December 7, 2006 (Olten, Switzerland) – After days of seeking snow and international racing in Europe, the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team hopped in the team van for a two-hour ride from Davos to Olten, Switzerland to test their luck against a strong field in a CO-OP City Sprint under the lights Thursday night.
Dashing literally from the van to the start line, the strategy paid off. Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., sprinted his way into the silver medal position on the podium, while Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., won the women’s B-final to settle for fifth spot.
“It is not ideal to jump into a race right out of the van, but we did what we had to do and it was great to get right back into after a long lay off,†said Kershaw, who added the team found out about the race during yesterday’s training session in Davos. “There is no snow in Europe and we’ve been struggling to find places to race, which is so important to stay in the mental game. I’m happy we came and it was a great night.â€
On a course made entirely of man-made snow, the 400-metre track looped through the downtown streets of Olten. Mounds of snow were brought in to stage the race which featured Olympians and World Cup athletes from Germany, France, Switzerland and Canada, while the roadways were lined with thousands of people dancing to the music and gobbling bratwurst in the true international festival.
“We need to take this approach to staging ski races in Canada,†said Olympic gold medallist, Chandra Crawford. “The music is pumping, people are having a party and just enjoying being part of the event. It is such a great atmosphere and so much fun. Racing in this atmosphere makes it so enjoyable.â€
Crawford, who won her Olympic gold in a skate sprint race, has been focusing on working on her classic sprint technique, distance skiing during training sessions over the last couple of weeks despite the lack of snow.
“It’s tough to stay focused out here with the dry and tough conditions, but the team has really stuck together, and Dave Wood has done a fabulous job in sourcing places for us to ski and train,†said Crawford.â€
With cancellations and postponements of European World Cup races being common place for this season, teams have had to search for alternate training and racing outlets until the snow conditions improve.
The Canadian squad will be back in action on the World Cup circuit Wednesday, December 13, 2006.
Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.
Results were not posted at the time of publication but can be found on the following links within 24 hours:
www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=20775&cal_suchsector=CC
www.coopcitysprint.ch/