Reporting to the Head Coach, the Intern will gain experience in all areas of business administration. The primary role of the Business Development Intern is to develop a strategic plan to raise the profile of the NTDC in the local community and to develop a pathway for the NTDC to continue to grow as an organization. As well, the internship will allow the Intern an opportunity to gain experience in all areas of the business administration.
Qualifications:
Graduate of a University or College within the last three years from an accredited college or university
Must be a graduate of a post-secondary degree or diploma program
Must be the first full-time employment in the candidate’s field of study
Diploma/degree in Business Administration, Accounting or Marketing
Proficient with the use of personal computers on a network environment (Microsoft Office, electronic email/calendar)
Excellent organizational, analytical, & communication skills.
A team player that is able to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic setting.
Excellent customer service skills.
We are an equal opportunity employer. Upon request, accommodations due to a disability are available throughout the selection process.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume outlining relative previous experience and training no later than June 11, 2018 to: talent@ntdctbay.ca
We thank all applicants for applying; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Annika Richardson (l) with her Thunder Bay teammate Katherine Stewart-Jones on the “only sunny day” during Canada’s pre-Junior Worlds training camp last month in Praz de Lys, France. (Courtesy photo)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans who competed at last week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 20-year-old Annika Richardson, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay, who represented Canada at her second Junior Worlds.
Last week, Richardson raced to 52nd in the freestyle sprint, 67th in the 5 k classic, and 15th with the women’s 4 x 3.3 k relay.
***
“My full name is Annika Meghan Richardson, but you can call me Young Rich.
I was born and raised on the West Coast (best coast) in Vancouver, and I learned to ski at Hollyburn in rain pants (most of the time).
Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to 12th in the freestyle sprint qualifier on Jan. 9 at NorAm World Juniors trials at Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec. (Courtesy photo)
I spent the time between Mont Sainte-Anne trials and Junior/U23 Worlds thinking about catching up on school work.
The slipperiest (it poured with rain) workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was the Canada 150 rollerski mass start with Caitlin Compton-Gregg and the NTDC women’s team.
This is my second time in Switzerland (in the last two weeks) and fourth time racing internationally, and so far it’s been full of crazy fast skiers.
One difference I’ve noticed between Switzerland and Canada is they don’t say sorry as much.
Skiing and racing in the Alps has been very snowy so far. Usually racing at altitude is a lactate party for me because when I’m racing I forget that it’s harder at altitude. There are lots of mountains around where I live in Vancouver but not really any in Thunder Bay.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior/U23 Worlds in Goms is the big hill in the skate sprint course.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the skate sprint qualifier.
I really hope I can chat/make friends with someone from Germany and ask them if they own a pair of Lederhosen.
My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is definitely the strong coffee (finally).
Fondue is not something I have had the opportunity to try yet but I bet it’s delicious. The cheese here is quite abundant and there is tons of variety. And the chocolate is very, very rich and a bit too available.
If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it practicing my downhill shredding skills on a powder day.
The best way to follow me on social media is on Instagram @annika.richardson.”
Graham Ritchie (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing in Praz de Lys, France, last month during the Canadian team’s training camp before 2018 Junior World Championships in Switzerland. (Photo: Charles Castonguay)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans who competed at last week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 19-year-old Graham Ritchie, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay, who represented Canada at his first Junior Worlds.
Last week in Goms, Ritchie qualified for the freestyle sprint heats in 28th and went on to place 12th overall.
***
“My full name is Graham Ritchie, but you can call me Graham.
I was born and raised in Parry Sound, Ontario, and I learned to ski at Georgian Nordic.
I spent the time between Mont Sainte-Anne trials and Junior/U23 Worlds in Thunder Bay.
The funnest workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was shinny with the TBay boys.
This is my second time in Switzerland and second time racing internationally, and so far it’s been dandy.
One difference I’ve noticed between Switzerland and Canada is there are no beavers.
Skiing and racing in the Alps is thrilling! Usually racing at altitude is tricky for me because there are no mountains around where I live.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior/U23 Worlds in Goms is racing for Canada for the first time.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the sprint.
I really hope I can chat/make friends with a girl from Norway and ask them out.
My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is cappuccino.
Fondue is noice. The cheese here is noice. And the chocolate is noice.
If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it adventuring and taking pictures.
Katherine Stewart-Jones (95) racing to second in the women’s 10 k classic at NorAm Olympic trials earlier this month at Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec. (Photo: Pierre Shanks)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 22-year-old Katherine Stewart-Jones, of the National Training Development Centre Thunder Bay, who’s representing Canada at her second U23 Worlds.
On Wednesday, Stewart-Jones notched her second top 30 of the week, leading her team in 29th in the women’s 10 k classic in Goms. Two days ago, she placed 23rd in the freestyle sprint.
***
Katherine Stewart-Jones (NTDC Thunder Bay) training in Praz de Lys, France, before 2018 U23 World Championships in Switzerland. (Courtesy photo)
“My full name is Katherine Stewart-Jones, but you can call me KSJ.
I was born and raised in Chelsea, Quebec, and I learned to ski in the Gatineau Park.
I spent the time between Mont Sainte-Anne trials and Junior/U23 Worlds hanging out in Chelsea with my family with my family and at a training camp in Praz de Lys, France.
The hardest workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was hard double pole erg intensity in the altitude chamber with my teammates at Canadian Sport Institude of Ontario.
This is my third time in Switzerland and eighth time racing internationally, and so far it’s been snowy.
One difference I’ve noticed between Switzerland and Canada is that the people here are more relaxed.
Skiing and racing in the Alps is breathtaking. Usually racing at altitude is OK for me because I’ve raced and trained quite a bit at altitude. There are no mountains around where I live.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior/U23 Worlds in Goms is the twisty race courses.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the 10 km classic.
I really hope I can chat/make friends with someone from Switzerland and ask them if they eat Tacos.
My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is the coffee.
Fondue is delicious. The cheese here is not as cheep as France. And the chocolate is what you would expect.
If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it ski touring and restaurant hopping.
The best way to follow me on social media is on Instagram @kath_sj.”
Canada’s Katherine Stewart-Jones racing to 79th in the women’s 10 k freestyle on Dec. 10 at the World Cup in Davos, Switzerland. The day before, she placed 55th in the freestyle sprint. (Photo: Reese Brown / U.S. Ski & Snowboard)
In a split second, Katherine Stewart-Jones was flying over her handlebars and headed face-first for the road. She had been biking to her local gym in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Sept. 19 when her bike’s front tire rammed into an irregular rise in the road and sent her off her bike seat and toward the unforgiving pavement below.
A person driving by witnessed Stewart-Jones catapult off her bike and stopped immediately to check if she was all right. Though the 22-year-old Quebec native had been wearing a helmet, her face had take the brunt of the impact, leaving her with two swollen lips and one very sore tooth. The passerby who had witnessed the fall stopped, loaded Stewart-Jones’s bike in the back of the car and ferried her the rest of her way to the gym.
Canadian National U25 Team member Katherine Stewart-Jones racing in a classic-sprint quarterfinal at 2017 U23 World Championships at Soldier Hollow near Midway, Utah. She placed 24th overall on the day. (Photo: flyingpointroad.com)
When Stewart-Jones arrived at Thrive Strength and Wellness that day, Josh McGeown, who works as a strength instructor at Thrive, has a master’s of science in kinesiology and specializes in athlete injury and rehabilitation, took one look at her and informed her there would be no workout for her that day. In the gym’s office, McGeown immediately ran a few preliminary tests to decipher if Stewart-Jones had a concussion, though he also indicated it was, in all likelihood, too early to tell. She would have to wait for more symptoms to arise.
After McGeown’s prognosis, Stewart-Jones, a member of both the Canadian National U25 Team and National Team Development Center (NTDC) Thunder Bay, called the NTDC team’s doctor to arrange an appointment. She got in the same day as the accident, and a few more tests were run. Once again, however, she was told nothing could be confirmed until more signs of a concussion showed up. By the next morning, they did.
