January 11, 2006 – Another race weekend down and I have yet again parted ways with my Exel teammates. Tara is back in Edmonton, Rhonda off to Canmore, Karla back to work in Collingwood, Adam settling in, in Thunder Bay, Gord back to his parent’s farm north of Toronto, and myself back to work at Brooks in Mississauga. That said, in a short few days Gord and I will be off to Wisconsin to kick off our four-week US Super Tour season. It is in these few short days that I will look back often on the last few weeks of racing and try and figure out what went well and what didn’t. I always said when I was running track that as an athlete you always learn more from the bad days than the good days. Although no one looks forward to a disappointing result, a lot can be gained from the experience.

I don’t mind saying that I am not having the season that I had hoped for, or dreamed about while roller skiing in 30 degree weather this past summer. But I am learning a great deal. For instance, I am learning just how important racing with the right equipment is. Some of you might remember (some may not) my last update called A Weekend of Firsts where I mentioned that I had just completed my first-ever continuous pursuit race. Well, I have since completed two more. With both those completions I have had two invaluable learning experiences. To be honest though, I would have thought I would only need to learn this one once. Before I explain what happened I should take a moment to explain for those that are not familiar with it what a continuous pursuit race is.

Sometimes referred to as a duathlon or skiathlon, the continuous pursuit is a relatively new event where skiers switch equipment and techniques at the midway point of a race. For instance in last weekends NorAm Cup at Valcartier, Quebec the open men’s category competed in a 20km continuous pursuit in which they skied the first 10km in the classic technique, went through a transition area in the stadium and skied out with skate equipment on to complete the final 10km in that technique. To keep everything and everyone organized each athlete is provided with their own small transition space in which to ensure there is no confusion as to whose equipment is whose. Ahhah! But, it does not protect athletes from themselves, which is unfortunately where my two latest humorous learning experiences have come from.

Just prior to Christmas my club Highlands Nordic hosted its annual Yuletide race. This year the decision was made to have the Yuletide race run in a continuous pursuit format. Somehow in my haste to switch equipment quickly in the transition area I managed to ski out of the zone and a good 2km into the skate portion of the event before I noticed I had one of my classic skis on still! I remember thinking “Live and learn, I will never make that mistake again, thank goodness it was just a race for fun”. Jump to last weekend’s continuous pursuit, where I managed to ski out of transition this time with the proper skis on but somehow had two right-handed poles; one being my classic pole and the other my skate. How I managed to get my right-handed classic pole across my body during transition I will never know but I can guarantee that it won’t happen again. To add to my list of experiences I have learned the value of proper hydration, using my hardwax skis on hardwax race days instead of my klister skis, staying tough mentally all the way through and most recently the importance of pacing myself in a sprint race.

Despite my Dad’s best efforts when I was a kid to get me to take a second and understand one of his famous quotes, I never really felt like listening until recently. The saying goes like this: “It’s what you learn after you know-it-all that truly matters”.

November 25, 2005 – Fresh Air Experience and the Independent Nordic Development Initiative for 2010 (INDi2010) are proud to announce a new partnership for the 2005/2006 ski season. The skis of the Exel Racing Team will be “Powered by Fresh Air” this winter as Canada’s leading Nordic retailer with locations in Thunder Bay and Ottawa provides the waxing supplies and equipment required to see team members to the top of the podium.

Exel Racing Team skier Adam Kates commented that “Fresh Air has without a doubt the most innovative ski stores in Canada,” adding, “I spent a lot of years training in Thunder Bay and whenever I needed any new gear my first stop was Fresh Air. I wouldn’t even consider another store when something as important as my ski equipment is on the line.”

Fresh Air Experience owner Dennis Thomasson added, “We’re always looking for ways to provide the ski community with better pricing and innovative service. The Exel Racing Team is one of Canada’s leading groups of young athletes, and their promotion of our stores should allow us to help more skiers enjoy their on-snow experience.”

“Fresh Air has introduced an incredible new ski bag this winter that is just another example of the effort they make to help their customers protect their skis,” team racer Gord Jewett said, “they are constantly innovating in ways like this for the good of the ski community.”

The Exel Racing Team will be promoting Fresh Air Experience all winter. Customers can support the Exel Racing Team and Fresh Air Experience by referencing code 311 whenever they make a purchase from the Ottawa or Thunder Bay store, or from anywhere in Canada through their web site or by phone.

Fresh Air Experience joins title sponsor Exel Sports NA Inc, Fischer, Brooks Canada, Ski Trax Magazine, Digica Computers, SOS Headwear, Canmore Printcraft, Mad River Designs and CIBC Wood Gundy as an exclusive sponsor of the Exel Racing Team.

Fresh Air Experience is Canada’s leading Nordic and cycling retailer with locations in Ottawa and Thunder Bay. Chris Bloch-Hansen, ski department manager in Ottawa, and Alan Cranston, Thunder Bay manager, offer one of the widest and best priced selections of cross country ski equipment in all of North America. Customers in other locations can also make purchases through the web at www.freshairexp.com, or by calling 1-877-722-3002 for the Ottawa store or 1-877-311-9393 for the Thunder Bay store.

The Independent Nordic Development Initiative for 2010 (INDi2010), operators of the Exel Racing Team, has the mission of putting team members on the podium in every race all the way to the 2010 Olympics through ethical hard work, determination, focus and teamwork, and in doing so to promote cross-country skiing and a healthy lifestyle for all Canadians. The Exel Racing Team will be running a series of women’s ski and health days, called “Exel Divas on Skis”, at Hardwood Hills, Ontario on December 31st and in Canmore, Alberta on March 25th as part of it’s mission to promote cross-country skiing and healthy lifestyles to all Canadians. More information on the Exel Racing Team, as well as opportunities for individuals to support the team, can be found at www.exelracingteam.com.