Tag: Zeke Williams

‘Coach Pav’ Returning to Yukon to Pursue Coaching Dreams, Resigns as Ontario Head Coach

Coach ‘Pav’ Sudrich with some of her young athletes on the Ontario provincial team. (Photo: coach-pav.com)

Whether it’s her YouTube interviews with world-famous Norwegians, inspiring stories from her past life of ski adventures in the Yukon or her self-described “rampantly enthusiastic” style of coaching, Ontario Ski Team Head Coach Pavlina Sudrich has become well known around Canada’s nordic-racing scene. While her three-year term with CCO (Cross Country Ontario) has come to a close — she announced her resignation earlier this month — Sudrich’s presence in the ski community is certainly not ending with her time as provincial head coach.

“I’m stepping away from CCO but I definitely still hope to be working with CCC [Cross Country Canada] and coaching in the future,” she said in a phone interview earlier this month.

“2013/2014 was my favorite season yet. I spent more time than ever before working trailside with athletes in training and competition. I finally met Petter Northug. Best of all I watched Ontario climb from 4^th place at Nationals [1,295 points behind 1^st] to 2^nd place this year, only 57 points behind 1^st.” — Pavlina Sudrich,“Change — And The Next Adventure” blog post

The Decision

There were a number of factors that played into Sudrich’s decision to move away from her role as OST (Ontario Ski Team) head coach, and she considered them during a beach vacation in April.

“This season was full of new, unanticipated challenges,” she wrote on her blog. “I spent over 6 consecutive months coaching on the road. I lived on couches, in mop cupboards, and in a tent. I visited 13 countries in 365 days. I came up against things I could never have anticipated, a trip to Norway that started with no snow, running six races in eight days in three different countries, and the loss of a significant family member.

“Standing in the pouring rain watching sharks swim in the Wineglass Bay I thought about the past season. I was tired yes — but mostly I felt exhilarated,” she continued. “As any good coach knows, there’s a special kind of confidence that comes from overcoming challenges — it’s quite a feeling to know you are capable of more than you realized. I came away from this season even more motivated to work towards becoming on of Canada’s World Cup coaches.”

Pavlina Sudrich at age 18, when she was named to Canada’s “Top 20 Under 20” list. (Photo: Canada’s 2004 Top 20 Under 20)

That’s when she began to think about her job as OST coach.

“My biggest passion is working directly with athletes,” Sudrich said. “Although I had opportunities to do this working with CCO, these opportunities were focused more around training camps and races, when the Ontario Ski Team athletes came together.”

The rest of the time as head coach went towards more logistics type work, planning for the big trips and helping provide oversight and advice for the Ontario Ski Team members’ club coaches.

Sudrich wanted to spend more time working with athletes, rather than in more of an administrative role, to continue her development as a coach.

One of the current issues that is slowing the development of new top-level Canadian skiers is the limited number of top-level Canadian coaches, she said.

“It takes years to develop a World Cup caliber coach,” she explained. “I think that Canada needs to develop more World Cup-level coaches so that they don’t have to rely on Europeans as weekend coaches on the World Cup.”

Sudrich’s goal is to help fill the coaching void and continue her development as a top-level ski coach. She believes the move will allow her to commit herself to the completion of her Level 4 coaching while keeping an eye out for job openings at CCC.

At the same time, she plans to work with top Whitehorse U23 skiers Knute Johnsgaard (Yukon Elite Squad) and Kendra Murray.

Lastly, having spent 10 years living in Ontario, working on her university degree and coaching, Sudrich is eager to return home to Whitehorse, Yukon.

In 2004, Sudrich was named to Canada’s “Top 20 Under 20” list. At 18, she was interested in a career in journalism and creative writing, and using those skills to address substance abuse among Yukon youth. She spent at least 2 1/2 years as a CBC Yukon youth correspondent while “projecting a fun, healthy, and substance free lifestyle,” and “educating the youth through her stories on drug abuse, racism, youth employment, etc,” according to the recipient description. “Many of her stories were presented at a national level.”

Growing up, she was part of the Territorial Experimental Ski Training (TEST) program and eventually the Yukon Ski Team, and worked closely with TEST founder Father Mouchet, who died last December. Sudrich wrote an article in his memory, as well as the Firth twins (when Shirley Firth passed away last May).

