My Nationals Experience

My Natio nals E xper ie nce

"Maya Abr aham, 15, was t he Nelson Nordic Sk i Team’s sole representative at this year’s Canadian Cross Country National Championships in Whistler. Maya, who trains very hard year-round, performed characteristically well, placing fi fth overall among U16 Girls in her Interval Start Free Technique race, and fi nishing less than one second off the podium. This is her story of her trip to Whistler and what she learned from the experience. Maya was also named to the 2023 provincial Deve lopment Squad. Congrat ulations, Maya! We are very proud of you!"

Nelson Nordic Ski Club

From the moment we arrived at the trails to the very last time I looked at them, it felt like each and every one of the people there were part of something special, something that all of us will remember for a very long time. I experienced many new elements of our sport at Nationals, things I have never felt before, and that are now integrated into every race I will do in the future.

My races at Nationals started off on a high, getting fi fth place, something I had not been expecting, before immediately crashing to an all-time low on the second day after a big fall (in the Interval Start Classic Technique race). Regardless of the placing however, each race taught me something new. I learned the importance of managing my nerves, expectations, and mindset before, during, and after a race. I learned how to be happy for others even when I was having a terrible day, and how to be a good friend to someone going through the same thing.

The fi rst race taught me not to underestimate my abilities, because I could surprise myself at any moment. It also taught me that visualizing my course can be a superpower, because when I raced through that course, it felt like I had skied it a million times before, and I felt like I had wings on my skis.

After the joy of the fi rst day, the second day took me down a notch. But sometimes, failure can teach you the most about racing. The Classic race taught me the importance of pacing, and of keeping a positive mindset throughout a race, no matter what happens. With negative thoughts and feelings of stress, your performance spirals until there is no hope for saving your race. After my crash, I felt stressed and angry, and then continued on to gasp and barely drag myself up the hills, which I had glided up with ease just one lap before. But I was proud of the way I collected myself to race again while keeping these important lessons in the back of my mind.

Day 3 was a sprint day (Classic Sprint Heats), and I learned the power of recovery and of having a team that day. My qualifi er was fast, and I felt exceptionally happy, because improving on my sprinting was my season’s goal, and it had been achieved. Then, there was an intermission that lasted several hours. Unfortunately, I felt too busy to make the proper recovery choices that would dictate the day’s future races. I ate little and drank even less. I walked around instead of putting my feet against a wall and relaxing, and then I did a forty-fi ve minute warmup which completely burned up all my energy. By the time my fi rst heat rolled around, I was exhausted.

But then I saw Teslin, Tara and Andrew waving madly in

2022 National Championships Whistler, B.C.