The future is now for the next generation of Canada’s female cross-country ski hopefuls, which is why Cross Country Canada assembled the nation’s best up-and-comers on Frozen Thunder at the Canmore Nordic Centre this week in order to prepare them for the next step in their career.
“This is absolutely critical. It’s an important window in their career. If we miss the development window, we’ve missed it, so in four years from now, it’s too late,” said assistant Canadian national team coach Eric De Nys.
Women from the Canadian junior development team, senior development team and world cup team are together for the first time, learning fundamental skills they need to face the world.
“The purpose of the camp is to get the best women in the country together. First, we want to have some fun together, embark on training together and, for the seven young athletes, provide some education around psychology, physiology and nutrition – things we want to work with the ladies on for the next quadrennial and get them to the next Olympics,” De Nys said.
The athletes range in age from 17 to 27 and come from teams across the country. The Bow Valley is well represented, as world cup athlete Perianne Jones, senior development athletes Heidi Widmer, Alysson Marshall and Emily Nishikawa, and junior development athletes Maya MacIsaac-Jones and Dahria Beatty are all taking part. All of the athletes will undergo several tests designed to identify their talents.
“We’re looking for physiological indicators. It might be strength, vo2 max, technical prowess and efficiency on skis, but it’s also how mentally tough they are. Can they push through the hard times and injuries to come through things? There is a basketful of skills. If someone is weak in one area, we’ll try and improve that skill,” De Nys said.
Ensuring Canada has a critical mass of talented young skiers is a tough challenge. Many of Canada’s best are spread out geographically and it takes money to bring them together. Many of the 17- and 18-year-old skiers don’t get a chance to train together at a crucial time in their development. However, two days into the camp, De Nys is happy with what he sees.
“It’s a great bunch of girls. They really have fun, they ski well and have great physical talent,” De Nys said.
Canada’s current crop of world cup skiers is nearing retirement, so it’s important Canada’s next generation are ready to make the jump. De Nys said Canada has had success before. He wants to see Canada win a medal at the world junior championships, which will help athletes make an easier transition to the world cup.
“I had the privilege to work with Dave Wood when we worked with Beckie Scott, Sara Renner, the four Chase sisters and Milaine Theriault. They all moved to Canmore and the one thing they did was have a lot of fun. They did tons of hard work and racing to get to the top, but the overriding principle is they were always having fun,” De Nys said.
Beatty, 19, is one of the up and coming athletes the team would love to see succeed. Last season, she moved from Whitehorse to Canmore to train with the Alberta World Cup Academy, but was troubled by fatigue for part of the season.This year, she’s keeping a closer eye on her training and trying to learn as much as she can at the camp.
“This camp is a great opportunity to ski with the rest of the girls on the junior team from across Canada. We haven’t had much time to train together this summer, being from different places. I think the camp will be a great opportunity to get to know everyone better, learn from them and form good bonds with female athletes in Canada,” Beatty said.
The transition from student to full-time athlete/part-time muffin slinger at Harvest Café has been a tough one. As the youngest member of her team, she doesn’t have a lot of athletes her own age to compete against, but plenty of older girls to chase. Giving athletes like Beatty more teammates was one of the goals of the camp.
“It’s nice being surrounded by girls my own age. My team is amazing, but they’re all older than me. It’s nice to have Maya MacIsaac-Jones around to ski with.”
She’s doing her best to integrate into the local ski culture and picked up tips from CCC head coach Justin Wadsworth at the camp, improving her offset ski technique.
“It was definitely a big change. I moved in with a family and that made the adjustment easier. It’s like having parents who aren’t your parents. The biggest chance is having skiing as the only focus. I’m less busy, but it puts more pressure on you,” Beatty said.
After a nutrition course Monday night and roller ski treadmill testing, the girls will participate in the Frozen Thunder sprint races on Thursday (Oct. 24) at 9:15 a.m.
