CANMORE – Canmore, one of Canada's top spots for cross-country skiing, is well represented on Nordiq Alberta's 2022-23 ski and development teams with local athletes being selected for nearly half the spots.
Of the 40 U18 skiers selected province-wide, 18 (six to Alberta's ski team, 12 to development) are from the Canmore Nordic Ski Club (CNSC) and Rocky Mountain Racers (RMR).
"We're a much smaller town than most other towns, but [cross-country skiing] is just such a big deal here," said Alain Parent, CNSC's program director.
Locals brand new to the provincial ski team are CNSC's Sabine Comeau, Theo Fradette, Sophia Wilson, and RMR's Sophia Marshall. CNSC's Sebastien Parent and Tabitha Williams have been renamed to the team.
On the development side, there are 11 Bow Valley athletes new to the team including CNSC's Rylan Chevalier, Max Clément, Torin Comeau, Aria Grandi, Larix Hallett, Lily Lynch, Lincoln Meekins, Aislin Simson, Gabrielle Tessier, Lauren Verhulst, and Teo Wadsworth. Kaisa Lemyre returns to the team.
Selected skiers are given development opportunities to progress in the sport in Alberta, including the provincial team heading to train in Whistler, where the 2023 world junior/U23 nordic ski championships are being held in January.
"They're offered development opportunities in both of them," said Parent. "For the Alberta development team, it's training camps and bringing athletes together from different clubs that are at a similar level, making friendships, of course, and learning and the next step."
Parent added the legacy of the Canmore Nordic Centre, the facility that Canada's top skiers and biathletes train out of, has helped pique the interest in Nordic sports for many local youths.
Rounding out the provincial team of 14 are Aiden Armstrong, Amelia Custodio, Leanne Gartner, Sophie Jensen, Jonas Rolseth, Max Stark, Sam Stephen, and Noah Weir Chaba.
The development team consists of Joshua Adames, William Armstrong, Felix Arnold, Anders Evanson, Lily Guss, Ava Heie, Nathan Mackie, Emma Navratilova, Maycee Rickett, Naomi Schmitt, Maya Storck, Alexandra Thain, and Lauren Ybema.
