. Thomsen D'Hont: "Man, know what are so sweet? Camping chairs. When camping. They are just so clutch!"

Monday, September 8, 2008

"Man, know what are so sweet? Camping chairs. When camping. They are just so clutch!"

Why yes, I am self proclaimed quotatious. I have no idea why I put that as the title...it has absolutely no relevance to this update...

Things have been ok here in Whistler. I had the worst cold of my life last week which is finally just about history. Every year without fail I get sick at the transition from summer to fall. In a way its a good thing because it ensures sufficient antibodies for an illness-free race season (or however the immune system works...). I've had a few good days under my belt trying to build the volume back up and on my daily am submax test on the bike my results have been getting better and better along with the Polar Fit Test numbers. Today's submax was worse after the previous 3 days had been getting better so it was important for me to play the day smart and not bury myself in any way in case it is an indication of lingering effects and/or tiredness from the first few days back in training mode. Today we did some sprints with the American guys who are in town. I followed Andy Newell on one of them and now have some inspiration to tap into on my quest for a higher top speed. I got my ass handed to me prettily handily. I cut the workout pretty short though, I wasn't feeling it very much. Somehow wasn't in the mindset or condition to be going fast and I have spent the rest of the day in a foul-ish mood, which for me is pretty rare as bad training days are few and far between.

But anyways, the reason that compelled me to write this post was that this morning I swear I saw Brad Pitt out on a morning jog. And then just this afternoon on my almost-daily ritual of Nester's Market frequenting I think I saw Curt Harnett biking by on Nester's Rd. But then again, it's tough to be sure. All i saw were 2 massive thighs protruding from a swath of flowing golden locks pumping out a high cadence on a spiffy looking road bike. There are constantly celebs in Whistler, but if these sightings can be confirmed, they will be the first I have seen. My good pal Kate Bolivar who was working room service all summer at the Four Seasons served Coldplay and Tom Petty during the ol' Pemby Fest.

This weekend I am heading home to Yellowknife for the Champions for Children dinner where the likes of Beckie Scott will be speaking. The kind folks at Sport North were generous enough to book me a flight up there, so big shout out to you guys, esp. Gail Nesbitt. It will also be sweet to pay a visit to the good folks at FSC to see what's shakin' in their/my 'hood.

Until next time.

1 comment:

Pate Neumann said...: useless sack...; September 8, 2008 at 5:15 PM

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Bio

I was born and raised in the North in the city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife is a bustling mining town that is in a dark winter deep freeze for much of the year. It is in these dark, cold months that I learned to ski out on meandering snowmobile trails. In Yellowknife there is a sort of ski season trade-off; we have 8 months where skiing is possible, but with the harsh temperatures we have mid-winter, skiing is nearly unbearable for half this time. These conditions have reinforced values such as perseverance, drive, focus etc… and it is these values that have helped me get to where I am today.

When I was a youngster up in the ‘Knife, I was always outdoors, living the childhood that skiing greats like Bjorn Daehlie have attributed their success to. I would hunt, trap, camp, fish, and explore the land around where I lived year-round. I was skiing at a very young age and eventually hopped on the Jackrabbit bandwagon at the age of 7. I flew through the different colour levels and before I knew it I was on the High Performance team. This was a big step – lots of famous skiers were part of this group back then (famous in Yellowknife, anyways). I raced some big international competitions as a Midget through to Junior. I would throw the best I had at Alaskans, Greenlanders, Scandinavians, Russians, and Northern Canadians at the Arctic Winter Games. I was always a pretty small guy so it was a while before I could compete. My results consistently got better and at my final Arctics’ I demonstrated my improved skills and brought home the coveted Golden Ulu for my home contingent of the NWT. It remains to this day one of my greatest accomplishments.

AWGs aren't the only races I did - I would be at all the big Canadian ones too. As a midget (12-13) through to juvenile category (14-15), I would hit up Alberta Cups once or twice a year, along with Western Canadian Championships being an important annual event. As a juvenile I started to make it out to Nationals and by that time I was really hooked on skiing and every year of racing motivated me more and more.

The past few years have been an adventure. Out of High School in summer '07 I became part of the National Team Development Centre based out of Thunder Bay, Ontario. This was my first real time on a high calibre team with other highly motivated individuals working towards the same goal of national and international skiing success. Needless to say, this year was a great stepping stone for me. After my year with the NTDC, I moved out to Whistler, BC to be part of the Callaghan Valley Training Centre (CVTC). Being based out of the 2010 Olympic venue offers an amazing environment for a developing cross country skier and the facilities are second to none.

Intro

Monday, September 8, 2008

"Man, know what are so sweet? Camping chairs. When camping. They are just so clutch!"

1 comment: