Hicks dedication leads to breakout season

Cross-country skier Annika Hicks has had a litany of reasons to quit the sport.

She’s a late bloomer.

She hasn’t spent enough time on skis to build the required endurance.

She’s too short.

Today, however, the 19-year-old junior racer stands as one of the nation’s top young skiers and is a multi-medal threat at the upcoming Haywood Ski Nationals in Canmore from March 11 to 19.

“It’s a passion. I just love the sport and I love the thrill of learning what I can do,” Hicks said.

This season has been a break-through for Hicks. She competed in her first world junior championships in Otepaa, Estonia, placing 31st in the 10-km pursuit after earlier disappointing results.

To qualify for the world juniors, she solidified her standing as one of the country’s best with top three results at the National races in Thunder Bay, ON and the Eastern Championships in Quebec last weekend.

She placed first in the 15-km classic in the Eastern Championships and is improving her classic technique to accompany her stellar skate stride.

“I now feel like I’m one of the girls to look out for,” Hicks said. “I’m racing a lot smarter and I know myself a lot better.”

Success was hard-fought for the petite racer. She moved to Canmore with her family when she was 10 from Ottawa, where she was a competitive gymnast and alpine skier. She joined the Banff Alpine Racers when she was 13, but two years later switched to cross-country, and struggled to catch up with other racers in her age group. She joined Canmore Nordic Ski Club and went to work.

“It was discouraging originally, but now she’s more driven than anybody,” said Canmore Nordic Ski club coach Alain Parent. “She’s very driven and committed to her training. Even though she started later than most, she is very professional and committed to the sport.”

She joined the Alberta World Cup Academy after high school and under the tutelage of Mike Cavaliere, she developed into a strong long distance skier, preferring longer 20-km races as opposed to short sprints. Frequently, she can be found patrolling the Meadowview trail at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

“I’ve been training consistently for the last two years, building a good base. My endurance is better and I feel much stronger in the races. It used to be painful to keep up with the best. Now I feel like I can attack.”

Her endurance and remarkable cardio strength keeps her at the top of the training pack, as work ethic has always been a forte.

Dedicated to the sport, she’s also taking a psychology course through Athabasca University, and can be seen around town walking her collie/lab cross Sophie. Her discipline has allowed her to succeed, as she’s done well with the sacrifices required to become an elite athlete.

“She’s progressing nicely. This weekend in her weakest discipline, she placed fourth,” Cavaliere said.

Although she’s five-feet tall, her coaches see her height as an advantage.

“There are many role models she can look to. Stephania Belmondo (10 time Olympic medallist skiing for Italy) is very similar physically, and someone she keeps in mind.” Parent said.

“Being small isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You just have to be strong. I don’t see it as a disadvantage. She can move almost twice her body weight in the gym,” Cavaliere said.

Before skiing at nationals in her home town, she’ll represent Alberta at the Canada Winter Games with her first race on Monday (Feb. 21). However, her top goal is the Olympic games. While 2014 may be a long shot, Hicks knows where she wants to be in 2018.

“I’d like to make the Olympics eventually. Next year I move up to seniors and compete against the national team members, so it will be tough,” she said.

Her coaches believe it’s an attainable goal.

“At the rate she’s progressing now, it’s a realistic goal. Her attitude matches her goal and she has the personality to be a really good skier,” Parent said.

“It becomes time and how much time she can put into it. She has the qualities and she has a good personality,” Cavaliere said. “Most academy athletes get to train two or three times a week. She’s out there six times a week, sometimes twice a day.”

Racing on her home course at the nationals will be an advantage, and there’s no sign she’ll slow down anytime soon.

Her advice for young racers also faced with obstacles: “Anything is possible. Expect the unexpected.”