If you ask Tom Marr-Laing, Red Deer is just about ready to host cross-country skiing at next year’s Canada Winter Games after a pair of competitions took place at River Bend Golf and Recreation Area last weekend.

Marr-Laing was chief of competition during the Haywood NorAm Western Canadian Championships and Peavey Mart Alberta Cup 5 and 6, events that served as a test for organizers and volunteers ahead of the Games.

“I would say we’re at the 95 per cent level. There are some tweaks, some things we learned that we can improve better for next year. Not worried about it at all,” Marr-Laing said.

He expects 180 racers to compete in 2019 Games.

By comparison, more than 500 skiers showed up on Friday, the first day of competition. Including the athletes’ support personnel, the number of visitors was close to 900, said Marr-Laing, who is also president of the Parkland Cross-Country Ski Club.

Many were elite-level skiers, some gunning for the Olympics, he said.

The Red Deer Nordic’s Anna Zimmerman was among them.

Zimmerman started skiing when she was five years old and raced competitively for the first time at age 12. Cross-country skiing has taken her across the country, as well as to the U.S. Her goal is to represent Alberta at the Canada Winter Games.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a cross-country skier from Red Deer at the Canada Winter Games so I would love to have that privilege to represent Red Deer Nordic,” Zimmerman said.

The 20 year old was also impressed by the improvements at River Bend.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “Compared to last year, the trails were really narrow. To have them widened out and to have them more challenging, it’s definitely a lot better. Very much improved.”