National Team Development Centre media release
While the rest of us are thinking of barbeques and lounging at the beach, the start of summer signals the beginning of training for the nordic skiers on the National Team Development Center Thunder Bay. Following the 2017-18 team selection in April, these elite athletes started training in earnest with fitness testing at the state of the art Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario facility located in Toronto. The high tech testing regimen included VO2 max testing and technique training on a rollerski treadmill, as well as sessions on physiology, nutrition and sports psychology.
The team then returned home to Thunder Bay where the athletes were put through a gruelling “boot camp” schedule which included hours of endurance training, an uphill running time trial and more rollerski tests. New athletes also were introduced to the Thunder Bay area and rewarded with a lakeside barbeque and sauna after putting in 30 hours of tough training in 10 days.
The summer program for these athletes will consist of intense dryland and strength training, with athletes putting in hundreds of hours before the start of the winter competition season.
It’s a regime that works, with three NTDC Thunder Bay skiers having been named to Canadian National teams for the upcoming 2017/18 season. Katherine Stewart-Jones was named to the Canadian National U25 Ski Team and has a solid shot at representing Canada in the upcoming 2018 Olympics. In addition, Annika Richardson and Lisle Compton were named to the Junior National Ski Team.
Shortly the NTDC Thunder Bay team will be joined by their peers from across the country as NTDC hosts a national ”alignment “ training camp here in Thunder Bay. Over 50 athletes from three training centers and other high performance teams will be here from June 28th to July 10th for a 12 day block of high volume training. Keep your eyes peeled for groups of lean mean nordic skiers around the area as they join us for more running, strength and rollerskiing. In the afternoon on Canada Day, watch for them in downtown Port Arthur as they compete in the first ever rollerski race held in Thunder Bay. They also will be tearing up the Mt. Baldy slopes at the Matterhorn Madness fundraiser for Roots to Harvest on July 8th, and will be “running the giant” at Sleeping Giant Park on July 9th .
As the old Finn saying goes – cross country skiers are made in the summer. So watch around town as some of the best skiers in Canada get ready for snow - right here in Thunder Bay.