Looking Back

Although she thinks it the best move for her development as a coach, she’ll miss her time spent coaching at the provincial level.

Pavlina Sudrich, head coach of the Ontario Ski Team, getting some face time with Martin Johnsrud Sundby. “I hear Sundby attributed his Olympic medal to lots of training, good technique, and this kiss,” she wrote. (Photo: coach-pav.com)

“I had a really good time working with CCO — really challenging job and I learned a lot and grew a lot as a coach,” she said. “I’ll really miss the summer training camps and the long roller skis with groups of athletes. There are great places around Ontario for summer Zone-1 rollerskiing.”

Of the many highlights of her three years as OST head coach, one trip last season really stood out.

“Taking the team over to Norway last year and getting to experience Norwegian nationals was amazing!” she said. “It was great to have our athletes lining up with the likes of Petter Northug for the Team Relay!”

Committed to CCO through June 1, Sudrich will host a provincial training camp at the end of May. After that, she said she’s looking forward to the “unique opportunities the Yukon offers throughout the year, and I’m psyched to hang out with my dad back home in Whitehorse!”

Beyond that she’ll begin coaching the Whitehorse athletes in June and working towards her dream of being one of Canada’s World Cup coaches someday.

“Happiness and opportunity aren’t something you wait around for…” she wrote on her blog. “They’re something you go out and create.”

May 19, 2014
Wednesday Workout: Early Season Agility with the Alberta World Cup Academy

Zeke Williams (l) races through the ladder during a track workout with Alberta World Cup Academy teammate Yannick Lapierre in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Stefan Kuhn)

This week’s workout comes to you from Ezekiel “Zeke” Williams, FasterSkier’s newest intern and an athlete at the Alberta World Cup Academy in Canmore, Alberta. This time last season, Williams said he really enjoyed doing what his team called, for lack of a better name, the Agility Sprint Track Workout.

***

Canmore Alberta may be known for its skiers rather than its track stars but it still has a short 300-metre stone-dust track. And this is where the Alberta World Cup Academy men’s team was to be found, more often than not, on Thursday mornings in May and June 2013. As the athletes warmed up the coaches set up a pair of agility ladders on one of the track’s straight-aways and hurdles on the other. Finally, the coaches would draw ‘finish lines’ at about 10-seconds worth of sprinting past the end of the obstacles.

After warming up we would partner up and do laps of the track. We would focus on speed through the agility ladders and hurdles and then sprint out of them. Then we’d slow back down to an easy jogging pace until we hit the next feature.

The Workout: Agility Sprint Track Workout

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Need: A track, running shoes

Warm up: 30-minute jog

10 track laps: 20 x 10-15 second sprints with about 1 minute easy jogging between each. Whole thing takes just over 20 minutes

Cool down: 40 minute jog

I like this workout for two reasons. First, it’s a lot of fun to do! Getting to race through the ladders and the hurdles against a teammate makes it a sweet competition.

Heart-rate data from Zeke Williams’ workout: track laps are between about 18 and 38 minutes.

Second, the workout gives a bunch of training benefits. At first glance it looks like a speed workout, but heart rate ends up at lactate threshold for most of the time because of the shortness of the sprints and the minute of easy jogging between them. Check out my heart-rate log during a similar workout here.

Also, the agility component of the workout improves coordination at speed, which is nice to stay in touch with for when we get back into rollerski sprinting.

Combine the agility work and lactate threshold building into the short 1:30 hour workout time and it makes for a solid early training-season session.

***

About the Author: A Canadian cross-country ski racer with the Alberta World Cup Academy, Zeke spends most of his time in Canmore, Alberta, but calls Cantley, Quebec, his home. He thinks that you can learn a lot about a person from their goals — his is to ski really fast on the Winter Olympic race course in 2018. Check out his blog: ezekielwilliams.ca

Zeke Williams, FS Intern

May 7, 2014
Ammar Gets Coveted Gold at Canadian Nationals in 30 k Classic; Babikov Tops Sandau in 50 k
The senior women’s 30 k classic mass start on the last day of Canadian Nationals last Saturday in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

CORNER BROOK, Newfoundland — The last day of Canadian Nationals started bright and early last Saturday with the senior men’s competition at 9 a.m. The men raced 50 kilometers, women and junior men 30 k and junior women 20 k, all classic mass starts.

