XC Files

Team Reports Updated Regularly

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Overseas Teams Australian Junior Team Katie Calder* Christie Dowling* Matt O’Rourke* Chris Darlington* Rhiannon Palmer James Rickard Kieran Step** *Indicates juniors going on to World Junior Championships. **NSW junior team member, travelling with the team in Canada. Australian Senior Team Ben Derrick Belinda Phillips Camille Melvey Coaches Finn Marsland Nick Almoukov

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Australian Junior Team Program

The Australian Junior Team will travel to Canada at the end of November and be based in Canmore for 5 weeks. National Team Coach Finn Marsland will take on the role of team manager, with NSW Junior Coach Nick Almoukov providing additional coaching support. Three members of the Australian Senior A-Team will also be based in Canmore during this time.

The main objective of this period is to spend valuable time on snow, focussing on technique and building a training base, and also to gain some experience of international competition in the North American Continental Cup races. For some of the older juniors, it will also be a valuable preparation time for the World Junior Championships, held in Slovakia in late January. The team will also have the opportunity to meet and train with the Canadian Junior Team, who will also be based in Canmore in December.

Following the 5 weeks in Canmore, the World Junior Team will depart for Europe in preparation for the World Junior Championships. The other developing juniors will then return to Australia and continue to train over the summer, or stay on in Canada on their own reconnaissance.

While some members of the World Junior Team will have performance based goals in Slovakia, the main objective of the team at the World Junior Championships is to experience international junior competition at it’s highest level. After the end of the championships, the team will finish up with some more low-key racing at the Lowlanders Championships in Italy.

Junior Team Itinerary

Depart Australia November 28, 1999
Nov 28 – Jan 2
Location: Canmore, Canada
Focus: Training, technique, experience
Events: Alberta Junior races, Canmore Continental Cup

Side Trip Dec 10 – Dec 13
Location: Kimberley, Canada
Focus: Experience
Events: Kimberley Continental Cup

Development Juniors - Return to Australia January 2

World Junior Team only
Jan 2 – Jan 22
Location: Ramsau, Austria
Focus: Preparation for World Junior Championships
Events: Tauernlauf, Austrian Junior Championships

Jan 23 – Jan 30
Location: Strbske Pleso, Slovakia
Focus: Experience
Events: World Junior Championships

Jan 31 – Feb 6
Location: Val Di Fiemme, Italy
Focus: Experience
Events: Lowlanders Championships

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Australian Senior Team Program

As there are no major senior international competitions in 1999/2000, the senior team will not travel together as an official team for the entire season. However, all senior skiers will train and race together with the junior team in Canada in December. When the junior team departs from Canada, each of the senior team members will follow their own individual itineraries.

Ben Derrick will concentrate on North American Continental Cup races, competing in the US Championships on the 2002 Winter Olympic tracks in January, and travelling to the east coast for races in Ontario and Maine. The main object is to lower FIS points, taking advantage of the exceptional low male FIS points in North America. To finish up Ben will also compete in two Worldloppet races, the Keskinada and American Birkebeiner.

Belinda Phillips will compete at the US Championships with Ben Derrick, and then return to Australia. The main aims for Belinda are to gain international competition experience and to work on technique.

Camille Melvey will travel with the junior team to Europe. Her itinerary is basically the same as the junior team, except that she will race in different competitions on the weekends. Her main focus is on lowering FIS points, the target being to get under 100. During the World Junior Championships Camille will stay in Silvaplana in Switzerland. When the junior team departs for Australia, Camille will stay on in Switzerland to compete in the Pontresina Continental Cup and the Swiss Championships, and will finish up with the Transjurassienne World Cup in France on February 20.

Senior Team Itineraries – Ben Derrick, Belinda Phillips, and Camille Melvey

Depart Australia November 28
Dec 1 - Jan 6(2 for Camille) Canmore, Canada
Focus: Training, FIS Points
Events: Continental Cups – Kimberley and Canmore, Alberta Regional Races

Camille Melvey travel to Europe
Ben Derrick and Belinda Phillips only
Jan 7 – Jan 17 Wasatch State Park, USA
Focus: FIS Points
Events: US National Championships

Belinda Phillips: Return to Australia January 18
Ben Derrick only
Jan 18 – Jan 31, Bend, USA
Focus: Training in Bend with XC Oregan
Events: None

Feb 1 – Feb 21 Toronto, Canada
Focus: FIS points, training
Events: Continental Cups – Duntroon and Rumford, Keskinada

Feb 22 – Feb 27 Heywood, USA
Focus: Training
Events: American Birkebeiner

Ben Derrick: Return to Australia Feb 28
Camille Melvey additional itinerary

Feb 5 – Feb 15, Switzerland
Focus: FIS Points
Events: Continental Cup Pontresina, Swiss Championships

Feb 16 – Feb 20
Focus: FIS Points
Events: Transjurassienne World Cup

Camille Melvey: Return to Australia Feb 22

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Team Contacts...

While in Canada…
November 28 – January 2

Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge
PO Box 8070
Canmore Alberta
T1W 2T8 CANADA
Fax: 1 403 678 6484
 

Other addresses may be made available. Stay tuned to team reports.

The team can also be contacted via email at:

cmelvey@aol.com

XC is the official website of the Skiing Australia Cross Country Committee. It is produced with the assistance of the Australian Sports Commission, and the Kangaroo Hoppet. The editor can be contacted via hoppet@netc.net.au.