The
Canmore Nordic Centre (CNC) was built in 1988 for the Winter Olympics. The venue hosted biathlon, cross-country
skiing, and the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined events. This year it hosted the 2020 Alberta /
Territories Cadet Biathlon Championship.
Everyone involved must have felt privileged & excited to be present and/or
competing at a former Olympic venue. I
know I was. The CNC is one of three Biathlon
High Performance Training Centres used by Biathlon Canada. The other two are located in Whistler, BC,
and Valcartier, QC.
Stepping off the bus on the
afternoon of January 24, I noticed many parked cars and cross-country skiers. The CNC has withstood the test of time and managed
to keep going after the Olympics. Too often
we hear stories of former Olympic venues remaining empty, abandoned, and in
permanent state of disrepair. Countries
are beginning to realize that hosting the Olympics may not be worthwhile if the
newly built venues can’t find people to use them after the games. Speaking of countries, flags of the countries
that participated in the 1988 Olympics still stand near the main lodge and
parking lot.
The
cadets unloaded the trailer and moved all their equipment to the Wax Room Building
(WRB). While this was being done, I photographed
the majestic Rocky Mountains that surround the venue and the town of Canmore. The scenery provides the perfect picturesque
background to a biathlon competition. The
planners had reserved the entire WRB for the weekend. Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, cadets
from Alberta & the Territories were competing at the same time, thus they
all need rooms to store & wax their skis.
The WRB has many individual rooms equipped with tables, chairs, and
electrical outlets. I was surprised to
see my name on one of the wax room doors.
Underground Tunnel. |
The
cadets were given two hours to ski the racetrack so they could become familiar
with the route. I told my cadets not to
waste this opportunity. While the cadets
were out skiing, I investigated & photographed the outdoor shooting range. The range looks professionally built. Behind the range were: part of the race
track, Judges Building, and the wooden bleachers for spectators. We had been explicitly told to use the underground
tunnel to access the shooting range. Walking
across the racetrack was forbidden to prevent collisions with racers. The area in front of the Judges Building was
the location of the Start & Finish Lines.
Wax Room Building. |
The
cadets returned to the WRB at 4pm and put away their skiing equipment. We then boarded the bus to be driven to a
local high school where we would rest, relax, eat, and sleep at the end of the
day. The military was able to rent the
school for the weekend because one of the officers in charge happens to be a
teacher at the school. Everyone went
through registration. The cadets would sleep
in the gym and the officers/coaches would sleep in classrooms. The people from the territories were provided
with sleeping bags & air mattresses.
A
Welcome Address & Briefing was held in the school’s auditorium after
dinner. The Officers-In-Charge introduced
themselves & the judges, and went over the rules of the school & the
competition. The cadets were dismissed for
the night, but the officers & coaches remained for the competition
briefing. We were given documents
containing: the schedules, competition rules, and layout of the racetrack.
Judges Building. |
January 25 was the first day of the
competition. Reveille was at 6am, followed
by breakfast at 6:30am. School buses
transported everyone to the CNC at 7:45am.
The competition staff were already at the venue getting everything
ready. Loud music was playing from speakers
on the roof of the Judges Building. The
first race of the day would be the Junior Female Sprint Race. The four cadets from Arctic Bay & Iqaluit
would be competing in this race. All
competitors were given time to practice shooting & skiing.
Penalty Loop. |
My tasks for the races were to
signal my cadets which shooting lanes to use and refill the ammunition bowls
with .22LR bullets. Another officer
would handle the rifles. He made sure
each cadet had a designated rifle. Just
before the commencement of the race, cadets were given numbered bibs & instructed
where to line up. Competitors would
start one after the other. I reminded my
cadets that the shooting range is a Silent Zone, meaning I couldn’t give them
any shooting advice or assistance. They would
be on their own. I also told them not to
forget to do their penalty laps. One
missed target equals one penalty lap.
Arctic Bay cadet. |
Arctic Bay cadet. |
The Junior Female Sprint Race began
at 10am. The Junior Male Sprint Race
began at 10:20am. There were enough
shooting lanes to run both races simultaneously. My female cadets began their relays at different
times. The only time I was busy was when
they were shooting at the same time.
