) race licenses only. If the license is not renewed, an athlete’s points from 2019-2020 will be dropped and will not be included in the monthly list updates going forward.

Not renewing your NC license will have implications next season for race seeding, so we encourage athletes and coaches to discuss what is best for them. For XCSO purposes, an active Nordiq Canada race license will not be an eligibility requirement for XCSO programming for the 2021-2022 season (next dryland season)

XCSO COVID Challenges – WHAT WE CAN DO!

December 10, 2020/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature, Races /by Liz Inkila

XCSO is excited to announce our 2020-2021 COVID Challenges! COVID cannot beat down the spirit of our clubs and their members. Please JOIN US in working towards challenges and races which WE CAN DO. More information is here

XCSO announces Financial Support for Youth, High Performance & Competition

December 4, 2020/in Athletes, Coaches, Development, Events, Feature, General /by Liz Inkila

On May 8, 2020, the Canadian Government announced $500 million providing temporary relief to support cultural, heritage and sport organizations. Cross Country Ski Ontario recently received our allocation of the funding through the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Culture Industries. XCSO will be investing the funds in 3 key areas of our sport: Youth, Competition and High Performance.

Youth have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19 pandemic. Our clubs offering skill development programming provide an essential role in developing youth in our community. To assist clubs in the delivery of programming under new restrictions and challenges, XCSO will be subsidizing $10 of the $15.50 bunnyrabbit, jackrabbit, and track attack enrolment fee. Clubs will see the subsidy when ordering their SDP materials in our online store.

Competition has been curtailed due to travel restrictions. Along with supporting a return to competition in the 2021-2022 season, XCSO will be investing in ‘Stay at Home’ racing options for this season. More details next week.

Athletes representing Canada on the international stage will have additional costs associated with travel. XCSO will provide additional funding to assist athletes with those additional costs. This funding will be provided through our International Travel Support Guidelines.

Please direct any question to Liz Inkila.

2021 Ontario Cups & Youth Championships CANCELLED

December 2, 2020/in Athletes, Coaches, Events, Feature, Races /by Liz Inkila

Cross Country Ski Ontario has made the difficult decision to cancel our 2021 Ontario Cup Series and Youth Championships due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty regarding travel restrictions. We know our community will be both disappointed and understanding given the gravity of our current situation with respect to the pandemic. We are working towards ‘stay at home’ racing and skiing challenges for our clubs & teams to engage with fun and enthusiasm. Our sport is well positioned given it’s outdoor nature and our strong protocols in place to guide competition and participation.

Here is a snapshot of our plans. XCSO will be reaching out through staff, our Board and Committees to engage clubs and teams in making the 2020/2021 season a memorable one based on what WE CAN DO.

COVID CUPS

Goal: Get all clubs/teams engaged in competition weekends throughout the winter in lieu of OCUPs and Youth Champs. A place for clubs to focus on the PROCESS of racing and a race weekend.

Kilometre Challenge

Goal: Engage everyone in the club to record their km and ski as much as possible over the course of the season

Strava Challenge

Goal: Engage the ski community in a challenge to work on speed in both sprint (or short) and distance. Clubs will provide a sprint course and a distance course and people will challenge themselves over the winter.

Stay tuned for more details.