September 15, 2010 (Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec) – Quebec has always been a powerhouse province when it comes to cross-country ski racing in Canada, with a long legacy of producing fast athletes. More recently, Quebec has been putting more and more of it’s athletes onto the Canadian National Ski Team and yet, until this summer, the NST had never had an official training camp in the province.

“It’s pretty crazy that we’ve never been here before, at least not as a team,” says long-time NST member Devon Kershaw. “I’ve spent some time racing and training here, but we’ve never had an official training camp.” Reached by phone in Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec, where the team is making up for lost time in Quebec, Kershaw went on to say how he values being able to work with a wide selection of Canada’s highest performing ski racers in a new and fresh environment.

The camp’s main focus is intensity and speed. “We’ve been doing intensity every second day, and will continue till Wednesday [September 15]. It’s been, well, pretty intense,” jokes Kershaw.

One of the major reasons for the camp’s location at Mont Ste-Anne is that it allows them the ability to do some of the toughest workouts of the summer at sea level. Justin Wadsworth, the new National Team coach, is very keen on doing quality intensity, says Kershaw, and was very excited about the benefits of working hard in an oxygen-rich environment.

“It’s amazing how different training at sea level is. You can work so much harder, and you recover way faster. It’s awesome.”

The other key reason for the camp is that it allows the NST to do some training with everyone on the Senior Development Team, many of whom are based in Quebec, as well as athletes from the Centre National D’Entrainment Pierre Harvey (Pierre Harvey Training Center).

According to Kershaw, “Everyone’s together in one place, except for the guys who are training with the Alberta World Cup Academy. They seem to always want to do their own thing.”

The NST team has even been doing a little bit of out-reach, working with the CNEPH B-team, and opening their team van’s doors to Michael Somppi and Harry Seaton, both from the National Team Development Center, in Thunder Bay.

Talking with Seaton by phone, he explained the reasoning behind coming to Quebec for him.

“We asked Eric [Bailey, NTDC head coach] to set up some bigger training opportunities for us. We really wanted to experience this level.” Seaton says the biggest differences he notices with the NST members isn’t how they go about daily training, but the professionalism they display when they take off the ski boots.

“Dietary choices, the way they never miss the right protein, or carving some time out of the day for a nap. It’s really cool to see.”

For Somppi, this camp is part of a building-back strategy after undergoing surgery for a chronic injury. Somppi was diagnosed with Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome in April, and underwent surgery for the condition in July. CECS is a syndrome that results in extreme pressure building within a compartment of the body (check out further info and a survey being done about the issue HERE). This camp in Quebec is Somppi’s first unrestricted training camp since his surgery, and he says things are going well.

“My legs are doing ok. I can do everything now: rollerskiing, running, all of it. I still get a little stiff, but having access to the National Team’s massage therapist really helps.

Dietary selections, napping, massage therapy; these are all important factors for the athletes at the camp. Seaton and Somppi are aiming for around 23 hours of training this week, and the NST guys will likely be going higher than that. With so much of the training being focused on intensity and speed, the physical toll will be high.

Not so high, however, as to keep the athletes from having a bit of fun on the side. Earlier in the week they were able to make it into Quebec City to see part of the ProTour cycling race in the old city. “It was amazing,” says Seaton. “The peloton was huge, watching it on TV really doesn’t do it justice.”

Kershaw was equally impressed with the event, especially the crowds of thousands of spectators that lined the streets. “Quebec does a really good job of supporting amateur sports, things that are typically more popular in Europe. It’s really great to see.”

The Quebec camp runs until September 15. After that, the NST will have only a short turn around to catch their breath before heading to Park City, Utah for a more traditional high-altitude volume camp.

“Park City will be tough,” says Kershaw. “Sea level lets you work super hard, but at high altitude there is no room for error. You have to do everything perfectly.”