Race Weekend in Birkieland
This past weekend, Team Birkie embarked on an exhilarating adventure to Cable, Wisconsin for a little training camp, where we got the chance to race on the brand-new rollerski track. The team was brimming with excitement as we all know how similar a rollerski track is to the race venues we face during the season, so this is a super resource and an amazing tool for our training.
The team arrived Thursday afternoon and people went straight onto the track to test the course. Friday included two good workouts on the track to prepare for the races followed by an amazing dinner with people from the Midwest ski community. They are all among our most important supporters.
The CXC Swenor Rollerski Championship was held Saturday and Sunday. The two races included an individual skate distance race (5km and 10km) Saturday and a classic sprint Sunday.
On the start list were familiar faces from this past summer’s college team (Colin Freed and Jonny Saldin), other college skiers, juniors from all over the region and lots of new faces that we loved seeing!
It was a reunion of sorts, a gathering of passionate individuals who share a common love for skiing and a spirit of healthy competition – the exact thing we are really looking forward to about the winter!
The atmosphere was filled with the excitement and nervousness of anticipation as athletes geared up for the races. Even though Saturday gave us a light drizzle of rain, people went out there and fought hard with themselves to cross that finish line as fast as possible!
The weekend was not just about the thrill of racing; it was also an important part of the training puzzle for our athletes.
These races were the perfect preparation for what’s to come and we are glad we got the chance to go and see so many great people out there!
Our coaches were also in Cable this weekend attending the 2023 Wayne Fish CXC Coaches Conference, as well as helping host the rollerski races. Team Birkie coach Matthew Clarke said the following after the weekend:
"This past weekend was a great chance for us to use the rollerski track in Cable to help us prepare for the season ahead. The resource that this provides us is something we definitely don't take for granted. Having the ability to emulate a ski race, on a homologated course, is one of a kind, especially for us in the Midwest. It was great to see Zak and Kevin come into the weekend with a game plan and execute it well. Saturday's 10km skate race was definitely a challenge with the rain and wet leaves that we were faced up against but to see them use this as an opportunity to race and perform in conditions that weren't by any means comfortable was awesome. On Sunday we decided to add in some L4 intervals in between the qualifiers which was a great way to simulate heats in the winter. To see that both of their second qualifiers were very close to the first ones really gives us confidence that we will be able to go the distance in sprint races this year. Another great aspect of this weekend was to have some of our summer college athletes here as well. To see the progression that they have made from the spring to now makes us very excited to see how the winter will go!"
- Matthew Clarke
Below are a few pictures from this weekend:
Kevin, Zak and coach Chad -
Technique analysis and discussion between heats on Sunday.
Zak Ketterson.
Kevin Bolger.
Thanks to everyone involved this weekend and thanks to you for reading!
In summary, the weekend in Cable, Wisconsin, was a testament to the power of community and the spirit of sportsmanship and we are already excited for next year!
The athletes are now back home in their own beds for some relaxation and recovery before November hits and hopefully some white gold can hit the ground soon.
