New Elevate Me! Athlete Ambassador

December 17, 2009 by SarahD · Leave a Comment 

Hi, I am Sarah and I’m training for international competition in cross country skiing. I’ve been training for many years and often find good quality snacks hard to come by.  When I was first introduced to Elevate Me back in 2007 while training at Lake Louise, I was thrilled because I finally found a bar that could get me through five hour workouts without making me feel like throwing up!

 I am full time cross country ski athlete, which involves training twice a day, six days a week, eleven months of the year.  I currently reside in Canmore in order to have access to the top training facilities and coaches.  I maintain a rigorous training regime of 650 hours a year and travel to over 20 races throughout the winter.  I spend a lot of my time training and racing in ski competitions all over Canada, and the US and sometimes in Europe and Asia.  Sport is a big part of my life.  But sport can’t be all of life, so I also earned a degree from the University of Calgary in International Relations and Development Studies.  Since I graduated from University, in my time between workouts, I practise yoga and am working on a course in creative writing.

 I grew up in the Northwest Territories of Canada, in a small and isolated community called Fort Smith, near Wood Buffalo National Park.  Throughout school, I played many sports: soccer, volleyball, track and field.  My main sport was cross country skiing.  I went on to compete, as it provided a wonderful opportunity to travel and meet like minded young people from outside of my small town.  Training was often a challenge, as the weather was bitterly cold, the winters were mostly dark, and I trained alone on trails that were only groomed occasionally.  I was driven to improve and loved being outdoors.  I started off competing in Arctic Winter Games, I moved on to become a medallist at Canada Winter Games and at the Junior National Championships.  I competed for Canada at the World Junior Championships in 1999.  I was one of two women representing Canada at the Under 23 World Championships.  I was the first NWT skier since the four time Olympians, Sharon and Shirley Firth, to represent Canada at a Nordic World Championship, while in Sapporo, Japan in February 2007. 

 As a member of the Esteem Team role model program, I encourage youth to pursue a healthy lifestyle and follow their dreams.  I am also an ambassador for the non-profit Fast and Female, which seeks to empower girls through sport, and volunteer for the organization at events throughout the year.  I am now a full time athlete.   My goal is to qualify for the 2010 Olympics and 2010 World Cup competition. 

 Highlights of my racing career include qualifying for the 2008 Canmore World Cup with a convincing Nor Am victory in December 2007.  I placed 19th out of 60 competitors from 21 nations at the Canmore freestyle sprint World Cup in January 2008.  This was my first World Cup appearance and my strong result qualified me for a six nation European World Cup tour with the Canadian Team.  I finished the season ranking 2nd in the final standings for the Canadian season long sprint series and I was named to the National Ski Team in 2008-2009. 

My proudest achievement in skiing is not the medals or the placings I have earned but the discipline I have learned that is required to train at this level and constantly push myself to improve.  My dedication to sport has been tested with a number of health problems and injuries.  I have undergone two surgeries on my legs, the most recent one in March 2009.  My ability to persevere through these challenges makes me confident that the lessons learned through sport will be of great value in the rest of my life.  My passion for sport comes from the challenge of always finding new ways to improve, and seeing how the confidence fostered from sport can change the lives of young people. 

My next race is the Canadian Olympic Trials December 19-22, 2009.  I’m in the middle of working on my goals of reaching the 2010 Olympics and World Cup competitions.  I look forward to keeping you all up to date on my goals, and training and stories from the road.  Training is something I’ve come to love and hope you too find the sport that drives your passion.

Until next time,

 

Sarah Daitch

Road to Vancouver 2010

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Canadian Junior Elite Triathlete

November 13, 2009 by Alison · Leave a Comment 

Hi, this is Alison and I am a Canadian Junior Elite Triathlete. I’ve been training for many years and often find good quality snacks hard to come by. When I was first introduced to Elevate Me back in early last year through one of my dad’s business partners I was excited and relieved because I finally found a bar that used whole foods and actually tasted good!

So what do I do? I swim, I bike and I run. However I also go to school, do yoga, lift weights, follow a proper nutritional diet and somehow manage to fit in time for fun and friends. Not saying that training isn’t fun, it is very fun and fun is partially what motivates me to train over 24 hours a week. This is just a quick summary of my life and it may sound crazy but with the right planning and drive anything is possible. How do I know this? Well because in one short year of training for the sport of triathlon I’ve gone from being a total Rookie to Junior National Champion to Canada Games Champion to 6th at Junior World Championships. A lot of hard and painful work was required but just putting in the hours doesn’t cut it. Believing in yourself and in what you’re trying to accomplish is key to any success. I have to admit I never believed I could even qualify for World Championships let alone place top 6. However, I did believe in myself, hard training and busy lifestyle regimen …and look what happened.

Starting the sport of Junior Triathlon racing at a later age than most (16, now 17) I had to motivate myself not to get discouraged by the fact that younger more experience athletes were ahead of me in many areas. I focused on my individual goals, such as learning how to properly corner while cycling. The simplest of things were what I struggled with the most. I just wanted to be out working hard on my bike with my teammates. But along with motivation you really need a lot of patience, which to tell you the truth I lack! My coach pushed me at my own pace and eventually I was out working hard on my bike with the other girls and I was even keeping up with them. The rest is history.

So I guess if I could sum up this post I would say the motivation of just doing my best is what pushed me through countless obstacles on my way to success.
My next race is in Mexico to qualify for Junior Olympics in Singapore, however this race isn’t until April and I am kind of in off season at the moment. I’m in the middle of working on my goals of reaching ultimately reaching the podium in the 2010 Junior Worlds in Hungary. I look forward to keeping you all up to date on my goals, and training and stories from the road. Training is something I’ve come to love and hope you too find the sport that drives your passion.

Until next time,
Alison Hooper
Junior Elite Triathlete
alisonhooper@blogspot.com

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