Northwestern Ontario athletes play big role in a landmark cross-country skiing season
CBC
It's been a landmark season for elite cross-country skiers right across Canada, and athletes from northwestern Ontario are playing a big role in the success.
This season has featured strong showings at the Winter Youth Olympics Games, and podium appearances at races on the international cross-country skiing circuit.
An athlete advocate in Thunder Bay, Ont., believes the accomplishments in the cross-country skiing world this season are not just derived from competitions and individual athletes, but rather a recent culture shift in the sport itself.
"There is a big push both from the athlete body but also from the governing side of things … that this is a team," explained Julian Smith who is an Athletes CAN representative, and competitive skier with the National Team Development Centre in Thunder Bay.
"We have this expansive group of diverse and committed individuals … that as a team, as a nation we have a real ability to come together and perform on the world stage," Smith continued.
Thunder Bay is home to one of few national training centres in the country, with two others centres located in Quebec and Alberta.
The national ski team in Canada is decentralized, which means skiers can live and train where they wish. Smith said at times this format can be a detriment, especially when it comes to the costs associated with training, traveling, and racing.
The recent push to bring athletes together, regardless of where they train, is already paying off as many cross-country skiers are capturing major accomplishments on a number of world stages.
Earlier this year, Thunder Bay athlete Cedric Martel traveled to Gangwon, South Korea to compete in the Winter Youth Olympics Games. He was also joined by Eric Bailey, a cross-country skiing coach in Thunder Bay.
Martel competed in a number of events, including a mixed relay competition with Canada claiming their best ever result coming in fifth place.
After the Winter Youth Olympics, the accomplishments of local and national skiers snowballed, particularly in World Junior and World Under 23 competitions.
Canada had a strong showing at the World Under 23 competition in Slovenia, with 21-year-old Sonjaa Schmidt becoming the first Canadian woman to win gold at an U23 Nordic World Ski Championship event.
"A lot of athletes on the team … they wake up every day believing in themselves and that is sometimes the transient difference between winning and not winning and so that was historic. It was amazing," Smith said, reflecting on Schmidt's win.
The historic gold medal win in Slovenia was followed by another formative accomplishment for Team Canada, with the mixed relay team claiming first place, which is a difficult accomplishment, Smith said.
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