Sault College Adventure Challenge
Survivor Man and 200 High School Students
Nadine Robinson / 01.05.2007
It\'s the final countdown to the first-ever provincial adventure race for high school students, where close to 200 students will descend on Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, ON, on May 5-6, 2007.The Sault College Adventure Challenge has reached its goal of attracting high school participants province-wide, with teams registered from the following Ontario cities: Aurora, Almonte, Beaverton, Blind River, Cavan, Cobden, Cobourg, Desbarats, Elliot Lake, Goulais River, Huntsville, Innisfil, Iroquois Falls, Little Current, Lively, Marathon, Millbrook, Mississauga, Newmarket, Ottawa, Pembroke, Ramore, Rosseau, Sault Ste Marie, South Porcupine, St. Catharines, Stayner, Terra Cotta, Timmins, Vittoria, Wawa.
There are 65 teams registered in the following three categories: 20 co-ed teams, 11 female teams and 34 male teams. There are 17 teams traveling from Sault Ste. Marie. Also of note, Aurora High School has 10 teams registered to compete in Sunday\'s race, and their teachers are registered in the Saturday adventure race for adults. \"Our students are so excited about this opportunity and can\'t wait to get there and participate - we\'ve been preparing for weeks,\" said Marcus Olson, phys-ed and outdoor education teacher, Aurora High School.
Les Stroud, TV\'s Survivorman, is endorsing the race and will be on hand to meet participants and speak at the Awards dinner on Sunday. Stroud will also be performing with the Northern Pikes on Saturday evening (purchased tickets required - contact Deerhurst Resort).
Saturday May 5th, students are encouraged to participate in free workshops to prepare them for the race on Sunday. Ray Zahab, an adventure athlete who recently finished running across the Sahara Desert, and Scott Ford, currently racing around the world keeping Canada in the ranks of elite racers, will lead the biking session. Navigation training will be provided by Dave Zietsma, one of Canada\'s most accomplished and experienced racers. Bill Trailing, an internationally competitive paddler, and Karen Lukonovich, former Olympic paddler who is now developing equipment for adventure racing, will run the paddling session.
The race expected to start at 10:00 am on Sunday May 6th, has been designed as a fun, safe, first step into adventure racing, by internationally acclaimed course designer and racer Lawrence Foster (who teaches Geology, Outdoor Recreation, Lab Research Techniques, and Ecotourism at Sault College). \"The first teams are expected to finish in around three hours, as the race covers approximately 30-40 km of terrain,\" says Foster.
The Sault College Adventure Challenge will be run with over 10 years of safety and experience from Frontier Adventure Racing (FAR). Esprit Rafting Company will have 4 water safety guides on-site during the competition to shadow students on the water sections. Other safety personal will be posted throughout the course at all times to ensure the safety of all participants. Over 30 Sault College staff and students are volunteering for the event, in addition to 11 medics, and FAR staff and volunteers.
The awards banquet will begin at 5:00 pm on Sunday. Winners and photos of the event will be posted on the college website at Sault College Adventure. See All Event Posts
