Coach Nancy O'Neill says that reports coming out of Saas Fee are still remarkably good, considering the heat wave that has swept Europe over the past few weeks. “I have spoken with coaches of the Swiss Team, and of course the reliable Jurg Gfeller (National Ski Academy), who is presently in Saas Fee. They have all given a very confident green light! As always I am very excited to get over to Saas Fee. It is one of my favourite locations for technical training. The terrain and environment of World Cup athletes are a tremendous benefit to our athletes. Last season, Saas Fee was the turning point for both Christina Lustenberger and Danielle Poleschuk.”
BC Ski Team members Kendall Benbow, Alison Leighton and Danielle Robson will be joined by training group members Charlotte Whitney (WMSC) and Jenni Graham (Mt Washington).
Unfortunately, BC Ski Team athlete Danielle Poleschuk has had to miss the camp in Saas Fee due to a broken collar bone suffered in a mountain bike incident. The team wishes Danie a speedy recovery in time for Camp 3 in Portillo, Chile.
In Saas Fee the girls have a planned 15 days on snow. O'Neill plans on moving the girls from a technical skills environment to gate drills and gate corridors. “The progress of all the girls in Mt. Hood was truly strong. I feel confident that we can move into a gate drill environment within the first third of this camp. I will focus on Tichy gate drills for the majority of the camp, moving into full gates towards the end of the camp.”
In Saas Fee, the BC girls will be on hill with the Provincial Teams from Alberta, Ontario, and possibly Quebec.
We will keep everyone up to date with camp reports from Nancy and the girls. The Team will return from Saas Fee Sept 3.