“I slept like 12 hours that night or something, not normal,” Stewart-Jones said on the phone in late November.
The morning following her accident, Stewart-Jones flew home to Chelsea, Quebec. She had been planning to return home to help with a Fast and Female event taking place in Ottawa, 10 kilometers south of her hometown. After the event, her plan was to fly to Park City, Utah, to join her fellow Canadian national-team members at a dryland altitude training camp.
But recurring headaches and the inability to do anything but sleep changed all that.
“I was sleeping like crazy,” Stewart-Jones said. “My eyes would get really tired. I had a lot of sensitivity to light and sounds, just being around people was like, ‘Whoa.’ ”
“I also ended up having some issues with my tooth,” Stewart-Jones explained. “We weren’t sure at first if it was injured, but it ended up changing colors, like turning purple. So I ended up having to get a root canal.”
Besides a tooth that necessitated endodontic treatment, Stewart-Jones’s accident also left her with no energy to train, despite wanting to do so. For close to a month, she rested, unable to train or complete any of the online psychology courses she was taking at Lakehead University. Even reading screens bothered both her eyes and her head.
Katherine Stewart-Jones of the Canadian National U25 Team (fourth from l, white socks) with guest training partners Jessie Diggins of the U.S. Ski Team (far left) and Caitlin Gregg of Team Gregg (back row, second from r) prior to hiking, “The Giant” this summer. (Photo: Katherine Stewart-Jones)
For Stewart-Jones, the hardest part of coping with the injury was transitioning from full-time training to barely moving.
This sentiment surfaced in Stewart-Jones’s blog post following the accident, where she reflected, “I think we can all agree that cross-country skiing is one of the hardest sports in the world. I have been training for skiing for as long as I can remember, but these past six weeks have been the toughest of my career and I have barely lifted a finger.”
“When you’re used to doing so much and then not being able to do much at all was just frustrating and then also just kind of depressing,” Stewart-Jones later told FasterSkier. “I spent a lot of time feeling almost sad and really sorry for myself.”
Couch-ridden in Chelsea, while her teammates and the rest of the cross-country world continued to train, Stewart-Jones was faced with the question any athlete who has put endless amounts of time into a season and suffers an injury dreads: was it all for nothing?
“I definitely had that thought of, is my season over?” she said. “Kind of that panicked moment where it’s like this is an Olympic year and I want to qualify for the Olympics and I kind of felt like maybe my dream is crushed.”
But that was one question she wasn’t going to wait around to find out. She began a proactive approach to recovery, which included logging her symptoms and journaling, guided meditation, and staying in contact with therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and teammates (read more about the five steps she took on her blog).
Katherine Stewart-Jones (far right) of the Canadian U25 Team with several of her women’s team training partners during a summer training session in New Zealand. (Courtesy photo)
She remained in contact with McGeown, who’s master’s research project at Lakehead addressed how to help athletes safely return to sport post-concussion. The two emailed and texted regularly while Stewart-Jones was at home in Chelsea, with McGeown offering advice and suggestions on how to cope with the mental and physical side affects from both a professional and personal standpoint.
A former rugby player, downhill skier and contact-sports enthusiast, McGeown himself has suffered more than 15 concussions during his athletic career. On the phone with FasterSkier, he recalled his own undergrad experience when the solution for the concussed was to “sit in a dark room and hope you get better.”
“At that point in time, there was no advice from doctors or physios,” said McGeown, who will start working toward a doctorate at New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology this year. “It was, if you have any symptoms at rest, don’t exercise. For up to a year, don’t workout, don’t go for runs, don’t lift weights, don’t play sports. Essentially don’t do anything you like to do.”
However, recent research done by McGeown and acclaimed medical sources, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, have changed that belief. While all rest and no play was formerly viewed as the most appropriate way to recover from a concussion, recent studies show the opposite. Exercise appears to be the preferred method of rehabbing a concussed individual, though the intensity, duration and type still vary case by case and remain in question.
“They release new guidelines every four years,” McGeown explained. “The 2012 guidelines say rest; do nothing. The 2016 guidelines say exercise-based rehab is going to be the new cornerstone for concussion rehab. They’re not saying how often, how intense, how do you get them started, for how long, etc. What the research needs to figure out still is all those variables. What is the best case scenario or is it completely individualized?”
In the case of Stewart-Jones, slow and steady was the start. At home in Chelsea, she began exercising once she had a full 24-hour period of no symptoms. Following the 24-hour period, she completed ten minutes of exercise (in her case, walking on the treadmill) at a heart rate of 115.
If, after completing the workout, no new symptoms arose or worsened, she would either increase her time or her heart rate the following day, but not by much. If her symptoms worsened or new ones arose, she returned to the exercise she had been doing the previous day — no exceptions and no matter how badly she wanted to train more.
“Everybody wants to be tough. Everybody wants to fight through it and push through it,” McGeown said. “But what I try to get people to conceptualize is, if it’s your ankle or knee or shoulder, go for it. Tough it out, because when you’re fifty or sixty and that knee is really bothering you, they’ll just replace it with a new one.
“Whereas there’s no second chances with our brain,” McGeown continued. “We’re seeing that with football players and hockey players. There are extreme consequences and if we don’t take it seriously, it’s a big deal.”
Even with that weighing in the back of her mind, Stewart-Jones still found it difficult to not rush back into training too quickly.
“I found that one of the most difficult parts of recovery was knowing when I was feeling good enough to start training again,” Stewart Jones wrote in her blog. “I found it easy to convince myself that I was feeling normal when I wasn’t. Maybe it was because I was just too eager to get back to training or maybe it was because I truly couldn’t remember how it felt to be my normal self. The bottom line is, you know yourself best, so be honest with yourself, and the recovery will be much quicker.”
Katherine Stewart-Jones (Canadian U25 Team/NTDC Thunder Bay) during a summer training session in New Zealand. (Courtesy photo)
When she returned to Thunder Bay a few weeks after her accident, she began working with McGeown in person, continuing her work on the treadmill until she had reached the point where she was exercising at a threshold pace, something similar to a steady state.
After that, McGeown began a second phase of the recovery, adding higher intensity workouts to her training regimen. She would complete 30-second long speed bursts of mountain climbers, ski erging and box jumps followed by a check-in with McGeown. If all went well, she continued. After about ten sessions like this, Stewart-Jones was cleared by McGeown to return to normal training.
In late November, a little less than eight weeks after she suffered her concussion, Stewart-Jones was back on skis, logging a 17-hour training week and feeling “100 percent.”
“Initially I was supposed to leave on Nov. 11th to meet the team in Finland and race the Ruka [Triple],” Stewart-Jones, last year’s NorAm (Canada’s Continental Cup) winner, said of her plans to start her season on the World Cup for Period 1. “I was feeling fine, I didn’t have any symptoms and I could train fine, but I felt like I wasn’t going to be ready enough to race then. And I wanted to put a couple weeks of big volume in just to feel like I gained my fitness back, so [my coach Timo Puiras and I] made the decision to stay longer.”
“Katherine’s summer training went very well,” Puiras, head coach of the NTDC, wrote in an email. “Our IST (Integrated Support Team) was excellent in getting Katherine back to normal training as quickly as possible.”
“It was definitely a lot after taking a good six weeks off for an injury,” Stewart-Jones told FasterSkier after the Davos 10 k freestyle on Dec. 10. “I’ve had a good month of training, but it was more volume focused, just because I wanted to gain back that fitness and so I didn’t do a lot of intensity so I was kind of expecting it to be rough. But having the NorAm leader’s spot, it wasn’t something I was ever going to turn down.
“I think for distance racing I still have that extra gear to build,” she added. “Right now I feel like my technique has come a long way, but I don’t feel like I’m actually racing, and I think that’s just going to come with more intensity and more racing.”
