Amanda Ammar

Whistler!!

2012-01-23T09:18:00.009-07:00

2008....that was the last time I was on the podium in an individual race as a senior cross country skier, until a couple weeks ago :) Two weeks ago I competed in three NORAM races held in Whistler, B.C. The first race was a 15km pursuit, which didn`t go as I`d planned, but still brought with it many positives. I felt strong in the first 7.5km, the classic portion, and it was a big confidence boost to be able to ski with the lead pack. The transition went as good as it could of gone, I went in the right box, I put on the right poles, and I didn`t drop anything along the way. It wasn`t the fastest exchange, but I got the job done. It`s been over 3 years since I`ve done a pursuit, and my legs could surely feel it!

The first hill hit me like a ton of bricks. Acid pooled in my legs and before I knew it, little Annika Hicks already caught and dropped my ass! I didn`t even have a chance to fight and stay with her. The skate portion was extremely tough for me, and I fought as hard as I could to stay ahead of the chase pack. In the end I crossed the finish in 8th place. 8th doesn`t seem bad, but the time back on the leaders was around 2mins, and this bummed me out a little. Little being the key word, cause when it comes to ski racing, you have to take what you learned from the day, and quickly move on. I had two more races to go, and was not about to give up!

Saturday was a 1.2km skate sprint. Me and sprinting have an odd relationship, and it seems the harder I try, the further I fall. I took a new approach on Saturday. I went into the qualifier with no nerves, no doubts, and no stress about outcome. Oh! And did I mention it was dumping snow all day?? “YES!!” I love soft sloppy conditions, they totally change up the racing strategy. They change in a way that’s usually beneficial to non-sprinters. The focus becomes more on being smooth and gliding, then the usual powerful aggressive technique.

I skied as best I could in the qualifier and ended up 11^th, only 10secs from the leader! This was a huge improvement from my last skate sprint, where I was almost 30secs back in the qualifier. Being so close in the qualifier gave me a huge boost, and I was super stoked to race the heats. My first heat was pretty stacked, and I tried my hardest to get a good spot right off the start. I hung in the pack in 3^rd place, and on the last uphill I made my move into 2^nd. Going into the stadium I managed to hold off the 3^rd place skier, and advanced to the semifinal. Wooo! No matter what, I was going to be top 12 in a sprint! The semi-final came and went, and I ended up not advancing to the A-final, instead I went into the B-final. Most skiers hate B-finals, and I used to be one of them. Now I’ll just take what I can get! B-final!! Bring it on!! My legs were pretty spent by the last heat, and I managed to finish 10^th overall for the day. Not bad. A season best J

Sprint day was a very exciting/busy/stressful day. On top of all the racing shananigans, I also got to see my best friend/sister that afternoon after I’d raced. I’ve known Gillian since I was a baby. We were next door neighbours in Onoway, and inseperable. I hadn’t seen her in what felt like forever, and it was a real treat that she was able to drive up from Vancouver to see me. Having Gillian there was perfect timing. By the time we ended dinner, I knew this sore throat was a new cold hitting my system. Colds and races don’t really mix, and I knew there was a chance that I wouldn’t be able to race the next morning if I was really sick. Knowing this, my normal mood would usually go pretty sour. Gillian, being the adorable girl she is, could never make that an option. I was just so happy to see her, and it didn’t really bother me to be sick. I got to see my bestie, and no cold could get me down ;)

The day I’d been waiting for finally came, the 10km classic race, and I was sick. Normally I’m not a fan of racing or even training when I’m sick, but I’d been waiting for this race all week and I just couldn’t say no. Surprisingly, my warm-up felt pretty good, and when I hit the start line I was ready to rock!

I started pretty conservative for the first two kilometres, trying to just get a feel of how my body would respond. After a few big climbs, my legs felt fan-fricken-tastic, and I decided to just go for it. I started getting some pretty good splits, which was great to hear, but I knew that there were still plenty of fast Academy girls that hadn’t even started. So I kept trucken along knowing that if I wanted it today, I was going to have to push a lot harder still. Halfway into my second lap I was still getting some great splits, and hadn’t heard anything about Emily Nishikawa or Alysson Marshall. At that point I got a little mad and thought to myself, “Oh great! The only reason I’m doing good today is because Emily and Alysson decided not to race!” It’s funny what goes through the mind while racing. I quickly refocused and finished the rest of my loop. Then came the waiting game. Emily and Alysson did in fact race, and now I just had to hope to not get bumped off the podium. Both of them looked great coming into the finish, but in the end I managed to secure 2^nd place. High Fives!! Big Hugs!!Chest Bumps!!, all that good stuff from my ski friends and family. I knew I was going in the right direction, but didn’t expect to hit the podium this early in the year. A great finish to Whistler!

