racers Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Fernie Nordic Society

Fernie Racers compete in Kimberley

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts, RSS Jan 25, 2022Oct 10, 2022events, Kids Activities, kootenay, race, racers

The Fernie Nordic Racers had a great weekend at the Kootenay Championships Tier 2 race in Kimberley competing against the best skiers in the Kootenays and southern Alberta. Great efforts were put in by numerous Fernie racers with several making the podium for their age group.

Podium finishers

Isla Sauve – 2012 girls – 2^nd skate, 3^rd classic
Graham Etue – 2010 boys – 3^rd skate,
Ella Fuller – 2009 girls – 1^st skate, 2^nd classic
Noah Glickman – 2009 boys – 3rd skate, 3^rd classic
Louison Dubief – 2006 girls – 2^nd skate, 2^nd classic
Aurélie Smithson – 2007 girls – 3^rd skate, 3^rd classic
Wes Robinson-Shaw – 2005 boys – 2^nd skate, 1^st classic

The team will be taking part in a training camp here in Fernie this weekend January 29-30 with National team technician and Cross Country BC coach Graham Maclean, then off to Nelson February 5^th and 6^th for Kootenay cup # 6 and 7.

submitted by coach Johnny

Louison Dubief at the Kootenay Cup race in Kimberley BC

Read the Free Press article about these races HERE.

The full results are displayed at the Zone4 website.

The Fernie Racers in action

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts, RSS Jan 15, 2022Oct 10, 2022events, kootenay, race, racers

The races of the season started in December 2021, for the first time since COVID-19 began. There are still COVID-19 protocols to make sure everyone stays safe while racing. The Fernie Nordic Racers participate mostly in the Teck Kootenay Cup races and in some bigger races. Race weekends are really fun, and it’s very good practice. Races are competitive but friendly and enjoyable.

Kootenay Cups are happening in Rossland and Golden (in December 2021), Kimberley (in January), and Nelson (in February). We had a bigger race in Canmore for the Alberta Cups 3 and 4, and some athletes will also participate in the BC Cups/Championships and Track Attack Championships.

Race weekends usually start on Fridays with a training day and the races are on Saturdays and Sundays. Races are either with an interval start (one by one every 15 or 30 seconds) or mass start (everyone at the same time). For athletes, coaches or parents who want to do it, we have a warm-up routine before the start of the race and then a cool down after the race. There are also amazing volunteers to help organize the race and to help competitors at the end of their races by giving them drinks.

Cross country skiing is a sport for everyone. All ages and abilities can participate. On our team, we have athletes from U10 to U18. Coaches and parents race in the Masters category. Adults can race in the Masters category and win points for the team! Each race completed brings two points for the team. Racing is fun and you can even win chocolate medals! We encourage everybody to participate to these events, it is competitive only if you want it to be competitive, other than that it is only for fun! Races can make you feel nervous and excited, but it is always a very fun experience, and it feels satisfying to finish a race even if it took a lot of effort! We would be very happy if you joined us to race!

Article by Louison Dubief and Aurélie Smithson

Our Team of Racers in Canmore

We had a great weekend of racing at the Olympic, World Juniors, U23 Trials and AB Cup in Canmore, racing with some of the best XC skiers in the country. All of the Fernie Nordic Racer athletes that attended finished in the top 10 in their age group for both skate and classic.

Ella Fuller – 2009 girls – 5^th classic, 2^nd skate
Noah Glickman – 2009 Boys -1^st classic, 1^st skate
Louison Dubief – 2006 Girls -9^th classic, 9^th skate
Wes Robinson-Shaw – 2005 boys – 4^th classic, 5^th skate
Cameron Etue qualified for the BC winter games

Great results!

All results for the January 8-9 weekend are at Zone4.ca

submitted by coach John Shaw

Racers at the Ski Camp at Panorama

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts, RSS Dec 13, 2021Apr 12, 2022race, racers

Article by Aurélie Smithson and Louison Dubief

From November 26^th to November 28^th, the Fernie Nordic Racers were at a snow camp at Panorama. During the camp, we had the opportunity to take the chairlift and go cross-country skiing on the plateau at the top of the ski resort. We arrived on Friday afternoon to settle in and begin the camp. First, we did ice breaking games and played Mantracker. We also talked about the rules for the following day.

We arrived at the ski hill base around 9 am on Saturday morning, it was a skate ski day. Then we went up to the top of the hill. We experienced that it is not easy to get off the chairlift on skinny skis. After that, we went up a monster hill and arrived on the plateau. We did some drills and then we split up into groups for some activities. Then we had lunch. After we played a big game of British Bulldog with all the athletes. The younger groups went down first, while older athletes were practicing sprints. We went down the monster hill and then down the cat track to the chairlift, the downhill was a very fun experience. Later we took two chairlifts to get back down to the base area.

