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Tag: Canadian Nation’s Group

  • World Cup Finals Chatter: Canada

    World Cup Finals Chatter: Canada

    Canada’s Alex Harvey with his medals for placing second in the Distance World Cup and third in the Overall World Cup on the last day of World Cup Finals in Quebec City on Sunday, March 19. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    After last weekend’s three-day World Cup Finals mini tour drew nearly 60 North American competitors and tens of thousands of spectators to Quebec City, it’s only fitting that we share the quotes from some of the athletes you haven’t heard from yet (and some you have). Here is a collection of some of the most interesting comments from the Canadian World Cup and Nation’s Group skiers at World Cup Finals. There were 30 in total. (Stay tuned for the U.S. notes & quotes version.)

    And here are our race reports (with links to results at the bottom of each) from Friday though Sunday, March 17-19:

    Day 1 freestyle sprints: Men | Women

    Day 2 classic mass starts: Women | Men

    Day 3 freestyle pursuits: Men | Women

    ***

    On being selected:

    Canada’s 21-year-old Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier, of the Pierre Harvey National Training Centre (CNEPH) racing his first World Cup during the men’s freestyle sprint qualifier at World Cup Finals on March 17 in Quebec City. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    “I was surprised when I was selected, but I am very happy to be here.” — Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier (CNEPH)

    “I was stressing when they announced that, ‘The national group, maybe you will have the opportunity to qualify for your first World Cup.’ [My coach and I] just kind of put that to the back of our minds and decided that if it happened, it was going to be an incredible icing on the cake part of my race season, and it happened and it was super exciting. I was really just focusing on the process so I am super excited to be here, a little overwhelmed but really excited.” — Annika Richardson (Junior NST/NTDC Thunder Bay)

    “I was just happy to be here. Last year I got my concussion in Montreal [during the Ski Tour Canada] so I didn’t actually get to race here so it’s a great place to come and race. I’ve raced here just a couple of times and it’s an incredible feeling to have the crowd behind you. … It’s really great because you don’t get that in Europe. You get lots of fans, but not people who know your name so it’s pretty cool.” — Andrea Dupont (Rocky Mountain Racers)

    “I am really really excited to be here. I did the [Ski Tour Canada] last year and this is probably my favourite venue to race at in Canada, being in the city and it’s a beautiful day. Can’t really ask for anything more.” — Annika Hicks (AWCA)

    “I didn’t reach my goal of qualifying for the World Championships, but to race at this level this weekend far exceeds all my expectations. I was a forerunner for the Tour of Ski last year, but now I’m actually racing. That makes me really happy!” — Laura Leclair (Junior NST/Chelsea Nordiq)

    “It’s the cherry on the sundae. It’s good to go up against the best in the world, and it’s an opportunity to see what you have to work on for the next year, and try your hardest.” — Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH)

    On racing in Canada:

    “I thought last year was going to be my last chance to race internationally in Canada so I am really thrilled to be here.” — Devon Kershaw (Canadian World Cup Team)

    “We are pretty lucky to have the end of the World Cup here in our own house, and it’s really exciting to be able to finish of the season here in Canada and it’s definitely convenient to be able to relax here after we are finished. We have Canadian nationals still, so I guess not complete relaxation … but it’s really fun to be back in Canada.” — Len Valjas (Canadian World Cup Team)

    “It’s nice to be back here in Canada racing a World Cup. I think we are pretty lucky to have the opportunity as a group of Canadians, developing skiers, young guys, old guys like me just trying to get up there, but also seeing Alex skiing so well, world champion. I mean, what can you say? It’s awesome. It’s good for our sport right now.” — Brian McKeever (Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team)

    “The atmosphere here is really on par, today especially, with the races we do overseas, and especially being in a city center that we know so well like Quebec, it’s a really good energy.” — Jess Cockney (Canadian World Cup Team), after Saturday’s 15 k classic mass start

    “It’s absolute incredible to come back to Quebec after last year and race something that’s familiar to us already, but slightly different because the race course, they change out the race course, which is always exciting. It’s amazing to race in front of Canadians and to have people cheering your name all around the course that actually personally know you, so it’s a pretty incredible experience to come out here and do that. “ — Alannah MacLean (NTDC Thunder Bay)

    “It’s been great to finish the season at home. It’s been a really long season, though. I have been overseas way more than I ever have in my life so I think it’s taking a little bit of a toll on the energy, but I am just so excited to be able to race at home here and enjoy this amazing atmosphere.” — Dahria Beatty (National U25 Team/AWCA)

    “I was pretty tired after such a long season, and I was really happy to be here and to able to finish the season on such a fun note, to ski a World Cup at home. It’s happened the last two years, but it doesn’t really happen that often, so it’s a unique opportunity. I gave it everything that was left in the tank, and I had a lot of fun.” — Katherine Stewart-Jones (NST U25 Team/NTDC Thunder Bay)

    “This is huge for Canada, and I hope FIS can see that it’s really amazing to have races here, and I think the athletes like it, too, so I hope this becomes a staple even after our generation. There’s enough North American skiers that we should have this here every year. We’re winning medals too and Alex is up there in the overall, we deserve to make them travel a little bit. I’d love to see more races here.” — Valjas

    On being cheered on by tens of thousands of fans:

    “It started in warmup where you kind of would be skiing around and people recognized the National Development team jacket and yell, ‘Go Canada!’ and I was like, OK, just smile and keep going and trying to keep my focus, but it felt incredible to ski around and have everyone cheering for you and rooting for you because you’re Canadian. Definitely had to nail my focus today a bit more than usual because of that, but good practice.” — Richardson

    Alex Harvey (Canadian World Cup Team) racing to fourth in the men’s freestyle sprint qualifier on the first day of World Cup Finals, last Friday, March 17, in Quebec City. He went on to win the final. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    “Sometimes they’re cheering really loud and you know it’s actually not for you, it’s just the commentator mentioned Alex but then you’re just like, I’ll take it. I’ll pretend they’re cheering for me.” — Valjas

