Students from eight different schools busted out of the gates to start their 2025 Winterama race to the North Pole on Monday, February 3rd.
As students earn kms skating, skiing, sliding, running, walking and doing other movement activities through the Winterama campaign, they will be seeking pledges from generous adults who want to support them and their schools on this winter fitness goal of collectively moving the 6,311 kms to the North Pole by March 3rd.
The money they earn will help their schools with the costs of playground projects, select learning materials not covered by school budgets and school nutrition programs.
As well as showcasing their citizenship skills by giving back to their schools, this year’s trekkers will be getting fit by aiming for 25, 50 and 75 km benchmarks, where they will earn special polar prizes from the sponsoring Rotary clubs.
After only a few days of trekking, St. Joseph’s is leading the pack and is currently only 64 kms from Cochrane, Ontario, where they will follow the Polar Bear Express route up to Moosonee on the second leg of this perilous journey to the North Pole. Northport is on their heels, with G.C. Huston and EPESCS (Saugeen Central) not far behind. Hepworth, Sauble, Arran-Tara and SDSS Grade 7s and 8s are beginning to increase their pace as they trudge through different parts of the Muskokas.
If you would like to sponsor a student trekker or contribute to 2025 Rotary Winterama generally, go to https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/Rotary/p2p/2025RotaryWinterama/ or make your pledge with cash or cheque to an enthusiastic Arctic trekker in your neighbourhood.
Lagging behind the students, but with a comparable amount of enthusiasm, seven adult community teams are also racing to the North Pole this year.
Halfway to Cochrane, and leading the pack so far, is a heavily-puffing Team Rotary.
2024 Archived photos
Just behind them is a scrambling Mayor Luke and the town of Saugeen Shores, followed by the revving Northport Cougars staff and a growling EPESCS Wildcats staff.
The Saugeen Shores Firefighters and G.C. Huston staff were slow out of the gate, but are gaining momentum as they round Georgian Bay and enter the Muskokas. The Saugeen Shores Police Service trails the pack at the moment, but once their weather and road conditions calls decrease, they vow to “turn on the jets”. There are “bragging rights” and personal fitness goals to motivate these adult trekkers, but each participant also generously contributed to Rotary Winterama, and the many local youth causes these Winterama funds go to, when they registered for the race.
Bearama, 2025 Rotary Winterama Mascot, says, “Be sure to cheer on these student teams AND our spirited adult teams as well! Rotary Winterama earned almost $28,000 for local schools in 2024. The three local Rotary clubs sponsoring the event hope for a similar amount of public support this year.”
