Feature Athlete: Sara Hewitt
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Some Good, Some Bad
The Western Canadian Ski Championships were held here in Canmore from Feb 19-22nd. Within the time frame of less then a week, Brooke Gosling and I decided to do a bit of a fundraiser for our trip to Scandinavia by hosting a silent auction at the Western’s banquet. It went surprisingly well. Thanks to everyone who donated, we were very pleased with our results! Canmore and Banff are extremely supportive of their athletes, and we really appreciate all the help we can get.
As for racing, Thursday was the classic sprints; my least favorite event. I have to say my double polling is coming along…slowly…but its coming. I managed to win the B-final putting me in 7th place. Baby steps.
Saturday was the 10km classic. When I say some good, some bad, this was BAD! We completed 4 x 2.5km laps. After the first lap and a half my body just seemed to shut down, and I skied the rest of the race in what seemed like an easy zone1 pace. Oh well, I guess every race you do can’t always be good.
Sunday on the other hand was a little different. It was the 15km skate. I was worried that I might be coming down with a bit of a cold. I was exhausted for my warm up and couldn’t seem to get excited about my race. Lining up for the start, I felt like I was about to fall asleep. I decided I would go out and just do the best I could do.
The gun went off and I just skied. I focused on every stride making sure I was powerful and strong. I got myself in second position in the first lap and held it throughout the entire race. I even managed to gain some time on first place on the final lap and crossed the line just 8sec back. Some good, some bad, and that turned out to be good!
2nd place finish on Sundays 15km skate
As for racing, Thursday was the classic sprints; my least favorite event. I have to say my double polling is coming along…slowly…but its coming. I managed to win the B-final putting me in 7th place. Baby steps.
Saturday was the 10km classic. When I say some good, some bad, this was BAD! We completed 4 x 2.5km laps. After the first lap and a half my body just seemed to shut down, and I skied the rest of the race in what seemed like an easy zone1 pace. Oh well, I guess every race you do can’t always be good.
Sunday on the other hand was a little different. It was the 15km skate. I was worried that I might be coming down with a bit of a cold. I was exhausted for my warm up and couldn’t seem to get excited about my race. Lining up for the start, I felt like I was about to fall asleep. I decided I would go out and just do the best I could do.
The gun went off and I just skied. I focused on every stride making sure I was powerful and strong. I got myself in second position in the first lap and held it throughout the entire race. I even managed to gain some time on first place on the final lap and crossed the line just 8sec back. Some good, some bad, and that turned out to be good!
2nd place finish on Sundays 15km skate
Monday, February 16, 2009
Scandinavia!
Hi Everyone,Guess what? I have an opportunity to go to Europe! Burke Mountain Academy, a winter sports school based out of Vermont has set up a "spring tour" for the month of April and had a couple extra spots so myself along with my teammate Brooke Gosling have decided to go along!
This is a great opportunity as it gives me a chance to compete with some very strong European racers particularly from the Swedish National team. This is a good chance to get points as well as put me to the test to see how I will compare to some of the best racers in the world. The schedule of races I will be attending are all FIS sanctioned, and are usually well attended by World Cup racers.
April 4 SWE Pitea 3k Free
April 5 SWE Pitea 10k Pursuit
April 9 FIN Inari Sprint Classic
April 10 FIN Tornio 5k Free
April 11 FIN Pello or Rovanemi 5k Free or 14k Free
April 13 FIN Ylitornio 5k Classic
April 17 SWE Bruksvallarna Sprint Free
April 18 SWE Bruksvallarna 26k Free
Unfortunately the expenses for this trip is out of our own pockets. The cost is $2300 plus flights which are approximately $1000, which then amounts to around $3300.
At the moment Brooke and I are looking for sponsors to help us out, so if you, or someone you may know would be interested in providing financial support please click here for more info.
You can contact me by e-mail at sahewitt@shaw.ca
Monday, February 2, 2009
Back on Track
I am sorry for the lack of updates lately. Ever since the end of trials I have had a million thoughts running through my mind, as it has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
A couple weeks ago I competed in some more NorAm races in Rossland, BC. I wasn’t as focused as I would have liked to be during these races, and my results definitely reflected that. I finished 12th spot for both the sprint and 10km classic race.
I arrived back in Canmore frustrated and a little unmotivated. But my urge to keep racing was still strong, and I was itching to get back on course.
So last Tuesday, within a time frame of 3 hours, I went from having the idea of flying to Ottawa to compete in the Eastern Canadian Skis Championships the following weekend; to registering myself and booking a flight. With the help of some fellow racers (Tasha Betcherman and Dan Roycroft) and the generosity of the Highlands Nordic Ski Club (a small club from near Collingwood, ON) I was able to compete this past weekend.
The race was held in the Gatineau Park, and I can assure you there was definitely no shortage of snow. The first race was a 15km mass start classic. The course did not favor my type of racing, as it was fairly flat with very little climbing. This being the case, I decided that I would go as hard as I could off the start and try to gain all my time on the climb in the first 5km. Turns out it worked. I skied away from the group at about 2km and kept my lead for the remainder of the race and crossed the finish line is 1st place!
The next day was a 10km individual skate. Again, with the flats not being my strong point, I pushed as hard as I could on every hill. Unfortunately I just missed first place by 5 sec and had to settle for 2nd.
All in all it was a pretty good weekend. I also feel like my motivation is starting to come back. I will take a couple weeks to get some base training back into my system and then compete in my next race at the Western Canadian Ski Championships near the end of February.
Competing in the 10km classic in Rossland BC
Falling in the B-Final in Rossland Sprints
Gold medal on Saturday's 15km classic mass start at the Eastern Canadian Ski Champs
10km skate race on Sunday
A couple weeks ago I competed in some more NorAm races in Rossland, BC. I wasn’t as focused as I would have liked to be during these races, and my results definitely reflected that. I finished 12th spot for both the sprint and 10km classic race.
I arrived back in Canmore frustrated and a little unmotivated. But my urge to keep racing was still strong, and I was itching to get back on course.
So last Tuesday, within a time frame of 3 hours, I went from having the idea of flying to Ottawa to compete in the Eastern Canadian Skis Championships the following weekend; to registering myself and booking a flight. With the help of some fellow racers (Tasha Betcherman and Dan Roycroft) and the generosity of the Highlands Nordic Ski Club (a small club from near Collingwood, ON) I was able to compete this past weekend.
The race was held in the Gatineau Park, and I can assure you there was definitely no shortage of snow. The first race was a 15km mass start classic. The course did not favor my type of racing, as it was fairly flat with very little climbing. This being the case, I decided that I would go as hard as I could off the start and try to gain all my time on the climb in the first 5km. Turns out it worked. I skied away from the group at about 2km and kept my lead for the remainder of the race and crossed the finish line is 1st place!
The next day was a 10km individual skate. Again, with the flats not being my strong point, I pushed as hard as I could on every hill. Unfortunately I just missed first place by 5 sec and had to settle for 2nd.
All in all it was a pretty good weekend. I also feel like my motivation is starting to come back. I will take a couple weeks to get some base training back into my system and then compete in my next race at the Western Canadian Ski Championships near the end of February.
Competing in the 10km classic in Rossland BC
Falling in the B-Final in Rossland Sprints
Gold medal on Saturday's 15km classic mass start at the Eastern Canadian Ski Champs
10km skate race on Sunday
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