When asked if Stewart-Jones might be at a higher risk for concussion while competing on the World Cup now, McGeown explained it would be difficult to say without know her particular history with concussions.
“Once you’ve had multiple concussions, it’s easier to get the next one, the symptoms are worse, and recovery takes you longer,” McGeown said. “But typically if someone’s at a high risk for reinjury, it’s going to be if they return to sport within that first week to two weeks after the initial injury. It is certainly possible it could happen again, but it could happen to anyone at anytime.
“That she’s at a high risk, I would say no. She’s at the same risk as any other skier competing against her,” McGeown added. “The only way that a concussion is going to truly limit someone is if they let it.”
— Chelsea Little and Alex Kochon contributed
Katherine Stewart-Jones’s Instagram post after two weekends of World Cup racing last month in Lillehammer, Norway, and Davos, Switzerland. She also raced two distance races in Toblach, Italy, where she finished 77th in a 10 k freestyle and 70th (68th for time of day) in a 10 k classic pursuit on Dec. 16-17. (Photo: Instagram/@kath_sj)
NTDC Thunder Bay teammates (from l to r) Sadie White, Lisle Compton, Annika Richardson, Katherine Stewart-Jones, Alannah MacLean, and Mia Serratore at Sovereign Lake near Vernon, B.C., last December. The entire women’s team qualified for World Cup Finals in Quebec City last March based on their strong performances on the NorAm circuit. (Photo: Sadie White)
Coming off a big showing at 2017 World Cup Finals last March in Quebec City, the Thunder Bay National Team Development Centre (NTDC) — which sent six women and two men to the season-ending finals — is raring to go this winter.
The 14-member team is based out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, right in the middle of Canada. And while it might be a long ways from water (as Canada’s westernmost Atlantic port, some 3,700 kilometers from the mouth of the St. Lawrence seaway), Thunder Bay has a storied history in cross-country skiing, largely deriving from Finnish immigrants. The Lappe Nordic Ski Centre, which will host 2017 Canadian Ski Nationals, and Tapiola ski trails (referenced in the workout below) are at the heart of that history.
Fast-forward to the present, NTDC Thunder Bay as one of Canada’s big-three national-team training centres continues to gain momentum with some of the nation’s top skiers, many of which are women. Katherine Stewart-Jones, the overall NorAm leader at the end of last season, was renominated to the Canadian national U25 Team this spring, and Annika Richardson and Lisle Compton are members of the national Junior Team.
The following dryland workout was co-written by Stewart-Jones, Richardson, Compton, Alannah MacLean, Sadie White, and Mia Serratore, with contributions from Angus Foster and head coach Timo Puiras. So while the NTDC Thunder Bay team is currently fine-tuning for the season on snow at Lappe, here’s a running workout for those of us in less wintery climates.
***
“At NTDC Thunder Bay, we are proud to have one of the largest and strongest women’s training groups in Canada. With six girls on the training centre, ranging from Junior to U23 to Senior Women, there is a wide range of strengths and specializations within the group.
NTDC Thunder Bay’s Annika Richardson (32), Katherine Stewart-Jones (34), Sadie White (33), Lisle Compton (behind) and Mia Serratore (35), and Lappe Nordic’s Hannah Shields (36), chase American Caitlin Gregg (31) out of the start of the inaugural Canada 150 Rollerski Race in downtown Thunder Bay on July 1, 2016. (Photo: Anna Buske)
During the training season, the goal is to build base fitness and speed to create a good foundation for the ski season. One way to develop fitness is with Zone 3 intensity. Our go-to threshold workout is running intensity on a 750-meter loop at the Tapiola Ski Trails.
Instead of your typical track running workout, we run multiple loops of a relatively flat, hard-packed dirt trail at a prescribed lap pace. The aim is to stay as consistent as possible throughout the entire workout and to have the most even lap times upon completion of each set. Depending on prescribed lap times, this may be a workout with a partner or it may be solo, but it is an opportunity to focus on your own workout without trying to compete at your training partner’s pace.
The Workout: Zone 3 running intensity
Purpose: Target Zone3/threshold energy systems and improve efficiency
Warmup:
Warmup: 15- to 30-minute run to wake the body up and get in the zone
Dynamic joint prep: Some dynamic stretching to loosen up and prepare the body to move well! Think lunge with a side twist, ABC’s, karaoke, downward dog – all of these help to elongate muscles, warm up your body, and reduce the possibility of injury
Activation sprints: A set of sprints to really get things moving and create a bit of lactate in the body. Aim for roughly 5 x 8 seconds with about 2 minutes of rest between each sprint, with a focus on being snappy and aggressive so that you go into a workout with a bit of fatigue and lactate in your muscles that you have to work through.
Determine max lap:
Prescribed pace or prescribed lap time is determined from the data acquired from the incremental-workload, running-treadmill test performed during the team’s testing camp in late May. The resulting calculated pace is the time that we must try and maintain for each lap throughout the workout. This pace is anaerobic threshold, or a pace that is “comfortably hard”. The prescribed pace is individualized for each athlete to ensure that the workout is completed according to that athlete’s running speed.
Periodically throughout the summer the team will run a “max lap” to recalibrate the prescribed pace. The max lap is one all-out effort of the 750 m loop.
Workout:
3 x 5 laps at your prescribed pace (depending on the athlete this can range somewhere between 2.5 to 3.5 minutes per lap) – pace should be comfortably hard for each athlete
Prescribed pace:
Maintaining a consistent pace for each lap will help to increase anaerobic threshold, the point at which your body gets tired at a steady state. Some athletes establish markers on the loop to get an idea of pacing (i.e. I have to pass this tree at 1:28 to run a 3:15 loop). We lap our watch for every loop in the set to monitor average heart rate per lap, and to see if that average increases, decreases or stays consistent throughout the duration of the workout. If you look like you are working too hard or your average heart rate increases drastically, the coaches will take a lactate. If it’s too high, you’re in trouble! Actually, [our coaches] Timo or Camille [Cheskey] will either read just your lap pace for the next set or you’ll be told to run alone because you were getting too competitive with your teammates.
Recovery: One easy lap and a quick drink break (approximately 5 minutes between sets)
Cool Down: Slow jog for 20-30 minutes with a couple surges into Zone 2 help to flush out all the lactic acid that built up in your legs throughout the workout. Some athletes will sit in the creek that runs beside the Tapiola trails as a form of cold tubbing.
The data from lap times and average heart rate is entered into a Google Drive document after each Tapiola workout. This serves as a tool to see lap time +/- the prescribed pace and heart rate across all laps and sets. All this data helps monitor how you are improving with each workout. If you’re capable of maintaining a consistent heart rate, then the pace will speed up for the next Tapiola intensity!
Annika Richardson, Lisle Compton, Sadie White, Mia Serratore, and Alannah MacLean in Ramsau, Austria, before their first session on a rollerski-specific paved track during a training camp this past September. The pink outfits were not coordinated. (Photo: Timo Puiras)
The goal of Tapiola is CONSISTENCY. Mental preparation and focus are the two keys for success. The pace is individually tailored to personal running speed to ensure that every athlete completes the workout at a speed that is best for them. However, this isn’t a workout where you can wing it. When you start to get tired by the last set, as you should be, maintaining good running technique and pacing requires conscious effort. Also, the athlete that runs the most consistent laps gets 10 points and a parrot sticker from Timo (a Finnish tradition).
Tapiola workouts start in June and we’ll run different variations of the workout described above about 6-10 times throughout the summer. It’s always surprising how much easier a Tapiola workout feels the second or third time you do it, even at a faster prescribed pace. It also has a big pay off in our running speed and fitness as we build into the training and racing seasons. This is one of our favourite workouts as part of NTDC Thunder Bay and why we wanted to share it with you!
Happy running!”
NTDC Thunder Bay teammates Lisle Compton (l) and Alannah MacLean during the first day of natural snowfall on Oct. 27 at Lappe Nordic near Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Grant Hall)
The National Team Development Centre Thunder Bay is seeking a Ski Technician for the 2017-2018 Season. This position is a support role in a dynamic high-performance service team committed to delivering international level race service and further develop
Canada’s future Olympians.
