Four Richview Collegiate snowboarders are the best in the province.
Alex Colson, Blake Whitely, Tyler Seager and Alexander Karauskas won gold at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) giant slalom snowboarding event on March 4 held at Georgian Peaks in Collingwood.
"The amazing part is they are all Grade 10 students," said coach Adrian Nunes, adding Richview competed at OFSAA last year, but didn't finish in the top 10.
Richview's top rated snowboarder, Julian Suszao, couldn't make this year's OFSAA due to health reasons.
"This year's team was consistent. They were dedicated and they had desire," Nunes said. "That's the key ingredients you need."
He added the team made the sport look easy, but it's very difficult.
"You have to create your speed and be able to negotiate different terrain," he said. "And the terrain at Georgian Peaks is very challenging. But, these guys trained so hard year 'round because they are so dedicated to the sport."
The team would practice weekly at Horseshoe Valley.
In the off-season, the boys run and cycle and are generally very active, he said.
There were more than 40 teams competing from across Ontario at the OFSAA, many of them from popular ski and snowboard areas including near Collingwood, Barrie and Ottawa.
"I'm so proud of them," he said. "I can't describe it. Honestly, I thought they were going to do well. I thought they would win the championship next year. So, they beat expectations."
He added they went into the competition knowing they were going to do well, but didn't expect to take the top spot.
The race consists of two runs per snowboarder and each racer gets points. The team with the least amounts of points wins. The Richview team finished with 65 points and second place had 72 points.
"That's quite a difference," he said.
All the team members are so passionate about the sport they plan on coming back next year, Nunes said.
"They have all the key ingredients to have a good team," he said. "And they listen to me. Their chemistry is just right."