    “It’s a beautiful day in Quebec and the crowds are pretty amazing. It just kind of keeps the intensity high the whole time so it’s a fun place to race.” — Dupont, after Sunday’s 10 k freestyle pursuit

    “It was another absolutely beautiful day out here, lots of home crowd cheering us on, so it was a really perfect day at the races.” — Knute Johnsgaard (NST U25 Team/AWCA), after Sunday’s 15 k freestyle pursuit

    “Today was not the greatest day in my skiing career, however, it was pretty amazing because the crowd was cheering me on the whole way.” — Julien Locke (NST U25 Team/AWCA), after Saturday’s 15 k classic mass start

    “It’s funny that people recognize me and know my name. It’s heart warming to have all the public support me and the Canadian team. … It was really an amazing weekend, the atmosphere, the crowd, the conditions, everything was on point. I couldn’t of hoped for a better way to end the season.” — Cendrine Browne (NST U25 Team/CNEPH)

    On making the jump to the World Cup:

    “It was amazing. The first day it was a lot to take in with the crowd and such a high-level race and having such high-level skiers around, but then Saturday I was more used to it and I was able to really focus on my race and put in a good effort.” — Katie Weaver (Junior NST/Hollyburn)

    “You’ve got a lot of fast guys, and you’re kind of going from being one of the faster guys to obviously to one of the slowest guys around, and that’s a cool feeling, actually.” — Gareth Williams (Junior NST/Telemark)

    “It’s always intimidating, but once you’re on the starting line, it’s mostly exciting. I’m not expecting to lead the pack anytime soon, so all I can do is try giving my max effort.” — Sophie Carrier-Laforte (CNEPH)

    “This was my first. I qualified for a couple in the winter but because of U23 [World Championships] I wasn’t able to take advantage of it.” — Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay)

    “This was my fifth [World Cup race]. I still feel like there’s a lot of work I can do to be more competitive in this field, but I think I’m getting more and more comfortable with it in general.” — Sadie White (NTDC Thunder Bay) 

    “I don’t think I’m at this level of competition yet, but I think it’s so fun to be here and see how the fastest people in the world race.” — Mia Serratore (NTDC Thunder Bay), at the end of her first World Cup weekend

    “I mean, they’re so fast out there, but I love it because I get to see what level I need to get to. Racing in Quebec, it’s so fun. The crowd’s just crazy. It’s so good.” — Joey Foster (Team Hardwood), at the end of his first World Cup weekend

    Russell Kennedy (Canmore Nordic/Team R.A.D.) racing to 36th in the men’s skate sprint qualifier at World Cup Finals in Quebec City on March 17. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    On five Canadian men qualifying for the sprint heats in the top 30 (a first for Canada in a World Cup):

    “I am really pumped for everyone and I think it’s really good for the sport to see that many people up there. We have been sprinting really well in a lot of races and have a lot of good sprinters so it’s good to see everyone get up there and do well. Hopefully they can carry it out in the heats and get a couple of those closer to the podiums.” — Russell Kennedy (Canmore Nordic/Team R.A.D.)

    On sprinting:

    “It’s about 89.5 k too short for me these days.” — Brian McKeever (Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team), who also specializes in marathons

     

    On conditions:

    “The snow is perfect conditions. The snow is cold, but the sun is warm, and the track is holding up great, so good Canadian conditions.” — Beatty, after Friday’s sprint

    “I guess it’s pretty tricky to get grip with hard wax in this stuff, and I think klister would’ve been too slow so I had a lot of speed on my skis but my grip was definitely lacking a bit in the sun. In the shade it was pretty good, but it was a lot of upper body today, which I think was the way to go anyways.” — Andy Shields (Lappe Nordic), after Saturday’s 15 k classic mass start 

    “The skis showed good grip. The technicians delivered today. The issue was more the skier!” — Carrier-Laforte, after Saturday’s 10 k classic mass start

    “The snow was fine. It didn’t really even get that mushy on the course and the downhills were pretty glazed actually. It stayed nice and firm. My skis were just amazing today. I was drafting people and shooting by them no problem. It was really good, really competitive skis.” — Foster, after Sunday’s 15 k freestyle pursuit

    On the course:

    “It’s tough because there’s a lot of flats, so you’re always working, whether it’s gradually downhill or gradually uphill. It’s good. It’s a challenging course in its own way. It’s not your typical World Cup where you have a huge climb and then a big rest after that, you’re just working stead, so it hurts. It’s a different kind of tough.” — Valjas

    On sunscreen:

    “Today is the first day that warranted the sunscreen, but I put the zinc on every day. Gotta protect yourself.” — Cockney

    On goals for World Cup Finals: 

    “My goals were just to ski relaxed and push my body as hard as I can. I’ve really been injured this entire season so I haven’t done really that much racing at all. I was able to get enough racing in to qualify for this World Cup, which was something that I didn’t think was going to be possible at the beginning fo the season when I got injured, but to be here and not be 100 percent, but to be able to race in this environment is something that keeps me in the sport.” — MacLean (who herniated a disk) 

    “I really want to push as hard as I can for each race. I think that is something that sometimes it is difficult to do in Canada on the NorAm circuit because maybe if you’re not having a good race, you could pull back a little bit and save yourself for the next day and come in seventh instead of fifth, but here, I will still probably be in the back of the field, but I really want to push and feel good every time I cross the finish line that I gave it my all and kept pushing.” –– Richardson

    Cendrine Browne, of the Canadian U25 Team and CNEPH, after finishing 41st in the women’s 10 k classic mass start on Saturday at World Cup Finals in Québec City. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    On digging deep:

    “Somehow I found a bit of fight. I didn’t really do much of a warmup today. I opted for a conserving energy strategy and I think it worked well. We’ve done so much racing that my body didn’t really need a warmup to get going so I did as little as possible before the racing to save everything I had for this last effort.” — Beatty