I’ve now just completed a 3 day mini tour in Canmore. As you

can see, I’m a little behind on the blog updates. More pictures and updates to come!

Happy Trails!

Chris(boyfriend/coach) and me after the race. Chocolate medal and cash! All I could as for ;)

Photo: Jesse Winter

Happy New Year!

2012-01-11T18:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, so let’s start where I left off...in 2011 ;)

November came with snow and great shwag from my biggest sponsor Track n`Trail. Clothing obviously doesn`t make a racer fast, but it sure feels good when you get that new fresh smelling race suit. For me, it was extremely exciting cause it was the last piece of the puzzle, and signified the start of a new race season unlike any I’d ever done previously.

The season started at the Canmore Nordic Center with an Alberta Cup race weekend. For me, I was more than ready to get the racing underway. It had been almost 2 years since I`d last raced, and I had some major ants in my pants!! The weekend proved to be a great improvement compared to last time I raced. I finished 3^rd in the skate sprint. It’s a good day if I`m close to superstar Heidi Widmer in a sprint, so I was happy. The second race was a 10km Classic, which is my kind of race! I ended up 4^th in the race, but was way more excited with this result then the previous day. Being only 27secs from first place finisher and National Team skier Emily Nishikawa, this was by far my best distance result in over 3 years. More importantly, I had fight. I haven’t felt that in a long time.

After the Alberta Cup weekend my boyfriend/Coach Chris Butler and I hopped in the Kia and travelled to Silverstar, the Santa’s village of Canada. This would be my first Noram of the year. Silverstar gives off a great vibe, it’s one of my favourite places in the world to ski, and I have nothing but good memories of the place. The first two Noram races in Silverstar were a classic sprint and classic distance race. I love classic, so this was a great way to start off the Noram series, and my return to the racing world.

The classic sprint was the first race, and went how I`d expected it to go. I`ve never been a strong sprinter, but I always given a good fight in the heats. I like to use sprint races as a warm up for the main event, and for me that`s the distance races.

Sunday finally came, and I was more than pumped to bang out a 10km classic race. Since I haven`t raced in over a year, I had a zero beside my name for points. Which means, in an individual start, I was able to do a full 5km loop before any of the fastest girls started. This actually worked well for me, cause as I was rounding the stadium for my second loop, I tagged on with a fast girl just starting. I got some great splits along the way during the race. I got a `` Your in first place!!`` and a `` Your only 15secs from 3^rd``. In the end I was 10^th overall, and 3^rd Canadian. This was a great race for my first Noram!

After that weekend in Silverstar, Chris and I once again packed up and headed off to Rossland. I hadn’t raced in Rossland since I was 17!! So needless to say, the trails were completely different from the last time I had been there. The sprint and distance courses were super rad, with some great climbing and some fast sweeping corners. The weekend started off with a 1.4km skate sprint. Because it was longer in length, I thought there was a chance that I could do well. I was terribly wrong!! I got my ass handed to me, and when I phoned my dad he just laughed and said “ Ahhh it’s a sprint, you’ve never been good at those.” His blunt honesty was actually just what I needed to get over the race and focus for the next day.

Sunday’s race was a 10km mass start skate race, and I was a pretty nervous. The last time I did a distance skate.....it didn’t end so hot. Actually, it ended with me dropping out due to irregular heart palpitations. And even though that was years ago, when my body was most fried, I still had an uneasy feeling about distance skate races.

The skate race was pretty exciting, and early on I fought my way through the pack to 10^th spot. I was pumped!....until I had an epic crash on one of the downhill’s. Most of the time, I can get out of a crash with only losing 10-15secs max. This time it was more like 45secs, which was way too much of a gap for me to make back up. In the end, my placing was not what I was gunning for but I was still very happy with how I felt while racing. My legs stayed strong, and my heart was well under control.

