This is pretty exciting stuff. SkiHere.ca’s Adopt-a-Skier, Molly-Jane Strum is having a lot of success on the racing circuit. It’s terrific to be able to follow the exploits of such a promising young skier. Molly-Jane is 13 and in the midget girls category, which is girls 13 and 14 years of age. (When you read “98 girls,” it’s referring to her year of birth.)
February, a month to learn new things
by Molly-Jane Strum
- SkiHere.ca’s Adopt-a-Skier, Molly-Jane Strum
One of things I really like about ski racing is that it is fun. Fun like when you travel on a bus with your friends for 8-12 hours to get to Kelowna. Fun like when you go really fast in a skating sprint. Fun like when you stay in a hotel with your friends and not your parents.
One of the best parts of February was going to Western Canadian Championships in Kelowna. There were three races – the first was a skating sprint. I really wanted to finish top three in the qualification, but I ended up coming 7th out of 42 girls so I was happy with my race. I was 2nd out of the 98 girls. I learned how important it is to choose the right starting lane. I found myself having thought I chose the best lane, but as it turned out I think I had chosen the worst lane as I got boxed out on the first corner, just like what happened to Beckie in the 2006 skate sprint finals at the Olympics. Oh well, it was a good learning opportunity.
My next race was a 2.5km classic individual start. Here I finished 5th overall out of 45 girls and the 2nd fastest 98 girl (edged out of 1st by 8 tenths of a second). I realized that 8 tenths of a second is about 15cm in distance. Wow, that’s close. I learned that I really have to push myself to go as fast as I can and that every centimetre counts. This was my best classic race of the season, so far. I am really proud of my effort.
My last race at westerns was a 5km skate mass start. This was my very first 5km race. I felt a little nervous about racing this distance. But when I got going I realized that I have the fitness to ski the whole thing as fast as I wanted. I guess all of that training pays off. It was really fun because I raced with two of my best ski friends for the whole race and right to the finishing stretch I had to sprint to edge out my friend for 2nd place in the 98 girls category. I ended up 3rd out of all of the midget girls. I won a really nice medal. They gave out an aggregate award for the 98 girls and I won the 2nd place prize. Four 2nd places in one weekend. Pretty awesome! Westerns was my big race of the season. Next month I will be racing in the Alberta Cup race in Canmore and the wrap up to the Bow Corridor race series.
Loving skiing,
MJS