    “It’s been a lot of racing this week. I was down in Lake Placid doing U.S. Junior Nationals and then I came here and now we’re off to Canadian Nationals for another three races. It’ll be a lot of racing, but that’s what I love to do.” — Weaver

    “[After] yesterday’s race, I wasn’t going to start today and then the physio said, ‘If I’m treating you, you’re going to start.’ And I was like, ‘OK, Let’s do this!’ And she actually fixed me and today was much better.” — Valjas, on his upper-back injury, after Sunday’s 15 k freestyle pursuit

    “I felt really really good, but I’m just having so many problems with my shins and my calves this season so it just makes it really difficult to ski properly.” — Serratore 

    On Quebec City:

    “Quebec City, as far as Canada goes, is probably the closest thing to Europe, but it’s still the same country, same food.” — Palmer-Charrette

    On their season overall:

    Devon Kershaw leads Canadian teammate Graeme Killick in the men’s 15 k classic mass start at World Cup Finals on March 18 in Quebec City. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    “It has been a really good season. It has been my most consistent season to date, so I have been really happy with it, have had some really good races and I just think especially in sprinting, my bad races are way better than they have been in the past.  The fluctuation is smaller so I am showing good signs for next year.” — Beatty

    “I think the season for me was a little disappointing. I had some signs of the training paying off, but I think overall I might have overdone it through the summer in sections and from that I struggled with some sickness through a lot of the season. I think some races were OK for me and I’ll take that and try to fix some things for next year over the summer and see what I can do. I mean, today was a good reminder that skate is not there and I really need to work on it for next year.” — Graeme Killick (Canadian World Cup Team), after 15 k skate pursuit

    On season highlights:

    “It’s got to be those two relay medals, especially the 4 x 7.5 k, that was so cool because my whole career we’ve tried to get a medal there and I was honored to be the anchor and that was a huge moment in my career to be able to pull that off and secure a medal for the men’s relay was just awesome. And of course, the first win for me with Alex was also just as special. It’s been a good year. Lots of highs, some lows, and I’m ready for next year.” — Valjas, on historic third-place finish with men’s relay at World Cup in Ulricehamn, Sweden, and World Cup freestyle team sprint win with teammate Alex Harvey in Toblach, Italy

    Emily Nishikawa (Canadian World Cup Team) racing to 38th on the final day of 2017 World Cup Finals on Sunday in Quebec City, the women’s 10 k freestyle pursuit. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    “I think the relay in Lahti for us, it was one of our best women’s results since 2001 or something like that, so 16 years.” — Emily Nishikawa (Canadian World Cup Team), on the Canadian women’s team’s 10th place in the 4 x 5 k relay at 2017 Nordic World Championships

    “For me, it would be Davos. I was really happy with my form there, and I think I never felt that good in a skate race. I like altitude, too, so that course kind of suits me. That was my best individual start ever so it’s good to have one of those. I was really happy with that day.” — Killick, referring to his 21st place in the World Cup 30 k freestyle individual start on Dec. 10 in Davos, Switzerland

    “That’s hard to call. Probably the highlight of my season was my 26th was La Clusaz, getting my first distance top 30. That was something I wasn’t really sure I’d be able to bridge this season and to be able to ski into the top 30 in distance as well as sprint this year wasp pretty amazing so that was a big step for me forward in coming years.” — Beatty, on her 26th place in the World Cup 10 k freestyle mass start on Dec. 17 in La Clusaz, France

    “Maybe this, watching Harv do well. The Holmenkollen was an amazing experience. It was hard and not my best finish ever, but it was a really, really cool experience and I can’t say enough how awesome it was.” — Kennedy, who placed 47th in the 50 k classic mass start at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway, on March 11

    On the upcoming training season:

    “I’m pretty relieved that this season’s over and really excited to kind of get a fresh start on next year and just take some time to reflect on this past season and look at the things that went well and things that I could improve on and hopefully use those as building blocks for next year’s training.” — Johnsgaard

    “This summer, I’ll put in practice what I learned from my World cup experience. I’ll really focus on technique and work on my tempo. The only way to improve is to keep racing against the best.” — Browne

  • Bits from Canmore: Athlete Notes and Quotes (+Video Montage)

    Bits from Canmore: Athlete Notes and Quotes (+Video Montage)

    Start of the Alberta World Cup 15 k classic mass start on Dec. 13 in Canmore, Alberta.

    CANMORE, Alberta – With the holidays heralding a rest period for many, Canmore might be in the back of many racers minds, but we haven’t forgotten about several of the athletes we interviewed there. Here are some of the highlights, and be sure to check out our video montage with several Canadian nation’s group skiers.

    Déjà vu?

    It was good until the top of the hill and just complete lactate at the top, just really heavy. We knew it was going to happen so we tried to forget about it and keep skiing well. – Alysson Marshall, Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA), on sprint qualifier

    Canadian National Team member Perianne Jones attacks the hill in the 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Canmore, Alberta. She was 11th overall for an individual World Cup best.