On Sunday, it was a classic ski day. It was raining so we went to the Grey Wolf Golf Course to ski. The younger athletes did some drills and played some games on the groomed trails, while the older athletes did some backcountry skiing and drills on the ungroomed trails.

Here is some feedback from the Fernie Nordic Racers. Cameron Etue said “It was a lot of fun and very well planned and put together. I loved being on top of the mountain with the beautiful scenery and the awesome coaches. I learned a lot of new stuff and I spend a lot of time with friends.”

Graham Etue added ‘’It was great to spend time with other people outside and be able to ski as there is no snow in Fernie. I really liked it.’’

In conclusion, we all agreed that it was a very fun experience. We thank Toby Creek Nordic Club for organising this event and making this memorable experience possible.

Interviews of Fernie Nordic Racers

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts Nov 14, 2021Apr 12, 2022Kids Activities, race, racers

Article by Aurélie Smithson and Louison Dubief

Hello, here are some experiences shared by our teammates. We interviewed Ella Fuller, Marley Robinson-Shaw, Wes Robinson-Shaw, and Ezra Gibb, they shared their experiences and their goals.

Ella Fuller: Ella started Nordic skiing in kindergarten, with the Jackrabbits. She joined the race team in grade 4, when she was 9 years old. Ella likes the race team because it’s fun, you get to spend time outside, and you get to meet new people in the team and at races. Ella said: ‘’I learned to persevere in races and try my hardest.’’ Her goal is to make the Talent Squad and to compete at a higher level. Ella says: ‘’Always try your hardest.’’

Marley Robinson-Shaw: Marley has been skiing since she was little, she joined the Jackrabbits when she was 6 years old. She has been on the race team for four years, but she had to take a two-year break because of her concussion. Marley said: ‘’ I like many things about this sport, it’s such a great workout, and like my dad says, ‘Why do cross-country skiers chew gum when they race?’, ‘Therefore, they can move every muscle in their body.’ Marley added that cross-country skiing work a lot of muscles and it is very good for you. She also said: ‘’You get to be outside in nature, which is really nice, and races are very fun.’’ From being on the race team, Marley has learned that she must stay motivated and be diligent. It is her responsibility to go to practices and train on her own time. Finally, Marley said: ‘’When you get injured, you must be resilient, and you need to keep trying.’’ Her goal for this season is to not get injured and go to many races.

Wes Robinson-Shaw: Wes has been skiing since he was 5 years old. He has been on the race team for about six years. Wes said: ‘’I like to race, I like to train, I like the winter because it’s not hot, and I like the people on the race team.’’ He also said that he likes being outside, moving fast in the snow, and having fun on skis. On the race team, Wes learned about hard work, motivation, and skiing. Wes said: ‘’ I would like to make the BC team, have fun and be proud of my races this year. I want to train hard leading up to those races.’’

Ezra Gibb: Ezra has been skiing since he was 4 years old and started the race team when he was 10 years old. Ezra said: “I like the snow and how fast I feel when skiing.” He also said that he enjoys how the team is very supportive and fun. From being on the race team Ezra has learned how stressful it is to be at the start line of a race and how to ski better. His goals are to become a faster skier and go to bigger races.

In conclusion, we thank them for sharing their experiences.

Our young Nordic Racers are full of energy

Nordic Skier home, kids activities, Latest Posts, RSS Oct 15, 2021Apr 12, 2022Kids Activities, racers

Aurélie and Louison from the Fernie Nordic Racers team are inviting more young racers to join this dynamic group of young athletes. They explain that the key benefit of the club is having fun while training for races.

“If you enjoy Nordic skiing, racing, and the outdoors, you should join the Fernie Nordic Racers. We are a very encouraging group of people, and we all support each other. Each athlete has their own goals to reach. You should join us and reach yours” say the girls.

The girls outline two good reasons for joining the club. They explain the first reason is “Fernie Nordic Racers is a wonderful group of athletes and coaches, that are always enthusiastic, and ready to train. Our coaches: John Shaw, Jeff Williams, Naomi Lentz, and Helen McAlister, coach a group of athletes ranging between the age 9 and 18 years old”, with coaching targeted to two age groups — under 12 and over 12.

The second reason is the comprehensive fall training program. Both groups meet on Tuesday with the under 12 group going for a 45-minute run on the trails around the Aquatic Centre while the older group trains with the Fernie Secondary School cross country running team. In addition, the older group also trains with the running team on Thursdays. “Our workout (as older athletes) is formed of a warmup (10-minute run + A’s, B’s, C’s), a running workout (hills, tempo runs, intervals, etc.…), and a cool down (5-minute jog, and dynamic stretching). On Fridays we have a dryland training with the whole team for 1 hour. We start with a 20-minute fitness game then we roller ski for 40 minutes. Sometimes the older athletes have a long and slow run, on Saturdays or Sundays. Some older athletes also use Training Peaks to keep track of training outside of practices. We also go training camps, which are fun and instructive,” say the girls.

Article by Aurélie Smithson and Louison Dubief