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Trials triumph sends Hendrys to Jr. XC world championship

CANMORE – A local trio of junior Nordic skiers will be skating across ice and snow against the world’s elite early next year. Canmore’s Sam Hendry and Isobel Hendry of Canmore Nordic Ski Club and Team R.A.D.
Cross-country Haywood NorAm Junior and U23 Trials
Russell Kennedy, centre, takes the early lead in the mass start for the Cross-country Haywood NorAm Junior and U23 Trials at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Sunday (Dec. 16).

CANMORE – A local trio of junior Nordic skiers will be skating across ice and snow against the world’s elite early next year.

Canmore’s Sam Hendry and Isobel Hendry of Canmore Nordic Ski Club and Team R.A.D., and Xavier McKeever of Foothills Nordic, were named to Canada’s 2019 World Junior Championship cross-country male and female teams after impressing at the Haywood NorAm U23/Jr. Trials at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Dec. 13, 15-16.

Pre-camp begins Jan. 8-17 in Norway for the Canadians, which is followed by the junior and U23 championships in Lahti, Finland from Jan. 20-26.

In near perfect racing conditions in Canmore, Sam, 19, finished as the top junior man in Sunday’s 30-kilometre (1:19:02) and Saturday’s 10-km (23: 09) races.

McKeever, 16, crossed the line in fourth and fifth, respectively.

“It really secures my spot on the team for world juniors and I’m stoked to be the first place junior,” Sam said.

In the 30-km race, sticking close to the leading pack was Sam’s strategy and it proved to be successful, finishing fourth overall and only seconds behind Olympian and teammate Russell Kennedy.

“I knew that the pace would start off pretty fast and it was all about just hanging on,” Sam said. “And I was able to pretty much right until the end of the race.”

Alain Parent, Canmore Nordic program director, said Sam’s been nipping at the heels of the senior men so far this season and he excels under pressure.

“It’s a good sign that he can compete at a high level with the top international juniors,” Parent said.

Joining Sam and McKeever on the junior men’s team are Black Jack Cross Country’s Remi Drolet, Club de ski de fond Monteriski’s Pierrick Sarthou and Foothills Nordic’s Tom Stepthen.

In the junior women’s category, Isobel, 16, finished fourth in Sunday’s 15-km and second in Saturday’s five-km races.

Like her older brother Sam, Parent said Isobel shines when pressure is on.

“She was a bit of a long shot to be named to that team, but she’s been fast this winter,” said Parent. “Like her brother, she can put it together when it counts.”

The top junior woman on Sunday was Jasmine Drolet, 16, from B.C., who said she is excited and nervous to compete overseas.

Joining Isobel and Jasmine in the junior women will be Black Jack Cross Country’s Molly Miller, Foothills Nordic’s Anna Pryce and Club Nordique Mont-St-Anne’s Anne-Marie Petitclerc.

Parent added that with junior teams, which are aged 20 and under, having the multiple 16 year olds representing Canada is a great sign for cross-country skiing’s development.

The trial races had to be relocated to Canmore due to a lack of snow in Whistler, B.C., which brought in both senior and junior athletes to the valley.

In the senior men races, Kennedy won Saturday’s race (30:18), followed by Evan Palmer-Charrette and Alex Dumas.

Bob Thompson won Sunday’s race, and Jack Carlyle and Kennedy finished second and third, respectively.

In the senior women races, Olympian Dahria Beatty finished in first on Saturday (26:05) and in second was

Katherine Stewart-Jones and Frédérique Vézina in third.

Beatty won Sunday’s race (42:55), and Stewart-Jones claimed second and Hannah Mehain third.


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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