December 14, 2007 – Haywood NorAm Canada Cup 2007 winner, Madeline Williams (Fastrax), has just come off a stellar weekend in Canmore, Alta., at round two of the Haywood NorAm Canada Cup 2007/08 races. She is on tour and already at the next Haywood NorAm ready to race in Quebec City.

So you’re in Quebec City right now?
Madeline Williams: Yeah, I’m staying out at Mont Saint-Anne for another night, then we’ll be moving into a hotel in Quebec City.

Tell us about the races in Canmore?
MW: I didn’t have the right pair of skis for the pursuit on Thursday for the 10km classic leg (Williams came second), so I worked really hard with my support staff, which consists of my brother and an old friend [laughing], to pick the right pair of skis for Sunday’s race. The course really suits me well, I really like to climb, so I just hammered from the start line, and that seemed to work pretty well.

Is hammering from the start your strategy in a pursuit race?
MW: Well Sunday was just a 5km classic, so it was short, but yes, that’s generally my strategy. In a pursuit, because it is mass start, I usually like to stick with the pack and let the strategy evolve throughout the race, because you never really know what is going to happen with a mass start.

What was the difference in the skis being good to not good for you?
MW: In the pursuit I selected a stiff pair, because the snow is really hard in Canmore. I was going for glide over kick, so I was working way too hard on the climbs. I wasted too much energy. So for Sunday in the 5km Classic I selected a very soft pair, so the glide wasn’t really there, but I could climb really easilyS so I was able to use my strengths, which is the climb to begin with.

You have a support team to help you with your wax. Was your wax performing well for you?
MW: Yeah, it was great.

Tell us about the event this weekend in Mont Saint-Anne?
MW: We’re actually racing on the Val Cartier army base. It’s a NorAm, Haywood Canada Cup event, the last installment of that series before Christmas – and we sprint again on Thursday here.

Looking at this season, what is your main goal?
MW: My main focus is to put in a really strong performance at the Nordic World Cups in Canmore, so that I can hopefully secure myself a spot on some of the spring World Cups in February/March in Europe.

What’s it going to take for you to reach that goal?
MW: I would have to place in the top 20 to guarantee myself a spot. The last time the World Cup was in Canada I think my best was 37th. I mean top 20 would be very difficult, but that’s one of the ways to guarantee a spot on the later World Cups.

Do you already have an idea of what next season will hold for you, and the races that you are hoping to do?
MW: Not so much, it depends a bit on how this season plays out, whether or not I end up racing a lot of World Cups next year. I hope to be doing more World Cups than domestic races by next year, but that all hangs in the balance of qualifying.

So you’re based in Edmonton?
MW: Yes, I divide my time between Edmonton and Canmore. I race for “Fast Trax Run and Ski Shop”, it’s a team of one, [laughs]. My former coach Jack Cook, owns the store, and my brother coaches me, and another guy who works in the store helps with waxing. They support me really well. I also get some great support from Coast Hotels who provide some financial support as well as Fischer, Excel, and Salomon.

Are you doing more of your training in Canmore?
MW: It’s pretty even. My brother is in Edmonton, so this summer I spent a fair bit of time working with him. And, he coaches at the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club, so I would do workouts with the 18-year-old boys, which was great! They were really the right speed to push me in workouts. So I trained a lot in Edmonton this year, but I’ll be spending most of the winter in Canmore.

When you are in Canmore are you training with anyone specifically or are you training a lot on your own?
MW: In Canmore, I’m on my own. Unfortunately my training program is very different from what everyone else in Canmore is doing, so I end up on my own, because of that.

What would a typically training week be for you right now?
MW: Probably 10-12 hours, I stick to low volume training but very high intensity. No long distance volume training. It works for me, it doesn’t work for everyone, but I like it.

Other than the World Cup in Canmore, do you have any big races that you are planning to attend this year?
MW: Well, there’s the World Junior trials for the World Cups in Duntroon, Ontario in early January. If I don’t end up on the World Cup in the spring then the big event will be the National XC Championships.

On race day, do you have any rituals that go through?
MW: I’m not terribly superstitious, but I do get up earlier than anyone else I know. I have to eat well, well in advance, so I am up four hours before the races. I always have eggs with plain toast and a banana with green tea, but that’s mostly just what my stomach can handle.

Do you listen to music when you train?
MW: Never. I find it really hard to focus on a workout with music, so I stay away from that.

In between races is there anything in particular that you like to do to relax?
MW: Well I am also a full time student, so I have homework. That’s usually what I am working on – or watching TV if I’m too tired.

What are you studying?
MW: I am just finishing up a degree in psychology. I hope to finish it pretty soon.

So with a degree is psychology, what does you’re future entail?
MW: I am looking right now at a Masters in criminology, but that plan changes regularly.

Good luck this weekend, and we’ll be watching to see how you do.
MW: Thanks.