A group of four Carleton skiers are currently training to represent their country and join Canada’s Nordic ski team at the 2013 Winter Universiade this December.
“It’s basically year-round training,” said Lee Hawkings, one of the Carleton skiers named to the team.
“In the summer, we run and roller-ski and go to the gym. Then in the winter, we’ll start skiing a lot and do specific training for that.”
But Hawkings said the fact that they won’t start their skiing training until around December will present a challenge.
“We won’t have too much skiing under our belts when we get to the competition, so it’ll be pretty tough but fun,” he said.
Hawkings said the intense training he has undergone with the team over the last four years has helped prepare him and his teammates for this international opportunity.
“We’ve had great coaching and great support from the school, and eventually, it’s all added up to these moments,” he said.
The other three Ravens skiers selected to Canada’s Nordic ski team at the Universiade are Kendra Murray, Peter Beisel, and Matthias Purdon.
This year marks the 26th Winter Universiade which it will take place in Trentino, Italy from December 11-21.
According to the Fédération internationale du sport universitaire website, the competition takes place every two years in various cities around the world with 2,500 athletes competing from over 50 countries, making it the largest global winter multi-sports event for student-athletes.
With the Universiade being such a large and recognized event, Hawkings said he understands that being selected to represent Canada at these games is a huge honour.
“It’s a big deal. It’s the top level you can get at in university sport so it’s pretty exciting,” he said.
Hawkings said it was Carleton’s reputable Nordic ski program that made it the obvious choice to choose as the destination for both schooling and competitive skiing, a sport he grew up with.
“I’m from Whitehorse, Yukon and a lot of the time, [skiing] is the only way to get out in the winter,” he said. “It’s kind of the best sport to do there and it was no brainer to choose Carleton because they have such a strong ski program.”
Out of the 12 spots on Canada’s Nordic skiing team, four of them will be taken up by Ravens skiers.
“It kind of speaks for itself a little bit. It’s pretty exciting that we have such a strong program and hopefully it stays that way for years to come,” Hawkings said.
