Denied sweet victory under the Olympic rings in Sochi by slim margins and broken skis, the 2014 Canadian national biathlon team is younger, bigger and ready to attack world cup competition like young wolves on the fold.
Gone are fan favourites J.P. LeGuellec and Megan Imrie, lost to retirement and higher education, while in their place is a new crop of promising young athletes.
Early in the 2014 training session, it’s a near lock that Nathan Smith, Brendan Green and Scott Perras will be back with the world cup team, while Scott Gow, Christian Gow and Macx Davies are top national team contenders for the fourth spot on the team.
For Davies, the adjustment to the national team has taken a physical toll, but the wide-eyed Canmore native is handling it well, according to his coaches. He made his world cup debut last year, and wants to make it a regular gig next season as Canada becomes a force to be reckoned with.
“You can really tell on the world cup circuit they’re starting to notice Canada more. The training we’re getting from coaches Matthias Ahrens and Roddy Ward is giving us what we need to keep improving. For me, just being with older guys like Scott and Brendan and Nathan, they’re great role models.”
The Canmore native said the biggest transition from junior to senior ranks has been attitude.
“Last year was a bit of a shock for sure. Learning what training really is about on the national team and the extent of it. Every workout, your mind is on training. Every training session is a good training session. You’re never just going through partially. You’re going 100 per cent,” Davies said.
The women’s team is in an enviable spot, as a group of young athletes are poised to push veterans for world cup spots in the coming years.
Rosanna Crawford, Zina Kocher and Megan Heinicke will lead the women’s team, which this year will have five-world cup starting spots. Audrey Vaillancourt, Sara Beaudry, Emma Lunder and Julia Ransom will all try to make that jump to the top circuit. Vaillancourt is riding high after winning a sprint race last season at the Open European Championships, Lunder had an incredible world cup top-30 result and Beaudry and Ransom have torn up world junior competition.
Crawford loves the momentum of the team right now and said the attitude around the team means a top result is imminent.
“I think it’s only a matter of time before both genders step onto the podium,” Crawford said. “Everyone has a sudden new motivation to be the best we can be, and that will transfer to the race season.”
Personally, Crawford said three consecutive years of injury-free training has done wonders for her fitness and results. She’s tweaked her training again this year, putting a maximum of 25 hours a week into her sport in order to find more consistency, with a focus on long endurance runs this summer.
“I’ve had three consistent summers of training and that has made a big difference,” Crawford said. “In 2012, I had good results and good training will help me maintain that through the whole season.”
Ransom, Beaudry and Lunder are training under coach Richard Boruta with the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre, and the thought is once they’re ready, all three will switch over to the national team. Keeping them comfortable and competitive with one another appears to be working.
“We have a lot of really strong girls coming up and debuting on the world cup. That is super motivating and it makes sure Zina and I aren’t slacking off too much,” Crawford said. “J.P. showed us it’s OK to be in the top five (at the Olympics), and now we can build off each other.”
She says she doesn’t offer too many tips or advice to the younger athletes, but she’s always open to chat or answer a question when they call. Leading by example with a strong training work ethic is where she can have her biggest effect, she said.
“I’m always open and welcome to answer their questions. When I was their age and I saw Sandra (Keith) and Zina, that helped me make the step onto the world cup. I hope I can have a big role that way,” Crawford said.
The team has a host of training camps scheduled for the upcoming season, and will hold two training camps in which they can compete against the American team. The entire team will also race the IBU Cup stop in Canmore this winter, where they’ll have an excellent shot at winning medals at home. Smith won three gold medals the last time the races came to Canmore, and the team would love to improve upon those results.
