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Local NDC skiers feel at home in Utah

Thunder Bay NDC skiers look for home field advantage in Utah.
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Angus Foster completing a 50-km roller-ski up a mountain pass. (Photo credit: Lisa Patterson)

Thunder Bay NDC skiers look for home field advantage in Utah.

While Northern Ontario residents were on the lookout for fall snow flurries Thunder Bay National Development Centre skiers were headed south to Park City, Utah, for their final dryland training camp of the year.

The camp, held from September 25th to October 13th, was a who’s who of Canadian elite cross country skiers, with over 30 of Canada’s top skiers and from the Quebec and Alberta training centres in attendance, as well as members of the National Team. 

Normally a winter vacation paradise, for the skiers the Park City camp was no vacation as the athletes were busy putting in big hours before for the racing season begins in November.

A typical day featured four to five hours of training beginning with a morning session of roller-skiing or running over mountain passes exceeding 3000m above sea level, while afternoons were kept ‘light’ with a run and one to two hour stints at the gym.

Local team veteran Michael Somppi logged over 70 hours of training during the 18 day camp, a personal record. 

Why go all the way to Utah when Canada has perfectly good mountains of its own? This year’s world junior/U23 world championships will be held at the former 2002 Olympic venue in Soldier Hollow, just down the road from Park City.

Because of the altitude at the venue, Canada will be holding the qualification races in conjunction with the United States Ski Association. 

Despite the gruelling training regimen, there were some early signs that the athletes are on the right track heading into the racing season.

Team veteran Bob Thompson won the rollerski sprint race held on the 2002 Olympic trails at Soldier Hollow, while first year senior Mia Serratore was fourth in the women’s race, finishing just behind last year’s top sprinter, Daria Beatty.

The location holds a special place in Canadian skiing history with Beckie Scott winning Canada’s first ever Olympic Nordic skiing medal at the 2002 Olympics, ushering in over a decade of world cup and Olympic success for the program.

Head coach Timo Puiras is confident this year will see more top Canadian performances at the storied location, “although it seems a long way to go just to get Canada’s top skiers training together, we’re hoping the familiarity with the altitude and location will provide a home field advantage come January”.

The team is back in Thunder Bay recovering from their efforts and preparing for their next training camp, this time on snow in Canmore, Alberta, for the Frozen Thunder camp, where snow saved from last winter is used to make a two kilometer loop on the 1988 Olympic trails. Skiers Bob Thompson and Thunder Bay native Angus Foster will be competing for spots on the pre-Christmas World Cup in Europe.

Before leaving town, however, the team will be hosting the annual Nordic Fest fundraising dinner at the Polish Hall on November 5thfeaturing dinner, silent auction, and the chance to rub shoulders with some of Canada’s future Olympians. 

- Tickets available at www.ntdctbay.ca

Photo: Angus Foster completing a 50km roller-ski up a mountain pass. Photo credit: Lisa Patterson. 





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