Now I’m currently in whistler, and so far the skiing has been amazing! I will be competing in a 15km pursuit race, 1.2km skate sprint, and a 10km individual classic race. I’m excited to be racing in Whistler, a great start to 2012! A new year, and another opportunity to race fast and have a blast!!

Ciao for now,

Amanda

Last Year's Snow

2011-10-13T11:10:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm sick.......and it's no surprise to me at all. I fought the good fight, slammed that Cold FX, took extra vit.C and every other vitamin under the sun, but in the end my body did what was right. I need this rest, the last month has been crazy fun, stressful, exciting, and mind blowing! Let me explain :)

The beginning of September brought a change in lifestyle. I went from working 5 days a week, to working 2 days a week. A great change! Giving me more time to train, recover, rest, and just be an athlete.

I started September with a trip to T-Bay. Actually, I started in Canmore, drove to Manitoba with my girlfriends, and then flew to T-Bay. I have finally drove across Saskatchewan, and hopefully I'll never do it again! T-Bay was a great trip. It started with camping with the Butler fam, and ended with a four day intensity block at low altitude. Since I'm in Canmore basically all the time, I forgot how amazing the body feels at low altitude. I felt like I was granted this extra gear, or zone 6 as I like to call it. The intensity block became a Superhero Block. Every workout would end with a higher energy then I started with, and many rounds of high fives.

Eventually Super Hero Block had to end, and Christopher and I flew back to C-Dott. And onto the next exciting challenge.......my 'FUN'draiser!!! It was originally my coworkers idea to do it. I had a hard time committing to the idea. I mean really? Who wouldn't want to fundraise for their dreams???

I decided to go with it, but it was my goal to make it an enjoyable event. Here's what I did :)

- Got a sweet local band to play at the event. The lead singer, Logan Thackray- Canmore local, 17 years old, competitive downhill skier, biggest sweetheart, voice of an angel. Her and the band made the night. It was worth it for people to come to the event just to see her:)

-Got amazing silent auction items that people would actually want. haha! But seriously, we got a bouncy castle donated! A longboard, local artwork, massage and physio packages, nights stay at lodges, a 4.5kg Toblerone, Salomon clothing, spa packages, and of coarse....ski equipment!

- Had free food and non-alcohoic bevy's for all!

- Charged only $3 for drinks!

- And charged 15$ at the door for entry, which I thought was fair.

In the end the event was a huge success, and raised enough money for me to make it through this years racing season.

This fundraiser was a huge boost for me. Obviously the extra money was nice, but the support I received from Canmore, my friends, and family was just unbelievable. I really felt the love, and gained yet another reason to push hard.

And now I'm sick, but that's ok. It happens. There's currently a 3km ski loop being pushed out at the nordic center, using last years buried snow. How lucky are the Canmore locals?!! So for now I'll rest, and give up some room on the crowded ski loop. Happy Trails!

Last 3 Weeks

2011-08-17T12:48:00.005-06:00

The last three weeks have been great! Training has been so smooth, a consistency that makes me more than pumped. Unlike other training years, I have not yet burned myself into the ground, I have not been sick, I am not dealing with a big injury, I am not just 'going through the motions'.

I've been having a lot of fun training hard and pairing that with my job at Rocky Mountain Rehab. They seem to be very complimenting to each other and a great balance to my life.

As per my usual updates, I am not going to write an essay of what I've been doing in training these days. It's simply this......Train Hard, Rest Harder, Work, Eat, Sleep, and I'm having a blast!!

An easy hike, after a weekend of testing. I told "coach" if he makes me do a surprise race up the mountain I'd clock him one!

Anna Schappert, elite mountain bike racer and 2nd overall at Canadian Western Championships, came along for the hike.

This photo is nothing special. What it does show though, is how committed my boyfriend Chris Butler is to my success. In this pic I'm doing legs only up Norquay, and Chris is taking video, playing music, and cheering me the whole way :)

Arms only up Norquay.

And back to legs only.

Easy hike at Jura creek on my rest week.

Hug it out! Me and my mom:)

New swag from Track N' Trail ski shop.