    The top piece always feels like you should’ve went harder, but I’m pretty happy. – Andrea Dupont, Rocky Mountain Racers (RMR)

    I wanted to ski my own race and make sure that I pushed over the hills well. – Paul Kovacs, Australian NST

    It’s tough but it’s really just one climb, it’s pretty short. – Mikey Sinnott, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) on sprint course

    It’s not that long but there’s no forgiveness on it. It’s like, ugh. – Patrick Stewart-Jones, AWCA

    Those hills are so tough … They really burn you. – Michael Somppi, AWCA

    It’s a big opportunity to get to race in a world cup at home so I just went all in and it was good. I did the best I could so I’m happy. – Marlis Kromm, AWCA 

    There’s still some big opportunities for us for the rest of the winter, just race, move onto the next race. – Matt Wylie, AWCA 

    Newbies

    Before doing the World Cups, people would tell me that’s what it’s going to be like, but you could never actually like feel like what it is, I couldn’t have guessed what it was going to feel like. It’s such a cool feeling. – Corey Stock (Cambridge Sports Union)

    It was pretty fun to see all those people cheering for us at home, well it’s not really home, but it’s still in Canada and to see all those fast skiers too. We see that nothing is impossible. – Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH)

    I’m still really nervous every morning, but hopefully it gets normal by the end of the year. I’m just getting used to that level. Hopefully in a couple years, everything is gonna be fast. – Alexis Turgeon, Pierre-Harvey NTC (CNEPH)

    Improvement’s always good. I think I can do better but I couldn’t have done any better today. – Russell Kennedy, AWCA (42nd in skate sprint qualifier)

    It’s really an honor to be able to race in these world cups. It’s amazing to be able to race these and get some experience racing against international athletes. – Maya McIsaac-Jones, Rocky Mountain Racers

    It’s pretty awesome to represent Canada. – Zoe Roy, RMR

    It was fun for me, a good experience to ski with the fastest so I appreciate. – Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH)

    It’s a great experience just to race against these guys. It’s so different than any NorAm you could ever do. – Knute Johnsgaard, Yukon Elite Squad

    Ready or Not, Go!

    I think I found some parts of my lung that I haven’t felt before. It felt pretty horrible … You feel like you’re at the end of the sprint, but you’re only a third of the way through. – Reese Hanneman, Alaska Pacific University (APU) on sprint qualifier

    I didn’t know I was racing until 8 this morning. [US Ski Team member] Simi [Hamilton] was sick or something so they knocked on my door, they were like, ‘Hey, you want to do a hot lap?’ I was like, ‘What do you mean, like, drive you to the venue right now?’ And they’re like, ‘No you want to race? Simi’s out and Freeman didn’t want to race.’ So it kind of fell to me. I’m glad I skied the course like once [the day before] and kind of learned it. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to ski the course. … I was kind of excited just to get to go out there. – Mikey Sinnott, SVSEF

    I was awake at 4:30 this morning. It’s hard to expect a similar performance to yesterday, just because it’s a completely different race, but I’m happy. A 30 k is usually quite a pain train for me so I think I got better at it today and I’m still learning. – Jesse Cockney, AWCA

    I felt pretty flat. I think six days of not doing anything, it makes sense. I wasn’t really expecting to do much today [Saturday], just use [the sprint] as a good warmup for [Sunday], but yeah, it’s a tough course. A minute and a half of climbing and then shoot down to the finish. – Sylvan Ellefson, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV)/Team HomeGrown

    I don’t think the shape is right there for this weekend. It was tough. – Graeme Killick, AWCA

    I wish I wasn’t tired but I think I am a little bit tired. I guess maybe traveling or something, but altitude I think takes it out of you, too. – Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Green Racing Project)

    Happy Thoughts

    This is such a beautiful day. The course was just perfect, great snow and it was so awesome to hear so many fans. I know my parents are out there and tons of my friends from the Yukon are here, too, which is super cool. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. – Emily Nishikawa, AWCA (34th in skiathlon)

    There’s so many awesome fans here and I have so many family and friends. I’m out here to just hopefully have a good result, but mostly have a good time and just race well. – Sylvan Ellefson, SSCV/Team HomeGrown

    Canmore fans are the best fans especially when you’re from here. I think we’ve got such a great community supporting cross-country skiing and the national ski teams, it’s just a fantastic place to train and race and we’re very, very proud to be a part of this community. – Brian McKeever, Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team

    I think it’s so cool to have the best in the world come to our home course. I see them walking around downtown and it’s pretty neat. – Marlis Kromm, AWCA

    Outside Skiing

    [Note: Sylvan Ellefson dedicated his races on Saturday and Sunday to those affected by the Connecticut school shooting]

    When I’m not ski racing I’m in the fourth grade classroom at my old elementary school and my mother-in-law is a kindergarten teacher. I just can’t even imagine having her be in those teachers’ positions or even the families’ positions in Connecticut. – Ellefson 

  • Notes and Quotes: Canadian Edition from Day 1 in Canmore

    Notes and Quotes: Canadian Edition from Day 1 in Canmore

    Coverage of the Alberta World Cup made possible through the generous support of Travel Alberta and Tourism Canmore.

    Alberta World Cup Academy/Canadian Senior Development Team members Kevin Sandau (r) and Graeme Killick (c) and Erik Bjornsen (U.S. Ski Team) charge up a climb about halfway through the Alberta World Cup men’s 15 k classic mass start on Thursday.

    CANMORE, Alberta – Twenty-nine Canadians, count them, put their bodies to the test Thursday in the first of three races at the Alberta World Cup. On tap was the 10- and 15-kilometer classic mass starts – not the easiest format to start with, especially not on Canmore’s challenging mini loops.

    The women worked their way around the stadium three times and the men did four loops, and by the end, some slurred their speech, others didn’t want to rehash the suffer-fest, and guys like Devon Kershaw had a hard time seeing.

    But the course was the same for everybody, and just think of how some of those nation’s group skiers felt. Even though several of the Canadians hail from Canmore, it didn’t make it much easier out there, certainly not for some in their first World Cup races (or first in a few years).

    “Rough day to have a rough day,” said 21-year-old Patrick Stewart-Jones of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA), which is located on-site at the Canmore Nordic Centre, after finishing 58th in his first World Cup.

    “There is no forgiveness in the World Cup,” he added. “I felt decent at the start, but after that, the wheels came off a little. I can’t be too disappointed, I just did a World Cup and I finished, and it was a beautiful day.”

    His teammate, Graeme Killick, who is on Canada’s Senior Development Team (NST) as well, had done two World Cups in Otepää, Estonia, two seasons ago. Those didn’t really count, he said, after placing 40th on Thursday.

