Alpine Ontario awards 2019 U14 championships to 2 Thunder Bay ski hills

Thunder Bay will host the 2019 Under 14 (U14) Provincial Alpine Ski Championships, Alpine Ontario announced Wednesday.

About 200 athletes from across Ontario will spend a week in March racing at Mount Baldy and Loch Lomond downhill ski facilities.

In recent years, Alpine Ontariohas focused on hosting events in locations all across the province, says Scott Barrett, the organization's executive director.

"Typically a lot of events would be held in southern Ontario in the 'Collingwood corridor,' we call it, and there are a lot of passionate ski clubs down there as well but also in other parts of the province and Thunder Bay is one of them," he said.

'Fantastic event'

This latest event builds on the momentum generated since 2015, when Thunder Bay hills hosted the Ontario U16 provincials and earned praise from across the country for the way it handled the 2017 U16 Canadian Nationals.

• Canada's best young alpine skiers to take to the slopes in Thunder Bay

"It was just a really fantastic event, " said Barrett. "A ton of volunteer work went into it, a huge amount of engagement from the local volunteers, a lot of sponsors got involved and it created a new standard in how events at that age, involving 14 and 15-year-olds, was run and the expectations going forward."

Barrett said its important that chapters like the Lake Superior Division Alpine (LSDA) have the opportunity to host major competitions on a regular basis.

"To come here every four years and say 'put on a big event' it's tough to build that capacity. So, the hope is that by coming back here every other year, or trying to get one major event in the calendar every year is that you build capacity."

Young skiers develop atraces'in their own backyard'

Local ski officials and Barrett agree that major races are also important for keeping young people interested in the sport.

"Young kids seeing it, they can feel it and touch it because it's in their own backyard and the hope is obviously that the growth of the sport builds."

Based on previous downhill events, the economic impact on Thunder Bay of a large ski race is estimated to be about $600,000.