With skiers already having completed three other individual races this week, some doing four with the team relay, the distance race is not only a good indicator of endurance and race fitness, but also a test of who has recovered the best throughout the week.

Newfoundland came through with some pretty exciting weather for the final race. Blowing snow was the name of the game for most of the morning at Blow Me Down Trails and made for interesting conditions for the competitors.

Senior Men

Fighting through the snow, the senior men stayed in a pretty big pack for the first two-thirds of the race until Ivan Babikov, of the Canadian World Cup Team, pulled ahead to win the 50 k by 41.5 seconds in 2:19:32.3.

Ivan Babikov, of the Canadian World Cup Team, leads fellow Olympian Graeme Killick (AWCA/NST) and others in the senior men’s 50 k classic mass start on the last day of Canadian Nationals last Saturday in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Runner-up Kevin Sandau of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) and Canadian Senior Development Team (NST) talked about the race and about his experience at nationals this year.

Kevin Sandau (2nd)

– What was your race plan going into the 50 k? Stick with the pack? Push the pace and string things out?

“I didn’t want to have a relaxed and passive pace for much of the 50 k. Sometimes 50’s just aren’t hard enough until the last 10 t0 15 k, so they end bunching up quite a bit, and it can get frustrating and sketchy skiing with a big pack like that. I took my turns in the front, kept the pace high. When Ivan attacked on the second last lap a group of three of us tried to pull him back, but well he sort of crushed it that lap and put some big time into us.”

– Looks like you had a pretty good week of racing. How do you feel about your performance this year at nationals?

“Best nationals for me by far. I was actually most nervous about the team sprint and defending Foothills Nordic’s gold-medal streak in that race. Also it was the first time I did the sprint race since maybe 2009 at nationals and I managed to sneak into the A-final, so I was pretty excited about that.”

– How many nationals podiums do your currently have to your name? How many titles?

“Seven podiums including two team-sprints titles. The [individual] national-champ title still eludes me, but I did grab this years overall title so pretty pumped for that.”

– I hear you are racing at the Alberta Cup Sharkfest. Safe to say this was your main focus for the season?

“Pretty much the biggest focus. You’re only as good as your last race, right? And I figure it will be some good motivation to ski on the weekend.”

Men’s 50 k Classic Top 10
1. Ivan Babikov (Canadian World Cup Team) 2:19:32.3
2. Kevin Sandau (AWCA/NST) +41.5
3. Graham Nishikawa (NST/Para-Nordic Team) +52.7
4. Andy Shields (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +54.4
5. Graeme Killick (AWCA-NST) +1:29.4
6. Knute Johnsgaard (Yukon Elite) +1:52.4
7. Colin Abbott (Yukon Elite) +1:54
8. Frédéric Touchette (Laval) +2:15.6
9. Michael Somppi (AWCA/NST) +4:09.5
10. Colin Ferrie (Black Jack) +4:12.5
Senior Women

The senior women’s race played out quite differently. Amanda Ammar (Team Ninja) broke the pack early on, with only Emily Nishikawa (AWCA/NST) being able to match her.

The women’s 30 k classic podium at Canadian Nationals on Saturday in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, with winner Amanda Ammar (third from left), runner-up Emily Nishikawa (second from l) and Japan’s Chisa Obayashi in third (third from r). (Photo: Cross Country Canada)

These two skiers worked together, opening up a big gap over third-place skier Chisa Obayashi (Madshus Japan), until Ammar pulled ahead in the last lap to take the win with by 54 seconds over Nishikawa.

Amanda Ammar (1st)

– You really broke the field pretty early on. Was that your game plan before or did you decide during the race that you felt great and you’d just go for it?

“Winning the nationals 30 k was a goal of mine all year, but obviously not the most important. Olympics was first. Breaking the field was always in the back of my head, but you can only make that decision really on the day of … you need to gauge your energy and that day I felt awesome in my warmup, so it was an easy game plan. As a distance skier, I absolutely hate tactics, and would love to have the luxury of always just blasting off the start.”

