I am very proud of the eight STANSKI athletes who qualified to participate in the 2010 Alberta Winter Games to be held in Bonnyville, Feb. 4 to 7.
I was also very impressed with the STANSKI team members who participated in the ski demonstration event during the Olympic Torch Relay festivities downtown. Some of these athletes started skiing this season and have made tremendous improvements within a very short period of time.
STANSKI youth have trained hard to improve their cross-country ski skills within a significantly reduced training area. Despite the generous support of the City of St. Albert to develop ski trails within city boundaries, the loss of the River Lot 56 trails leaves STANSKI athletes with considerably less groomed trail to train on. The current state of the trails in River Lot 56 is not adequate for novice skiers to learn balance and skiing techniques. Nor are the trails adequate to hone competitive skiing techniques or race strategy. Athletes do not have access to hills to further develop cardiovascular strength and stamina, or practice the techniques of hill climbing, snowplow or high-speed step turns. Consider the effect that closing an arena would have on hockey and figure skating athletes or the effect closing the Fountain Park lane pool would have on competitive swimming and triathlon training. This is what our young cross-country ski athletes contend with while they compete in their chosen sport. The athletes representing our area in the Canadian 2012 Special Olympics and 2011 Alberta 55-Plus Winter Games face the same training disadvantage.
STANSKI recently hosted Canadian Olympic Gold medallist Beckie Scott to run a northern Alberta provincial training camp. Scott delivered an inspirational speech on the pursuit of excellence, fair play and a love of the outdoors. She also spoke about supporting youth through the Right To Play program. Scott grew up skiing on groomed tails in a natural setting outside of her hometown of Vermilion. Until recently, STANSKI youth enjoyed a similar experience. This fall the River Lot Natural Area Society made a unilateral decision to install a steel fence and two signs intentionally impeding access and use of the lower river lot. Training for STANSKI athletes has been negatively affected as a result.
Sandra Sveinunggaard, St. Albert
