I had a very successful season racing in my first year as a senior woman. I moved to Canmore in May to join the Alberta World Cup Academy and this was the right choice as my results improved and I consistently raced well. I spent a month in Europe competing at the World U23 Championships and in five OPA/Continental Cup races which was a great experience for me. I won my first international medal, my first senior National Championships medal and I greatly improved my Canadian rankings. My season highlights and some pictures are included below.
December:
NorAms (Vernon, BC): Qualified 3rd in the skate sprint, finished in 6th place.
January:
World U23 Trials/NorAms (Canmore, AB): Finished 6th in the classic sprint. I was the first U23 skier which secured my position on the World U23 Championships Team.
The Canmore NorAms were also trial races for the World Cups in Whistler and I qualified to race the classic sprint and the team sprint. I placed 40th in the individual sprint and teamed up with Sarah Daitch to finish 12th in the team sprint.
February:
World U23 Championships (Praz de Lys, France): 13th in the classic sprint (best ever BC women’s result), 26th in the pursuit and 33rd in the 10km skate race.
OPA/Continental Cup: After the World U23 Champs, the OPA tour team traveled to Bad Goisern, Austria to train for a week before heading to Germany for the first races.
Zwiesel, Germany: Qualified 7th in the skate sprint but ended up in 14th after getting boxed in around the final corner in my first heat. Placed 18th in the 10km classic race.
Schilpario, Italy: Bronze medal in the classic sprint and 4th in the 2-day handicap start.
March:
Senior National Championships (Canadian placing): Silver medal in the classic sprint, 6th in the10km classic, 7th in the 5km skate and 10th in the 30km skate.
Current CPL rankings:
6th on the sprint list and 10th on the distance list. I improved my sprint ranking by 8 places and distance ranking by 4 places this season.
Other Awards:
2009 BC Premier’s Athletic Award recipient
2008 PacificSport Athletic Excellence Award recipient
Thanks to my sponsors, coach, team and family for all their support!