– You’ve put down some really solid races at these nationals. Do you think that your experience at the Olympics put you in a good place for nationals or do you think that you went into these races pretty fatigued?

“The Olympics was physically and mentally exhausting. Leading up to the Olympics was stressful for me with the appeals, Brittany [Webster] and I had a horrible travel schedule, and then while traveling to Sochi the airline company broke most of my skis. So I wasn’t in the best headspace. That being said, the Olympic course was one of the most challenging that I have ever raced on. After completing all of my events, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and confidence. I knew if I could start and finish a race on that grueling of a course, then it would be an absolute piece of cake on any other course.

“When I got home from the Olympics I was pretty toast. I had no desire to go to nationals, but I knew that once I got there that my frame of mind would change, and that I would have fun no matter what. So did I have energy going into nationals? No, but does anybody, really? It’s a long season, especially an Olympic season. We are all tired, and I feel that every athlete is in the same boat.”

– Any thoughts about your nationals races this year? The 30 k was your first national title, correct?

“I couldn’t be more excited about my results at nationals this year. A Ninja winning the nationals aggregate? So stoked! This is the first time I have ever medalled as a senior, and I managed to get top 5 in every race! In 2012, I was nine minutes and 30 seconds behind in the 30 k classic event, so that is just one example of how far I’ve come in three years. These results mean so much to me in that I’ve always wanted to be a positive role model for the young women coming up in sport.

“These last three years I’ve done it my way, no carding, no national/development team, no rules! Chris [Butler] and I made the training plan, and worked together with other athletes in the bow valley. We kept it sublimely simple.”

Women’s 30 k Classic Top 10
1. Amanda Ammar (Team Ninja) 1:32:23
2. Emily Nishikawa (AWCA/NST) +54.5
3. Chisa Obayashi (Madshus Japan) +4:51.6
4. Brittany Webster (MitoCanada) +5:36.1
5. Alysson Marshall (AWCA/NST) +5:39.9
6. Erin Tribe (NDC Thunder Bay/Lakehead) +5:43.3
7. *Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH/NST) +5:56.2
8. Heidi Widmer (AWCA/NST) +7:56
9. Kendra Murray (Carleton) +7:56.4
10. Marlis Kromm (AWCA) +12:37.7
*Top junior

Junior Men

The junior men’s 30 k classic mass start on the last day of Canadian Nationals last Saturday in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

In the junior men’s 30 k, NDC Thunder Bay ruled the roost once again, sweeping the podium. Pulling off his third national title this season, Scott Hill raced to a nearly two-minute win over the rest of the field. His NDC teammates also on the National Junior Team, Evan Palmer-Charrette and Ben Wilkinson-Zan followed in second and third, respectively.

Junior Men’s 30 k Classic Top 10
1. Scott Hill (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) 1:23:10.7
2. Evan Palmer-Charrette (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +1:51
3. Benjamin Wilkinson-Zan (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +2:29.1
4. Alexis Dumas (QCST) +3:12.0
5. Colin Foley (CVTC) +3:32.8
6. Julien Lamoureux (QCST/Cégep Édouard-Montpetit) +4:32.6
7. Conor Thompson (QCST/Cégep Édouard-Montpetit) +5:04.9
8. Nicholas Pigeon (Skinouk) +5:05.4
9. Gavin Shields (Lappe) +5:45.2
10. David Askwith (Georgian Bay) +7:32.2
Junior Women

Much like in the senior women’s race, the junior women spread out early on. This made for a mentally challenging race as most of the competitors pushed through the pain alone for much of the 20 k distance.

Upsetting this trend, the top three, Dahria Beatty (AWCA/NST), Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok/NST) and Annah Hanthorn of the Yukon Territory Ski Team, worked together for much of the race setting up a comfortable lead on the others. On the third of four laps, Beatty and Stewart-Jones slowly pulled away from Hanthorn and the last lap became a two-skier battle. Beatty pulled away on the hills of the final lap to take her second national title of the week by 16.5 seconds.

