Kanata Nordic

Withdrawal

Having lived and spent most waking hours with cross country skiers for the duration of the Paralympics and a few days before, and having had the opportunity to ski from morning to night I will confess a certain amount of withdrawal particularly with no significant skiing opportunities in the Ottawa area.

This posting is somewhat triggered by  having read Claudia and Dirk VanWijk’s  “Trackside” blog which I linked to through the NCD website.  In their posting they refer to a compulsion to wear some item of “smurf blue” clothing each day.  (Most of the volunteers were fitted with the light blue Olympic wear that is very prominent in any Olympic coverage and near any Olympic or Paralympic venue.  The “smurfs” was the named coined for this wonderful crowd of people)

Although the forerunners were fitted in less prominent navy blue we did have a unique hat in smurf flue colour.  We had to come up with our own moniker, however, and we became the F ‘ ers as distinguished by the large F (for foreruner) on the bibs we wore while on the courses.

I have not felt the same compulsion to wear my Forerunner suit only because it is a race suit and the men’s size large was not quite sized large enough to fit my frame.  I also think may daughters may object if I wore the tights around the house to much.  They are still getting used to me wearing bike shorts in public!!  Of course their sensibilities would even be more offended if I ran around only with my F ‘ er bib.

March 25

It is good to be home again.  I already miss the atmosphere of the Paralympics, the Whistler Olympic Park, the wonderful people and the fantastic skiing in the Callaghan Valley.   It is quite something to be on well groomed trails with over a metre of base and then two hours later to be in Vancouver surrounded by green grass and the fragrance of blossoms.

All good things come to an end eventually, and being a feorrunner at the Paralympics has been the experience of a life time.   Ultimately the Olympics and Paralympics is about the athletes, but more importantly it is about what they represent.  In many respects an Olympian is no different than a  Paralympian;  both have dedicated a tremendous amount of effort, time and energy to reach the highest level of their sport, making many sacrifices along the way.  We can all learn from both the Olympians and Paralympians that with commitment, dedication and sacrifice we can achieve many things in life whether it be athletics or something else.   

Returning full circle to one of our earlier initiatives of this season, the introduction and promotion of Cross Country Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model in all of our programs, or as I prefer to see it “Sport for Life, the Olympics and Paralympics provide a good lesson.  We may see the Training to Train, Learing to Compete,  Competing to Compete and Competing to Win stages of the LTAD as being the exclusive realm of the most gifted and talented athletes, but the Paralympics clearly have demonstrated that despite adversity and challenge we can all find ways to achieve goals that few might have thought were possible.  Somehow these athletes have found a way. and not allowed what might seem to some to be insurmountable barriers , from stopping them from reaching the highest level.  There is a lesson in this for all of us.

Congratulations to all the athletes that have dedicated their lives to reaching this level of competition.

Parting shot…

This one is about 500 metre elevation above the Olympic Park.  7 kms of climbing with no flats, followed by some down hill, a little flat, and then another 250 metres of elevation gain over 4 km of rolling ups and downs.  Well worth the effort.

March 20 – Relay

I have missed a few days but will catch up later.

Today is the relay event which I have not quite determined all the rules for yet. As I understand it each country enters three skiers that cannot exceed a total classification of 288?

Every paranordic athlete is given a classification based on their disability.  For example a totally blind skier would have a lower classification than a visually impaired skier with peripherial vision.  Similarly, some sit skiers have some leg mobility and core strength, others may be amputees.  In this example the amputee would have a lower classification.  Classifications (reported as percentages) are multiplied against each athletes time when they compete in the same event; the adjusted time then determines the final standing.

In the relay each country typically has a sit-skier, a standing skier completing classic and a standing skier completing a freestyle course. In some cases a skier may have a different classification in skate than they do for classic.  Some countries used visually impaired for one leg of the relay but not all.

Due to the classification system for the relay the McKeevers could not ski because of their high classification i.e.  Canada did not have a skier with a low enough classification to stay below the 288 maximum combined classification. 

For the women’s race all skiers skied the 2.5 km sit-ski course and completed one loop.  For the men’s race the sit-skiers did two loops of the sit-ski course and the standing skiers did two loops of a more difficult standing course.  The Canadian women included Collette (sit-skier), Robin Weldon (visually impaired), and Jody Barber (standing).  They placed fourth with a valiant effort by Jody to make up time skiing with one arm (her disability).

Forerunning was interesting as we had to preski the skate and classic courses.  Because the snow was very hard first thing, this required continuous skiing for about an hour before the race.  Ordinarily, this would not be an issue but the long ski to the backcountry lodge depleted our energy levels and a cold seems to be creeping through the forerunner ranks.

A Day Off (March 19)

No Nordic events today, therefore, half of the forerunners decided to make a ski up to the Callaghan back country lodge.  The weather forecast is perfect with a high of 4 or 5 Celcius and clear skis.  With temperatures well below freezing overnight we try to time our ski to avoid hard icy snow, and yet beat the soft mushy snow as the temperature rises and the sun hits the trails.  Given the variability of conditions we decide to skate.

 The lodge was built for back country skiers that put on skins or whatever necessary and set out up the mountain from the lodge in order that they can climb the mountain and ski back down.  The lodge is at about 1550 metres, and the Callaghan Mountain rises up to 2200 metres.  We will limit our trip to the groomed trails from the Olympic Park up to the lodge.  Three or four kilometres from the Olympic Park we start a climb up into the valley that does not end for 7 kilometres; there is a downhill to Callaghan Lake and then another 4.5 km to the lodge which is a steady climb over rolling hills.  The total climb is approximately 750 metres but well worth the effort with the reward being magnificent views and perfect temperatures.  This is not a climb that I have ever experienced before and the week and a half of skiing everyday except one has definitely helped with this journey.  This is heaven.

The two hour trip up is rewarded by a one hour downhill journey.  This was some of the most interesting skiing as shaded parts of the trail are very fast, and parts of the trail in the sun are soft snow that sucks at the bottom of the ski.  This of course makes for interesting fast down hill tucks into soft snow that causes your forward momentum to want to plant your face into the trail in front.

 Two more days to go, and despite all the fun this has been, I will be happy to head home soon.

Forerunners (March 19)

As described earlier the forerunners ski the courses before each event to insure trails are “skied in” before each event.  We also close the course 10 minutes before the event, and ski sections during a race if there is heavy snow falling, for example. 

In the past few days it has been quite warm during the day and well below zero overnight.  With the first event at 10:00 the course is typically hard and very abrasive when we arrive.  For the Sit-ski course we cannot use wax or klister and must ski in the tracks; the only choice, therefore, is haries or double poling.  When the track is hard haries do not work and double poling may be the only resort.  Of course, this is a good reminder of the challenges for the sit-skiers who must double pole everything.  

The second event of the day usually begins around noon.  By this time the course in the sun is soft and parts in the shade are still hard, which makes for more waxing challenges. 

Each forerunner applied for the position prior to July of 2009.  Selection criteria included the ability to ski near the rate of the athletes, and the commitment to use the experience to promote the paranordic sport.  Approximately 20 applicants were selected from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations.  All the forerunners are avid and relatively accomplished skier and most have made many other contributions to the sport.  A cross section of some of the forerunners includes: 

• The furthest traveled forerunner is from Newfoundland, there are four from Southern Ontario, myself from Eastern Ontario, four from Thunder Bay, and the remainder are from Alberta and British Columbia.  One of the TB skiers is studying in the UK and traveled to Whistler just to attend the Paralympics.
• Two forerunners are students, several are relatively recent graduates.
• We have a forerunner with a paralyzed arm, a visually impaired skier; and a guide skier.
• Approximately half are masters skiers and continue to race.
• Many of the half that are not masters have, and/or continue to race at a relatively high level.
• Approximately a third of us are involved in coaching; most are involved with skiing in some other capacity such as officials, organizers etc.
• It appears that most forerunners have professional backgrounds
• There are a few more female forerunners than males; and
• Most importantly, like most Nordic skiers, the forerunners are just great people who love skiing and enjoy being outdoors.

