CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: 

Athletes train endlessly as they push themselves to the limits in unfamiliar surroundings as they look to turn their Olympic dreams into reality.

For cross country skier Casey Wright this meant packing up her things, making a 12,000 kilometre trip to train and study at the University of Anchorage, Alaska – a move she hopes will set the wheels in motion for her Olympic debut at PyeongChang.

“The training opportunities that Anchorage provides are fantastic,” said the 21-year-old who is majoring in Health Science.

“There is plenty of roller skiing throughout the city and the mountains are only a short drive away for awesome mountain running and skiing. During the winter, trails are located throughout the city, assuming it is a normal snow fall year.”

The move north provided Wright the opportunity for more regular high-level competition and she is loving the experience.

“I am part of a fantastic team. Skiing on a college team is unlike anything I have ever experience before.

“The NCAA season runs from January to March and during that time we have six RMISA races (Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Sporting Association), which is concluded with the NCAA Championships.

“The level of competition on the RMISA circuit is very high with a number of strong European skiers, as well as a number of Americans who are taking podium positions at the race. This level of competition is similar to racing in Europe.”

To get to this stage Wright has already been on an almost 20 year journey.

“I have been cross country skiing for a long time.

“I have basically been on skis since I could walk and racing was just a natural progression. Once I started, I was hooked.”

She made her first international trip in 2012, competing in Europe before lining up at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

Just two years on and she was competing against the world’s best at the 2015 World Championships.

“It was absolutely amazing and I gained a lot of valuable experience.

“First and foremost, it showed me that this is really what I want to be doing and the level of racing that I was to compete at. Skiing in front of over 60,000 screaming fans is something I will never forget.”

With those experiences under her belt she took a well-earned break from the freezing cold and spent the summer at her home-away-from-home as she trained for the upcoming season.

“Having followed winter for nine seasons straight, I decided to spend a summer here in Alaska training with one of the top club teams in the USA.

“It was a very productive summer of training and I feel that I have made some dramatic improvements. I also loved having the opportunity to explore Alaska, especially with the endless daylight.”

While the young speedster’s immediate thoughts are on the upcoming season there is no doubt that her major goal is to make her Olympic debut in 2018.

Wright knows she will have to continue her progression if she is to make PyeongChang.

“I think that I need to improve overall as a skier to help me make the next big jump in my development.

“This comes with spending more hours refining my technique, strength and ensuring that my training is of the highest quality.”

Wright will again compete on the RMISA and NCAA circuit from January, line up in the US Senior National Championships and Spring National Championships and then look to represent Australia at the 2017 World Under 23 Championships in Utah in what will be a massive few months. 

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au