    “I look on this as kind of my debut,” Killick said. “I’ve only done one World Cup, it was before U23s in Estonia, it wasn’t the greatest for me. … [Today was a] good experience, for sure. Couple things I might improve on. All in all, it was good.”

    Something out of his control was breaking a pole on the first lap. After the finish, he still had one labeled “Newell.”

    “Someone’s leg went through [my pole at] the bottom on the first lap,” Killick explained. “Luckily I got a pole pretty quick.”

    Anne-Marie Comeau (Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre) en route to placing 46th in her first World Cup on Thursday in Canmore, Alberta. The 16-year-old was the second top Canadian female in the 10 k classic mass start.

    The youngest of the Canadian bunch, Anne-Marie Comeau of the Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre (CNEPH) had one of the best results in 46th. She was just over a minute behind the top Canadian female, Brittany Webster (Highlands Trailblazers) in 38th, and Comeau’s only 16. (She turns 17 on Jan. 6).

    “It is hard, but I like the trails here,” Comeau said. “It is bonne [French for ‘good’] to race against the best in the … countries.”

    As for the 15 k skiathlon she plans to start Sunday: “I don’t expect anything,” Comeau said. “I just want to have fun and no stress.”

    Far more experienced as a former Canadian National Team member, Webster, 25, said she felt the same.

    “It’s great to be able to get this one out of the way,” Webster said in her first World Cup since racing in Canmore in February 2010. Back then, she placed 57th in a 10 k skate race.

    “What I really like about this, too, is they made all [the distance races] mass start,” Webster added. “I think for Canadians and the U.S. Ski Team, it’s really good for us to have that opportunity because if you’re doing an individual start, you don’t get to see the pace as much. You’re kind of skiing your own race more so. It’s great to be able to ski with a whole crowd of girls and sort of see where they’re at, see how they climb the hills and see how they double pole and everything like that. It helps you race faster.”

    Emily Nishikawa (AWCA/NST), who was 48th, said the spectators also helped.

    “It was a great experience, really cool to have so many fans out here,” she said. “It was just so loud with all the crowd cheering.  It was really cool to race on our home turf.  I was really happy about that.”

    In terms of racing, she’s hoping for a better result in Saturday’s skate sprint or Sunday’s skiathlon.

    “I started a little bit fast … but my body was a little tired today and I lost a little on the last two laps,” Nishikawa said.

    Another AWCA and Senior Development skier, Kevin Sandau placed 39th and said he was happy with how his body felt considering.

    “I was able to really push over the hills so that was good for me,” he said. “I was hoping to be a bit closer to the leaders. Kind of midway through the race, I made a few bad tactical choices just with lane choices on the hills, so learn from that for the 30k. … If I can build on today, that should be a better day.”

    Eighteen-year-old Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH) simply followed the lead of others in her first World Cup, putting her 51st.

    “It was pretty tough, but really nice to see how fast those girls go,” she said. “The fastest in the world are here, it was nice to complete against them. … It was just a good experience.”

    One spot behind her, 19-year-old Julia Ransom of the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre in Canmore was somewhat surprised with placing 52nd.

    “I think it was a little better than I was expecting actually. I am happy with how I placed, in terms of Canadians,” she said. “I was so excited just to race. Getting onto the top uphill I just realized how much fun skiing is, how much fun racing is.  I went in with no expectations and just went out and had fun.”

    Back in the game, Frédéric Touchette (CNEPH/NST) placed 54th in his first World Cup since 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia (where he was 21st in a 30 k pursuit and 33rd in a classic sprint).

    “I haven’t raced much in the last two years because I was injured,” he said. “I am kind of getting back in the racing mode. I am not in as good shape as three years ago, but it is getting back. It is fun.”

    — Gerry Furseth contributed reporting

    Canadian women’s results | Canadian men’s results

     

  • At Home in Canmore: The Canadian Up-And-Comers

    At Home in Canmore: The Canadian Up-And-Comers

    Coverage of the Canmore World Cups was made possible through the generous support of Travel Alberta and Tourism Canmore.

    Thirty Canadian men and women will be putting on World Cup bibs in Canmore this weekend. Some are old pros and some are competing in the first World Cups of their lives. (Photo: Angus Cockney)

    With the start of the mass start classic in Canmore, Alberta, less than 24 hours away, nerves are running high at the World Cup venue. With two distance races and one sprint on the schedule, there will be both returning and new nation’s group faces lining up over the next few days.

    Chances are you know exactly who Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw are, but as the host nation Canada has a large number of quota spots this weekend (15 men and 15 women). Every single one of them, when they pull on that bib, are looking to honorably represent their country in front of a home crowd. Here are a few names to watch out for.

     

    Photo: Angus Cockney.

    Emily Nishikawa (CNST/AWCA)

    The 23-year-old has a few World Cup starts to her name already, but hasn’t contested one in Canada since 2008. After a win at Sovereign Lake on Sunday, she’s looking forward to testing her fitness against the world-class field.

    “My shape is coming along now so I’m happy to get a good race under my belt before Canmore; get a little confidence going into it,” she said. “It’s super exciting to race in a hometown and on trails you know so well.”

    Her goals for the weekend are to “perform to the absolute best of abilities. My family will be here watching, so I’m really looking forward to that!”

     

     

     

    Photo: Cross Country Canada.

    Brittany Webster (Highlands Trailblazers)

    The former national team member is making a bit of a comeback this year with three NorAm distance podiums (two of them wins) under her belt already. It’s been four years since she was on the World Cup circuit, so in Canmore she’s entering the gate without any expectations other than to enjoy the opportunity.

    “I know that, myself included, there are lots of Canadians out there who are a bit apprehensive about what it will like,” she said. “I think — and hopefully this is some advice for the younger girls out there — that it’s really important to remember that it’s simply just a great opportunity to race against the best. This is what we work towards, and you have to be really happy when you set foot on the start line to do it.”