Junior Women’s 20 k Classic Top 10
1. Dahria Beatty (AWCA/NST) 1:08:12
2. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok/NST) +16.5
3. Annah Hanthorn (YTST) +46.3
4. Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH/NST) +2:45.2
5. Sophie Carrier-Laforte (QCST) +3:03.7
6. Jennifer Jackson (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +3:12.6
7. Emilie Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok) +3:18.9
8. Sarah Beaudry (Caledonia) +4:00.9
9. Maya Macisaac-Jones (CNEPH/NST) +6:02.4
10. Ember Large (Edmonton) +6:47.5
Complete results: Zone4.ca

For aggregate national titles from the week: Cross Country Canada

Ivan Babikov and Amanda Ammar, winners of the 50 and 30 k classic mass starts at 2014 Canadian Nationals in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Cross Country Canada)

***
March 25, 2014
Babikov Back in Canada, Winning Nationals; Widmer Tops Women’s 10 k
Scott Hill (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) in the leader’s bib racing to his second-straight individual junior title at Canadian Nationals on Tuesday in the 15 k freestyle in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Emilie Stewart-Jones)

CORNER BROOK, Newfoundland — Five days after Canadian Ski Nationals started at Blow Me Down Trails, the third races of the week took place Tuesday with the 10- and 15-kilometre freestyle interval starts.

Upon checking out the course profiles before arriving in Newfoundland, the image of Tuesday’s race course was strikingly simple. It went up. It went down. With the exception of a short, flat section around the stadium and a quick up-and-down loop at the end, the course was pretty much one big uphill followed by a descent back to the stadium. Men raced four 3.75 k loops and women three 3.3 k laps, going not quite as high on the hill as the men.

With regards to conditions, the one thing that’s been consistent this week with weather is the ridiculously strong winds, and Tuesday was no exception to this trend. Blowing snow challenged racers with some solid headwinds at points on the course in temperatures around -9 degrees Celsius.

But even with the headwinds it was a quick race. World Cup veteran Ivan Babikov led the charge, winning the senior men’s 15 k in at just over 35 minutes, typical of the top times one might see on a tough World Cup 15 k course.

When the snow cleared (more of a figure of speech: it’s still blowing snow outside), here’s who stood with Babikov at the top of the podium:

Senior Women: Heidi Widmer

Heidi Widmer (front) racing to a victory in the open women’s 10 k freestyle on Tuesday at Canadian Nationals in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Emilie Stewart-Jones)

Last fall, Widmer, of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) and Canadian Senior Development Team (NST) dealt with the effects of a concussion following a rollerski crash. She stayed focused through the setbacks and managed to put down some solid results throughout the ski season, qualifying for the U23 World Championships and first Olympics in her final year as a U23.

1. Did you have a particular focus going into today’s event?

“To be present in the moment. Just like Pooh Bear in the ‘Tao of Pooh’. Great read.”

2. Before you knew your result were you happy with today’s race?

“I had a great time, had good skis and pushed my limits. So I would be happy with my efforts either way. It is even better when that aligns with a win!”

3. Imagine that it is your birthday and you get to choose whatever meal you want. What’s the main course and what’s for dessert?

“It depends where I’m celebrating — whatever the locals are doing and what is in season! Hopefully it’s Mexican style. For dessert, chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and strawberry filling. Vanilla ice cream on the side.”

Open Women’s 10 k Freestyle Top 10
1. Heidi Widmer (AWCA/NST) 0:26:16.2
2. Dasha Gaiazova (World Cup Team) +8.1
3. Chisa Obayashi (Madshus Japan) +31.3
4. Amanda Ammar (Team Ninja) +45.6
5. *Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH/NST) +48.3
6. Alysson Marshall (AWCA/NST) +57.7
7. Emily Nishikawa (AWCA/NST) +58.4
8. Cendrine Browne (CNEPH/NST) +1:06.5
9. Dahria Beatty (AWCA/NST) +1:11.8
10. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok) +1:12.4
*Top junior

Senior Men: Ivan Babikov

Ivan Babikov (Canadian World Cup Team) racing to a victory in his first race at 2014 Canadian Nationals, two days after his last World Cup race, in Tuesday’s 15 k freestyle in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Emilie Stewart-Jones)

A World Cup veteran, Babikov, 33, is fresh off the World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden, after finishing up there in 23rd in the 15 k freestyle pursuit on Sunday. A consistent performer at international races, he really adds to the level of competition here in Newfoundland.

