At age 81, diminutive, affable Russian cross-country skier Nina Chizhova guarantees a reporter she’ll add to her collection of medals this week at the Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup Cross-Country Skiing Championships at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre outside of Vernon.
Chizhova, with her Fischer skis rising a foot above her Team Russia toque, tells the reporter she’s been competing at masters events for 14 years – she even points out stamps and markings from previous championships on her skis – and always comes out a winner.
“This year the other person competing against me didn’t come, so this year I’m sure I will win my gold medal because I’m competing alone,” laughed Chizhova through her interpreter, Claudine Brunod, an Italian living in Paris who speaks five languages and has worked as an interpreter at previous Masters World Cup events.
Even though Chizhova is guaranteed a medal, that’s not the reason she came to Canada for the first time from her Moscow home.
“The main thing for us is to come here to meet with people we are getting used to meeting every year at the Masters,” said Chizhova, who served as a race commentator and announcer at the 2005 Masters World Cup in her country.
“It’s not important if we get a medal or not. The main thing is that I meet friends, a lot of friends, competing with me on the tracks.”
The 2011 Sparkling Hill Masters event has drawn nearly 1,200 athletes from 22 countries, making it the fourth largest World Cup in its 30-year history.
Athletes have two days of training before racing events begin Saturday. The official opening ceremonies are set for tonight at Silver Star at 5 p.m.
Richard Langer, 69, from Green Bay, Wisc., mandatory Packers fan and cross-country skier for 40 years, was out for a training ski Thursday morning at Sovereign Lake under cool temperatures and sunny skies.
Langer is competing at the World Masters for the 10th and, likely last, time due to the onset of Parkinson’s disease. He will compete in three classic events.
“I’ve been to Silver Star three times but this is my first time at Sovereign Lake and it’s fantastic,” said Langer, a retired banker accompanied in Vernon by his wife, Ruth. “I’ve had top-15 finishes before and my goal this year is to finish, to ski under the finish banner.”
Dave Rees’ health prevents him from competing, but the Canmore, Alta. resident and five-time Olympian as competitor, coach and trainer, is serving as wax coach for his wife, Jean Bristow.
“It’s a great week,” said Rees, 68, who competed for Canada at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, and who has been to eight Masters World Cups. “We’ve already met so many people we know from other years, it’s like old home week.”
Bristow, 62, is competing in three events. She and Rees, who have been together for 21 years, rent a home with friends at Silver Star every November and “ski their brains out” at Sovereign Lake for six days.
“We got a feel for what the World Cup trails will be like,” said Bristow. “We have no doubt it’s going to be a great event.”
Catharine Pendrel, 30, is competing in her first World Cup cross-country skiing event, but is no stranger to international competition.
The Kamloops resident is the reigning mountain bike series World Cup champion, and finished fourth in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She uses cross-country ski training as off-season cross-training for her cycling career.
“I think this is fantastic,” said Pendrel. “My goal is not to be embarrassed. I’m going to go out and have some fun, and try something new. I have no clue how I am as a skier.”
Athletes will be treated to world-class conditions for the Sparkling Hill Masters, which runs until March 13.
“The conditions are excellent,” said Sovereign Lake general manager Scott Lemon Thursday. “We’ve had a great year for snow, and there’s good, fast snow conditions for the athletes. The temperatures are nice and cool, so everything is working really well.”
The World Cup has close to 400 volunteers.
Racing begins at 9 a.m. from Saturday to Monday and Wednesday to Friday. Racers will take a break from the action Tuesday.
Spectators of the race may leave their vehicles at Silver Star Mountain Resort’s parking lot E and use a free shuttle service to the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre.
