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Snowboard team up for the challenge

National team moves training camp to Whistler

They were supposed to be in Mammoth, California, enjoying what are usually some of the best early season conditions in North America. When the snow never materialized the Canadian Snowboard Federation decided to move the camp to Whistler in preparation for the Dec. 8-11 World Cup competitions.

There isn’t a full halfpipe to train on just yet, but members are using the small pipe on Whistler and the terrain parks on both mountains to prepare for the season. Apart from keeping local physiotherapists busy, some of the athletes used the opportunity to fit in some extra training on the trampoline.

The team is confident, but some of the riders admit to feeling the added pressure of the Olympic Games on top of the regular World Cup season. The Whistler World Cup will determine once and for all who goes to Torino, and they all want to go.

"We’re doing everything we can," said Dominique Vallée.

"It would be nice to have a full halfpipe to train in, but there isn’t a halfpipe in the whole world right now.

"It’s usually our plan to spend about three weeks in the pipe before the World Cup, but now we’re hearing that we’ll only have a couple of regular training games before the official training starts. At least all the countries are in the same boat, nobody is riding pipe right now."

Vallée, 24, competes in both halfpipe and snowboardcross disciplines. She has already met the qualifying criteria for halfpipe, and will need a strong finish in the snowboardcross to have a chance of representing Canada in both sports at the Olympics.

She had a strong 2004-05 season, and came into this summer ranked 15 th in the world in halfpipe. She is still ranked 15 th after three contests, finishing 12 th and 10 th in the opening events at Valle Nevado, Chile.

She finished last season ranked 37 th in snowboardcross, and currently sits in 21 st .

"It’s a bit of a sketchy situation for me, I’ve a lot on the line in the snowboardcross next week," she said. "I feel ready, everybody is training really well, and I know I have to bring my best game."

For Hugo Lemay, 22, the Whistler World Cup events will also be important. Lemay is currently battling for one of likely four spots on a talented men’s halfpipe team, and three of those spots are spoken for.

The dream almost ended early when he hurt his knee training in August, but he says he is feeling good.

"I’m still in rehab, but I was on Blackcomb in the Terrain Park and doing a lot of jumps to get used to landing again, and it’s okay," he said.

Not having a full halfpipe to train on makes it tough to practice his run, but he says the team is making the most of what is available.

"We can adapt what’s in the park to practice for the pipe. If you can throw a clean backside 360 off a jump, you can throw a backside in the halfpipe," said Lemay.

"The injury was frustrating for me. The rest of the team has already competed in Chile and Switzerland, and I haven’t been able to ride and try to protect my spot. I can ride again, which is great, but I have to have a good result in Whistler.

"I just have to land big spins, and some big tricks and try to land everything really cleanly. That’s what the judges are looking for. Everybody can do a 900 (two and half spins) now, so it comes down to who can land smoothly."

Lemay finished last season ranked 17 th in the world in halfpipe. He is not ranked this season because he’s missed the first contests.

Nova Scotia’s Sarah Conrad, 20, knows all about frustrating injuries. In November of 2004 she fell while training with the halfpipe team in Mammoth, and broke her upper left arm. After surgery and a lengthy rehab, Conrad missed most of last season.

She’s back competing again this year, and managed to finish 14 th and 18 th at the first World Cup events in Chile.

"It was just nice to get back on snow and do a few World Cups. I did okay, but I want to see if I can improve on that," she said.

"I’d still really like to make it (to the Olympics). I put in a lot of time with the development team and the national team and a lot of people are expecting me to go to Torino. I know there’s always 2010, I’ll only be 24 then, but I really want this."

Conrad grew up riding at Martock, a small ski resort outside of Halifax where the terrain park is everything. The same hill was home to pro rider Trevor Andrew, and still is home for young prospects like Alex Duckworth.

Conrad said it really helped her riding. "Nothing was smooth like it is here, all the jumps and the pipe were usually in pretty rough shape, so you really had to learn how to land," she said. "It’s exciting to travel and ride in different places where they have better conditions and a better pipes but it’s always nice to go back to your home hill and putt around."

For Brad Martin, 19, it’s all about momentum. He finished fifth and seventh in Chile at the start of the season, and is currently ranked sixth in the world in halfpipe. He finished last season ranked 18 th .

"It’s given me a confidence boost for sure," he said. "Instead of going to the Junior World Championships last year, I decided to compete at the invitational in Whistler. I came second in the slopestyle and first in the halfpipe, so it was really the best thing I could have done. I got to compete with all the top pros, and after being on the World Cup and travelling around it was so much fun. It totally reenergized me."

Home is still Ancaster, Ontario but Martin plans to move to Whistler after the Olympics.

"It was great riding all that hard snow, because I think it makes you a better rider, more versatile, but I never really rode powder until I came out here and I definitely want to do more of that," he said. "It will also be good for training. Most of the team lives here anyway."

According to Tom Hutchinson, the head freestyle coach for the national team, the Whistler event is a warm-up for the Olympics. Not only is there a lot of pressure on the athletes, but it’s also a chance for them to practice the same runs they’ll use in Torino.

"It’s a pretty tough situation for the riders, especially for the men where your friend could beat you out for a spot on the team," he said. "We’ve got pretty good depth, and any four of the guys could go out and represent Canada tomorrow and do well. For some of them it all comes down to the (World Cup) weekend."

This summer the team had on-snow training in Mammoth and New Zealand, as well as a session in Montreal in a gymnastics and diving centre. The team also took advantage of the Olympic Excellence Workshops offered by the Canadian Olympic Committee, where past Olympic medal winners talk about their experiences at the Games and in sport.

Funding has also increased for the Canadian Snowboard Federation, and several national team athletes have qualified for Sport Canada funding.

"We can’t use funding as an excuse," said Hutchinson. "If we don’t do well it won’t be because of funding, but we’re going to do well."

Hutchinson said last year was a motivator for several athletes.

"For Brad (Martin), he didn’t qualify for the World Championships, and that’s fired him up to finish number one. Justin (Lamoureux) finished second at the World Championships, which fired him up – he knows he’s a contender. Crispin didn’t do as well as he wanted in the World Championships, but he knew what he had to do to fix the problem. Dan (Raymond) is fired up. Hugo (Lemay) is fired up.

"The girls are fired up as well, we’ve got a really strong team and the consistency is getting better and better. Everyone who goes to the Olympics has a real chance to win a medal."