November 5, 2004 – Fall has arrived and so have my mixed emotions regarding
the changing season. Of course as you would expect, I am filled with
excitement and anticipation of the upcoming season as the snowflakes slowly
start to appear in place of the raindrops. However on the other hand, I also
come to the realization that another summer has flown by and it is time to
bundle up for those early morning workouts.

The first sign of fall for me is the morning when I get up for a run dressed
in my shorts and a t-shirt. I step outside the door ready to go, make it
about five steps before pulling a U-turn, heading back inside and pulling on
my tights and long sleeve shirt (I’m sure all athletes have pulled this same
maneuver at some point). The warm morning air has been replaced with the
cool crisp air which tells me winter is coming. It’s kind of sad to see a
fun summer come to an end. Fall is also when the snow begins to show its
face for the first time in a while. I’m always excited to see snow but the
problem with the small early season snowfalls is that it begins to limit our
training options. With just a little bit of snow, skiing often is not yet an
option. On the other hand, that little bit of snow is quite often enough to
make the roads very slippery which makes rollerskiing much more dangerous.
Rollersking on a slippery road can make even the best skiers look kind of
like Bambi on ice. Running often becomes a popular option in the fall but
even that is not clear sailing because again that little bit of snow is just
enough to make trails and roads slippery and uneven to run on. Nobody wants
an injury at this time of the year.

The first ski of the season is always one of my favorite workouts. As a
skier I wait and wait until one morning I wake up and see snow on the grass
and it makes me feel kind of like a young child on Christmas morning. I
scramble to find my rock skis that I haven’t seen since last fall – soon
realizing I also have not cleaned them since last year. I slam down a
breakfast and then I’m out the door to find a grassy field to set fresh
tracks down. Fall is also the time of year when I begin to look more closely
at my equipment. Skis are taken out of storage and prep work for the
upcoming season begins. I enjoy working on my skis. There are good memories
attached to each pair of skis I own. With every new piece of equipment I get
there is always the anticipation of what could be. The excitement around the
upcoming race season is growing stronger everyday as the countdown till the
first race is on.

Fall I believe can be a difficult time of year for many. For me there is one
thing that overcomes all negative thoughts that pass through my mind. That
one thing is anticipation of what is just around the corner. As Jerry
Uelsmann once said, “Ultimately, my hope is to amaze myself. The
anticipation of discovering new possibilities becomes my greatest joy”.

Just to briefly tell you what the national team has been up to for the last
little while, we started fall testing last week which consisted of Max VO2
test, anthro test (body fat), and critical speed. We were also scheduled for
an uphill time trial, but due to the arrival of snow it was called off. The
team then got word of good skiing in Camrose so with only a day of notice,
we packed up and headed north to ski on some amazing early season snow.

November 11, 2003 – The past few days here in Canmore have reminded me of how much I love skiing, and of how amazing it is to be able to do what I love! Running can be fun, roller skiing can be exciting, hiking can award us with gorgeous views, but for me nothing compares to strapping on the boards and gliding through forests of snow-covered trees with spectacular mountains in the background. Can this winter wonderland be possible? In October? In Canmore? Believe it – we have been blessed with the white stuff, and there's nothing man-made about it!

Ok, I'll stop gloating. It's just that the recent weather has left me with a permanent smile on my face. The snow couldn't have come at a better time for us – we are currently in the middle of two high volume weeks. After that we will get a short rest before we head to Silver Star to begin the racing season. It is amazing how the summer has flown by! In three-and-a-half weeks we will be donning our race bibs and standing on the start line to hear the familiar 'beep-beep-beep-BEEEP!' I can't wait!!

In preparation for the racing season, Sean, Chandra and I have been doing some intensity sessions that simulate sprint racing. For example, last weekend we had a sprint relay on roller skis on a course at the Bow Valley Campground. With lunch on the line, Coach Mike and I raced against Chandra and Sean. Unfortunately we came up short even with Mike's faster wheels. Chandra and I had a great opportunity to practice some tactics though, and it was one of our most fun zone four workouts of the year!

Aside from training, we have been entertaining ourselves over the last couple of days with the Banff Film Festival. Yesterday we saw a hilarious film by Chandra's dad called Sister Extreme, and next weekend there is a movie about Stefania Belmondo!

So that's what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks. I am incredibly happy to have been able to put away my roller skis for the year and take out my skis. Here's hoping for a great winter ahead of us!

October 26, 2003 – The International Olympic Committee lurches forward like a truck with transmission troubles, with no one willing to get their hands dirty to fix the problem. The Olympic ideals of fair play and clean sport just don't hold the  moral grit that it did when I was a kid.

My teammate, Beckie Scott had her day again. It has been 21 months since she bravely spoke out against the rampant doping abuses in Cross Country Skiing, shrugged off allegations that she was misinformed by head of WADA (World Anti Doping Agency), Dick Pound, and then won Canada's first ever Nordic medal behind two Russians. Later, the Russians both flunked their pee tests.

The pursuit race in Salt Lake City was quite a day. As I came across the finish line in 19th  place, I looked up and saw our wax technician, Yves Bilodeau flying through the air. I knew it had to be a medal. I don't think I have ever been part of such a euphoric, pure jubilation, get down on your knees and yodel, kind of  environment. It wasn't my medal, but this was something our team had been working towards since, well, forever and I was part of it. It was a perfect Olympics.

The bronze medal was a breakthrough for Canadian skiing. I cannot imagine what it would have been like if it had been gold and we heard the Canadian anthem at the medal  ceremonies.

This past Tuesday, Beckie symbolically received a silver medal. Larissa Lazutina is officially disqualified because of a doping offence prior to the Games. The Russian skier  is no stranger to Olympic medals. Her first one was in Albertville in 1992 and  she would have had ten Olympic medals if she hadn't flunked her doping tests. I doubt she was powered throughout her ten-year career purely on borscht and oatmeal. Lazutina was welcomed home as a hero and in December she will have  served her doping ban and if she chooses, she will be eligible to compete.

Beckie's final fate is stuck in a legal quagmire. She won't know if she is golden until the  appeals launched by the Canadian and Norwegian Olympic Associations against the  dopers are resolved. It takes two years for an athlete who cheats to serve their time.  It might take even longer for a cross country skier to be rewarded for clean and  unbeatable performance. This is hard to swallow considering it took the IOC only  two days to sort out and award medals to David Pelletier and Jamie Salle.

Before the Games started Jacques Rogge, IOC President said that “… it takes more than crossing the finish  line first to make a champion. A champion is more than a winner. A champion is  someone who respects the rules, rejects doping, and competes in the spirit of  fair play.”

The only way I can combat  dopers is to beat them on the ski trails and fight a clean fight. The IOC has a  chance and the power to address drug use in sport and practice what they preach. They need to get their hands dirty, set a precedent, fix the problem and enforce  their Olympic ideals.