     

     

    Photo: Angus Cockney

    Michael Somppi (CNST/AWCA)

    With a second and fourth place at Sovereign Lake, Somppi is feeling confident in his fitness for Canmore. He first competed on the World Cup at this venue in 2010, but this year is the first time he’ll have the chance to compete in three back-to-back races.

    “The mass starts are more nerve-wracking than the individual, but I feel like I’m in pretty good shape right now so it should be fun,” Somppi said.

    “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been improving every race so I hope the trend continues.”

     

     

     

    Erik Carleton (PNST/RMR)

    Carleton competed in his first World Cup for Canada in 2005 when the circuit stopped in Vernon, BC. He is also a guide for national Para Nordic team member Brian McKeever, but was fast enough to prequalify for Canmore based on his results from last season.

    “It was a good feeling since it was the first time in my career I had been selected based on the previous season,” Carleton said. “I knew I could focus my training program towards the World Cup races, have to worry about the trial races.”

    His goals for Canmore are reasonable: “to ski relaxed, trust myself and feed off the energy of the fans.”

    Mostly, Carleton is looking forward to comparing himself against the international field.

    “When you do not have the opportunity to race in many World Cups, the rewards are great if you can have one of your best-ever races,” he said.

     

    Photo: Angus Cockney

    Graeme Killick (CNST/AWCA)

    The senior development team member has been a part of the whole World Cup production before, in Estonia in 2011. As the winner of the NorAm opener in Canmore and third-place finisher in the classic race the following weekend, Killick will be one of the top Canadians to watch for on the big stage.

    He’s feeling particularly confident after his recent podium finishes: “It was a good start for me.  Normally it takes me a few races to get in race shape, but I was able to win last week so that is a good sign,” Killick said.

     

     

     

     

    Photo: Angus Cockney.

    Patrick Stewart-Jones (AWCA): He had “the best race of my life so far” in the mass start classic NorAm at Sovereign Lake, so the 21-year-old is feeling pretty good heading into Canmore. Stewart-Jones also qualified for the sprints in Quebec, but turned down the opportunity in order to save his top gear for the distance events.

    “It wasn’t easy at all,” he said of the choice to skip Quebec. “I was sort of on the fence, but told myself if I qualified for the distance races then I’d focus on that.”

    The 15 k mass start classic in Canmore will be Stewart-Jones’ first World Cup appearance.

     

     

     

     

    Jesse Cockney (AWCA)

    In Quebec City Cockney missed out on qualifying for the heats by a mere 0.25 seconds in 32nd place. He said afterwards that he already learned a lot from the experience, like how to roll with the punces on race day and ski relaxed.

    Luckily, he’s got another shot at the heats in Canmore with the freestyle sprint scheduled for Saturday. On truly home terrain and against essentially the same field, he could be ready to crack the top 30.

     

    Raphaël Couturier (CNST/Pierre Harvey NTC)

    Couturier made his World Cup debut in Quebec last weekend, where he placed 51st in the freestyle sprint.

    “I was super excited to race my first World Cup at home and I had a great time with my friends and family,” he said of the experience. “Everyone around the event did a great job and I’m pretty sure we all agree on saying it was one of the most epic city-sprint ever and I feel privileged to have been part of the event. I was just looking forward to break the ice and step up the game.”

    The 19-year-old was pretty excited when he first learned he qualified back in November, and is mostly focused on gaining international experience in sprint and distance in Canmore.

    “It would be amazing to get to race some heats with the big boys, but I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. I’ll deal with the results I’ll get and build on from there,” Couturier said.

     

    Canmore, Western Canadian Championships
    Photo: Angus Cockney.

    Brent McMurtry (CNST/AWCA)

    With numerous World Cup starts under his belt, McMurtry is no stranger to the scene. He says he’s most looking forward to the 15 k mass start classic.

    “I have raced a lot of places, and for classic Canmore is my favourite course: steep climbs with firm tracks,” he said. “As far as goals, I am hoping to execute my race plan and ski smooth throughout. It is hard to put a number of what I am aiming for but I would like to be in the points.”

    Like most of his countreymen, McMurtry is most looking forward to competing in front of friends and family on familiar terrain.

    “It is great to race at home where I have family and friends cheering me on and I know most of the volunteers who are running the race. It is just an amazing atmosphere,” he said.

     

    NorAm Sovereign Lake
    Photo: Jesse Winter

    David Greer (Yukon Elite Squad)

    The 23-year-old will be making his first World Cup appearance on Thursday and is hoping to continue the upward trend in his recent NorAm results when he goes up against the best in the world. In Sovereign Lake this weekend he was sixth in the mass start classic and third in the 15 k freestyle.

    “Each race seems to be getting better, so I’m looking forward to [Canmore],” Greer said. “It should be fun.”

     

     

    Photo: Angus Cockney.

    Graham Nishikawa (CNST/AWCA)

    The senior development team member is an old standby on the World Cup scene; he was recently 34th in the 30 k freestyle in Davos, Switzerland.

    “I’m always honored to race for Canada, especially at home in Canmore,” he said.

    Coming off a win in the 15 k freestyle last weekend, Nishikawa appears to be in top form for this weekend.

    “I just want to thrown down a great race and see what happens,” he said. “Having my family and friends around to watch will be great.”

     

     

     

    Phil Widmer (AWCA)

    Widmer has numerous World Cup starts to his name and is looking forward to the opportunity to represent Canada in front of a home crowd.

    “The goal for me though is putting together a solid World Cup race,” he said. “My team mates and I have been pushing each other hard all year in preparation for these races and the rest of the season.”

    He was 55th in the individual sprint in Quebec City last weekend. A personal best for the sprinter would be to make it into the semifinals, which is just what he’s shooting for this Saturday on the home track.

    “Competing against the best skiers in the world on the home track is special,” Widmer said. “I’d say that has to be the most exciting part of the world cup coming to Canada. It doesn’t happen every day, so it’s special when it does happen.”

