16-year-old Revelstoke Secondary School student, Alexandra Luxmoore, has qualified for the U20 team, while Elizabeth Elliott and Beth Granstrom will be competing in the U23 category.
Last season, Elliott became the first ever Revelstoke Nordic athlete to compete in a World Championship, where she broke the record for best-ever BC female placing 23rd.
Head coach for the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club, Matt Smider, has watched the girls grow from ‘bunnies’ to full blown athletes, making up 3 /10 of Canada’s female representation in the championship. “I am really proud of them, it’s awesome to see their hard work and perseverance pay off,” he said.
Balancing study and racing
Both Elliott and Granstrom are combining training with the Alberta World Cup Academy with studying biology at the University of Calgary.
“We have been racing together since we were six years old. We have really brought out the best in each other, so it’s a pretty cool experience that we get to go and compete for our country together,” Elliot said.
Training 600 hours a year on top of full-time study is no joke. “I don’t really have time for much else, but I don’t feel like I’m giving up on things because it’s so important to me,” Elliot said.
“Skiing has really taught me hard work. You really have to earn things, they don’t just come to you,” Granstrom said.
Smider points out how discipline is crucial to succeed. “It is not for everybody, but it’s helpful when you have a team that can help develop that culture and make it normal for you to slog away for a three hour run on a wet rainy day in cold November,” he said.
Cancelled races, nerves, and lack of motivation
Usually, the Nordic athletes qualify through trial races. However, as all domestic races have been cancelled due to the pandemic this season, the skiers qualified based on last year’s results.
“It adds a bit of stress to it because usually I know that I am fast enough to be here. But this year it is solely based on how I was performing 565 days ago, Elliott said. The thought of getting to the start line knowing that most other countries have been racing and training all year is nerve-wracking, she said.
Luxmoore admits that it has been really hard to stay motivated during the pandemic with cancelled camps and competitions. However, having an inspiring coach and a supportive team with friends pushing each other has helped her a lot.
“If I’m having kind of an off day and I see my friends getting out there and training, I want to follow their lead and get out as well,” Granstrom said. To motivate herself she has changed her focus from race performance goals to training and technique goals.
The lack of races might be a mental disadvantage, but from a physical point of view the athletes have had a great opportunity to continuously train without interruptions, Smider said. The club is also doing race simulations with time trials to sharpen their mindset an extra little bit, the coach said.
Future Goals
All of the athletes are at the lower end of their age category, with 16-year-old Luxmoore competing in the U20 category, and the 20-year-olds Elliott and Granstrom competing in the U23 category.
“For all of them it will be a learning experience,” Smider said. He believes that all girls have the capacity to be competitive at the international level and that this year is no exception.
In the future, Elliott has eyes on the Olympics, Granstrom dreams of the World Cup, while Luxmoore hopes to qualify again for the World Championship.
But for now, you can cheer the girls on in the Junior and U23 Championships in Finland from Feb. 6-13.
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