Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club Successfully Hosted Ontario Cup #3 to Open 2026 in Sault Ste Marie

Posted On: February 4, 2026
Posted By: Saultsports
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The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club successfully hosted Ontario Cup #3 from January 16-18, 2026 as part of Cross Country Ski Ontario’s event series. The ski club, founded in the 1950s by Finnish immigrants, has long provided recreational and competitive cross-country skiing in Sault Ste. Marie, and has built and maintained trails through partnerships with community organizations like the Kinsmen Club of SSM, SSM Regional Conservation Authority, Ministry of Natural Resources, and local landowners.

Ontario Cup #3 attracted 290 athletes from 21 ski clubs across Ontario, along with over 100 coaches and support staff, family and friends, filling local hotels and restaurants for several days.

Among the visiting coaches were three Soo Finnish alumni: Adam Kates and Matt Cuddy, both now coaching in Thunder Bay, and Wayne Dustin who coaches in Ottawa. Wayne represented Sault Ste. Marie and Canada at the 1988 Calgary and 1992 Albertville Olympic Games.

Competing on the weekend were 57 athletes from Soo Finnish under the leadership of Head Coach Declan MacDougall and a team of dedicated volunteer coaches and wax technicians, as well as 5 more local athletes from the newly formed St. Joseph Island Nordic Ski Club.

Soo Finnish skiers delivered strong performances on their home trails, putting up impressive race results and using this opportunity to learn through experience. Soo Finnish skiers earned podium finishes, personal bests, and showed clear signs of progress across all age categories.

Notably, two of our U18 and U16 athletes, Kate de Beer and Jasper Tchir not only won their events but set the fastest times of the weekend, outperforming even the U23/Open and CCUNC (University) categories. Coach Declan reported that, “Racing at home was a treat, supported by volunteers, coaches, and cheering spectators, making the success even more meaningful.”

Podium Results:

Niilo Luomaranta – U10 Boys – 3rd 500 m Interval Start Free
Owen Teresinski – U10 Boys – 3rd 2 km Interval Start Classic
Lucy Simpson – U10 Girls – 3rd 2 km Interval Start Classic
Elodie Benac – U12 Girls – 2nd 500 m Interval Start Free, 3rd 2 km Interval Start Classic
Gwendolyn Tchir – U14 Girls – 2nd 500 m Interval Start Free, 2nd 4 km Interval Classic
Xiaokang Cui – U14 Boys – 1st 500 m Interval Start Free, 1st 500 m Team Sprint, 2nd 4km Classic Interval Start
Theo Swiderski – U14 Boys – 1st 500 m Team Sprint
Jasper Tchir – U16 Boys – 1st 800 m Interval Start Free, 1st 10 km Interval Start Classic
Myka Broad – U18 girls – 3rd 800 Team Sprint
Kate de Beer – U18 Girls – 1st 800 m Interval Start Free, 3rd 800 m Team Sprint, 1st 10km Interval Start Classic
Matteo Reich – Senior Men – 2nd 800 m Interval Start Free, 1st 10 km Interval Start Classic
Philip Wiebe – Master Men – 3rd 10 km Interval Start Classic

The club would like to send a special thanks to over 100 enthusiastic volunteers who brought this race to life. t

One of our senior team athletes, Kate de Beer, travelled to Canmore, Alberta to race at the 2026 Nordiq Canada World Junior/U23 Trials and Western Championships on January 29-February 1. The grade 12 student Superior Heights Collegiate and Vocational raced above her age in the U20 category and was able to garner an impressive 15th in the 10 km Classic Interval Start. She delivered a strong effort in the 1.3 km Free Technique Sprint Qualifier, finishing 37th and narrowly missing qualification for the heats by just 1.56 seconds, and finished 36th on Sunday’s 20 km mass start in free technique.

Racing continues for many of our Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Team athletes with the: