If Frozen Thunder were a vicious, skier-eating kraken sated only by the glory of battle, biathletes Rosanna Crawford and Zina Kocher would be the first to charge the creature head on, demonblood sword in hand and the honour of their people at stake.
Wolverine-esque in their spirit and determination, the duo slayed the Frozen Thunder beast in the first cross-country ski distance race of the year on Monday (Oct. 27), finishing first and third on the 10-kilometre skate course at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Thirsting for the chance to face off against some very strong cross-country skiers, Crawford blasted out of the start gates and held on to defeat American distance specialist Liz Stephen with a time of 17:39.
Out from under the shadow of big sister Chandra, Rosanna said she wanted to prove biathletes are the ones to beat in freestyle races.
“We’ve gotta prove who’s better out there, skiers or biathletes. We are the skate specialists,” Crawford said.
After slaying the 10 km course, she said she put in a good effort, but the course isn’t quite what she’s accustomed to on the world cup circuit.
“This course is really easy, so you have to work those transition zones. You always have to think about what you’re doing next,” Crawford said. “I just wanted to have a really good workout. We haven’t done a longer intensity, as we’ve been on the treadmill. Because this race is so short, I really wanted to start hard and maintain it.”
She hopes that tenacity will lead to a couple of medals this year, and a top 30 finish in biathlon world cup points. A strong off-season following her second Olympics has left her hungry for more results.
Kocher finished 11 seconds behind Crawford and, for those who thought she was fast on the day, she said her speed will only increase over the next month.
“It was a good effort today. It was good to race on snow again and it’s awesome to get through the first race motions and go through the steps of racing. I’m not ready, but I still have a month.”
While no one wants to peak for the Frozen Thunder race, Kocher says she wants to be in top form for world championships. A strong performance there will help her funding situation, as well as the team’s overall financial health.
Maya MacIsaac Jones was the top junior female (19:38), followed by Ember Large and Isabella Howden.
Biathlon Canada head coach Matthias Ahrens was extremely impressed with his entire team at the race, which will help determine who starts the season on the world cup circuit.
“To have the Canadian and American teams here racing, it’s a good comparison,” Ahrens said.
Ahrens said results will determine if they take three men and three women on the world cup, or four men and four women. Those who don’t race the world cup will compete on the IBU Cup circuit, which will come to Canmore from Feb. 27 to March 8, and promises to be the biggest international race of the season on home soil. Wherever the Canadians race, expectations are now for medals.
“We cannot rest now. We have to push on. We want to get on the podium,” Ahrens said.
