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Canada's Alpine Ski Teams build momentum toward World Cup season

Sunday, 16 May 2010 17:00

Men's and ladies teams focused on podium results in 2010/2011 as dryland training begins

CALGARY, AB (May 17, 2010) - Canada's Alpine Ski Teams began training in Calgary, AB prior to the start 2010/2011 season, as the national ski teams start to build momentum toward the World Cup season and the 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

The men's and women's teams began last week with fitness testing and dryland training in preparation for their return to on snow training in the Southern Hemisphere this summer.

"This is basically the first training camp of the four years ahead of us. There will be a lot of different things happening that will most definitely interest the athletes. The guys went through four years of intense preparation focused on the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and now that process starts over again," said ACA Director of Sports Science Matt Price, who ran the training camp for the men's team.

"I'm impressed with the team's work ethic and commitment to training," said ACA Conditioning Coach Matt Jordan, who is working with the women's team. "We are introducing a few new activities into the program such as boxing, which allow us to accomplish the training objective while keeping them moving in a variety of ways."

The training camp opened up with fitness testing before the high performance work outs began. New exercises like martial arts and yoga were also a part of the season's first training camp.

"These are pretty intense, it's definitely fun to get out of the gym a little bit. And when you get back to the regular gym workout you are more motivated and work a little harder," said reigning Coupe Nor-Am Cup men's overall champ Dustin Cook (Lac Sainte Marie, QC).

"It's something new, we don't have a lot of experience in this," said 2010 Olympian Tyler Nella (Toronto, ON) after a martial arts work out last Thursday. "So you just go as hard as you can and try to get the best workout that you can. I think we've all had a lot of fun with it and got a lot out of it, doing movements that we don't normally do."

Canada's alpine ski teams finished the 2009/2010 season with four World Cup victories, the most since 1984, as well as eight World Cup podiums including an impressive three top 3 results in Lake Louise. Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC) also became the first Canadian since Steve Podborski in 1982 to win a discipline title, winning the men's super-G Crystal Globe on the final day of competition.

The 2010/2011 World Cup season gets underway in Sölden, AUT in October, with the men's and ladies speed season's getting underway in Lake Louise, AB in November and December.

The upcoming season is also highlighted by the 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirken, GER next February.

AUDIO: Dustin Cook talks about dryland training

• Kyle Marr
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