At the end of June, Colin Ferrie and Stefan Sander-Green begin the next stage of their cross-country skiing careers. They're heading off to the Callaghan Valley Training Centre in Whistler, B.C. Callaghan Valley is one of Cross Country Canada's four National Development Centres, which prepare young skiers for the Canadian National Ski Team.

Colin and Stefan were invited to the Centre because of their stellar results in the last three ski seasons. They've had 20 top-10 finishes at the last three Haywood National Ski Championships, including 2 gold and 3 silver medals. Both hit the podium at several NorAms and Western Canadian Championships this year. There are only 5 young men their age starting at National Development Centres this season. It's amazing that two are coming from Kimberley.

Stefan and Colin have been skiing together for a long time. They both started out in the Jackrabbit programme at age 4, and have never looked back. They were both racing by age 8, topping the podium in their first races. Through dominating the B.C. Midget Championships at age 10 and medalling at B.C. Cups, NorAms, and Western Canadian Championships, they've worked their way up to become B.C.'s top skiers in their age group.

This next step will see them join nine other athletes from B.C., Yukon, and Alberta in an intensive 10-month programme. They will be training twice a day, running, hiking, roller skiing, glacier skiing, and biking until there's snow on the trails at Whistler. Courtesy of the legacy from the 2010 Olympics, they will have access to one of the best training facilities in North America. The programme actually started in May. Stefan and Colin will join it as soon as they finish Grade 12. They'll be the youngest at the training centre, with excellent coaches and technical back-up.

Stefan and Colin are grateful to their long-time coaches, Paul Freeze and Bill Green, who have been instrumental in getting them this far. They would also like to thank all the community service groups, and Gerick Sports, who have helped them so far. They really appreciate all the support.