It was sure looking like nine year-old Jamie Kerckhoff might be tapping into her comfort on water skis a lot earlier than expected.

But with Mother Nature holding off on the mild weather for a few extra days last week, Kerckhoff and the balance of the skiers taking part in the 2024 Capreol Cross-Country Elementary Ski Loppett hosted by the Rainbow District School Board were able to squeeze in a second set of races in February.

For the grade four student at Walden Public School, that would mean parlaying a little experience that she gained competing at the Ontario Cup meet on the weekend in Naughton to a first place finish in the grade 3/4 girls division Monday in the other corner of the region.

Still, if the snow had melted, no big deal for the youngster who excels on skis of any kind.

"Water skiing I love, just because you're skiing on water - and you can ski in the summer," said Kerckhoff. "With downhill skiing, you have to bend your knees more and cross-country skiing, you have to tuck a little bit on the hills."

"Doing all of the skiing helps me with my balance, a lot," she added.

Ironically, Kerchoff finished fifth a couple of weeks earlier at the 2024 Walden Cross-Country Loppett on her home turf, but bounced back to lead the way on trails that she has only skied once before - at the Capreol Loppett last year.

"These trails are a little different than Walden," she noted. "They aren't as hilly and Walden has much more trees."

Still, before long, Kerckhoff will attempt to conquer a few waterways across the province, providing her with a nice solid foundation when the snow eventually flies once again next winter.

"When I first learned to water ski, I would tip over, every time," she explained. "But now I stay up for a whole three minutes. My mom has a boat that can pull me and my grandpa has a boat that can pull me."

"Down near Huntsville, there are a lot of good lakes," Kerchoff continued. "Fairbanks is windy, but now I can go over big waves. I can go over the biggest waves. Sometimes, I almost fall over - but not usually."

As noted above, the races in Capreol marked the second of the series of two competitions that we staged recently for the pre high-school nordic ski crowd.

Following are results from both events, broken down by division:

Girls - Grade 3/4
Walden Loppett - 1st - Olivia Luoma (Algonquin); 2nd - Rosalyn Godwin (Beattie); 3rd - Danica Zanini (Beattie)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - Jamie Kerckhoff (Walden); 2nd - Ciara Hanley (Beattie); 3rd - Danica Zanini (Beattie)

Boys - Grade 3/4
Walden Loppett - 1st - William Nichols (Beattie); 2nd - William Walker (MacLeod); 3rd - Eli McClanaghan (Beattie)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - William Nichols (Beattie); 2nd - William Walker (MacLeod); 3rd - Blake Horne (Algonquin)

Girls - Grade 5/6
Walden Loppett - 1st - Daviy Dale (Beattie); 2nd - Georgia McShane (Beattie); 3rd - Simone Thompson (MacLeod)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - Daviy Dale (Beattie); 2nd - Simone Thompson (MacLeod); 3rd - Georgia McShane (Beattie)

Boys - Grade 5/6
Walden Loppett - 1st - Ryan Pineau (Beattie); 2nd - Tyce Cousineau (Walden); 3rd - Rohan Saidi-Smith (Beattie)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - Ryan Pineau (Beattie); 2nd - Rohan Saidi-Smith (Beattie); 3rd - Joe Zito (Algonquin)

Girls - Grade 7/8
Walden Loppett - 1st - Julia Masters (Lo-Ellen); 2nd - Emma Mourre (MacLeod); 3rd - Charlotte Seguin (Lo-Ellen)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - Julia Masters (Lo-Ellen); 2nd - Emma Mourre (MacLeod); 3rd - Charlotte Seguin (Lo-Ellen)

Boys - Grade 7/8
Walden Loppett - 1st - Julian Luoma (Algonquin); 2nd - Eden Abols (Lo-Ellen); 3rd - Warner Bain (Lasalle)
Capreol Loppett - 1st - Julian Luoma (Algonquin); 2nd - Warned Bain (Lasalle); 3rd - Bradley Eady (Lasalle)