Trials

The last couple of weeks have been a busy mix of racing and traveling. With two sets of Nor Am races two weekends in a row and a 10 hour drive in between the two venues there hasn’t been much time to sit down and reflect. It’s been a while so I’ll take it from the start.

After two weeks at home over the Christmas holidays I was back in Canmore to prepare for what are probably the most important races of the year. Though the three races in Whistler were regular Nor Am cups they were also being used as the selection races for Junior and U23 world championships.

 The first race at what is known as “trials” was a 30km skiathlon, a race I was a bit nervous about because I had only done one 30km before in my life (last year at nationals) and it had not gone very well. This time however things were different. I had a decent classic leg and got to the exchange zone in 14^th. I had a very good skate leg (traditionally my weaker technique) and managed to gain one position to finish in 13^th as the 6^th under 23 skier.

Men's pack going up the first hill in the 30km skiathlon
Photo credit: Angus Cockney

Me during the classic leg of the skiathlon
Photo Credit: Angus Cockney

The next race was a skate sprint and although Mother Nature had been kind to us so far, we knew that in Whistler, it was unlikely to last and on sprint day we woke up to 15cm of fresh snow with more coming down throughout the day. Despite the conditions I managed one of my better skate sprint qualifiers setting the 12^th fastest time of the open men (I got beat by a few juniors). In my quarter I got off to a bad start and since the snow was still falling I ended up having to ski wide in the deep powder to make my way through he group. Still, by the end of my heat I managed to move myself up into 2^nd place gaining a spot in the semifinals. I my semifinal I again got off to a bad start (I still need to work on those) and again had to move through the field in the deeper powder on the side. By the end I had moved myself up into 3^rd position which meant I had to wait and see if I had gotten one of two lucky loser spots in the final. In the end it wasn't to be and I was put I the B final were my legs finally started to give way. I held on for 3^rd putting me in 9^th on the day as the 4^th under 23.

My quarter final on sprint day. I'm in 3rd with bib 312.
Photo credit: Angus Cockney

After two good but not outstanding races I needed to find something special the next day in the 15km individual classic if I stood a chance of making U23’s. I tried to start hard knowing that it would be my only chance yet halfway through it was clear that the first couple of races had taken their toll and in the last half of the race I was running on fumes. I ended up 17^th on the day (8^th U23) not a terrible result but far from what I had hoped for and needed.

Running on fumes in the 15km classic
Photo Credit: Angus Cockney 

So I’ll have to wait one more year to test myself against the best under 23 skiers in the world. Yes I’m disappointing, yet I can honestly say that I did my best. The races in whistler were the hardest ones of my life and there is no one thing that I can point to as being the difference between qualifying and not qualifying. I simply raced as hard as I could and in the end it wasn’t good enough. As they say it’s much easier to live with defeat than to live with regret and I regret nothing. In 12 months I will come back hungrier than ever and hopefully then it will be a different story.

Lastly I would like to congratulate both my sisters Emilie and Katherine who both raced amazingly well in Whistler. Emilie qualified for her first world juniors and Katherine was pretty close. So although I will not be representing Canada this year there will a Stewart-Jones on the trip to Turkey.

I’ll have an update on the western Canadian championships in a few days. That’s all for now though.

Patrick