Term: December 2017-March 2018
General Responsibilities:
These include but are not limited to the following:
Assist in all aspects of competition preparation and race day service
Assist athletes with ski selection, general ski preparation, wax testing
Perform ski equipment maintenance
Provide race assistance to support athletes during competition, including time splits, feeds and equipment replacement
Managing movement of equipment and other logistics
Manage and track wax inventory
Required Qualifications:
Ability to communicate effectively, respectfully and professional with coaching
staff, athletes and volunteers.
Good knowledge of current wax technologies, and application methods
Ability to work as a team member and focus on team goals
Strong in both skate and classic technique in order to test skis and waxes adequately
High level of fitness to maintain pace and consistency with testing protocols
Good understanding of ski technologies and knowledge of manufacturers design specifications
Remuneration based on per day rate: negotiable based on experience.
Please send a résumé, cover letter and references by September 25, 2017 to: chris.serratore@gmail.com
Bob Thompson (NTDC Thunder Bay) competing at last season’s World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway. He’s shooting for another round of Period I World Cup starts this season and, he hopes, an Olympic berth. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)
Bob Thompson won his first NorAm in 2014, at Olympic trials in Canmore, Alberta. The then-22-year-old Canadian cross-country skier skied safe and smart and took the victory after two pre-race favorites, Jesse Cockney and Phil Widmer, collided near the finish.
That win didn’t earn Thompson an Olympic berth for Sochi. But this year, the Thunder Bay National Team Development Center (NTDC) athlete is hoping to get to PyeongChang, South Korea – and hopefully, to avoid needing an Olympic trials win to do so.
“I’ll do the Frozen Thunder race [in Canmore in November] – I think it’s just one race this year – to get Period I [World Cup] starts,” Thompson, 26, said of his goals for the beginning of the season. “So then get on the Period I World Cup, and then from there that’s the only chance to get another two top 30s to get the Olympic qualification locked in.”
After finishing 30th in the World Cup Finals sprint in Quebec City in March – his first World Cup points – Thompson is one-third of the way to qualifying for the Olympic team, most likely.
Nominations go preferentially to athletes who have finished twice in the top-16, or have one top-12 distance result or one top-six sprint result, or are part of a podium relay or team sprint. Five men have hit those marks.
Bob Thompson sprinting to second in the 2016 skate-sprint qualifier last fall at Frozen Thunder in Canmore, Alberta. The performance earned him the final spot on Canada’s 2016 Period I World Cup team. (Photo: Drew Goldsack)
But if the team is not filled yet with men meeting those criteria – and it probably won’t be, as the Canadian team intends to take around seven men – the next spots will go to athletes with three top-30 World Cup results. That’s the mark Thompson is after.
He already has one result in the bag.
And he is familiar with Period I World Cups, considered by many to be the most difficult and competitive World Cups of the season. Most countries send a full team of athletes to every event, not true some other weekends of the year. And when World Cups are hosted in Norway and Finland, the 15 “extra” athletes the home country is allowed to enter as a “Nations Group” are pretty high-caliber skiers.
“From an actual racing standpoint, I had [Russia’s Sergey] Ustiugov go by me when I was on my first lap and he was on his second lap,” Thompson said of a distinct memory from those races last season. “He just dropped me immediately. It was this realization, that, OK, I should be going a lot faster. I’m trying to do that … getting more World Cup experience under the belt.”
But despite the wake-up call of racing the very best and deepest fields in the world, Thompson felt that he had executed well last season and now has experience to build on.
“Those races were really good,” Thompson said of the 2016 races. “I guess I didn’t do as well as I had hoped – I had hoped I would get a top 30 in that period – but in Lillehammer I tied my previous best World Cup result, which was my very first one from Gatineau from the Ski Tour Canada. I was 52nd.”
Thompson had another opportunity to get World Cup points last season when he was selected to race in PyeongChang for the World Cup test events. Like many countries, Canada didn’t send most of its A-team because the races were before World Championships and team leaders worried about fatigue. Thompson, Cockney, Simon Lapointe, and Julien Locke joined World Cup regular Len Valjas in PyeongChang.
Bob Thompson (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to second in the men’s classic sprint qualifier at 2016 Western Canadian Championships in Prince George, B.C. He went on to win the men’s final. (Photo: Sally Connon)
It was a bitter moment for Thompson, in a way, because he finished 31st in the sprint qualifier, just 0.01 seconds out of the quarterfinals. That would have guaranteed him a top 30 and, perhaps, something much better than that.
It was a race effort imperfectly executed, something that Thompson remembers.
“I definitely knew multiple places where I didn’t ski it well enough,” he said. “There was one place where my wax caught on me, and then I tried to prevent that from happening again and took a corner too wide, easily losing at least a second. … I definitely felt like I could have had a decent result there. I mean, anyone can say that, but, yeah.”
The pressure of having a good result is something that Thompson has grown used to, as he is constantly trying to qualify for something – a competition, a team, funding.
“Every World Cup start I’ve had so far has had pressure to get that top 30,” he explained. “I always felt like I had to have near my best day to do it.”
So in a way, this year’s Period I (if he gets there via Frozen Thunder) won’t be any different. The big change is that now he does have one top-30 under his belt, and in a field more competitive than in PyeongChang, too.
If he doesn’t hit the top 30 twice in the initial period of World Cup racing, Thompson will need to manage the transition back to Canada better and excel at January’s Olympic trials, to be held in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec.
That will require refocusing, and Thompson had an important cautionary lesson about it last season. It had been his first time spending a whole period on the World Cup, and between the racing and the travel it took more out of him than he had expected.
“Coming out of that is where I guess I learned the most,” he admitted. “We came back from Europe and were set on doing a bit of a recovery period before the U.S. Nationals races, which were trials races. But we decided we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for the Rossland NorAm weekend because it was the Period II qualification, for whoever won the weekend. We thought that I had raced well so I was going to be fast. And it turned out that in hindsight, that was a mistake as it was a bit too much travel for me or a bit too much load.”
This year, with so much on the line, Thompson is trying to be aggressive but also careful.
His plans hit a snag in August when Thompson fell ill and missed several weeks of training. With his coaches he has made the tough decision to skip an on-snow camp on the Dachstein glacier in Austria and try to gradually build back into full training without overdoing it. By November’s race in Canmore, he hopes to be back fully to himself.
Before getting sick, things had been going well.
“Maybe I was a little more tired than I should have been, but it was starting to get better, especially around the Alignment Camp we hosted in Thunder Bay,” Thompson said. “That was a lot of fun and a well-organized event. It was really good to have everyone who came to that, to train with us, and we could showcase the training venues in Thunder Bay. … I think I was not getting enough recovery after a few key workouts, but in July I made note that I was feeling a little bit run down and I started to address that.”
He is also taking advantage of some non-coaching support systems available in the Thunder Bay area.
“We have been focusing this year on nutrition,” Thompson explained. “We have been working with the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario a little bit more. I’ve been getting plans from their nutritionist as well as doing more work with their sports psychologist and physiologist. Those are a few of the small things that I hoped would be that extra percentage to help ramp me up for this Olympic year.”
And another thing has changed for Thompson as well. Thanks to that 30th-place finish in the Quebec World Cup, he is now a “carded” athlete, receiving a monthly stipend from Sport Canada.
It’s not enough money to change the material aspects of his life, but it has done two things. The first is to release Thompson from some of the pressure to do odd jobs whenever the opportunity arises.
“Previous years, I have worked for older former skiers who have properties or rentals that need fixing up,” he said. “A number of us on the team have been doing that. But now it’s sometimes like, well, actually, I don’t have time. I have too much training. I don’t necessarily feel like I need to take all those opportunities which could take away from training opportunities due to fatigue levels and spending time not resting.”
