Provincial dryland training at Nipissing
In an effort to connect Ontario’s talented crop of junior cross-country ski racers with OUA varsity ski programs and to highlight the training facilities available here in North Bay, Nipissing Nordic and North Bay Nordic co-hosted a provincial dryland training camp this past weekend.
The camp drew in varsity teams from Carleton, Waterloo and the University of Toronto along with junior racers from across the province, as they prepared for the first ski races of the season with a race weekend simulation that left the crew exhausted and excited for snow.
The camp drew on the specific strengths of Nipissing University, with a sports psychology workshop by Dr. Barbi Law on managing anxiety levels and sharpening focus in challenging circumstances, and with contributions from BPHE students in conditioning workouts and sports massages for athletes. The camp workouts were augmented by classroom Skype sessions with the Medical Director of the Canadian Olympic Team, Dr. Bob McCormack, and with a special presentation by the Women’s National Ski Team, including Olympic Gold Medalist Chandra Crawford, as the NST women reported on their race preparations and pre-race protocols. The camp athletes got up early Saturday morning to practice their dance moves and greet their heroes with a little Gangham Style routine, bringing a level of hype to a hard day’s training.
The athletes were guided by the Ontario Ski Team Head Coach Pav Sudrich and local coaches, and inspired by the presence of retired National Team skier and North Bay Nordic athlete Dave Nighbor, along with National Training Centre athlete Alana Thomas. Nighbor took the camp as an opportunity to launch his new line of sports apparel, while Thomas presented a talk on how varsity skiing allowed her to keep in the sport, train at a high level, and now make the jump to international competition with World Cup starts for her this upcoming season.
The long weekend of training was capped off Sunday by timed repeats of the test piece Monastery Hill, with the athletes racing up the pavement on roller-skis to prepare for the real thing. The time trial established a new women’s record for the climb, with Alana Thomas crushing the previous best time, set by National Training Centre athlete Erin Tribe, by almost six seconds. Our varsity athletes got a clear sense of the standards of training and performance needed to succeed in the sport, while juniors from around the province saw just what Nipissing Nordic has to offer when it comes to varsity ski racing.
Many thanks to Nipissing Athletics for their support for the annual event, and to the many community volunteers, billets and sponsors who made it possible to host the province in this ski community.