Vancouver Island nordic skiers from Strathcona Nordic Ski Club (SNSC) joined a large number of athletes from across B.C. for their first opportunity to get on snow in Vernon.
This was one of the largest B.C. provincial camps ever with a total of 110 athletes, and featured the BC Talent Squad , Development Squad, and BC Ski Team all converging on the trails of Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre from Nov. 14-19.
The BC Talent Squad camp included Amelia Moore, Annika Bohac, and Tarran Sloan of Comox, Reed McInnis of Qualicum Beach, and Max Sauter from Campbell River.
The Development Squad had Talia McPhail-McGrady of Comox and Gillian Galik of Royston.
The BC Ski Team includes Carly Ram of Courtenay, Madeleine Galik of Royston, and Gavin Chatterton of Campbell River.
SNSC coach Fil Bohac of Comox was selected to be one of the coaches for the camp.
Despite thin snow cover, there was plenty of opportunity for the athletes to finally break out the skinny skis and put all of their summer and fall training on roller skis and running shoes into practice. As the saying goes, fast skiers are made in the summer. The camp featured twice-daily training sessions with a multitude of experienced coaches to guide technique development, advancement of race tactics, and a practice time trial to shake the cobwebs out of the legs.
Provincial camps are an incredible opportunity for athletes from clubs across B.C. to train together, hang out, and also meet members of the national development squad and national ski team. It is also a venue where coaches from across the province can develop relationships and share coaching and training knowledge. Both athletes and coaches will see a lot of each other over the next few months as the short but intense race season starts without delay.
The first races of the year quickly followed the camp, with the Western Canada Cup on Dec. 1-2, also held in Silver Star/Sovereign Lake, which featured athletes from across Canada as well as the U.S. Saturday鈥檚 5.6 km skate interval start saw local skiers Ram finish second in the Women鈥檚 U18 race and Chatterton had a strong first lap but developed a leg cramp in the second and fell behind, finishing 17th in the very competitive Men鈥檚 U18 race. Moore flew to a 15th place in the U16 Girls鈥� category, followed by McPhail-McGrady in 40th and Annika Bohac in 63rd. Everett Wells of Victoria had a great 47th-place finish in the U16 Boys鈥� category.
In Sunday鈥檚 1.2km classic sprint races, Chatterton made it into the semifinals but missed the final by one spot, while Ram finished third in a fast and competitive Finals.
Silver Star is known for its early snowfall due to the 1,600 m elevation, and amazing trail systems and facilities. Thank you to Sovereign Lake Nordic Club for hosting the camps and races. Camps are also supported by the Nordiq Canada Development Fund (NCDF) to help keep costs down for young athletes.
SNSC racers continue their season in Canmore Dec. 9-10 for the Alberta Cup and Winter Youth Olympic Games trials, BC Winter Games trials at Mt. Washington on Dec. 30, and Western Championships, Jan. 12-14 in Canmore.