And secondly, having his own money to live on has been mentally freeing.
“I have been very fortunate from my parents being very supportive of my racing,” Thompson said. “But just the fact that I wasn’t paying for it myself, or was paying for limited aspects of it – to have skied fast enough to have that income now, takes the strain off my parents and the pressure off myself for feeling like I was draining them too much.”
It might seem trivial, but along with the sports psychology work it has made a big difference in Thompson’s outlook.
“That in itself, the mental relief – I think I have been looking for that for the last five years, ever since I’ve been a senior athlete,” he said. “Ever since I entered the realm of, OK, now I should really be able to make it if I’m competing at the top level in Canada. So I think most of all it has been a good mental boost just to have that.”
Evan Palmer-Charrette (41) leads the elite men’s 11.25 k mass start at the Canada 150 Rollerski Race on Saturday, July 1, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Right behind him, Brian Gregg (44) and Angus Foster (46) follow. (Photo: Christian Hollmann)
Editor’s note: Evan Palmer-Charrette, a 23-year-old member of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay, agreed to write a recap of the inaugural Canada 150 Rollerski Race, the first Cross Country Canada (CCC) sanctioned rollerski race in Thunder Bay, Ontario, well before he won the race. By no fault of his own, Palmer-Charrette ended up being both the author of and a subject in the following article, and his teammate Annika Richardson provided a post-race video interview with him. Richardson finished second in the women’s race.
***
THUNDER BAY, Ontario — On Canada Day this past Saturday, July 1, a historic holiday for Canada as a nation, NTDC Thunder Bay in conjunction with the Lakehead Superior Nordic Association, Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club and Lappe Nordic, made history of its own, hosting a Cross Country Canada (CCC) sanctioned rollerski for the first time in downtown Thunder Bay. It was the second time a sanctioned (tier-two, non-FIS) rollerski race had been held in Canada, following last year’s Challenge Volvo 2016 in Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec.
Sadie White racing in the Canada 150 Rollerski Race on July 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Kevin Schlyter)
Saturday’s event, dubbed the Canada 150 Rollerski Race, drew more than 40 of Canada’s top development skiers and Americans Caitlin and Brian Gregg to showcase rollerski racing as part of the city’s Canada Day festivities. The day began with both men and women racing 1.5-kilometer time-trial sprint qualifiers on a two-lap, 750-meter course.
Evan Palmer-Charrette qualified first in a time of 3:03.71 minutes, followed by Julian Smith in second (+3.64) and Jack Carlyle in third (+5.05).
In the women’s qualifier, Caitlin Gregg won the qualifier by more than nine seconds in 3:28.21. Annika Richardson was second overall (+9.35) and top Canadian qualifier, followed by Sadie White in third (+11.51).
The forecast for the day called for thunderstorms, and while some rain led into the qualifier, the sun came out for most of the distance races. All of the women raced together over a 9 k distance, whereas the men were broken up into four groups racing either 4.5, 6, 9, or 11.25 k based on their qualifier results. The distance races were held on the same course as the sprint, which circled a city block and included an out-and-back for an additional climb and descent.
The elite races offered cash prizes for the top five men and women ($500, $300, $200, $75, and $25, respectively), as well as the top three in the men’s and women’s qualifier ($150, $100 and $50, respectively). Each race featured three primes scattered throughout the course, which rewarded the first to reach them with cash ($100 at the second prime) and prizes from local businesses.
Mia Serratore (35) leads Caitlin Gregg (31), Annika Richardson (32), Katherine Stewart-Jones (34), and others in the women’s 9 k “Canada 150 Rollerski Race”, the first-ever sanctioned rollerski race held July 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Anna Buske)
Given her qualifying result and impressive resume, Gregg established herself as the race favorite for the women’s 9 k race. The first prime was on Lap 4, which was when Gregg made her move and broke away from the field, which gave her a sizable gap for the remainder of the race. She won in 23:25.9, more than a minute ahead of anyone else.
“I’ve been working on my starts so I try to get out fast, which was a lot of fun when you have a big pack like that in a mass start,” Gregg explained. “And then I just tried to relax for the first couple of laps. … I felt strong and was able to push through the whole race, which was nice for having a race effort this time of year.”
After Gregg’s move dismantled the pack, Richardson raced to second (+1:01.1) as the top Canadian finisher.
“After attempting to bridge it [the gap] with Sadie, it was all about skiing smoothly and holding second until the end,” she said.
Canadian national-team member Katherine Stewart-Jones rounded out the podium in third (+1:56.9). Only four women finished the race, with White placing fourth (+2:07.7).
Michael Somppi leads Brian Gregg (second from l) and Evan Palmer-Charrette (second from r) during the “Canada 150” downtown rollerski race, the first-ever CCC-sanctioned rollerski race in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on July 1. (Photo: Kevin Schlyter)
The elite men’s 11.25 k race played out quite differently with 10 of the 13 starters finishing within 17 seconds of one another. Yet similarly to the women’s race, the pace picked up going onto the fourth lap with a prime and a prize on the line. Angus Foster outsprinted teammate and fellow Thunder Bay native Palmer-Charrette to take the first prime and a prize to go along with it.
After Brian Gregg was first to the second prime, Michael Somppi took the third and final prime on the 12th of 15 laps and made a decisive move to try and break away from the pack. However, with just over two laps to go, Palmer-Charrette reeled him back in and finished first in 25:20.2. Gregg followed just 0.2 seconds later for second overall and Carlyle crossed 0.3 seconds later for third place. Less than 4 seconds out of first, Somppi finished sixth (+3.8), behind Dominique Moncion-Groulx in fourth (+1.7) and Andy Shields in fifth (+2.0).
The men’s 6 k race was hit by the worst weather of the day, as a looming storm cloud opened up during it. Thomas Manktelow of the Albert World Cup Academy (AWCA) won the first prime and went on to win the race as well.
Thomas Manktelow (l) and Levi Nadlersmith (r) racing to first and second, respectively, in the men’s 6 k race at the Canada 150 Rollerski Race in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Kevin Schlyter)
“I was a little worried about some of the corners in the wet, but managed to get away without any crashes,” Manktelow said. “The mass start was super-fun and went pretty well, and the entire event was well-run.”
Larkin Wasmuth won the men’s 9 k race and Aleksi Luoma topped the men’ 4.5 k.
The field was quite strong with the likes of 2014 U.S. Olympian Brian Gregg and several athletes from national training centres across Canada.
“It was so much fun to compete in a sanctioned roller ski race in North America,” Gregg wrote in an email. “NTDC and Thunder Bay did a fantastic job running the event especially with the added challenge of a few rain showers throughout the day. I can’t wait for the next rollerski race, the Canada 150 race has set the bar high.”
Evan Palmer-Charrtee (41) holds off Brian Gregg (44) and others, including Dominique Moncion-Groulx (53) and Andy Shields (49), for first place in the elite men’s 11.25 k “Canada 150 Rollerski Race” on July 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo: Kevin Schlyter)
On July 1st, 2017, Thunder Bay, Ontario will be hosting its first ever Cross Country Canada sanctioned rollerski race. The race will feature more than 50 of Canada’s top nordic skiers racing around the closed streets of downtown Port Arthur. The race will start and finish at the corner of Court and Van Norman, commencing at 2:00 pm and finishing with awards at 6:00 pm.
The event is organized by Lakehead Superior Nordic Association, Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club, Lappe Nordic, and the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay.
This event has been organized to coincide with the other exciting Canada Day celebrations planned for the downtown core.
Among the racers will be top local skiers, Junior National Team members and other elite skiers who have come to Thunder Bay from across Canada for a training camp hosted by NTDC Thunder Bay. The field will include athletes who potentially will represent Canada in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Race format will include an interval start individual time trial with each competitor completing two laps of the course. Then the athletes will be seeded into waves of closely matched competitors. Each wave will complete a 12 to 20 lap race on the same circuit. Waves will progress from the slower competitors to the faster, with the top ranked skiers racing at close to 4 pm.