Nordic competition photos

Rob D’Arras and Margarita Gorbounova in the biathalon on the first day of competition

Alex Novikov in the 20 km freestyle

Brian and Robin McKeever in the 20 km freestyle (gold medal race)

A Day Off

Today is a day off for the nordic events and the forerunners. I have taken advantage of this to see my sister in Vancouver, although a day of skiing was tempting. The recreational trails, and the competition trails, are wonderful. They are postcard beautiful, the grooming is impeccable, and the climbs and downhills offer a challenge that we do not see that much of in the Ottawa area. At the higher elevations the vistas are magnificent and it is interesting to ski over short sections of trail that have avalanche warnings. Generally these are short and I suspect they are more of a warning not to stand and admire the snow above. Our recreational ski outings usually start after the competition is over sometime about 1:30 or 2:00.

Photo: the trails

There apparently is a back country lodge that requires 8 kms of climbing which we hope to take on before we leave. The recreational skis along with the forerunning of the courses, however, have done a great job of increasing my fitness level. If altitude had any impact when I arrived, I now seem to have overcome it. Staying hydrated also seemed to be a problem in the first few days.

Yesterday’s events included the 20 km freestyle for the standing and the visually impaired men, and the 15 km freestyle for the standing and the visually impaired women. Each category skis multiple laps of a 5 km loop. The loop climbs for about 3 km with a few downhills and essentially no flats. With 10 cm of soft wet snow falling overnight, plus fog and warm temperatures the tracks were soft to begin with and changed significantly by the time the women’s race started. This made the tracks very slow. The forerunners ski the course before each event and because some of the skiers use the classic track this was particularly important for the afternoon event as the tracks became very soft and slow.

Photo: Colette Bourgonje in the 7.5 km sit-ski

The highlight of the day for Canada was obviously the McKeever brothers winning the gold medal. Watching them ski is inspiring as they are both excellent skiers, and secondly they work so well together. Their lead on the competition increased with each lap and there did not seem to be much doubt as to who would win.

The highlight for Kanata was the performance of Alex and Margarita. Both skiers put everything they had out on the course, and I do not think we could ask for anything more. Just to qualify for the Paralympics is a feat in itself.

Robbie Weldon from Thunder Bay also put on a great performance. I think she finished 6th but what made it interesting is that her guide could not set a high enough pace for her. By the last lap he would cut across switchbacks and where the trail doubled back, and Robbie would make her own way around, sometimes following competitors, sometimes following her own wits and visual limitations.

The sit-ski on Sunday and yesterday’s long distance freestyle really demonstrate what incredible people these athletes are. They have persevered and overcome incredible adversity to get to this point. Knowing some of the background on some of the athletes really makes the courage and strength that more impressive and inspiring. Next time you are out try to double pole a 3.75 km rolling course four times. I tried to do it once with full able bodied abilities and barely made it. If that is not enough try skiing a 5 km course four times using legs only, or even just using one pole.

It is unfortunate, even disgraceful, that we as a society cannot afford even 10 percent of the media coverage that the Olympics received. These athletes deserve more, just for the example they set not only for disabled, but for able bodied people.

Mike.

Competition Day #2

Today (Sunday) includes the 15 km men’s sit-ski in the morning, and the women’s 10 km sit-ski in the afternoon.  The women will do 3 x 3.3 km loops and the men 4 x 3.75 km loops.

Effectively sit-skiers have lost mobility of their lower body, however, because each skier may have a different disability there is a classification that is used to adjust times to “handicap” the skiers with more lower body strength for example. A sit-ski generally consists of an aluminum frame with a low seat; the frame clips into the bindings on regular cross country skis. Depending on whether the skier has had an amputation, has partial use of their legs, or their legs may have more paralysis, the legs and feet may be ahead of the skier or tucked under the seat. Skiers double pole the entire course; relatively speaking the physiology of poling and pole length is somewhat similar to an able bodied skier.

