2019 World Junior/U23 Championships
Lahti, Finland
January 21 – 27, 2019
January 13th
On Sunday, the team headed down to the Lillehammer ski trails to participate in a skate technique time trial. Depending on age, the skiers raced either 5, 10, or 15 km on the brutal course. I (Jasmine) was not feeling my best and did not go down to Lillehammer and rested instead. The skiers who did go got technique advice from the coaches afterwards, in their respective categories and gave each other advice as well.
Some skiers also went for an afternoon session consisting of a short run or walk to get out of the house and to get the blood flowing. The sunsets here have been spectacular, so the afternoon walks are beautiful. So far, the pre-camp has been lots of fun and it has been a great experience to ski in Norway and to get to know the other members of the team. Everybody seems to be getting over the jetlag and energy levels are coming along well!
Jasmine Drolet
January 12th
It’s been a good last few days for BC skiers. On Thursday we did some classic sprints with the rest of the team as well as some technique exercises. Friday was an intensity day with strength in the afternoon. We are all getting ready for a skate time trial in Lillehammer on Sunday, leading to our last intensity before the races next Tuesday. The sunset and sunrise in Sjusjøen are gorgeous! The sunrises late and sets early, meaning that we get to watch two everyday. My camera role is full of sun pictures. The conditions in Sjusjøen have also been wonderful, apparently some of the best skiing in Norway right now is here. This means that some pretty big names have been on the trails! We’ve been lucky enough to ski by Johaug, Falla, Dyrhaug, and Haga.
Stay tuned for more adventures!
Molly Miller
January 9th
Today was full of fun and games! In the morning we played on our skis. We paired up, one girl and one guy, and skied a mini loop in a different fashion each time. Double pole, one ski, no poles, backward, kangaroo hop, wheelbarrow on skis. What a challenge!
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a beautiful orange and purple sunset as we went for an easy classic ski.
Our dinner was accompanied by a birthday cake for our Ontario teammate, Sadie who just turned 23!
A few hours after dinner, we met in groups to have a night-time snack which consisted of bread and this rather unique brown, salty, caramel-like cheese. Apparently, if you're Norwegian and you don’t like this cheese, you get sent to Sweden.
Walking back to our respective cabins we looked up to see a strip of glowing green steaming across the starry sky.
Hannah Mehain
Travel to Norway
For Canada, the Junior/U23 World Championships trip began on January 7th, and it was a long two days before the team arrived in Norway. After getting up early to drive to Cranbrook, my sister Jasmine and I (Rémi) met up with Molly in Cranbrook for the first flight of the day. It was a quick ascent in a very small (and extremely loud!) plane to cross the Rocky Mountains, after which we met up with the remainder of the western athletes, including BC skiers Hannah and Gareth (who, having flown from Kelowna early, had been languishing in the Air Canada lounge for six hours).
From there, each of us found the seat from which we would scarcely move over the next 9 hours as we travelled across Greenland, Iceland, and Britain before landing in Frankfurt (Germany). From Germany, we then boarded our final flight to reach Norwegian soil. By this point, everyone was very tired and stepping foot in Oslo was a relief. However, it was not the end of our travels. From there, we met up with the team's head coach, Erik Braaten, and had a sandwich before hopping into our rental vans and driving a final two and a half hours to the location where we will be spending our pre-camp: Sjusjøen! This world-famous cross-country skiing destination is located on a mountain plateau above Lillehammer and will be where we train in the days leading up to the Championships.
(Cabins in Sjusjøen)
(Cabin in Sjusjøen)
The focus for our first days in Sjusjøen will be adjusting to the time change and resting well before the major races which are just around the corner. There is still some training to be done, but it must be done carefully. Everyone on the team should just about have their racing shape by now, and there is little room for massive improvements past this point. It is easy, however, to tire yourself out by training too hard, and the team coaches have made it very clear that the goal from now on is to train well and mostly at an easy pace. It will be a week with some hard work but filled mostly with rest, relaxation, and fun skiing on the network of several hundreds of kilometres of ski trails here in beautiful Sjusjøen.
Here we go!
Rémi Drolet
BC Athletes:
Gareth Williams (Telemark Nordic Club, Kelowna)
Hannah Mehain (Telemark Nordic Club, Vernon)
Jasmine Drolet (Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club, Rossland)
Molly Miller (Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club, Kimberley)
Rémi Drolet (Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club, Rossland)
CCC’s coaching support team includes the following BC coach:
Matt Smider – Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
See article and complete list of nominations at: http://www.cccski.com/Media/Press-Releases/Cross-Country-Ski-de-Fond-Canada-Names-18-Athletes.aspx#.XBlBRlxKjIU