Date: Saturday July 1st 2107 Time: 2:00-6:00 PM
Location: Start/finish at corner of Court and Van Norman (see attached map of race course)
ContactTimo Puiras (NTDC Thunder Bay Head Coach) at ndctimo@gmail.com for further information
The National Team Development Centre (NTDC) – Thunder Bay is one of Canada’s national sanctioned cross-country ski centres, operating as a development team within the framework of Cross Country Canada.
The Assistant Coach will join our Head Coach in providing a world-class training environment and high-performance structure for 10-20 of Canada’s present and future World Cup athletes. As one of two coaching staff, you will be an integral part of the success of the NTDC-TBAY program.
The successful applicant will have:
3+ years coaching experience
Minimum NCCP training/certification Train2Train (CCD preferred) or equivalent training and experience
Strong technical knowledge and analysis of cross-country skiing
Demonstrated competence in race wax selection, application, and testing
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
Excellent race support abilities
Ability to present and write effectively
Outstanding organization and time management
Sufficient personal ski technique and fitness
Computer competency (spreadsheets, word processing, database management, video transfer, web page maintenance)
Degree in kinesiology, physiology, coaching, or related field an asset
Ontario F-class drivers licence (or ability to obtain within first month)
Anticipated start date: April 24, 2017 (negotiable)
Salary commensurate with experience and education
Comprehensive health benefits package provided
Apply with a resume, cover letter, and reference contact information.
Canada’s Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to 34th in the 15 k freestyle at 2017 U23 World Championships on Thursday at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. He was the top Canadian in the race. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 22-year-old Evan Palmer-Charrette, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay, representing Canada at his first U23 Worlds.
On Tuesday, Palmer-Charrette finished 33rd in the classic sprint. On Thursday, he led the Canadian team in 34th in the 15 k freestyle.
***
“My full name is Evan James Palmer-Charrette, but you can call me Evan. I was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, raised in Thunder Bay, and one thing you should know about my hometown is we have the best pancakes in the world.
Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay), in the NorAm leader’s bib, racing to third in the 15 k classic on Jan. 21 at Western Canadian Championships in Whistler, B.C. (Courtesy photo)
I started cross-country skiing when I was five, thanks to my parents. I currently train in Thunder Bay with NTDC Thunder Bay.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me working at Rollin’ Thunder. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘Three Day Road‘.
One of the things I’m most excited about for U23/Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is racing on trails I have previously raced on. One race I’m especially targeting there is the 15km skate.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was to stay focused on the present.
One of the best race memories I have is racing the team relay at Canada Winter Games.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Bob Thompson.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be disappointed.
I’m missing zero days of school to be here, and my professors are probably thinking, ‘He’s never coming back.‘
Canada’s Lisle Compton (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to 39th in Wednesday’s 5 k freestyle, her first race of 2017 Junior World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, while her coach cheers her on. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 18-year-old Lisle Compton, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay, who’s representing Canada at her first Junior Worlds.
“My full name is Lisle Compton, but you can call me Lysol or straigh’ outta. I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, raised in Kenora, Ontario, and one thing you should know about my hometown is the Kenora Thistles won the Stanley Cup in 1907.
I started cross-country skiing when I was three, thanks to my parents. I currently train in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with the National Team Development Centre.
Lisle Compton (NTDC Thunder Bay) at Mt. Shark just outside Canmore, Alberta, the week before 2017 Junior World Championships, during the Canadian team’s pre-worlds altitude training camp. (Courtesy photo)
If I’m not skiing, you might find me scrolling through Instagram. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘The Revenant‘.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is having my Dad and so many Canadian parents cheering us on! One race I’m especially targeting there is the skiathlon.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was ‘stay happy, race fast’. One of the best race memories I have is the team relay at Canada Winter Games.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Katherine Stewart-Jones.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a grocery store clerk.
I’m missing too many days of school to be here, and my teachers are probably thinking, ‘Who is this Lisle person enrolled in my class?’
Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay/Canadian Junior National Ski Team) finishing third in the junior women’s 7.5 k classic at 2017 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships last month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 18-year-old Annika Richardson, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) and Canadian Junior National Ski Team, who’s representing the Canada at her first Junior Worlds after competing at last year’s Youth Olympic Winter Games.
“My full name is Annika Richardson, but you can call me Annika. I was born in Vancouver, B.C., raised in Vancouver, and one thing you should know about my hometown is that we are trying to become the greenest city in the world by 2020.
Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay/Canadian Junior National Ski Team) racing to third in the junior women’s 7.5 k classic at 2017 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships last month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team)
I started cross-country skiing when I was 2 or so, thanks to my parent’s love of the outdoors. I currently train in Thunder Bay with NTDC Tbay.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me curled up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘The Hobbit’ by J. R. R. Tolkien or ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ by C.S. Lewis (sorry can’t pick).
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is the home field advantage our team will have after a long altitude camp in Park City in the fall, as well as our experience actually racing there at US National a few weeks ago. One race I’m especially targeting there is the 5km Skate.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was to keep on smiling. One of the best race memories I have is the 5km Skate at the Youth Olympic Games.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Heidi Weng.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a student trying to finish the degree (whatever that is) that I am currently working on…
I’m missing who knows how many days of school to be here, and my teachers are probably thinking, ‘What a dedicated student.‘
NTDC Thunder Bay’s Julian Smith (left) racing to 51st in the men’s 15 k freestyle at 2017 senior U.S. nationals earlier this month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Courtesy photo)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 21-year-old Julian Smith, of the National Team Development Center (NTDC) Thunder Bay, who’s representing Canada at his first U23 Worlds Championships after competing at last year’s Junior Worlds.
***
“My full name is Julian Thomas Tones Smith, but you can call me J-man. I was born in The Hammer raised in Wiarton, Ontario, and one thing you should know about my hometown is it is the hometown of Wiarton Willie, an albino groundhog who determines the length of winter by looking for his shadow on February 2nd.
I started cross-country skiing when I was three, thanks to my parents moving out to the country with many snow mobile trails to ski on. I currently train in Thunder Bay with NTDC Tbay.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me wearing birks and a tilly hat taking photos with my film camera. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘The Liberator’ by Alex Kershaw.
One of the things I’m most excited about for U23/Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is having a most epic and excited cheering section composed of all of our parents that are coming down to support us. One race I’m especially targeting there is the classic sprint.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was ‘The top of the podium is a small place.’ Difficult to get to but motivating to aspire to be there. One of the best race memories I have is the entire trip to World Juniors in Almaty, KAZ.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Maurice Manificat.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be going to school to do something that I love.
I’m missing so many days of school that I have decided to take a break from school this semester, and my professors are probably thinking, ‘I don’t have to deal with that skier this semester.’
Katherine Stewart-Jones (NTDC Thunder Bay/Canadian U25 Team) racing in the women’s classic sprint at 2017 U.S. nationals earlier this month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, where she ended up eighth overall. (Courtesy photo)
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at next week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 21-year-old Katherine Stewart-Jones, of the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay and the Canadian National U25 Team, who’s representing Canada at her first U23 World Championships after racing at 2013, 2014 and 2015 Junior Worlds.
***
“My full name is Katherine Stewart-Jones, but you can call me KSJ.
I was born in Ottawa, raised in Chelsea, QC, and one thing you should know about my hometown is it has the best bakery.
I started cross-country skiing when I was two, thanks to my parents. I currently train in Thunder Bay with NTDC Thunder Bay.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me napping. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘The Glass Castle‘.
One of the things I’m most excited about for U23/Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is racing on familiar courses. One race I’m especially targeting there is the skiathlon.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was race fast, good things happen.
One of the best race memories I have is racing the Ski Tour Canada.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Maiken Caspersen Falla.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a small business owner.
I’m missing zero days of school to be here, and my professors are probably thinking, ‘Good thing she is only taking online courses.’
