The Kikino Northern Lights Nordic Ski Club is sending four athletes to the Alberta Winter Games this February
Local students Shaylee Cardinal (say the al like it’s French), Kian Cardinal, Sophia Blyan, and Troy Cardinal will soon be off to Medicine Hat competing against the province’s best.
That’s only one small bit of the story. Since the skiing club got started about six years ago, the sport has gone from non-existent in the settlement to having 120 skiers in a town with less than a thousand people. Attendance at the school has improved dramatically, disciplinary incidents are way down, and the club is quickly making a name for itself as an example of how to promote skiing to a whole new generation.
Principal Laurie Thompson says the kids aren’t too worried about the stiff competition they’ll be up against. It’s all about personal improvement.
The games will run from the 13th to the 16th next month.