Quinn Czerny has been Nordic skiing for the better part of 10 years and for her, it’s as much a mental game as it is physical. “You get to a point where you want to stop but you have to tell yourself you have to keep going,” she said in an interview with simcoe.com. Korpi signed up for the ski team in Grade 9. In addition, he is also a member of the swim, cross-country running and track and field teams.
Czerny of Collingwood and Jake Korpi of Wasaga Beach are both Grade 12 students at Collingwood Collegiate Institute and members of the Nordic ski team, who will host the provincial championships on Feb. 28 and March 1 at Highlands Nordic in Duntroon. “I like endurance sports and I like to push myself to see what my limits are,” he said.
Czerny started skiing as a youngster with her family and she always enjoyed the sport. “It’s a unique sport,” she said. “You always want to challenge yourself and I guess that’s what makes it fun.” She said there is a lot of off-season training involved with the sport, as building endurance is important. Czerny has had a successful year, recently finishing first at the Georgian Bay championships which took place on Feb. 15.
The CCI team has had a successful run over the past few years, bringing home six provincial titles from last year’s championships. This year, more than 700 athletes from across the province will visit the area — making this the largest high school Nordic ski event in North America. The CCI team is coming off a strong showing at the regional championships winning five categories.
Hewitt said Korpi and Czerny have seen success because of their commitment. He estimates Korpi has had more than 100 practices in his four-year tenure and he has coached Czerny since she was young. Korpi is hoping to have a strong showing in what could be his final race.
“It’s weird to think it’s been four years,” he said. “It’s bittersweet.”