CANMORE – Sometimes living in an area that Olympians gravitate toward gives a glimpse of what high-performance training means.
Normally that would mean visiting the Canmore Nordic Centre, where many elite athletes train year-round, or catching athletes zipping along the Legacy Trail between Canmore and Banff on roller skis.
Then there’s Katherine Stewart-Jones, Nordiq Canada’s biggest volume trainer, who might have caught the eye of some double-polling on roller skis solo through Canmore’s downtown or charging up the stony Spray Lakes Road in running shoes as part of the additional hours she put in over the summer.
With a new world cup cross country skiing season starting this weekend (Nov. 24-26) in Ruka, Finland, the potential of what could be has her and the national organization excited.
“Maintaining energy throughout the whole year is not an easy feat, but it’s definitely something I want to do,” said Stewart-Jones, who’s originally from Chelsea, Quebec, and now lives and trains in Canmore. “I trained really consistently this summer and I think that will pay off in that sense.”
As Canada’s top woman on skis, Olympian Stewart-Jones took on higher training loads in intensity, volume and put in more hours at the gym. A process-driven athlete, Stewart-Jones said she gets excited by pushing herself to new limits.
The results of the upgraded fitness have been noticed by those within the national organization’s head office.
“She trains a lot. That’s for sure,” said Chris Jeffries, Nordiq Canada’s high-performance director.
And with good reason.
The 28-year-old athlete hit world cup milestones last season, landing in the top-15 in individual racing for the first time on three occasions.
A few standout athletes aside, Jeffries said it’s an exciting time to be watching the women’s races because of the unpredictability of where they stack up against each other.
“I think last year gave [Stewart-Jones] the belief that she can compete with the best in the world,” said Jeffries.
“It really puts the importance on being ready to fight every single day, which is really a part of Katherine’s DNA. Ever since I started seeing her ski race when she was 15 years old, you saw a young person who just really was able to fight every single race.”
With the recent retirement of Canadian Dahria Beatty, one of Stewart-Jones’ main training partners over the past few seasons, there’s been a different vibe on the team.
However, different can be good, said Stewart-Jones, with the younger women bringing a new type of energy to the team.
As the athletes under Stewart-Jones’ wing carve their own paths and figure things out, consistency will be key for Canada’s top woman on skis.
Being in the top-15 is a benchmark for Stewart-Jones.
Without a world championship or Olympic Games this season, it freed Stewart-Jones to focus on a few interesting race events, like the Ski de Tour – a multi-stage race event like the cycling’s Tour de France – and the Canmore world cup Feb. 9-13.
Before the Canmore event, the impressively active Stewart-Jones is planning on getting a bit of physical and mental break.
Although, she said she will try her best to peak for the world cup on Canadian soil.
“I got three top-15s last year, but I think I can be more consistently up there and even have bigger top results,” Stewart-Jones said.