     

     

    Kevin Sandau (CNST/AWCA)

    Sandau, of recent Movember fame, has been on the World Cup circuit all season as last year’s Continental Cup leader. Still, he hasn’t competed in a World Cup on home soil since 2008 and is looking forward to competing on the trails he trains on every day.

    “I know what [the trails] are like and how they ski,” he said. “I’d like to have some personal bests in the distance races and cap off 2012 with some really good results.”

    “The Alberta World Cup Society definitely has organized this on a much grander scale since 2008, with the town fully backing the event and a lot of smaller and distinct details added. This is for sure going to be one hell of a week!”

     

     

    Matt Wylie (AWCA)

    Wylie earned starts both in Quebec and Canmore, but skipped out on the sprints in order to save energy.

    “Ideally preparing for Canmore would set me up for a top result rather than travelling back and forth across the country,” he said. “It was one of the hardest choices I have had to make, turning down that kind of opportunity.”

    This will be Wylie’s first international racing experience.

     

    Photo: Mark Nadell.

    Russell Kennedy (AWCA)

    The Truckee, Calif., native is a dual citizen of the US and Canada and has been training with the AWCA for the past few years. When he learned he’d won his fist career World Cup starts while cooling down from the Canmore NorAm prologue, he was “over the moon.”

    “I’m generally a happy guy but it was pretty hard for me to stop smiling,” Kennedy said.

    Kennedy’s main focus this year was to qualify for U23s, but now that he’s in a position to race well on the World Cup, he’s aiming to make the sprint heats (he was 45th last weekend in Quebec).

    “When a dream comes true it is hard to pick your favorite part of the dream,” Kennedy said. “However, I’m looking forward to racing the top guys, seeing all my friends and family that are coming to watch and just having a hard summer of training start to pay off.”

     

     

     

    More Canadians to look for in Canmore: Brian McKeever (PNST), Frederick Touchette (CNST/CNEPH), Heidi Widmer (AWCA), Amanda Ammar (Canmore), Annika Hicks (AWCA), Rebecca Reid (AWCA), Dahria Beatty (AWCA), Zoe Roy (RMR), Kate Brennan (AWCA), Alana Thomas (AWCA), Anne Marie Comeau (CNEPH), Maya MacIsaac-Jones (RMR), Erin Tribe (Team Hardwood), Frederique Vezina (CNEPH), Andrea Dupont (RMR)

     

     

  • Canada World Cups: Who Gets to Go?

    Canada World Cups: Who Gets to Go?

    View of Quebec City and Parliament Building (at right), where World Cup sprints will take place for the first time Dec. 7-8, 2012. (Cross Country Canada photo)

    This past spring, nine Canadians learned they prequalified for their nation’s World Cups in December. Most had an inkling they were in the mix; last season’s NorAm winners Kevin Sandau and Alysson Marshall automatically guaranteed themselves starts in every Québec and Alberta World Cup race, as did the second-place finishers Brent McMurtry and Emily Nishikawa.

    Sisters Rosanna (l) and Chandra Crawford at the Canadian Ski Nationals freestyle sprint on March 22 in Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec.

    But then there were some wild cards, like Canadian national-team biathlete Rosanna Crawford. In March, Crawford jumped into a couple races at Canadian Ski Nationals. After sweeping biathlon nationals a few days before, she figured, what the heck? Might as well have fun with some straight-up cross-country.

    In the skate sprint at Mont Sainte-Anne, Québec, Crawford posted the seventh-fastest qualifying time – the fourth best among Canadians. She went on to race her sister, 2006 Olympic gold medalist and national ski team member Chandra Crawford, in semifinal and later finished 10th overall (sixth Canadian) in the B-final.

    In the end, her qualifier made the difference, prequalifying her for every Canadian World Cup sprint in December. Not long after nationals, her sister told her the good news.

    “Chandra had just sort of mentioned that I prequalified and I didn’t really believe her,” Crawford said in a phone interview from Canmore, Alberta. “Then finally we had decided that we needed to make a decision and Roddy Ward, my coach, got in contact with [Cross Country Canada High Performance Director] Tom Holland and got all the details with him.”

    Ultimately, she chose not to race the cross-country World Cups in Québec City and Canmore from Dec. 7-8 and 13-16, respectively.

    “I really thought about it and talked about it with my coach whether or not we thought it would be a good idea to come home,” the Biathlon Canada B-team member said. “It doesn’t really work out. They’re going to pick our world champs team before Christmas so I kind of have to do all the biathlon races before Christmas.”

    If she left Europe for the races, Crawford said she’d miss the second and third biathlon World Cups and third IBU Cup, which were critical in her quest to make Biathlon World Championships in February.

    While she wished she could do both, she said the decision wasn’t hard.

    “Biathlon’s my sport and it’s the one that I love and the one that I chose,” she said. “It’s something I’ve put so many hours and so much dedication [into] that switching isn’t anything that I’ve ever really wanted to do.”

    If the opportunity came up again, say after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Crawford wouldn’t think twice. “I would definitely skip a biathlon World Cup to be able to qualify for [another Canmore World Cup],” she said. “But with Sochi being so close I’ve got to put my focus into biathlon right now.”

    ***

    2012 Canada World Cups:

    Who’s racing: 4 World Cup skiers per team/race plus up to 10 additional Canadians for each race (for a total of 14). For the U.S., 5 additional skiers per race (for a total of 9).

    Schedule:
    Quebec World Cup: team skate sprint (Dec. 7), individual skate sprint (Dec. 8)

    Alberta World Cup (in Canmore): 10/15 k classic (Dec. 13), skate sprint (Dec. 15), 15/30 k skiathlon (Dec. 16)

    On the flip side, Crawford’s gracious decline of World Cup starts opens up an opportunity for another Canadian woman to qualify for the sprints. Canada as the host nation of the Québec and Alberta World Cups can enter 14 competitors per race. Four of those starts come from the usual World Cup quota (i.e. national team members) and up to 10 more are allowed as national quota (the U.S. gets five additional entries for its nation’s group).

