Oh, Canada!
Canmore, eh?
When I first saw "Canmore" listed on the USBA fall trip itinerary, you could say I was a bit excited. "Stoked" might be more appropriate. I last ventured to this gateway of the Canadian Rockies in 2012 with current Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Director Bill Pierce and my team FAST teammates. The adventures we had during that trip (peak-bagging, hill racing, imitating the technique of the likes of Kershaw and Babikov, meeting Vikings legend Gary Anderson) had instilled a passion for exploration, mountains, nature, uphill running and serious Nordic ski training in that younger, more immature and amateur* version of myself that set the stage for my transition into skiing and eventually biathlon. I couldn't wait to return to this place.
*(although I certainly don't consider myself a true "professional" - need to shoot clean and make the big bucks to earn that title - I've come a long way. For example, on my first Canmore trip I was chided for ski-training in basketball shorts, a green crew-neck sweatshirt, and an orange hunting hat. I still take pride in keeping a fun, positive outlook on this sport, but I now take equipment and training more seriously today).
A few goons trying to figure out this ski training thing back in 2012!
Canmore, 2012: Where I first tasted the joys of a 4-hour OD run. Here we are at the finish, from left: our fearless leader Steve Sellers, Ben Saxton, Zach Goldberg, me and Ian Murray.
I arrived in Canmore after spending 4.5 hours in the Calgary airport trying to get a rifle that I didn't have in my possession through Canadian customs (more airline issues there, another story). It was dark and I was disoriented when the bus dropped me off in town. I found myself staring up a through a dark concave cutout of jagged peaks at a starry globe beyond. Me, a kid with a ski bag (no rifle, remember) at his feet standing somewhere in the universe like a speck in the large unknown. In this moment it's easy to feel small and alone, insignificant. And there are certainly times when those feelings have crept in on me. But here amid the mountain darkness I just felt loved. It's moments like these when God reveals his creation to me in a new way. And I can only appreciate it in such magnitude when I'm alone. It's one of the things I love about our sports: they allow us to be in nature, alone and appreciative, totally content. It's then that I most experience God's eternal peace.
Lake Louise. December 5, 2016. Beautiful photo by Paul Schommer, poles by Start, mountains by Canada. Pretty neat, eh?
Moraine Lake Road: a 9km road groomed for XC in the winter. Two sets of double classic tracks are separated by a two-skier wide corduroy skate deck. This beautiful photo by Maddie Phaneuf.
Deb Sellers picked me up from the bus-stop, and thus began my time in Canmore and with its community. I had arrived a day before my USBA teammates and the Sellers family had graciously offered to host me for the night (I had met Steve Sellers, pastor for the Canadian Olympic Development Program and a friend of my coach Bill Pierce, four years prior). The Sellers supported me and my teammates throughout the week as well; they fed us numerous times, invited us to Bible study or just over to hang out, do laundry, or fix equipment in Steve's workshop while he showed us his latest ski-mo setup or carbon-fiber creation. I could go on about their generosity, but my takeaway here is the example that they provided for me. I now have another valuable blueprint for how to serve and support others when I'm in a position to do so, whether that's in a small way today or in a big way tomorrow.
Unfortunately a lack of natural snow kept us on the 2km Frozen Thunder loop for most of our time in Canmore. For the final two days of the camp we got a taste of the biathlon world cup sprint loop (3.3km) as the center started to open more trails- wow it's awesome- great rolling climbs and fun winding descents. We were on a 2.5km for the NorAm races, in which I had ups and downs as has been the trend and finished ninth in both races. My range times and shooting consistency are still works in progress! Teammates (and Canmore roommates) Maddie Phaneuf and Paul Schommer took victories in Sunday's mass starts (results). I live with champions.
Early training days: beautiful, warm, corduroy, flawless. Photo by Maddie Phaneuf
Goofing around with Maddie's GoPro before the races. Canmore is such a high-quality venue. Very official. Just look at those red mats! Photo by Maddie Phaneuf's GoPro goamateur#
*Enter polar vortex*
We had planned for a rather intense week of training for our second week in Canmore but were met with a head-on rebuttal from cold temps. Especially with a cold, the smart thing to do here was to back off and limit time spent outdoors. The silver lining in this (besides the blue sky of a high-pressure system) was that it forced me to (first) recover well and (second) develop a system to keep the body and fingers toasty, which as I'm finding is both vital and a true challenge in biathlon. Good thing, too; the cold temps are following us to Grand Rapids, MN for this weekend's races (right now we're looking at highs around 0 and lows at -22 Fahrenheit). While we may never get used to racing below 0, at least we can make preparing for it nothing more than simple routine.
Somewhere over North America... So long, Canada
To conclude, here's why I see Canmore as a special place:
Not only are the training facilities in Canmore truly world class, but they are all accessible by foot or bike from any door down in the valley. An extensive "city" paved trail and forested dirt path network make it possible for anyone to quickly access the singletrack that cuts across, up, and down the surrounding mountains or along the river toward Banff. But as far as I can see, what sets Canmore apart is that it's more than a cool, progressive outdoors town. In Canmore I see a community that cares more about its people than its mountains, facilities, and tourism industry.
The Sellers aren't the only ones I have to thank for a great experience in Canmore despite catching a cold and training stymied by sub-frigid temperatures. From the positivity of the local athletes to the locals we met at either the library or the Food and Friends meals supported by Canmore's churches, I found the local community to be close-knit yet surprisingly welcome. Volunteerism and service have a strong presence here, and it results in a positive, nurturing community dynamic. Canmore is by no means perfect, but for me it served as a reminder that a healthy society, while potentially facilitated from the top-down, is born from the bottom-up. If we want to make our nation and the world a better place, it starts with loving and serving in our most basic relationships: our family and our local communities (whether that's a team, school, church, music group, other organization or small town). I'm inspired to improve in this area; I hope you see examples of service and positivity shining in your backyard that inspire you, too.
