Today the kids raced their classic distance races. The wax tech/coaches were faced with the difficult task of determining which combination of waxes would work best for this icy hilly course. Numerous wax combinations were tried, with frustrating results and Corey, Megan and Alan worked feverishly amidst the pressure of time and lack of wax options. We even resorted to spying on other teams to try and obtain waxing enlightenment (okay, well I did). In spite of this very frustrating situation, the athletes handled it with understanding, patience and grace. Their races didn't go as they had hoped but their attitudes were definite winners.
Watching the races, we saw that we weren't the only team that had waxing troubles, in fact, there were very few teams that did get it right. After the races, the coaches took the opportunity to talk with a National Development coach about waxing for these conditions. They learned alot and found out they had been on the right track but were limited by resources and time.
The kids took today in stride and we spent the evening doing alot of laughing. They are all looking forward to their skate races tomorrow.It will be a hectic day, Alex, our "veteran" is the first to race and has a 30km ahead of him. This means he will have the pleasure of doing 6 laps of the gruelling 5km course. The rest race a bit later in the morning, then it will be a rush to the airport with all of our gear. I am told another video installment is in the works so stay tuned for that :)
Personally, I am really excited about the future of high performance skiing in Manitoba.The coaching/waxing team has been incredible and thorough in every way. Our athletes have been great and I have enjoyed spending time with each one of them, they are a fantastic group of kids, it has been an immense pleasure to manage this team.
See you tomorrow!
Pauline
Also, in lieu of a proper post, here's Elora's latest creation:
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