Mountain Bike Nationals!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-18T15:51:00.005-06:00

Last weekend I got the amazingly awesome opportunity to watch and compete in the Canadian Mountain Bike Nationals here in Canmore. On Saturday I got to watch Canada's best mountain bikers rip up the course with their flawless technique and beautifully ripped calves. I also got to watch a few Canmore locals and retired cross country skiers as well. Whistler 2010 Olympian Gordon Jewett was out there, battling it out with the best of them, and keeping it fun to watch.

Since I just started mountain bike racing this year I was competing in the Sport category. I raced on Sunday morning and only did half the distance of the Elite Women, which to me was long enough!!

I got the great company of Rhonda Jewett to up the pressure on the race course. It made for a sweet battle, and an almost skier race feel.

It ended up being a really great day for me and I ended up on top of the podium. My goal was top three, so needless to say I was stoked. I feel like I should add in a gnarly comment, or tell you how I totally shredded out there, but I still don't have the whole biker lingo down pat yet :)

This win hopefully moved me up to the Expert category. I'm excited to move up, but unsure about how I feel about racing more laps ;) I do love to mountain bike race though, and I'm sure longer will just equal more fun!

Next weekend I will be going up to Edmonton to race in the Mountain Bike Kokanee Canada Cup. The race course will be on all the trails that I used to train on when I was 14, so this will definitely be a throwback.

I leave you now with a few photo's from Nationals. Enjoy the sun! Ciao.

Christopher Butler rippin it up!

The Start of my race. Apparently my crappy starting also carries over to mountain biking :)

Bridge Action
Finish! Hug it out.

Podium! Woop!

Iron Workers Local 720

2011-07-12T09:25:00.003-06:00

The great people from Iron Workers Local 720 have chosen to support me once again for the 2011/12 season. The last time they supported me was in 2006/07, and that was a pretty good year ;) I'm hoping their good luck will continue with me for this year.

I am so excited that such a reputable organization has chosen to help out an amateur athlete. Their generosity is a huge energy boost that helps alleviate the financial stress of racing.

Thank-You Local 720 for your continued support!

Can't keep me away

2011-06-28T11:10:00.004-06:00

I have so much to say, that I don't even know where to start. Every athlete has a story, and mine happens to be a big one that I really don't want to get into, cause my fingers are too lazy to type that much.

I enjoy point form. So here it is :)

-Took a year off skiing. My body made that choice.....it was way over cooked.

- Got a job and joined the rest of the world.

- Made new friends that helped me more than they'll ever know.

- Went to Moab and fell in love with mountain biking.

-Mountain biked every day from March to end of September.

- Got wicked biker calves ;) hee hee.

- My competitive spirit got reignited.

- Winter came and I got a craving to do some fun ski races.

- Some how got talked into racing a couple nationals races. Got my first medal as a senior in the team sprint with superstar Annika Hicks.

- Realized I'm not yet done with the sport.

- Inspired by Madaleine Williams, I have decided to come back to skiing on my own. Racing for Track N' Trail ski shop.

Doesn't point form rock?! I must also mention that the support I have been receiving has been unreal. Coming back to the sport on my own is something I am very excited about. I get to make my own rules, and do what feels best for me. Financially this is not easy to do. With the help of my first two big sponsors, Track N' Trail and LifeWorks, I feel that this is only just a start of an exciting year with hopefully more supporters/sponsors to come!

I love skiing and I love the people involved:) Team NINJA(me) is all about having fun and going for it with no regrets. Can't wait to see you all on the trails!

Sweet As!

2009-08-16T22:17:00.006-06:00

August 12th started with a great rollarski at the Nordic center. After lunch, I loaded up my bags and started my journey to winter....aka- New Zealand. Fourteen hours later I somehow skipped August 13th, and arrived at Queenstown, New Zealand on the 14th.
As the plane started to decent through the clouds, I was instantly greeted with endless snowy mountain peaks. At that point my travel patience soon wore off and every second felt like minutes....when are we going to friggen land?!!!!
Finally we landed, loaded up the skis, and began the short drive to the snow farm. As I got into the van I realized that the steering wheel was on the right hand side...a definite first for me. Even more surprising/scary was when I saw that my driver was Mr.Dave Wood. Dave has known to be a little sketchy driving on normal, right hand side roads. I did up my seat belt. Tight. To my surprise, the drive was fine, I actually think Dave may be a better driver in New Zealand. It is opposite down here right?? ;)
The drive up to the snow farm was very slow. The vans that the team rented are pretty ghetto, and it didn't help that the road is unpaved and muddy as hell. I thought for sure that we would be getting out and pushing the vans out of the muddy mess, but they just puttered slowly on until we reached the top.