Aside from that, I was free to take pictures & video clips of the race. The parents & cadets back home wanted to
see how Arctic Bay performed. I would
also use some pics & vids for training purposes at the corps.
Iqaluit cadets. |
Spectators. |
The
were people in the bleachers cheering on the competitors. My cadets were relieved but very tired when
they crossed the Finish Line. The racetrack
isn’t flat. There are several hills to
ascend & descend. Two tables
containing hot chocolate & bottled water sat just past the Finish Line for the
cadet competitors.
Senior Female & Male Competitors. |
The
next four sprint races after lunch followed the same routine, except they began
15 minutes apart. The races were structured
as: Senior Female, Senior Male, Youth Female, and Youth Male. The Senior Female race began at 1pm. I wasn’t needed on the shooting range because
I didn’t have any participating cadets.
I watched these races from the bleachers.
Random Wedding Photo Op. |
The races were done by 3pm. We spent the next hour cleaning the range,
moving our skiing equipment to our assigned wax rooms, waxing our skis, and keeping
the rooms organized. During the cleanup
I noticed a professional photographer directing a large wedding party on a nearby
hill. I don’t know who was getting married
but I assumed the bride & groom wanted to have a series of photographs
taken with the mountains in the background.
Hopefully the pictures turned out great.
Medals. |
2nd Place - Junior Female Sprint Race. 3045 RCACC. |
The
medal ceremony for the sprint races was held at the high school in the evening
after dinner. The high school students
in the woodshop class made the medals.
Alberta & the Territories competed separately. Competitors who placed 3rd, 2nd,
& 1st in their categories received medals and a group picture. A lot of medals were given out. My two Arctic Bay cadets placed 2nd
& 5th in the Junior Female Sprint Race. The two Iqaluit air cadets placed 6th
& 8th in the same race.
Congratulations! I announced the
results on the corps Facebook page after the ceremony.
Early Arrival. |
Fast
forward to January 26; the last day of the competition. The morning was busy because we had to eat
breakfast, pack all our belongings, clean the school, and be out of the school
by 7:45am. The teachers needed their
classrooms to get their final exams ready for the upcoming week. We were able to achieve this goal.
The
second & final day of the competition was all about the relay races. Competitors race in teams of two. The first teammate completes their relay,
crosses the Finish Line, and then tags their second teammate to do the same. Once they’re done, both finishing times are added
together. The shooting range was going
to be very busy & hectic because the organizers wanted all competitors to
be done by 12:30pm. Teams needed the
afternoon to travel home.
The
relay races began at 10:30am with the Junior Males. The males were given a 30-second warning
followed by a loud whistle sound. The
first group rushed forward while the people in the bleachers cheered. The race was on.
My
four Junior Female cadets began their race at 10:45am. The starting process was the same. The first two pushed off with the rest of the
group, trying to get an early lead. I
did the same things: signal my cadets and refill the bowls. I also noted when they completed their last
shooting relay so that I could warn their teammates to get ready at the Start
Line. The first two cadets finished their
relays at different times, but made sure they touched the shoulders of their
teammates. We were told a time penalty
would be added if there wasn’t a point of contact.
The hill that everyone hated. |
The second two cadets continued, while the
first two breathed sighs of relief. According
to them, the relay race was more exhausting than the sprint race. I think it’s because of that mad dash at the
beginning. The second two cadets performed
well and completed their relays. They too
were exhausted. They all agreed they
hated that one hill where you have to frequently push up because it drains a
lot of energy.
Northern Cadets. |
Once
the races were declared finished, a massive cleanup effort followed. The judges went over the results while
everything was being put away. A group meeting
was held with all the cadets & coaches from the Territories and two Alberta
based officers. The one who teaches at
the local high school has travelled to Whitehorse many times to organize &
host the cadet biathlon competitions. We
gave him a Thank You card for arranging us to be flown down to Alberta and for
booking the Camrose Ski Club on the 23rd. We gave a second Thank You card to the other officer
who helped us with the rifles and waxing.
We finished the meeting by taking several group photos.
We
waited for the final results to be posted.
We all wanted to know who was going to represent the Territories at the
National Biathlon Competition in early March?
To
Be Continued . . .