Finn Dodgson's Blog

With snow on the horizon (fingers crossed), it is the exact time of year that I find myself realizing how much I can't wait to bring out the skis and get out there. It's situations such as this that cause me to realize how much I am in love with the sport, and how enjoyable it is just to be on snow and getting hyped for some races. I would say I am a strong believer in the idea that skiing is a lifelong sport. I was skiing long before I started racing, and I hope to be skiing long after that. The phrase "lifelong sport" gets thrown around a lot with reference to skiing, though I would go so far as to say that this goes for any activity or sport out there (okay, maybe not football). I guess in many ways, sport is almost like a part of culture, yes there is a distinct culture surrounding each sport or game, but I mean that sport is a part of our life that we can engage in and enjoy doing. The whole reason I began ski racing was because I realised that I really enjoy...

The past few months have been eventful and exciting to say the least. Super quick recap: Some early on-snow trips to Forêt Montmorency and Canmore came as some amazing escapes from the sad, snowless conditions in Ontario. Despite a broken pole in the interval start, the races at the Canmore NorAm were very fun (loved the trails there), and a nice way to shake the dust off the racing suit. It always seems to take longer to get back to racing than I expect. The free mass start was an awesome hammer-fest, but sadly the sprint day was not my day. However, nothing but lessons coming from all of those races and a great experience all around. After that trip I was super psyched for the rest of the season. (video: Canmore Mass Start, courtesy of James MacLean) Anyway, the trip out to chilly Thunder Bay was super awesome. It was actually enjoyable to be somewhere cold, and with plenty of snow! I had a great time hanging out with the team at the house we stayed in and had an awesome time o...

This is just some thoughts/ramblings. I started writing this back at the end of August, so it's just a compilation of bits and pieces here and there. Having not been able to use my watch for a while, realize that the heart of it is putting in the hard work and being focused on how you can get better. It's easy to get caught up in the data, or worry that you should/shouldn't be doing things you are/aren't. The thing is, that worrying about it simply isn't going to help you, that's why it's important to know what is really worth looking at and to understand why you're training the way you are. I've noticed that over the past couple of months I've learned a lot about the significance of what we're working on in preparation for this winter. With the school year getting into gear right now I'm focused on keeping my mind where it needs to be, as the summer is now behind us which means there is schoolwork to manage. I know this all seems ve...

As you can probably tell, I have been out and about and very busy with this first month of summer. I figured I would just write a brief "shake-down" of the various camps I have been to in the past month or so and what I thought of them. June Training Weekend So, back in June a bunch of Team Hardwood athletes got together for a training weekend to celebrate the end of school. Up until the weekend I was unsure whether or not choosing to go was a good idea, because I still had a couple of exams left at that point. Now I am very relieved that i decided to go, because it was a super fun time and my exams were still very successful. It really was the best of both worlds and it was super exciting to spend some time with some of my favourite people. We had lots of fun playing beach volleyball, and also learned a lot from an athletic standpoint as we were able to work a lot on skate technique in the two days. This was when it became apparent to my friends and I that Hardwood's...

So here we are, already through the first month of training. It was great to get right back into things with the testing camp at the beginning of May, which despite being tough, was a really good time and a big success. In the past few weeks, I had fun doing a little track season which involved running the 3000m at a few school meets. Had a few intense workouts with my buddies on the local running team (go Huskies !) which left my legs feeling destroyed. Also, I managed to get a new personal best which was my main goal. Running the 3km test (stolen from Kieran, who I believe got it from Ron) This time of year brings a lot of excitement with the good weather and all the plans being made for camps and training in the summer. Not to mention that the school year is almost over (almost there!). I'll be going to a few camps this summer which I am very psyched for. Things have been going well and I'm quite pleased with the fact I won't have any races in the next while, leavin...

So, that is it: first nationals and the whole season all wrapped up, and what a great time it has been. I was (of course) a bit nervous leading up to the races, but I managed to keep my cool fairly well, especially with all the good wishes from family and friends (with cards, messages, etc.) and with all my awesome teammates around me. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, and in the end things turned out really well. What a great team  As an overall experience, it was a great time. I got to share a room with Alec, hang out with everybody (including those from other clubs), and best of all have some great races as well as watching everyone else have some great races as well. It was clearly visible that everybody was going out there and giving absolutely 100%, down to the last drop, which is what racing is all about. Speaking of racing here's a little synopsis of the races: First was the team sprint. I felt like it was a great way to get warmed up and ready for the races...