Canmore Update: getting ready for sprint and distance races
By: team xcottawa.ca (2009/12/18)
Karl, Megan, Sheila, and Alana are in Canmore getting ready for the 3rd and 4th
races of the Haywood NorAm Canada Cup race series. XC Ottawa alumni Tom McCarthy will be helping coach John Suuronen wax, and couldn't resist jumping into the sprint races too.
Saturday and Sunday are classic sprint races, using a new course, designed to discourage double poling the whole course. The courses are longer and feature a lot more climbing that the courses used in the 2008 FIS World Cup, where many of the men double poled the entire course on skate skis. Check out a video of the course here.
There will be a strong American contingent at the sprint races, as this is part of their Olympic qualification criteria. Canadian sprinters will also be looking for final spots on the Canadian sprint team for the Olympics.
The distance classic race will be held on Tuesday (individual start 30k for the women; 50k for the men). The course will be multiple loops of the tough Olympic 5km course.
Here are some pictures of the stadium and wax room - lots of classic races=lots of waxing!
"Winning Moves"