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Alberta Cup prepares local cross-country skiers for qualifiers, junior/U-23 worlds

With big time races right around the corner, local cross-country skiers had early opportunities to test out strategy, endurance levels and more practice on taxing terrain on home turf.

CANMORE – With big time races right around the corner, local cross-country skiers had early opportunities to test out strategy, endurance levels and more practice on taxing terrain on home turf.

On a mild Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 7-8), dozens of competitors competed on the tough trails of the Canmore Nordic Centre for the Alberta Cup 3 and 4.

For some of the young adult and teen cross-country skiers, the Alberta Cup was a warm-up to this weekend’s qualifiers for junior/under-23 world championship qualifiers, which are later this month in Whistler, B.C. and for the Canada Winter Games next month in Prince Edward Island.

“It was a smaller field [in Canmore], but it was good to just be able to test new tactics and figure out different ideas moving forward,” said Canmore’s Sabine Comeau, who competed in the U-18 girls category.

The 17-year-old Comeau is representing Alberta at the Canada Winter Games. She started the new year with a golden sweep in the sprint and mass start races.

Also sweeping gold at the Alberta Cup weekend was Noah Weir Chaba, who will represent Alberta in PEI as well.

Before then though, Weir Chaba and more than a dozen athletes from local clubs are attending the national trials in Prince George, B.C.

For the younger skiers, the event determines Canada's representatives at the junior/U-23 world championships from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 in Whistler, B.C.

Weir Chaba hopes to make the team.

“I felt that [the Alberta Cup races were] quite strong for me and I was quite happy with how I did, especially for an indicator of trials, which I'm going to right away in Prince George," he said.

Originally from Edmonton, Weir Chaba trained with U of A Nordic until moving to Canmore to train with Team Trail Sports Elite, the top tier team of Canmore Nordic Ski Club.

The 18-year-old said his training has helped him take the next step in his performance.

As locals fight for a spot on Team Canada, one Canmore-raised skier already qualified for junior worlds, but with a bit of a twist.

Tabitha Williams, an English dual citizen, will represent Great Britain at the season’s main event after gaining enough FIS points to qualify overseas late last year.

Training in Norway for the past three months, the 18-year-old skier came into the Alberta Cup in peak condition, winning gold in sprint in U-20 women, and silver in the mass start classic.

Long distance races are her specialty, but Williams wasn’t surprised by her fast results in the short sprint.

“I felt way stronger than I ever had in a sprint before,” said Williams. “It was something I really worked on when I was over in Norway because it’s usually one of my weaker areas of skiing.”

With on-course experience in Whistler, and knowledge of where to push the pace, Williams said top-20 results are within reach.

“I’m definitely confident and I’m really happy it’s in Whistler because I’ve raced there so many times so it’s definitely an advantage for me,” said Williams.

In more results at the Alberta Cup, competitors tasting double gold were Jacob Berrand (U-8 boys), Dahlia Simosn (U-10 girls), Brodie Penninga (U-12 boys), Alina Custodio (U-14 girls), Noah Glickman (U-14 boys), Teo Wadsworth (U-16 boys), Jonas Rolseth (U-18 boys), Denise Hill (women masters 5/6), and Timothy Heaton (men’s masters 7).

For full results visit www.zone4.ca.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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