Graeme Killick and Brittany Webster both head into next weekend’s World Cup qualifying races with something to prove.
Killick has shown tons of promise in his rise up the national cross-country ski rankings, but is still chasing an elusive spot on the World Cup team.
Webster was MIA for much of the past two seasons. She suffered a severe leg injury and took a year off from skiing after an invitation to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and now wants to prove she’s still one of Canada’s best distance skiers.
Both took steps towards those goals on Sunday (Dec. 2) at the Canmore Nordic Centre, where they both reached the top of the podium in the distance events.
Killick took the men’s 15 kilometre classic race in a time of 44:56.2, while Webster won the 10 km distance in 33:13.8. The wins qualify both racers for World Cup starts in Canada. Canmore’s Jesse Cockney finished second (45.25.7), followed by Whitehorse athlete David Greer. Japan’s Chisa Obayashi won the women’s silver (33:35.2), while Canmore’s Amanda Ammar was third (33:42.3).
The comeback tested the nerves of Webster, who wasn’t sure what to expect against a tough field.
“It’s good to start off strong,” Webster said. ”Being an athlete, there’s a lot of mental stuff that can go into play. When you come back from injury, the race can get pretty mental. I find if I go in calm, cool and collected, it works. You’ve got to calm yourself down.”
The hilly course is a favourite for Webster, who had good skis and race strategy on the day thanks to help from Foothills Nordic and the Alberta World Cup Academy. Snowy conditions meant she kept hopping in and out of the track set, bursting out to a solid lead right away.
The win is a confidence boost heading into the Dec. 13-16 Canmore World Cup races. She tried to set a good pace over 10 km.
“It’s going to be good. My shape is not super strong early in the season and I’m coming back from surgery, but it’s nice to jump in with a win,” Webster said.
After the Canmore World Cup, she’ll travel to world championship trials in Thunder Bay.
Killick (dubbed G-Kil by his teammates) was neck and neck with fellow Alberta World Cup Academy athletes Brent McMurtry and Graham Nishikawa for the first lap, but pulled away thanks to some fast skis and smart racing, picking up speed on the corners and recovering on the down hills.
“I wanted to have a good first lap. The first time into the stadium, Brent (McMurtry) and Nish (Graham Nishikawa) and I were all tied up,” Killick said.
Keeping up with the top academy racers was a good boost for the Fort McMurray native, who now lives in Canmore. A slow starter, his form shows he’s in good shape for the World Cup.
“It’s a good indicator for me. In the past against those guys I haven’t managed to be competitive with them until mid-season,” Killick said.
He’s skipping the Quebec races to focus solely on the Canmore World Cup and will race this weekend at Sovereign Lake in B.C. to maintain his top NorAm ranking.
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