June 30, 2005 – It is now the end of June, and skiers across the country are running and roller skiing like crazy, dreaming of that perfect racing form come winter. My teammates are no exception. This year has started off quickly, literally. The team has been pounding out the month of June on the treadmill, motivated by the white powder that is anxiously awaiting us in New Zealand during the month of July. Preparation for Torino in a little over 9 months is in full swing, as the team attempts to turn over as many proverbial stones as humanly possible. But this is all I can tell you about how our team is doing. Since injuring my foot in a World Cup on the Olympic trails in Italy, I can probably count the number of times I’ve trained with my teammates on two hands. It has gotten to the point where the letter I keeps creeping into my life. My daily questions are “what time should I train at”, “what should I do”, or “where should I do it.” I’m kind of like a ghost, there are occasional sightings and the odd story, but most people think I’ve skipped town. I even suspect the coaches have left me off the team email list. I would also like to take the opportunity to apologize to my teammates for skipping testing, because now when you get in trouble for being overweight, you can’t reply, “well, at least I’m not Jeffries.”

The funny thing though, is that I’ve been dreaming of this set-up for years. No mandatory early morning workouts or omega waves. No packed van rides. No treadmill. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not lazy, contrary to popular belief, I’ve just always felt that there should be a slightly more civilized way of reaching the top. However, now that my wish has come true, I would do anything to go back under the regime. Motivation has been tough to find at times. I am forced to train by pool and bike, which is fine, except that I have developed an overuse injury from the bike, and pool hours are anything but flexible. Training partners are also few and far between. In May, it was easy to find someone to ride with between Gord Jewett and Mike Cavaliere who were preparing for our 1st annual suffer fest, or my ex-roommate Brady Dunne who was training for the roller shoe season. But now that athletes are trying to incorporate more specific training into their weeks, (Brady is currently grinding 15 foot rails and riding the pipe, pictures to follow at a later date) training partners are becoming increasingly harder to find. You discover your real teammates by who is willing to jump in to the pool with you. At the moment I have none. Thanks to 11:30 am swim times, I barely even see my roommates anymore. When my alarm goes off, Devon and Phil are already out the door, and when I return from the pool, their doors are already closed for naptime. My adjusted rest then puts me on the bike by late afternoon, and when I roll up to the shed after, dinner has already been prepared and eaten, and the fishing rods are gone for another night on the river. My ipod has slowly become my new best friend.

On a more serious note, it is an exciting year for the team with the up-coming domestic World Cups and Olympics. We were recently visited by our team sport psyche Cal Botterill, and one of the topics of conversation was how to deal with the stress of preparing for one of the biggest events of your career. The ironic thing for myself is this season could be perhaps the least stressful in recent memory. This is due to the fact that for the first time since I was a junior boy, I do not have to qualify for an event in order to consider my season a success. There has always been World Juniors, Canada Games, b-tour, World Cup or World Champs teams to make, forcing me to worry about my pre-Christmas form. This year, my main focus is to be 100% by mid-February. I plan to ski well in our World Cups and other races, but if I don’t, it won’t kill the rest of my year. It also gives me extra time to settle my injury down. Some people might think I’m a little soft, but I really do not like to rush my rehab too much. I thought at the end of May that I was over the hump, and actually spent a couple of week’s roller skiing and running before our new team doctor managed to diagnose my injury. It was definitely a good news/bad news scenario. Good in that I can move forward and try to get healthy, but bad that my imaginary bubble was burst and had to go back to square one. I am now heavily rehabbing my foot, visiting my sports therapist 3 times a week, and plodding my way through my hour and a half home plan. My ice pack supply is also steadily on the rise. I am currently up to three and am seriously considering a fourth. Between my foot, right wrist (another story), and both my knees, which have not fully recovered from my spring bike trip, my ice packs aren’t able to re-freeze enough between uses.

On a parting note, I would like to start a Haywood report trend called “tips from the pros.” I don’t know how many of my teammates will read this and maybe carry it on, but I will conclude my future updates with little lessons I have learned the hard way. This week’s revolutionary tip is STRETCH, A LOT!!! You will thank me later. Hope everyone’s seasons are going a little better than mine at the moment, and hopefully the next person can put the team back in “team report.”