After winning Saturday’s 5 k freestyle World Cup race, U.S. Ski Team member Jessie Diggins (l) high fives Minnesota youngster Greta Stange, atop the shoulders of Diggins’s teammate Liz Stephen, on Dec. 3 in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
Three days of racing, more than a dozen North American skiers, and one FasterSkier on-site reporter was there to witness it all — including Jessie Diggins’s second-career win — in Lillehammer, Norway. We were also trailside at the first U.S. SuperTour races of the season in West Yellowstone, Mont., and provided remote coverage of the biathlon World Cup opener in Östersund, Sweden.
Here’s what we came out of last weekend with, in terms of what didn’t make it into the race reports.
Jessie Diggins (U.S. Ski Team) celebrating her second career World Cup victory after winning the women’s 5 k freestyle on Dec. 3 in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
[Asked whether she might consider targeting a top finish in the Overall World Cup, in addition to World Championships]
“She has obviously doesn’t talk about that and we’re not really talking about that either, but I think it’s for sure a possibility. She is really rounding out her ability, whether it’s sprint, distance, classic, or skate, and I think with her we will see continued improvements as we get into the season, in every discipline. She is the kind of skier that can and will be, in the future, an all-around threat for an Overall World Cup title, and she’s been kind of chipping away at it for some time now obviously, with a big step forward last season. … Right now she is planning on being at most World Cups, she is planning on skipping the World Cup weekend that is after the Tour de Ski the sprint, the sprint weekend, which has been a real smart strategy for her in the past. Right now she is not planning on being in Korea for that World Cup. We will kind of just take it race by race and see, and see what happens and see where we are.”
“Jessica can be either in the front or in the back when it comes to classic. I thought that if she has a good day, then we and Marit can try to chase Heidi, and that would be a really nice group. Or that she would be like the performance she delivered today and the she kind of falls through. But I was prepared to do most of the work myself, and it also turned out to be more than I was prepared for since Marit did not have her best day on the job.”
Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (Norway) after placing second in 10 k classic [Diggins placed eighth]
On progress:
“Today for me, I was maybe a little bit tired, and I was trying to ski with Ingvild [Flugstad Østberg] at the start… . So I know that there were a lot of things to improve on from today, but also some things to be proud of, like not totally losing it, because it was pretty stressful at the start.”
Jessie Diggins (USST) after placing eighth in 10 k classic pursuit
“There’s a certain time of the year where you feel just absolutely reckless, like you can push above and beyond, I haven’t yet found that place yet, but I am definitely really stoked with how things are going. I feel like each race I start, I am feeling better and better so it was definitely an encouraging thing on skate skis today, skiing like that on such a hilly course.”
Sadie Bjornsen (USST) after placing 14th in 5 k skate
“Today was better, it was a step in the right direction for sure. I got sick at the end of October and was sick for about 2 1/2 weeks, so I missed some of the hard intensity in preparation to get ready for the season and fortunately got healthy in time to come over here, but it’s just taking a couple of races for my body to come around. Today was the first time I felt like I was able to race and push hard, and it wasn’t perfect yet, but today was much better than I’ve felt so far.”
Eric Packer (Alaska Pacific University) after placing 78th in 10 k skate
“I’m still getting used to being on snow. I didn’t get enough opportunity to be on snow before starting racing, so arches on my feet and quads are pretty blown out. Yeah, it was pretty rough out there…
“I was able to dig pretty deep, and I extracted as much as I could out of the body, but again it wasn’t much, so it’s pretty disappointing that the season is off to such a rough start so far.”
Andy Shields (NTDC Thunder Bay) after placing 89th in 10 k skate
“A lot of lessons learned, but none of the races were quite what I wanted. But it was OK. It was a good first experience of a mini-tour.”
Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) after placing 42nd in 10 k classic pursuit
On placing 17th in three-straight races:
“I know the 17th curse, holy cow. That’s what I was like, I was on the phone with [my coach Erik] Flora yesterday I was like, ‘What? No, 17th again. Well, I mean, that’s not bad, I would like to get a little better than 17th at some point that would be nice.’ ”
Sadie Bjornsen, after placing 14th in 5 k skate
On races beyond the race:
“I’ve been working on 5 k skate for the relay a lot this summer and the past years, so it was really nice to have a really hard and fun course to ski today and focus on the relay.”
Liz Stephen (USST) after placing 26th in 5 k skate
On Lillhammer’s big climb:
“I live for the long climb. That’s my favorite part on any course, I think, so for me, I love the uphills. This one out of the stadium, it just doesn’t ski great. Everybody does their testing there so it’s always the most chewed up…”
Stephen, after placing 26th in 5 k skate
On the conditions:
“The conditions were awesome, the corners were a little bit — you know, after all the boys went and stuff — they were a little icy, but nothing scary. Just had to have your feet under you.”
Liz Stephen (U.S. Ski Team) after placing 26th in 5 k skate
“They’re good. I really like the rolling hills and over the bridges here. It’s kind of a cool venue, the hills just feel really big racing, but they’re over pretty quickly. The trail was getting a bit churned up in places and little bit deeper and sugar than maybe I like … but overall I think it was really great skiing.”
Patterson, after placing 38th in 5 k skate
On having family there:
“Kristen came down on the last day to watch and her mom and her sister were there, too. It was fun to have some family cheering me on. Even the family dog came out. I didn’t hear her bark, she is really well trained, so it’s nice that that she could come watch, too.”
Devon Kershaw (Canadian World Cup Team) after placing 27th in 15 k classic pursuit
“On this course, the work is done on the transitions. It’s a very tough course with lots of climbing and minimal rest so it really takes a lot of strong skiing to have a fast time. That is what allowed me to slowly move up through the race.”
Bryan Fletcher (U.S. Nordic Combined) after placing ninth in the large hill/10 k individual
On the challenges of being a new working dad:
“With the wife and kid at home it’s a bit of a challenge. However I am managing by visiting when I can and with the help of family and friends we are able to make it work. She is working full time and caring for the baby so as you can imagine it’s challenging when I am not home. So it’s really helpful for me when I am performing well as it makes the trips more worthwhile in my mind. Certainly it would be easier if they could travel with me but that is not a realistic option. So as long as I have balance between training and family life, I am happy and the results will come.”
“It’s been hard to be away from them for these last two weeks, but I will meet them in Munich tomorrow [Monday] morning and drive down to Slovenia with them. They will be with me on the road for the next two world cups before we fly back to the States.”
Lowell Bailey (US Biathlon) after placing 15th in Sunday’s 12.5 k pursuit
On the races being moved from Bozeman to West Yellowstone, Mont.:
“I definitely have raced well in the past at Bohart, so I was kind of a little bummed [when the races were moved], but I was also excited to race [in West Yellowstone]… It’s definitely the best I’ve ever felt at west Yellowstone, usually it’s a bit of a struggle here.”
Kaitlynn Miller (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) after placing 3rd in Sunday’s 15 k classic
“I typically don’t do very well in West Yellowstone and so this year was by far the best first race I have had…the curse is broken!”
Annie Hart (Stratton Mountain School) after placing 3rd in Saturday’s 1.3 k freestyle sprint
On goals for the next month of racing:
“I am hoping for another few podiums in the next 2 races. It would be great to win if I feel good and have solid skis, but its a tough field with a lot of strong guys. We will see how it goes.”
Ben Lustgarten (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) after placing 2nd in Sunday’s 15 k classic
The Alberta Cup men’s podium in Sunday’s 8.1 k classic interval start, with winner Kyle Bratrud (c) of CXC Team, NTDC Thunder Bay’s Evan Palmer-Charrette (l) in second and AWCA’s Dominique Moncion-Groulx (r) in third. (Photo: NTDC Thunder Bay/Twitter)
Here’s one that didn’t make Sunday’s Rundown: the Alberta Cup’s opening distance races, which took place Nov. 26-27 in Canmore, Alberta.
