Skiers from Thunder Bay's National Team Development Centre set to race with world's best

Lisle Comptonfrom Kenora, Ontario, is about to compete against some of the world's best cross-country skiers.

The 18-year-old is among the five athletes fromthe National Team Development Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont., who have qualified to race at the Nordic Junior and Under 23 World Ski Championships, which gets underwayin Park City, Utah on Monday.

Compton, who has been with the development centre for less than a year, said when she qualifiedat the U.S. National Championships in January, she exceeded her own expectations.

"I was really excited," she said."I definitely wasn't expecting [to qualify]and so it was just a huge surprise."

In Park City, she and the other athletes will face tough competition on a challenging course, said Timo Puiras, head coach with the National Team Development Centre in Thunder Bay.

"The courses there are on the Olympic courses from 2002, so they will be quite difficult. They're also quite high altitude-wise at 1,600 metres. Thunder Bay's at around 400 metres, so we will need to be able to adjust to that altitude,"he said.

After the Olympics and the senior world championships, the world juniors is "about as big as it gets for under 20 and under 23-year-old athletes," he said.

AnnikaRichardson, 19, who moved from Vancouver to train in Thunder Bay last year, said she's preparing to facea very tough field.

"Last year I actually competed for Canada at youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, so that was kind of my first taste of international competition," she said.

"I think the competition will actually be even steeper at world junior championships," Richardson said."So it'll be probably the biggest race I've ever attended, and I'm just looking forward to seeing what I can do."

The other athletes from Thunder Bay's National Team Development Centre who are competing in Park City are Julian Smith from Oxendon, Ont.; Katherine Stewart-Jones from Chelsea, Que. and Evan Palmer-Charette of Thunder Bay. Jennifer Jackson, who trains with Lappe Nordic Ski Club in Thunder Bay also qualified.

The competition takes place from Jan. 30 - Feb. 5.