I'm now a couple days into my 2week camp here and this is what I can tell you so far,

- The Farm is Sweet As!(Kiwi form of Awesome). All meals are catered. Rooms are decent. So many Canadians here...we basically own the place.
-The skiing is Sweet As! haha....annoyed yet??? Over 40km of trails. It's been pretty warm since we've arrived...it's been all klister and hairie skiing so far.

Besides those two points, there's not much more going on up here. And that's why it's so amazing!! Eat.Sleep.Ski. It's a skiers paradise.

I'm going to try to keep updating the blog with photo's. Here are a few that I've taken so far.Me at the Queenstown airport

Ginger Beer...so delicious.
Alex and BrentThe team vans on the drive up to the snow farm. Check out that exhaust!Brittney made a new friend on one of our morning skis.
The Wax roomSnow Farm at duskWinter!!Park fun at WanakaStrolling around the town of Wanaka

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more pics. If ya want to know how the future is, give me a holla!!
Ciao,
Ammar'e

Das Haiggle Ya! (the Haig Glacier Ya ;)

2009-08-11T12:36:00.006-06:00

Thought I would give ya'll a little update before I headed off to New Zealand. Two weeks ago I did a mini camp on the Haig Glacier with my new team, Canmore Nordic Ski Club. It was a great 5 day camp, with 4 days of on snow time. The last couple of years I've done a week up at the glacier, which is always stellar, but doing this mini camp was prime for moi. Let me explain why.
1) Your there for a very short time, so you can just hammer out the hours without worrying about cooking yourself too bad...It's 5 days, so the recovery time is much shorter than a week long camp.
2) Because you there for such a short time, you make every second really count. The focus on good quality training is much higher.
3) I love the glacier, but a week up there is long for me. I go a little stir crazy. It's nice to go in, slay those hours, and then get the hell out!
4) And Finally, Like I said in Numero Uno, a short camp means short recovery time. After a couple easy days I was back to normal training.

Chilled out for a good hour. At this point we were waiting to see if our bags would fly into the haig. Thankfully, our bags flew in and we were able to continue on to the camp.

"Haeeeeyaaaa!"

Three hours done......only 30min's to go!Woop woop! 3.5 hours aint' no thang!

Luckily there was still enough snow left for some sweet boot ski action.

The "A" Team

MacxAmmar!! the best duo ever!This is Beau...he sleeps on a water bed...Fun Fact- he slammed down a can of coconut milk 20minutes before the run out of the haig. I of coarse dared him to do it. Sometimes I wonder about these biathletes......

Great Camp. 5days, 22 hours, ahhhh yeah!

Now I am currently packing for New Zealand. I'll be down there for 2 weeks, and hopefully I'll be able to update ya'll with some sweet pic's.

I thought I would leave you with a little video that has made me giggle to myself for the past 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Ballin on Barrier

2009-06-16T15:40:00.003-06:00

After doing the grueling "oh so fun" Canmore Challenge, I thought it would be nice to take off to Barrier Lake with the fam to do some fishing and paddle-boarding. It was the perfect way to unwind- sunshine, fishing, chilling, and paddle-boarding. Ahhh! gotta love Canmore.Practicing my paddle pose as Dad puts the board on his FJ.
Butler taking the board for a spin on Barrier Lake. Gnarly!

Me taking my beast of a board out for a rip!

This beach babe's out.....later dude's

Rise Against! Rise Against!

2009-06-10T15:21:00.008-06:00

Sometimes a girl's just gotta rock out! So I got my rock on to Rancid and Rise Against this past weekend in Calgary. Here's a few pics to take you through my wicked awesome night.
We were so pumped to get to the concert that there was no such thing as "speed limit"

This police officer reassured us that there, in fact, IS a speed limit....and it cost Jesse. W a few dollars.

But this didn't get us down...We gave that cop a few super finger's and went on our way.

Rancid opened for Rise Against.

