The past month has been a whirlwind of racing, and right now I’m on a plane heading out to eastern Canada/USA for another month on the skiing roller coaster.
Racing the 10km classic at Sovereign Lakes. Photo: Angus Foster
As usual, December kicked off with two sets of NorAm & Super Tour races in western Canada. At our first races in Silver Star, we competed with the top domestic Americans, making the fields way more competitive– and exciting– than usual. In the sprint race, I made it into the final and ended up fourth. I was disappointed to miss the podium, but really happy to have made it into my first Super Tour final after a mediocre qualifier! Racing lots of sprint heats in Europe last winter has definitely paid off by making me feel comfortable racing aggressively this season.
“Be aggressive! Be! Be! Aggressive!” (within reason obviously). Photo: Angus Foster
The next weekend of racing was in Canmore. I was frustrated with my distance races, but finished third in the classic sprint! It was a new sprint course for all of us with an uphill leading into the finish, which made for a fun drag race to the end. As with Silver Star, I wasn’t happy with my qualifier, but I felt solid in the heats and comfortable racing at top speeds. The December races weren’t how I want to be racing this winter, but they’re a solid base to build from.
Podium in Silver Star, happy with 4th place!
After the NorAms, I had a rest week which included lots of delicious Christmas cookie baking. Unfortunately, I missed out on a World Cup spot for January, but on the flip side, this meant that I got to head into Elk Lake Cabin in Kananaskis with Patrick and Katherine for two nights. Backcountry cross-country skiing and spending time out of internet/cell service are two of my favourite things to do, so a couple of nights away from the world were the perfect way to end a month of racing and remind me why I love skiing. Morning skis in fresh snow, followed by curling up in front of a fire with cozy clothes and a book = Maya’s happy place!
My happy place!
Stockings with Pat and Katherine!
I also got to spend a couple of days in Athabasca over Christmas. Along with my whole family, my grandparents and Patrick were at the house too. That, combined with great ski conditions in town, pond hockey at home, and fun snowshoeing around the farm made for a great Christmas!
Now, I’m heading to Craftsbury, Vermont, for US Nationals. The Canadian Senior World Championship trials are coming up in a few weeks, so we’re using US Nationals as prep races to get ready for the big event. I’m nervous but excited, and looking forward to building off my December races and training as I head into this next block!
New year here we come!
Happy New Year,
Maya