1. Did you have a particular focus going into today’s event?

“Tried to stay awake today with the jet lag from my return from Europe. I worked to keep the speed up through the four laps. I hadn’t skied the course beforehand so I just focused on checking things out the first lap and then pacing based on that.”

2. Before you knew your result were you happy with today’s race?

“A win is a win, and racing back in Canada is always fun. It’d be nice to have some more World Cups over here.”

Imagine that it is your birthday and you get to choose whatever meal you want. What’s the main course and what’s for dessert?

“My wife makes really good Russian fried potatoes — kinda like french fries but healthy — and fried chicken. Something chocolatey for desert, like chocolate cake.”

Men’s 15 k Freestyle Top 10
1. Ivan Babikov (World Cup Team) 35:24.1
2. Graham Nishikawa (Para-Nordic Team/NST) +18.4
3. Michael Somppi (AWCA/NST) +26.0
4. Andy Shields (NDC Thunder Bay) +51.1
5. Jesse Cockney (AWCA/NST) +1:12.4
6. Raphaël Couturier (CNEPH/NST) +1:15.0
7. Kevin Sandau (AWCA/NST) +1:21.3
8. Russell Kennedy (AWCA) +1:32.1
9. *Scott Hill (NDC Thunder Bay) +1:32.7
10. Frédéric Touchette (Laval) +1:39.3
* Top junior

Junior Women: Anne-Marie Comeau

Anne-Marie Comeau, 17, racing to a junior women’s victory in the open 10 k freestyle at Canadian Nationals on Tuesday in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Emilie Stewart-Jones)

Hailing from the Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre (CNEPH) and National Junior Team (NST), Comeau, 17, is part of a strong contingent of junior women from Quebec who are making a mark on the Canadian ski scene. With European racing experience already under her belt and two years as a junior, next season, she’ll be one to watch at Junior World Championships.

1. Did you have a particular focus going into today’s event?

“Going into the race I was just thinking about going as hard as I could.”

2. Before you knew your result were you happy with today’s race?

“Yes! I felt good during the race and had fun.”

3. Imagine that it is your birthday and you get to choose whatever meal you want. What’s the main course and what’s for dessert?

“Chicken shish kabobs for dinner and maple syrup pudding for dessert.”

Junior Women’s 10 k Freestyle Top 5
1. Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH/NST) 27:04.5
2. Dahria Beatty (AWCA/NST) +23.5
3. Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok Nordique) +24.1
4. Jennifer Jackson (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +41.2
5. Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH) +42.3
Junior Men: Scott Hill

Hill is already on a winning streak this week, making it 2-for-2 in the first couple races. In an effort to showcase some of the other top skiers in the junior men’s category, this reporter interviewed Tuesday’s runner-up Evan Palmer Charrette.

Check out Sunday’s report for Hill’s interview.

Evan Palmer-Charrette (NDC Thunder Bay/NST), the second junior in the open men’s 15 k freestyle on Tuesday at Canadian Nationals in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. (Photo: Emilie Stewart-Jones)

Charrette, of Thunder Bay in northern Ontario, trains with the National Development Centre in his hometown and is also part of the National Junior Team. A well-known junior on the NorAm circuit, he’s working towards his goal of racing internationally and one day making the World Cup team.

1. Did you have a particular focus going into today’s event?

“Big focus today was pacing and really getting long glides, especially on the uphills in the offset.”

2. Before you knew your result were you happy with today’s race?

“Absolutely. Pacing was great and the body came together today. I’ve been having some trouble with compartment syndrome in my shins, and with illness last week; these didn’t effect me today.”

3. Imagine that it is your birthday and you get to choose whatever meal you want. What’s the main course and what’s for dessert?

“Pad Thai for the main course and a chocolate milkshake for desert.”