***
The Alberta Cup kicked off this past weekend with several big names competing in the distance races at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
Brian McKeever, Kyle Bratrud, Chelsea Holmes, and Felicia Gesior picked up victories, with the latter three all hailing from the U.S.
In the men’s 13.5 k freestyle interval start, McKeever, of Canada’s Para-Nordic Ski Team, took first in the men’s open race, beating his teammate Graham Nishikawa by 3.6 seconds with a winning time of 30:01.8. A visually impaired skier, McKeever races with Nishikawa as his guide in Paralympic races. But not on Saturday.
Bratrud, of the CXC Team, placed third in the 13.5 k skate, two seconds back from Nishikawa and 5.6 out of first.
David Palmer (Black Jack) was the second Canadian in fourth overall (+20.0), Matthew Hudec, of the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre (BATC), was fifth (+36.3), and Brian Gregg (Team Gregg) took sixth (+50.1). Rounding out the top 10 (of 54 in the open men’s field), Russell Kennedy (Team R.A.D.) placed seventh, Erik Carleton (Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team) was eighth, Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay) ninth, and Dominique Moncion-Groulx, of theAlberta World Cup Academy (AWCA), 10th.
Holmes, of Alaska Pacific University (APU), won the women’s 8.1 k freestyle on Saturday, finishing nearly 45 seconds ahead of Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg) in 21:10.7. Biathlon Canada’s Emma Lunder placed third (+52.1) and junior biathlete Megan Bankes (BATC) finished fourth (+1:08.4), ahead of another BATC junior Nadia Moser in fifth (+1:13). Andrea Dupont, of Rocky Mountain Racers (RMR) finished sixth (+1:19.6) and Katherine Stewart-Jones (NTDC Thunder Bay/National U25 Team) was seventh (+1:30.8), while Kathryn Stone (University of Alberta) placed eighth, Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay) was ninth, and India McIsaac (RMR) 10th out of 33 women in the open category.
On Sunday, CXC posted this photo and caption about its women’s winner Felicia Gesior (l), runner-up Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg) (c), and Annika Richardson (r) (NTDC Thunder Bay) who placed second in the junior race in the Alberta Cup classic distance race: “Double CXC Team Win! Felicia Gesior double poles to a victory in the women’s classic race. Photo with the other two girls to double pole the race. These girls are STRONG!” (Photo: CXC Skiing Facebook)
On Sunday, Bratrud came out with a 9.9-second win in the men’s 8.1 k classic interval start over Palmer-Charrette. Bratrud won in 19:00.1, Palmer-Charrette was second, and Moncio-Groulx placed third (+29.2).
On his first of of four laps, Moncion-Groulx recorded the fastest lap time of the day.
“I didn’t know if I was in the game, but I was happily surprised when I was third,” Moncion-Groulx said of his finish, according to an AWCA press release. “It’s an improvement, and there are definitely some good guys racing. It’s a good confidence boost.”
Michael Somppi (NTDC Thunder Bay) was fourth (+32.5), Julian Smith (NTDC Thunder Bay) fifth (+45.7), and for the second-straight race, Brian Gregg finished sixth (+53.0). Nishikawa was another two seconds back seventh, Palmer was eighth, Kennedy cracked the top 10 for the second straight day in ninth, as did Carleton in 10th.
McKeever finished 11th, half a second behind Carleton, his other Paralympic guide, out of 26 in the men’s open race. After Sunday’s race, McKeever tweeted, “Vented personal frustration today. Mental error=inability to count laps in today’s race. Realize I’ve put a lot of stress on myself lately.”
In another tweet on Sunday, he wrote, “Congrats to Kyle Bratrud from @cxcskiing and the @NDCTBay boys for laying down the hammer on the field today! Cool to see!”
Also on Sunday, Gesior won the women’s 6.3 k classic and Caitlin Gregg repeated in second. Gesior put down the fastest time in 17:46.8, and Gregg finished 9.3 seconds back, while Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (AWCA/National U25 Team) placed third (+13.1).
According to the AWCA press release, Bouffard-Nesbitt is still recovering from a stress fracture and spent three months this summer on crutches. “I know I need to step up to the challenge. I feel the pressure and it’s helping me become a better athlete,” she said.
Stewart-Jones double poled to fourth (+23.3), Holmes placed fifth (+36.0), and Dupont was sixth (+54.1). Alannah Maclean (NTDC Thunder Bay) placed seventh, Emma Camicioli (RMR) was eighth, Delphine Duvernay Tardif (AWCA) ninth, and Ember Large (University of Alberta) 10th out of 18 women in the open field.
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![Annika (32), Katherine (34), Caitlin Gregg (31), Hannah Shields (36), Sadie (33), Lisle (behind), Mia (35) starting the Canada 150 NTDC Rollerski race in downtown Thunder Bay, ON, July 1st, 2017. This was the second ever sanctioned roller ski race in Canada.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/11/TBay-RSki-start.jpg")
![Annika, Lisle, Sadie, Mia and Alannah in Ramsau, Austria during our most recent training camp in September (2017). Photo was taken before our first ski on the roller ski specific paved track. The pink outfits were not coordinated.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/11/TBay-Austria.jpg")
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![Canada's Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to 34th in the 15 k freestyle at 2017 U23 World Championships on Thursday at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. He was the top Canadian in the race. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/SMF3162.jpg")
![Evan Palmer-Charrette (NTDC Thunder Bay), in the NorAm leader's bib, racing to third in the 15 k classic on Jan. 21 at Western Canadian Championships in Whistler, B.C. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/Evan-James-Palmer-Charrette-.jpg")
![Canada's Lisle Compton (NTDC Thunder Bay) racing to 39th in Wednesday's 5 k freestyle, her first race of 2017 Junior World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, while her coach cheers her on. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/SMF7165.jpg")
![Lisle Compton (NTDC Thunder Bay) at Mt. Shark just outside Canmore, Alberta, the week before 2017 Junior World Championships, during the Canadian team's pre-worlds altitude training camp. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/IMG_3298-2.jpg")
![Junior Women - 7.5K 2017 L.L. Bean U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Soldier Hollow Photo: U.S. Ski Team](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/Annika-Richardson-e1485822528861.jpg")
![Annika Richardson (NTDC Thunder Bay/Canadian Junior National Ski Team) racing to third in the junior women's 7.5 k classic at 2017 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships last month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/Annika-Richardson-2.jpg")
![NTDC Thunder Bay's Julian Smith (l) racing to 51st in the men's 15 k freestyle at 2017 senior U.S. nationals earlier this month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/IMG_0299.jpg")
![Katherine Stewart-Jones (NTDC Thunder Bay/Canadian U25 Team) racing in the women's classic sprint at 2017 U.S. nationals earlier this month at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, where she ended up eighth overall. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/B1B7B72E-1F29-4D11-A26D-831EBCE8CE3B.jpg")
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![After winning Saturday's 5 k freestyle World Cup race, U.S. Ski Team member Jessie Diggins (l) high fives Minnesota youngster Greta Stange, atop the shoulders of Diggins's teammate Liz Stephen, on Dec. 3 in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/12/DSC_0098.jpg")
![Jessie Diggins (U.S. Ski Team) celebrating her second career World Cup victory after winning the women's 5 k freestyle on Dec. 3 in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/12/DSC_0094.jpg")
![The Alberta Cup men's podium in Sunday's 8.1 k classic interval start, with winner Kyle Bratrud (c) of CXC Team, NDC Thunder Bay's Evan Palmer-Charrette (l) in second and AWCA's Dominique Moncion-Groulx (r) in third. (Photo: NTDC Thunder Bay/Twitter)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/CyS0A66VQAAHclh-1.jpg")
![On Sunday, CXC posted this photo and caption about the Alberta Cup classic distance race: "Double CXC Team Win! Felicia Gesior double poles to a victory in the women's classic race. Photo with the other two girls to double pole the race. These girls are STRONG!" (Photo: CXC Skiing Facebook)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/11/15181277_1336436969732373_4603067906833894954_n.jpg")