Thunder Bay welcomes 2015 cross-country ski nationals

Superior Morning8:48National Cross Country Ski Championships

Over 600 elite athletes are gathering for a big skiing competition in Thunder Bay.Eric Baliey and Andy Shields tell us about the National Cross Country Ski Championships.

Hundreds ofelite cross-country ski athletes from across Canada are gathering in Thunder Bay, Ontario this weekend for the 2015 Haywood Ski Nationals.

The competition is being hosted by the Lake Superior Nordic Ski Association from March 14 to 21 at the Lappe Nordic Ski Centre.

Performance at this event will play a large part in determining which of the 650 athletes will win a spot on next year's junior and senior national cross country ski teams, said Eric Bailey, a member of the local organizing committee.

"It's a huge event," said Bailey, adding that a year'sworth of preparation has gone into hosting the event in Thunder Bay.

"There's sort of a reputation that we have across the country for hosting some of the best events in the country and we do everything we can to uphold that standard every year," he said.

"Fingers crossed" for good weather

Recent warm weather has caused some concern about the skiing conditions, said Bailey, but at this pointthe race course is in good shape.

"So that even if we get a little bit of melting, I think we're going to be okay," he said.

"I think it's going to hold up nicely."