The Sault’s Kate DeBeer is eagerly looking forward to competing in the Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals March 17-23 in Canmore, Alberta.
The Superior Heights Grade 11 student earned her way to the Nationals after a top 10 finish at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Cross Country Ski Championships held in Sudbury on Feb. 20 and 21.
In the Senior Girls category, DeBeer took fifth place by skiing the 7km race with a time of 23:09.
“I love racing. There's always joy in getting to compete with a bunch of other really fast girls and to go my absolute hardest,” DeBeer told SooToday.
DeBeer learned to ski in the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club’s Jackrabbit program at the age of four and has been skiing competitively for the past seven years.
The 16-year-old has already experienced considerable success in competitive cross-country skiing.
“I've won a Tenaris Cross Country Ski Award the past two years in a row for Superior Heights. I've won at city competitions and NOSSA the past three years in a row. And I’ve placed second and third at OCUPs (Ontario Cup) this year,” DeBeer said.
She said her favourite ski race this season was at the Eastern Canada Championships held Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 in Mont-Sainte-Anne, 40 km northeast of Quebec City.
“I placed third in the sprint qualifiers and then fifth in the distance classic race – and I had a ton of fun there. It was with Ontario and Quebec and all of Eastern Canada. There was a lot of good competition, lots of really fast girls that you get to push yourself with and lots of girls that I don't usually get to race against. The course was really challenging and I like the more challenging hilly courses.”
Having competed at the Nationals in 2023 and 2024, DeBeer has trained hard and was set to leave for the 2025 Nationals in Canmore, Alberta this week.
“I'm feeling pretty good since the OCUPs earlier this year. I've had a good month of training and preparation. I'm feeling ready and I'm super excited about the Nationals.
"There’ll be a sprint classic, which is a bit over 1km, and then there's a 10km event. Then there's a 15 km classic and a mixed relay.”
Training takes a lot of time, effort and commitment.
“During race season, I go to school. I'll come home. I'll usually eat dinner and then I'll go out and practice. The practices on school nights are usually an hour and a half to two hours long. Then I usually go home and stretch and then go to bed as early as I can,” DeBeer said.
Amazingly, she also finds time to do her homework.
During the summer months, she runs, cycles, roller skis and works out at the gym.
DeBeer has also successfully competed at OFSAA in track and field events.
Stating that she wants to continue skiing competitively once she reaches the post-secondary level of her education, DeBeer said she has enjoyed the support of her parents and coaches.
She said training and competing hard in cross-country skiing and track and field has helped her to be disciplined in all areas of her life.
“Most of the time, I really like training, but there are some days where it's really hard to get out, but I do it anyway.
"It really helps me with my determination. And I meet lots of new people through skiing, which has really widened my outlook on life too.”