    That’s a lot of racers, and Cross Country Canada (CCC) has every intention to fill those spots, according to Holland. “Giving developing athletes an opportunity to compete in World Cup events is one of the objectives having WCs in Canada,” he wrote in an email.

    Athletes have to meet FIS standards to do so. For a breakdown of international-points requirements, refer to “World Cup Entry requirements” of 2012/13 Canadian NST Selection Criteria (page 4, figure 5.5).

    To determine whom to award the remaining national-quota starts, CCC will use the Canmore NorAm (Dec. 1-2) as trials for the Québec and Alberta World Cups. Those races include a skate sprint and 15/20 k classic, and coaches will select racers based on top results and qualifying times.

    Starting with the Sprints

    At this point, close to eight openings for Canadian men and nine for the women remain for the individual sprints in Québec and Canmore. The top male and female qualifiers and finalists from the Canmore NorAm sprint will be selected to the final ranking list, which will be reviewed by Canadian National Ski Team Head coach Justin Wadsworth and the high-performance selection committee.

    Essentially, the top eight males and nine females, with the exception of those who prequalified, should make the cut for the individual World Cup races, but Wadsworth can use discretion under unusual circumstances (i.e. a top-projected finisher gets sick).

    Phil Widmer of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) prequalified for all the sprints as a leading qualifier and top-six finisher at nationals, and Sandau and McMurtry get dibs on every Canadian World Cup race.

    Sandau explained in an email that he would not be racing the Québec World Cup sprints to cut down on travel and better prepare for distance races (men’s 15 k classic and 30 k skiathlon) in Canmore.

    Canadian Senior Development Team member Kevin Sandau in the 15 k classic mass start on March 17 at the World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden, where he finished 34th.

    “The goal in Canmore is a top-12 in either of the distance races,” Sandau wrote before leaving for Europe for early season World Cups at the end of November. “Depending on how the energy is I may travel to Sovereign Lakes for that weekend of NorAm racing as a last primer before Canmore World Cups. I decided to skip Québec simply just because they’re sprint races.”

    That could open up another spot for a sprinter at the Canmore NorAm trials at the end of the month. Holland wrote that any athlete has the right to turn down an entry after the NorAm events in Canmore. “At that time, they will be asked to accept or decline,” he said.

    That makes a putting a concrete number on the amount of World Cup starts left for hopeful Canadian skiers slightly tricky. Among the prequalified athletes who probably aren’t concerned: Para-Nordic World Cup Team member Erik Carleton (made the 15 k classic and skiathlon), Graham Nishikawa (skiathlon) and Alana Thomas (skiathlon). And of course, the Canadian World Cup team (with four men and three women).

    Then there’s the team sprint in Québec, in which Canada can have four teams (two per World Cup quota and two for national quota). Without a team-sprint trial beforehand, Wadsworth said picking the second, third and fourth teams could potentially be difficult.

    “As soon as the races are over here in Canmore we’ll have a sprint list and we’ll start to talk about that with out high performance committee,” he said. “Myself and Tom Holland and [women’s World Cup coach] Eric [de Nys] will get together, we’ll put together a list, based on the criteria, of who should race. It goes to the high-performance committee for clearance. It’s worked well in the past; I think it’s pretty straightforward.”

    According to Holland, here are the remaining spots in the national quota:

    10/15 k classic (Canmore): 8 males and 9 females

    Skiathlon (Canmore): 7 males and 8 females

    Distance specialist Emily Nishikawa (Senior Development Team/AWCA) couldn’t confirm that she’d be doing all the races, but thought she would. Marshall planned to do all the events in Québec and Canmore.

    “I love the atmosphere, people are always so excited to have World Cups in North America,” Marshall wrote in an email. “I think it will be a great opportunity for me to post some good results.”

    McMurtry said in a phone interview that had his sights set on all the Canadian World Cups, even though he had to pay the bulk of his way to do so. The government’s carding system covers living expense for senior development skiers like him, but not travel and racing, he said.

    “I work part-time and I should have some sponsors, but I’m not very good at chasing them down,” he said. “So it’s 100 percent me and my earnings that pays for what I do.”

    Regardless, he’s excited to kick off his race season at the Canmore NorAm and follow up with the big efforts in Québec. By the time he gets to Canmore for the distance World Cup races, he’s hoping for a top-12 performance to make World Championships in March.

    “If that doesn’t work out then there’s trials in Thunder Bay and Duntroon [Ontario] in January,” he added. “Goal is to be skiing really fast in Canmore and I really enjoy racing in Canmore. I think the 15 k classic mass start is a race I’m going to be looking forward to. I don’t know, top 12 is a pretty big result, but a lot of it depends of the field of guys who are here. There’s lots of factors, but I think that’s within my reach.”

    Meanwhile, top skiers like Michael Somppi, a Senior Development Team member who recently joined the AWCA, will be shooting for qualifying results at the Canmore NorAm. To do so, Somppi wrote in an email that he needs to find good racing form early, which is why he bumped up his intensity work this summer.

    “I don’t want to get stuck worrying about numbers though, I just want to focus on skiing to the best of my abilities and things should work out if I can do that,” he wrote. “My goal for the Canadian World Cups is to get in the points, a top 30 result. There’s lots of racing left after Christmas and of course I am aiming to be strong all the way through to Canadian National Championships, but for now, one step at a time.”

    For skiers champing at the bit before the start of the season, Wadsworth gave a few words of advice.

    “Fourteen deep is deep, if you can’t make that 14 then I don’t know what to say,” he said on the phone. “There’s lots of options so I don’t think there’s too much pressure for those athletes. If they can win the spot at Canadian Nationals last year, if they were even that good, 14 deep would not have been an issue for them.”