Under 23 Questions: Alexandra Racine

Alexandra Racine (Club de ski du Mont Orford) having fun in Praz-de-Lys, France, last month before 2018 Junior World Championships in Switzerland. (Photo: Catherine Reed-Métayer)

In an effort to showcase the North Americans who competed at last week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 18-year-old Alexandra Racine, of the Club de ski du Mont Orford, who represented Canada at her first Junior Worlds.

Last week in Goms, Racine raced to 51st in the 10 k skiathlon and 69th in the freestyle sprint.

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“My full name is Alexandra, but you can call me Rex.

I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, and I learned to ski at 11 years old.

Alexandra Racine (Club de ski du Mont Orford) racing at last month’s NorAm Junior Worlds trials at Mont Saint-Anne in Quebec. (Photo: Michèle Carrière)

I spent the time between Mont Sainte-Anne trials and Junior/U23 Worlds in Praz-de-Lys, France, eating cheese and shredding the alpine tracks.

The hardest workout I did in the last training year to prepare for this was the 10-minute Poma ride and 5-minute downhill with my Canadian friends.

This is my first time in Switzerland and first time racing internationally, and so far it’s been a whole new experience.

One difference I’ve noticed between Switzerland and Canada is that having four official languages is a lot more confusing than having only two.

Skiing and racing in the Alps is pretty dang hard but also very beautiful. Usually racing at altitude is not that good for me because the air is less thick than back home. There are (blank) mountains around where I live.

One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior/U23 Worlds in Goms is getting to wear the Canadian suit in races.

One race I’m especially targeting there is the 6 a.m. warm-up jog.

I really hope I can chat/make friends with someone from Russia and ask them if they miss the Kobaldof’s sauna (with Gilles as the sauna master).

My favorite thing at the breakfast where we are staying is the mini breakfast sausages.(But really I’m missing Loïc’s breakfasts at Le Taconet.)

Fondue is mysterious. The cheese here is smelly but fancy. And the chocolate is my favorite thing to buy.

If I had a totally free day here and didn’t have to worry about race fitness or training, I’d spend it in the mountains, with skis on my feet.

The best way to follow me on social media is on Instagram @alexeroot.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeqxNGCliCJ/?taken-by=alexeroot