Just to get a feel for the challenges of double poling the entire course, I tried double poling one 3.75 km loop which includes several hills, a few good downhills and a couple of tight turns. With some effort I did double pole the course with the exception of about 6 metres on a longer uphill where I had to step out of the tracks to maintain momentum. Putting this into perspective the paranordic skiers are completing 3 or 4 loops, and in some cases they do this entirely with the upper body, and limited core strength. This is an incredible feat.

Forerunning today was as much ceremonial as anything. There was no new snow overnight and grooming produced two crisp tracks which were slightly glazed. What made things more interesting for the forerunners is that the course directors had asked that we not use hard wax or klister to avoid any residue in the tracks for the sit-skiers. This meant that the forerunners had to use hairies, eventhough conditions were more suitable for hard wax. By the end of the event I had made four passes of the trails.

The exciting part of the day is that the Canadian Team recruited forerunners to stand at the edge of the course to encourage/cheer Canadian Collette Bourgonge on in the women’s sit-ski. We spread out over about 500 metres of the trail and cheered Collette on for each lap. We would like to think that this extra encouragement helped Collette to claim the silver medal; and having met her on Saturday, the achievement could not happen to a better person.

The medals ceremony in Whistler was exciting as Canada claimed 3 silver medals.

Tomorrow is the women’s 10 km, and men’s 15 km freestyle. Canadian competitors included Brian and Robin Mckeever, Kanata’s own Alexi Novikov, and Mark Arandz, as well as Kanata’ Margarita Gourbonova, Jody Barber, and Robbie Weldon from Thunder Bay. There may be others but I am having a hard time finding a schedule.

The weather forecast calls for highs well above zero and a mix of snow and rain. We will skate and classic the 5 km course just before the start time. If it snows we will be assigned sections of the trail that we may need to ski in the classic track during the race, particularly if the classic is not well used.

Of course after we wrapped up after the race at about 1:30 this afternoon, three of us took advantage of the beautiful Callaghan Valley trails and skated for an hour and half or so. 80% of the time was spent climbing to the end of the trail. The return trip was about 20% of the time but represented the most fun as we dropped back into the Valley.

Also check out Margarita’s blog: http://paranordicskier.blogspot.com/

Mike.

The first day of competition

With opening ceremonies out of the way (the forerunners did not attend) we are all set for the first day of competitions which includes an 800 metre sit ski biathalon course, and a 1000 metre standing biathalon course. Both courses have some challenging climbing. All sit-skiers do three laps with shooting occuring after the first two laps, and the standing athletes do the same thing on the 1000 metre course. For the Paralympics the biathalon range has been moved to the main nordic stadium.

The forerunner day begins with a 7:30 a.m bus to catch to the WOP. Once on site we prepare the skis for the day ahead. Half of the group will skate for the standing ski course, and the other half of the forerunners will ski in the tracks for the sit-skier course. With temperatures hovering aroung zero celcius, “hairies” seem to be the grip of choice. Hairies are created by roughening the grip zone with sandpaper.

After warm-up we proceed to the stadium and ski out the course starting about 9:30. At 9:50 the forerunners ski both courses as a group, which officially closes the courses for competitions beginning at 10:00. The competition is broken up into mens and womens for sit-ski, standing, and standing visually impaired. There is a qualifying round and a final for each event. The forerunners ski each track after the preceding race is finished. With light snow falling we ski the course/tracks following each heat.

We have a unique vantage point within the stadium to witness the various events, although, after the first two events we were not allowed to stand behind the biathalon range; apparently, we were not supposed to cheer in that area. How could we not?

Both Margarita and Alexi raced today, and we had an opportunity to cheer them on. Generally the Russions and Ukraines dominated most competitions. I also had an opportunity to say hello to Margarita and her parents after Margarita’s last event. We both pondered how we could get the unauthourized Kanata Racers fireball hat onto the stadium field of play!!!

The grooming for the course(s) was excellent, and our task was limited to simply skiing over the new fallen snow. No one was up to double poling the entire course, which is a compliment to the sit skiers who have no choice.