On September 16, 2015 the Junior Racers headed to Revelstoke, BC for a BC Ski Team/Development Squad camp. Michaela, Sage, Chiaki and Rémi had just finished a school camping trip near Nelson, BC, but there was no time to head all the way home as they sped towards their destination along with Daniel and the chauffeur (big thanks to Edouard Drolet and Bob Mclean for the driving). Unfortunately, Michaela, Sage and Rémi were all getting over a nasty cold that arrived just as fall training camp season was starting up, but they all continued towards Revelstoke.

Luckily, the drive over was uneventful, and after a quick stop at the Nomad for a bite to eat, they headed to their luxurious accommodations at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort. As the first ones there, they got the chance to have first picks on beds (yay!), before meetings were called at 8:00 pm for both BCST (Daniel, Chiaki, Michaela) and BCDS (Sage, Rémi) members.

The next day was a 2 hour skate roller ski in the morning for BCDS and critical speed testing on the track for BCST members. Michaela and Sage took it easy as they were still feeling a bit sick, but Rémi, Daniel and Chiaki were feeling pretty good. After lunch, homework and a nap, BCST headed out on a classic roller ski while BCDS went into town for a gym workout. Everyone was feeling pretty good and came back reading for some delicious dinner (BCDS – chicken stir fry, BCST – curry-style chicken).

Friday consisted of a 3 hour run for all the members of the camp. It was a rainy day, so rain jackets were a must, but the temperatures were great for the long workout. That afternoon, BCDS got together for a short core/stretching session while BCST got a full afternoon of rest after a hard couple days of training. Dinner for the night was lasagne for BCDS and pizza for BCST.

Saturday was another rainy morning as the BCST headed out on a roller ski/run and BCDS left for their 2.5 hour classic roller ski. By the end of the morning, everyone was soaked and tired but feeling mostly good about the camp. In the afternoon, all the BC members came together for a super fun mini soccer tournament (there was no doubt that Sage’s team won by the way). That night, an early bedtime ensured good training for the morning, however, Sage unfortunately had to drop out of morning intervals due to a sore leg and fever caused by an unknown staph infection in her leg.

Sunday morning classic roller ski intervals up Mt. Revelstoke went well for everyone (minus Sage), although Michaela suffered from some back pain. After the training, the athletes got ready for departure at 12:00 pm and Bob picked them up to head home for some rest before the Kimberley camp the next weekend.

Thanks to all the BC coaches and volunteers for making this camp such a success! Minus a little sickness and a couple injuries, the camp was a good experience with good training and some cool people. Next, we will hear about the Kimberley dryland camp as the fall training camp season continues.

~ Sage Robine

Thanks to Kayden Sim for the hiking picture.