George Grey is a member of the Canadian National Program's Team 2006. He was on the 2003 Canadian World Championship Team and was the second Canadian overall in last year's Continental Cup.
Favorite place to race?
Valcartier, Quebec.
Favorite place to train (skiing
or dryland)?
Park City, Utah.
Why do you enjoy being a ski racer? What part of being a ski racer don't
you enjoy?
I seem to crave the pain of a hard session of intervals or racing.
I also need to find out where my ability can take me. I don't enjoy packing
and unpacking or constantly trying to maintain health through the long race
season.
If you weren't a ski racer, what would you be doing?
Probably sitting
behind a desk wondering when the day will be over and thinking up ingenious
ways to swindle money from the company.
What is one of you favorite non-skiing accomplishments?
Finally pulling off the elusive jibe on the windsurfer down in Oregon.
What do you do to pass the time when you are on the road at races and training
camps?
Race remote controlled cars, read, stretch, get out of the building and gawk
at the blondes in Oslo, Norway.
What were your best and worst races last season? Val di Fiemme, World
Champs 15km individual classic. I skied with the winner, Axel Teichman, for
4km and lost only 2:15 by the finish. Worst – Hommenkollen. the skies
opened up and I ran home for 8km on 4 inches of snow trying to avoid twisting
my ankles while running dangerously low on glycogen.
How do you deal with bad races?
Learn from my mistakes and make sure I do a better and more complete job the
next time the situation occurs.
What are your racing goals for the upcoming season?
Top 30 at World Cup, Top 3 overall continental cup and aggregate National Champion.
How do you feel about the changes in race format over the past few years?
The changes may not suit what I was used to but I will change and accommodate
to the new formats. I enjoy the mass starts but there is work that I need
to complete to be competitive in the fields. As far as the skiathalon
goes, I like the transition and think it will be a good race for me in the future.
What is your take on the issue of doping in cross country ski racing these
days?
It burns my ass that when the sport becomes tough many of the competitors
resort to drugs instead of mental toughness. What good is it if your are
the best in the world if you are doped. You can't fool yourself!
I just hope that before my time is up, I will get an even playing field.
Otherwise the dopers will just have to be beaten by the clean North Americans.
What changes will you be making to your training plan for this year?
Some adjustments to technique to make the movement more efficient and precise.
Less bulk building strength and creative interval sessions.
How many time-trials on foot and rollerskis did you do last summer and fall
did you do and how long were they?
In the neighborhood of 15 between 12 and 25 minutes.
Do you have a favorite interval workout?
Skibounding takes the most out of me and therefore I want to get tougher at
them so BRING EM' ON!
What was your most memorable workout(s) last year?
Time trial at Soldier Hollow around the rollerski loop. I did 4 laps chasing
Justin Wadsworth. Being able to train with an accomplished athlete
like Justin gives new training ideas and motivation.
If you had to eat lunch at a fast-food restaurant, where would you go and
what would you order? MacDonalds non-stop cheese burgers with a wheel barrow
of fries. Oh and don't forget the milkshakes.
Can you give us a single piece of advice for aspiring Junior skiers?
Be tough and don't worry what others are accomplishing. Train for yourself
each day and the rewards will show in due time!
How about some advice for Masters skiers?
Your not getting any younger so your going to have to work harder 😉
