Canadian Beckie Scott recently received an upgrade to an Olympic Silver Medal for her performance at the women’s pursuit race at the 2002 Olympics. A decision regarding a possible upgrade to Gold will be made soon.
At the 2003 World Championship Beckie was the first North American ever to score four top ten results in the same Championship. She was inches from medaling in the sprint, a few seconds in the pursuit and had a break-through top ten in “her least favorite event†the 30K skate race.
A good summer and great fall training including more attention paid to tactical skills and improving her sprint has made Beckie anxious to “get it on†with World Cup racing.
At the moment she is training in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Canadian team has decided to skip the Scandinavian regular World Cup opener and rather meet the World at high altitude in Dobbiaco, Italy on December 6.
A 15 km skate mass-start is on the program that day and a two person sprint relay the following day.
High training volume, a few races in Fairbanks and a final training camp at Silver Star is on the agenda before departure for Europe at the end of November. The name of the game until then is patience.
, but<br />
it was still a great celebration.â€<br />
 <br />
<b>After the Olympics and your successes the last few years, do you feel<br />
that you and the sport is receiving more (or enough) notice and recognition?<br />
Compared to Europe?</b></p>
<p>â€Â I definitely feel that I got my share of notice and recognition in Canada<br />
as the media has stayed very interested in this story throughout the past 18<br />
months. There were times I sometimes wished they were less interested! But<br />
definitely the profile of our sport has grown and been given a great boost,<br />
especially from where it was. ”</p>
<p>We are still behind far behind Europe though in comparison and the sport just<br />
doesn't get the respect that it does over there.â€<br />
 <br />
<b>You were inches from winning some very big races last year (Val Di<br />
Fiemme for example)? Have you focused on anything special to be able to gain<br />
those few extra inches in the finish sprints this year?</b></p>
<p>â€I have done a little more intensity, and a little more sprint specific work<br />
than I did last year. Some work with cornering, bringing tactics into play,<br />
etc, and I also incorporated a little more “max” strength into my normal<br />
routine.â€<br />
 <br />
<b>Have you trained more than last year (or less, or differently)? What<br />
is your yearly training volume?</b></p>
<p>“I ended up training a little differently this year because I started a bit<br />
later than normal due to travel, etc. I also didn't do very much 'on snow'<br />
training at all this summer/fall. I have done more intensity, but I think I<br />
have probably trained approximately the same hours as last year, maybe a few<br />
more, and my yearly training volume will be around 700 hours this yearâ€.<br />
 <br />
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