Four St. Albert Nordic Ski Club youth skiers are competing at the Alberta Winter Games this weekend at Grande Prairie from Feb. 16-19, and the athletes are looking forward to the big event.
“I’m very excited for it,” Erik Christianson said. “I hear it’s supposed to be really fun.”
Christianson, along with Peyton Malott, Ethan Malott, and Oliver Price, will represent the St. Albert Nordic Ski Club at the games and compete in races within their age category. The skiers will compete in skate sprints on Saturday, the classic distance on Sunday, and relay races on Monday. Peyton Malott will compete in the U12 girls category, Ethan Malott and Christianson in the U14 boys category, and Price in the U16 boys category.
Each racer competed in their age categories at the qualifiers held on Dec. 16 at Gold Bar Park in Edmonton. Peyton and Ethan Malott did not qualify in the top spots, but got chance to participate in the games because other racers became unavailable. Christianson said he was in the top two in his qualifying race, and all three skiers shared their excitement as they had not been to the tournament before.
“It’s supposed to be a really cool experience,” Christianson said. “I’ve never gone to one of these games, so it’s probably going to be fun.”
Whether it was hitting the snow with family or dry-land training, the racers’ preparation has paid off despite the weather conditions not being ideal for skiing this winter.
“[Adjusting to the weather] was a bit of a learning curve,” youth coach Mak Sheppard said. “Our other coach, Mia, and I spent a lot of time trying to get those ideas of racing technical things, such as where to use specific terrain, racing starts, and different racing strategies.”
The coach said skiers would take part in dry-land training on days when there was not enough snow. The training consisted of running while holding ski poles and agility and strength games. Sheppard said it was challenging as skiers were only able to practice on the snow a few times this season but had “good luck” when it came to the dry-land training program that the club had for the first time.
The young competitors said their preparation for the Winter Games since the qualifiers in December has consisted of lots of running, but they have still enjoyed their time preparing as the days to the tournament get closer.
Each athlete is also looking forward to enjoying their time off the slopes by "making new friends," as Ethan Malott said, and seeing the rec room at the Athlete's Village, where competitors can go for one night to relax and play games during their off time.
The racers said they are excited to compete, but also curious to see other skiers’ skills.
