December 14, 2003 – The Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team received a collective taste of what life is like on both ends of the high-performance sport spectrum in less than 12 hours, while competing in Viessmann Cross-Country Ski World Cup and Haywood NorAm Canada Cup competitions on Saturday. The day started off on a low note for the team in Davos, Switzerland, as Beckie Scott and Sara Renner got stuck on difficult conditions, and struggled to their worst finishes on the young World Cup season.

“Every athlete has great days, and difficult days from time-to-time,” said Dave Wood, head coach, Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “Beckie (Scott) and Sara (Renner) know they are capable of being at the top, but they struggled today and need to put it behind them to get ready for the next one.” Scott and Renner, Canada's only two representatives on the World Cup circuit, finished 23rd and 38th respectively in a field of 63 athletes entered in the 10-kilometre classic World Cup event in Switzerland. Scott finished with a time of 29 minutes 48.7 seconds, while Renner posted a time of 30:29.2.

“We missed the boat a little bit on selecting the right equipment for the conditions today and were slow from the beginning,” said Wood. The Ukraine's Valentina Shevchenko hit the jackpot in equipment preparation. Shevchenko was well ahead of the pack, crossing the line first in a time of 28:20.1. Finland's Viupi Kuitunen and Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy battled it out to the wire for the final two spots on the podium. Kuitunen (28:35.5) won the final sprint to the finish, narrowing out Paruzzi by one second (28:36.5).

Back at home, the Canadian athletes were on fire at the second stop on the Haywood NorAm Canada Cup circuit, the premier cross-country skiing development series on the continent. More than 130 athletes representing Canada, the United States, Russia and Japan were entered in the one-kilometre Madshus Sprint Series at CODA's Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, presented by the Foothills Nordic Ski Club. The Madshus Sprints are designed to encourage and promote Canadian cross-country skiers as sprint specialists. Canadian athletes are beginning to excel in the sprint discipline as Canada was well represented in the 16 athletes that qualified for the finals in both the men's and women's divisions. The finals consist of four heats of four athletes, with the top-two athletes in each heat moving onto the next round.

It was an all-Canadian final in both divisions. Devon Kershaw of Subury, Ont. stepped onto the top spot of the podium for the first time this year after beating out teammates Sean Crooks of Thunder Bay, Ont., who finished second, and Drew Goldsack of Red Deer, Alta., who locked up third. George Grey of Rossland, B.C. was fourth.

“It was great being in an all-Canadian final. All of my teammates are very strong in the sprints, and I had to have everything on to come out on top today,” said the 20-year-old Kershaw. “I was thrilled with my performance today. I had great legs on the course, and felt strong from start to finish. I took the lead early on, and pushed myself not to let anyone by through the race.”

Chandra Crawford of Canmore, Alta. not only won the women's sprint on Saturday, but also claimed the yellow bib, which represents the overall point's leader, for the first time this season. The 20-year-old Crawford, a rookie on the senior team, has been battling it out all year with Dasha Gaiazova for top spot on the podium. While Crawford leaves Calgary with the gold, Gaiazova didn't leave empty handed claiming the silver medal position.

Milaine Theriault of St. Quentin, N.B., a 2002 Olympian who is continuing her journey down the comeback trail after giving birth to a boy this summer, rounded out the top-three. Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., a junior on the national team, finished fourth.

“I felt great today. I was excited to get going, and the race went exactly how I had planned it,” said Crawford. “I really responded to people cheering for me, and tried to feed off that energy. The crowd today was wonderful, and having my friends and family here to watch made the day even more special.”

Athletes competing in the Haywood NorAm Canada Cup will suit up for a five-kilometre classic event on Sunday, while Beckie Scott and Sara Renner will head to Val di Fiemme, Italy for a World Cup event on Tuesday, December 16, 2003.

Results 1. Valentina Shevchenko      Ukraine     28:20.1 2. Viupi Kuitunen (sp)       Finland     28:35.5 3. Gabriella Paruzzi        Italy      28:36.5 4. Marit Bjoergen         Norway     28:47.9 5. Aino Kaisa Saarinen       Finland     28:49.3 6. Hilde Pedersen         Norway     28:49.5 7. Kristina Smigun         Estonia     29:08.4 8. Anna Dahlberg          Sweden     29:12.4 9. Lilia Vasilieva         Russia     29:16.3 10. Vibeke Skoftend      Norway     29:22.2 23. Beckie Scott          Canada     29:48.7 38. Sara Renner           Canada     30:29.2