Lars getting the crowd pumped up!

Butler and I on the floor. Butler got his mosh on that night, while I got my crowd surf on. Both of us ended the night with a few fresh bruises.

Finally Rise Against took the stage and I was screaming like a teenage girl over Tim McIlrath.

Like I predicted, he got down on one knee and proposed to me.

This was an amazing concert and a night I'll never forget. RISE AGAINST ROCKS!!

Keep on rockin in the free world,
Nanammar

Pure Nipika Enjoyment

2009-06-06T07:52:00.007-06:00

It may not look like I'm having fun.......but like they say- looks can be deceiving.

My Strategy: Look Down....this saves me from A. Not Falling and B. Not seeing the pain that lies ahead.

"Watch out Beardo!!"

"Yeah Buddy!"

Next running race on the calender- The Canmore Challenge. Ahhhh Yeah!

Stay tuned for more pic's of me in pain.

Later!

-Nanammar

Too Much For Twitter

2009-06-01T08:12:00.006-06:00

I thought I could replace my blog with twitter...updating you all with a couple one-liner's every day. Turns out my life is way too awesome for that!! haha.
So where should I start? I don't wanna ramble, so I'm gonna do this update in point form. I want you to actually read this. So here we go!

April
* Really really needed break from skiing. So I did!!
*Visited my Grandma in Burlington, ONT. Struggling with Cancer, I got to hang out with her for a week before she got really sick. This was very sad, but my time with her was so
special.
* Came back to Canmore. Brought out the kid in myself and went tobogganing.......lots and lots of tobogganing with great friends.
*Went home to Onoway with Chris Butler, had an awesome time being an Alberta hick. Did some 5hr quading days, had lots of campfires, hung with my wicked parents, laughed lots!

* Went to Dominican for a week with my best friend/sister Gillian. Known her since I was a baby. Was great to connect with her again and get back to my roots.
* Came back to Canmore, snow still falling. Got in some amazing skiing at the Nordic center, crust skied in K-Country, and enjoyed this snowy spring.
*Ended this month rested and ready to rumble!

My Oh May
*Major decisions made. No longer with the National Team.....where do I go?? After much pondering, decided to go with Canmore Nordic. Why? Because it's an amazing team with extremely supportive parents, and homes my #1 coach- Alain Parent.
* Full of Confidence!! You can't understand how happy I am to work with Alain again. When it comes to training, confidence in your coach is all that matters. I've found this.
* Early ski camp in Silver Star. Short four day camp loaded with lots of on-snow time. Conditions were immaculate! Canmore parents took care of me to the extreme- did all the shopping, cooked breakfast, cooked dinner's, made many amazing bars and cookies. All I had to do was make lunch! Life doesn't get any better than that.
* Bought a paddle board. This may confuse you. But paddle boarding can be done on lakes and river's, not just in the ocean. This is something I find to be extremely relaxing, and not to mention, amazing for the core.
* Flew back to Burlington for my Grandma's Funeral. Although this was an extremely sad time, I got to reconnect with relatives and even meet new family. I love you Grandma!
* Came back to Canmore, did some regular training before heading off to mini camp #2/ Radium Camp. Was three days of fun! Biked to Radium from Johnson's Canyon on friday(4.75hr).Then did the Nipika Crazy Soles Running Race on Saturday. This was an extremely fun running race, all single track with crazy steep cliff's and giant climbs! I recommend every skier do it. Ended the camp on Sunday with some sweet double pole action on the road to Panorama. Fun Fact- the beginning is pretty steep-8%grade.

Today I woke up extremely sore, but I'm also extremely satisfied with this first month of training. It's June 1st today...what will this month have in store for Ammar? I assure you it'll be an adventure. Stay tuned!

