November 16, 2015 – We caught up with Canadian XC Team Head Coach Justin Wadsworth after he and his squad recently arrived in Sweden as they begin their final preparations for the start of the FIS World Cup (WC) season in Finland later this month. Wadsworth gave us the scoop on what the team is up to.

What are the conditions like in Sweden?
Justin Wadsworth: Great conditions here. They received a lot of snow last week, and we’re on the WC trails here, which has 5k plus some other training opportunities. I think we have the best conditions of anywhere in Scandinavia just now.

Which team members are there?
JW: Alex [Harvey], Devon [Kershaw], Ivan [Babikov], Len [Valjas], Jesse [Cockney], Graeme [Killick], Emily [Nishikawa], Michael Somppi (COC leader).

Is everyone healthy and ready to go?
JW: So far everyone is doing great. We have two tune up races this coming weekend in which all the athletes will race. It should be a very competitive field with Marcus Hellner (SWE), Lukas Bauer (CZE), some very good Russians, the rest of the Czech team, and the US team.

What’s the plan for the team going forward?
JW: We will be here until the 24th, at which point we go to Ruka, Finland for the first WC.

Is there a focus or goal for the Team and/or athletes?
JW: Ski Tour Canada is the number one goal, followed by the Tour de Ski and then podiums on World Cup.

Is there much talk/buzz there yet of SkiTour Canada 2016?
JW: Not yet, but we just arrived, and I’m sure once we get to Ruka there will be talk about it.

Good luck to you and the team as you prepare for the big World Cup season kick-off.
JW: Thanks.