Notes on Spring

The spring has flown by, it seems like just a couple weeks ago that we were racing in Quebec and the world was melting around us. Those weeks of relaxing and no structured training gave everyone a chance to relax and catch up on some of the things we had been neglecting, i.e. school work, drumming, and millions of (bleh) scholarship applications.

On the other hand, it’s amazing how quickly I missed training and wanted to get back into it. I love the fact that each spring feels like a new start, that we can look back at our year from a different perspective and pick out those things we need to work on. It also offers a chance to do some of those kinds of trainings that we won’t do much of the rest of the year, road biking, canoeing ect. Julien, Peter, David, Robyn, and I headed over to race the Ski2Sea in Kelowna, which is pretty similar to the PolePedalPaddle which has been getting so much hype in Bend, Oregon. Check out Julien’s post with Robyn’s pictures in the last post.

The weather in springtime is definitely bipolar. It seems like everyday is a mix of sun, clouds, rain, and even hail. On my bike ride yesterday the sun was shining all the way up to the Summit(still lots of snow up there), until the storm gods decided it should cloud over and rain while I descended. So. Cold.

On another note, after months of torturous waiting, I’ve finally figured out where I’m going to school! I’m super excited to be headed to Middlebury to ski and work on my edu-maca-tion. It’s going to be tricky figuring out how to balance my health, skiing, and school…with all the exciting things going on at Middlebury I’m sure I’ll be insanely busy!

ciao,

Nick


Ski 2 Sea 2012

Team Black Jack – Hellman Canoe took part in the 2012 Ski 2 Sea in Kelowna BC. The grueling multi-stage event was well contested and Team Black Jack – Hellman canoe put up a great fight. Nick lead off with the Alpine leg, which included arguably the hardest part of the race with the run up the backside of the mountain – carrying skis. Shawn took over with the cross country ski, bringing us up into the top 10. Next up Peter rocketed down the snowy Big White Rd tagging off to Julien at the highway. Julien rode a deceivingly hard road bike section full of gradual false flats and wind. Despite the team still being in 7th position off of the bike, David ran a blistering 10km passing off to Nick and Julien for the paddle in 4th position. On the water, Nick and Julien paddled the 8km course with a Hellman Cruiser, unofficially posting the fastest non-racing-canoe split.
Overall, Team Black Jack – Hellman Canoe finished in 4th position, and the team won the Junior category.
Many thanks to our lead support and photographer Robyn Locke, as well as Hellman Canoes for the boat.


2012 National Championships

Under sunny skies and in temperature up to the 20′s, Black Jack put everything on the line for the 2012 Haywood National Championships in Mont St Anne, Quebec. Club members Rebecca Reid and Geoffrey Richards lead the charge, both taking several trips to the podium throughout the week, and finishing second in the Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s aggregate. Team Black Jack had a few narrow misses, and came home with just one podium. David Palmer finished an impressive, but disappointing 5th in the Junior Men’s 10km Classic with Jill Reynolds in 5th in the Junior Girls 10km Skate. In the Junior Men’s Skate sprint, Julien Locke narrowly missed the podium finishing in 4th. Shawn Degroot grabbed the team’s only medal in a sloppy Junior boys 15km classic mass start. Despite the tricky conditions, Black Jack and the BC Ski Team nailed the wax and everyone had super fast skis. Many thanks to Dave Wood and Dave Reynolds for all of their help.

Stand out results:

  • Shawn – 3rd 15km Classic
  • Julien – 4th Skate Sprint
  • Jill – 5th 10km Skate
  • David – 5th 10km Classic
  • Susanne – 17th 10km Skate
  • Peter – 21st 10km Classic
  • Nick – 30th Skate Sprint
  • Julien and Geoffrey – 7th Open (top Junior) Team Sprint


Thanks for Bernard Pigeon and Jim Underwood for their photos.


Canadian Nationals – Team Sprint Relay Video

Julien Locke and Geoffrey Richards placed 7th in the Haywood Ski Nationals Classic Sprint Relay on the Plains of Abraham March 17th 2012:


Canadian Nationals – Team Sprint

The team had a successful day of team sprint relays on a great course right on the Plains of Abraham. Everyone had fast times, promising good competitions for the coming week of individual events. Our top performance was Julien Locke and Geoffrey Richards, surging through the finals. They were the only junior team to advance to the finals.

Results:

  • Julien and Geoffrey – 7th Open Men (3rd U23 and top Junior Men)
  • David and Peter – 11th Open Men
  • Nick and Shawn – 20th Open Men

More results at Zone4.ca