Praz De Lys, France

2009-01-23T07:52:00.003-07:00

This was day one at Praz de Lys. The team is staying up at the mountain, and these trails are right out our door! Preparation has already begun for U23 World Championships, and after a disappointing result at the Whistler World Cups, I look forward to having better races here in France.
Training today was a different story compared to the pics above. It's been raining/snowing all day, with a vicious side wind that naturally "exfoliated" my face during my ski today. By the end of my ski I was completely drenched, but happy. The weather is warm, and my hairy skis were dynamite today! Rain or shine- this place rocks.
I wanted to put an update up during the Whistler World Cups, but to be honest- I just wasn't in the bloggin mood. What I do want to say is BIG UPS!! to my teammates. George and Alex stomped it! That was an amazing race to watch, and I was happy to be able to celebrate with my mates. As well as the rest of the team! Everyone looked so strong, it's gonna be a hell of a world championships this year. Yeah Buddy!
On an even crazier note, Frank is coming to France!! And I can't wait!! Having my dad here cheering for me is exactly what I need for these races. My number 1 fan.
Ahhhhh Yeeaaaaaah!

Brrrrrr!

2009-01-02T14:32:00.011-07:00

Today's pursuit race got cancelled due to cold weather. Cold weather and Canmore seem to go together like "peas and carrots". Lets go back two weeks, when I was training here before Christmas and the daily high was -25. This cold weather lasted a good 10 days.

As I was skiing by myself down the banff trail, ridiculously slow, I started thinking about the Pro's and Con's of skiing in Bitchen cold weather.

Here's what I came up with.

PRO's

- Waxing?? Yeah right!! I think I applied grip maybe twice in

ten days. And I had awesome

grip!

- Ski loops take a really long

time. I made a loop that took

1.5hr, where usually it takes

under an hour. 1 loop....and

I'm done my workout!!

- I really get to work on my

classic technique,,since that's

basically all you can do when

its that cold.

- My eyelashes get all frosty,

and I get this sweet

"Snow Ferry"

look. Ahhh Yeah!

- You get a sense of feeling

hardcore. Battling the elements!!

- I'm basically the only crazy out

there skiing, so I get the whole

nordic center trail system to

myself. Mwa Ha Ha!

-Death to that friggen Pine Beetle!!

- I'm training with probably 20lbs

of extra clothes.

When it warms up

and I'm dressing normally again, I feel

like I'm flying!!

CON's

-Skating??? Yeah right!! Glide

is non existent.

-Frostbite! If ya don't dress

appropriately, its

gonna cost ya.

-Intensity and Racing....not gonna happen.

-Brrr! its cold!

So, as you can see from my list, cold weather really isn't that bad. When it comes to training and racing I just think you have to learn how to dress appropriately. That

being said, I thought I would share with you all EXACTLY what I was wearing out there in the freezing cold.

Let's start with a pic of all the clothes I wore.

That's a queen size bed...and my clothes take it all up!

Ammar's Outdoor Wardrobe

- Heart rate monitor and watch

- 1 pair of Homer Simpson Underwear

-1 pink Nike sports bra

-1 pair thick auclair high socks

-1 Craft tank top

-1 Craft long sleeve top

-1 Craft short sleeve top

-1 Craft bottoms

-2 pairs racing bottoms

-1 pair warmup pants

-2 Halti warmup jackets

-1 Halti vest

-1 Sporthill training top

-1 Brooks toque

-2 buffs

-1 pair Adida's sunnies

-1 pair Auclair mittens

-1 Pair salomon boot warmers

- And finally...1 salomon drink belt, for that very important hydration.

So there ya have it. Bundle up! If you don't, cold weather can be completely miserable. If your not into that, then option 2 is always good- huddle up with a cute teammate!

Stay Hot!

-Ammar

My Own Paradise

2008-12-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a long.....long time since I have wrote on my blog. If anyone actually reads this I will be impressed. I'm sure all of you have given up on finding a new update from me, but SURPRISE!! I'm back!!
I don't really know where to start. Let's start with November. For most of the men of skiing, November was "Movember". The month of growing nasty mustaches, and trying to convince all the ladies that they actually look " grown-up and cool".
November for me was about growing up, and realizing how lucky I am. November was the month of emotions for me. For most of the month, my body ran literally on 90% emotion, and the other 10% was the normal boring food, and sleep. It's amazing what the body can operate on. With 2 hours of sleep and a stomach too upset to hold food, I was still waking up in the morning with ton's of energy- hammering out intensity with the highest quality my coach had seen all season. I taught myself how powerful the mind is, and when your able to focus fully it doesn't matter the amount of sleep you got, or what you ate for breakfast....in the short term.
That being said. I knew it was inevitable that my body would crash. For me though, I had no other option. I had to let the emotions run their course, and take advantage of the awesome adrenaline that came with them. I lasted a solid 2 weeks before the fatigue started to settle in. I got that oh so familiar tired feeling that I dealt with all last season, and I immediately put on the brakes.
During this tough time, I was by no means alone. This is when I realized how lucky I am. I have so many great friends! I literally didn't cook a meal for over a week. Everyone kept me busy and took care of me like I was a 3 year old. They kept me smiling, and for me that's the most important. Being Happy.
What gave me the most happiness during this time was training. It was my time. Being by myself, alone, focusing only on the feeling of my skis gliding down the trail. My mind was freed of all the bullshit running through it all other hours of the day. I really love what I do.
I'm so thankful for the month of November. It was by far one of the hardest times of my life, but it allowed me to grow into a stronger person. Most importantly though, something happened. A new fire was lit inside of me, and I am hungry............no.......blood thirsty!!! And I am extremely excited for the future of Ammar!
Stay tuned!
The season has begun, and this blog is gonna be bumpin!