Junior Men’s 15 k Freestyle Top 5
1. Scott Hill (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) 36:56.8
2. Evan Palmer-Charrette (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +12.4
3. Colin Foley (CVTC) +26.4
4. Alexis Dumas (Quebec Ski Team) +1:03
5. Benjamin Wilkinson-Zan (NDC Thunder Bay/NST) +1:39.3
Complete results

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About the Author: A Canadian cross-country ski racer with the Alberta World Cup Academy, Zeke spends most of his time in Canmore, Alberta, but calls Cantley, Quebec, his home. He thinks that you can learn a lot about a person from their goals — his is to ski really fast on the Winter Olympic race course in 2018. Unfortunately he is not competing at 2014 Canadian Nationals on account of an injury. Check out his blog: zekewilliams1.blogspot.ca.
March 18, 2014
Couturier Notches 17th in World Juniors Skiathlon

On the final individual race of the Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, Raphaël Couturier (CNEPH) finally grabbed the spotlight away from the Canadian women. He finished the 20 k skiathlon in 49:25.0 for 17th place in a race where Russia owned the podium, lead by Dmitriy Rostovtsev in 47:40.2.

Couturier was happy, writing “17th is great to me, my best result this week and I’m for sure really satisfied.” He planned to ski the classic leg efficiently and stay out of trouble.

“I felt great,” he said. “I was really smooth in the classic which allowed me to save up a lot of energy for the skate part.

“My plan was to start the skate section with a lot of energy left in the tank, and it’s pretty much what happened so I caught up seven places on the second half which allowed [me] to be in the top 20.”

David Palmer (Black Jack) was second Canadian to come through in 51:35.4, good for 46th place.

Alexis Turgeon (CNEPH), the third Canadian, was not happy with his 56th place. “I was about 30 positions better last year on the same race,” he wrote.

Where Couturier executed on his plan, Turgeon’s didn’t come through.

“I felt really bad in the classic leg,” Turgeon wrote. “I didn’t do a proper warm-up and as I was starting [well] back I had to fight my way through.”

Though frustrated with the first half of his race, Turgeon picked it up in the second half. “As soon as I put the skate skis on it felt better and I had energy to ski relaxed, smooth and powerful,” he said.

Zeke Williams (Nakkertok) was the fourth Canadian in 59th with a finish time of 52:46.8.

“I didn’t have a personal best — and to post a decent result at Worlds a personal best is mandatory,” he said. “After the chaos of the start, I felt good striding up some of the climbs.”

On the fourth lap, Williams tripped on the big climb. “I took a bit longer than I’d have liked to get back on my feet since it was a herring-bone section and people kept stepping on my skis,” he said. Despite starting the skate portion tired, Williams was able to gain a few places back.

Men’s 20 k skiathlon results.

Women’s race

In the women’s race, Frédérique Vezina (CNEPH) notched her best result of the trip in the women’s 10 k skiathlon, placing 29th in 29:35.0, two minutes and twelve seconds behind race-winner Teresa Stadlober (AUT). She was pleased with the result, writing, “I am really happy to be in the top 30 even after a crash 200 m before the finish line!”

Vezina, who prefers the longer races, said she “felt way better than on the 5 k two days ago.”

“I wanted to start fast and build up my speed throughout the race,” she wrote of her race plan. “That’s what I did and I was able to pass a group of girls on the last uphill. That was such a great feeling!”

Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH) was the second Canadian to finish in 29:41.3 for 34th place. A fall in classic section got her race off to a rough start but the skate leg went more smoothly.

Cendrine Browne (CNEPH) and Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok) finished together in a group for 43rd in 30:12.1 and 45th in 30:13.0. Like the other Canadian women, they enjoyed the skate leg more than the classic.

“Cendrine and I skied together and took turns leading, we helped push each other, it was a lot of fun!” Stewart-Jones said.

Several of the junior women struggled in the mass start with a large, highly competitive group of 71 starters.

“Everybody at the start was aggressive so I fell a few times and so did a few others,” Stewart-Jones wrote. “My tactic was to be relaxed and stay out of trouble but unfortunately I ended up breaking a pole anyway!”

Women’s 10 k skiathlon results.

January 25, 2013
Canada’s Browne Ecstatic About 15th in Junior Worlds 5 k

Cendrine Browne (CNEPH) racing to a personal-best 15th in the 5 k freestyle individual start Wednesday at Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. (Courtesy photo)

Cendrine Browne of the Pierre-Harvey Training Centre (CNEPH) is celebrating a lot of firsts this season. First year on the Canadian National Junior Ski Team, first race trip to Europe, first age category win in a NorAm race. On Wednesday, she added her first top 15 at the Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, to the list.

