I missed the memo...

As we hit the first day of fall last week, the trees had started turning to orange and yellow and leaves were falling. Riding to the Oval in the morning is cold too but it’s the afternoons that are really different. It’s supposed to be 25 today, it was 24 yesterday. That’s downright summer weather. They are even watering the lawns at the university again (which I personally think is pointless because this weather could just as quickly turn to full winter). But the crazy weather isn’t the main subject of this post. The main topic is that I think I missed the memo that told everyone that Short Track speed skating is now a summer sport. I know short track is in the winter Olympics and all but I’m having a bit of trouble believing that lately. So far this season we have already been on ice for 5 and a bit months and have competed once. All of this has been in the summer (or spring). Normally we don’t start on ice until July, which still makes for a long summer ice season, but because of when World Cup trials are, and Olympic trials are next year, we have to start earlier in order to be in top shape by the time trials roll around in September. Normally competition season doesn’t get rolling until October and by then you normally feel like its fall and the season should be getting under way. But this year has thrown everything upside down. During the trials in Vancouver the temperature hit 30 one day. I was thinking to myself that I was used to walking out of the rink to -30 and blizzards in Chicoutimi and not heat and humidity when I compete. I also caught myself saying “didn’t you do that back in the fall?” to one of my team mates the other day as we were discussing some testing that was done in June. My body had been tricked into thinking that it was already mid season even though we are just getting underway competition-wise.

I guess that is just the reality that we face now with sport. There is no such thing as winter and summer based sports anymore. Every season is training season and even sometimes competition season. To be the best you have to commit to a full year of training.

Anyways, if you want to see some sweet photos of another winter sport training during the summer check out the latest post at pateneumann.blogspot.com. He is a cross country skier that lives and trains in Whistler and man am I jealous of the training group there. You wouldn’t ever need motivation to get out of bed and train if that was your backyard.