Racers came to Liberec with different goals. Not many will do a better job of reaching them than Browne. “When I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted but really proud of myself,” she wrote in an email.

Browne, who is a relative newcomer at this level, is in her fourth season as a ski racer, having come into the sport from swimming by way of triathlon. The achievement had begun to sink in a few hours after the race.

“I was so excited!!!” she wrote. “It’s the first time I have accomplished something this big! 15th at Worlds! What an accomplishment for me!”

For the juniors, these races are often about gaining experience. “At my first race here (sprints), I was so nervous! I was a little too impressed by the others and by the event, so my race didn’t go that well,” Browne wrote. “But today, I was more confident and I felt more relaxed. I told myself that this race was a race like any other.”

With one more day’s experience, Browne had a better approach to the race. “I had a clear mind and I stayed focused, which really helped me throughout the race,” she wrote.

As tiredness set in on the final climb, she held that focus, saying to herself, “Everyone has tired legs here, so you better push as hard as you can till the finish line!”

Her finish time of 13:15.6 for the 5 k freestyle individual start was 40 seconds behind the winner, Victoria Carl, who represented Germany in the Tour de Ski.

Canadian junior women at Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. (Photo: Katherine Stewart-Jones)

Frédérique Vézina (CNEPH) was the second Canadian woman in 50th in 13:59.2. A distance specialist, she has one more year of JW eligibility.

Anne-Marie Comeau (CNEPH) placed 53rd, five seconds behind Vezina. Comeau wrote in an email that she prefers distance as well. While she wasn’t pleased with her race, her focus is on the future.

“I will try to forget this one and focus on Friday’s [skiathlon] race,” she wrote.

Comeau has a lot of future to focus on; she has three more years of eligibility for Junior Worlds.

Katherine Stewart-Jones (Nakkertok) was 58th of 76 finishers, a five more seconds back.

“It is my first time at world juniors so I shouldn’t be too hard on myself but I was definitely a bit disappointed,” she wrote, before finding the positive. “I still have tons of chances to make it up!”

She also commented on the experience, saying, “It is actually a lot like skiing at home except there is way more competition so the times are extremely close.”

For the men, a familiar name topped the list of Canadians, with Raphaël Couturier (CNEPH) placing 24th in 24:57.7, just 21 seconds out of the top 15.

“The course was really hard on the legs, but it was a great day,” Couturier told Cross Country Canada. “I had high expectations coming into these Championships so I’m satisfied with today. I’m looking forward to the pursuit.”

David Palmer (Black Jack) got his first start at Junior Worlds, finishing 32nd in 25:10.9.

“I had a decent race today, felt good, and conditions were great for skiing,” Palmer wrote. “I found that the race course is one of the most challenging ones I’ve done with some very sharp and icy corners, steep hills and fast downhills.”

The experience wasn’t what he was expecting. “At first I was gearing up for things to be different than racing at home,” he explained. “But I’ve actually found that everything including the start procedure is very easy and much the same as any other race. … On the result list I was down at 32nd, but being 1:40 off the lead is encouraging. I feel optimistic about tomorrow now that I’m more familiar with the competition and the set up here.”

Zeke Williams (Nakkertok) was a 38 seconds farther back in 53rd.

“I felt like I pushed hard, which is nice, but I went out harder than I should’ve,” he wrote. “I’m really disappointed with the result. I’m sure if I had been able to pace things better I could’ve ended up in the top 30, which was my goal.”

Williams may not be happy with the result, but he is happy with the experience. “Racing here at World Champs is cool since the competition isn’t too far below that of a world cup race,” he wrote. “It’s really awesome, and really motivational, to get to compete against the top Juniors in the world.”

Scott Hill (NDC-Thunder Bay), in his second Junior World start, rounded out the Canadian effort in 62nd (26:05.8) of 98 finishers. Hill was less than a second ahead of the next three finishers from Belarus, Ukraine and Japan.

Women’s results | Men’s results

International report

January 23, 2013