Mammoth Camp Day 3

2008-09-21T17:52:00.000-06:00

I am now at my favorite dry land training camp- Mammoth, California Baby! The altitude is high and the training is sweet. Today Sarah Daich and I went for a long run in the INYO National Forest. Or as I like to call it the "In Your Face National Forest". We did a beautiful 3hr loop and stopped along the way to check out the Devil's Postpile, which is one of the main tourist attractions of this park.

The devils post pile is a dark cliff of hexagonal columns formed by volcanic rock called basalt. It was created by lava flow between 100,000 and 700,000 years ago. The postpile's columns average 2 feet in diameter and many are 60 feet long.

Devils Postpile

Sarah on top of the Devils Postpile. Check out all those hexagonal columns!

For the rest of our workout we were surrounded by the scenic vista views of the eastern sierra Nevada's, with elevations of over 2800 meters. The desert like sandy single track was perfect for running, with little impact to the joints.

Check ya later!

Guess who's back...back again...Ammar's back..tell a friend

2008-09-16T12:05:00.000-06:00

You all probably think that I fell off the face of the earth. Partially true, but the main reason you haven't seen an update in awhile is because I got a bit of a cold. When I get sick, I get extremely upset and grumpy. Believe me, you wouldn't want to read an upset grumpy update. It would terrify you!!

Lets go back a few weeks, before the sickness settled in. September 1-5 was sadly my last Nipika camp of the summer/fall season. Like always, I had a great camp with awesome new training partners from the Callaghan Valley Training Center. I'm so fortunate that the CVTC joined us, because that meant I got some female training partners.

Emily Nishikawa, Bryn Knight, and I shared a cabin. With Bryn not training most afternoons, she immediately became the mother of the house- Doing dish duty, sweeping, and making a fire to keep the cabin warm. Which was a pretty sweet deal for Emily and I.

The camp was full of quality training, and I managed to hold off my cold until the last day. The week after the camp was pretty boring. Trying to rest up like crazy and not get my boyfriend sick were my new goals. It was a tough week for me. Being in a distance relationship with Chris is hard enough, then he finally has time to come out and see me in Canmore and I get sick!! Frustration Station!

By the end of the week I started feeling better, and I had a great time with Chris before he headed back home to Squampton.

Now I'm gearing up for my next camp in Mammoth, CA. I leave thursday(sept.18th) and I promise to keep you updated while I'm down there.

Ciao!

Here's some photos from Nipika.

Team 2010 and CVTC

Double Pole Workout
From left to right: Sam Lindsay, Chris Werrell, Pate Neumann, Sean Crooks, Philip Widmer, and Dave Nighbor.

Striding up Hwy 93 toward Radium

The Boys Cabin at Nipika

My Teamates Are A Bunch Of Animals!!!!

2008-08-08T15:33:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I have way too much time on my hands. The thoughts that are flowing through my mind can be quite funny. This is something that I have given a lot of thought about during my hike up to the glacier every morning, and that thought is- "If each of teammates were an animal, which animal would they be?"
So, here we go! Enjoy,

Chandra Crawford- Polar Bear
I have made Chandra a polar bear for the obvious reason that she is insane when it comes to swimming in extreme cold water. At the Haig I've witnessed her sit in the river for over 5min!! Plus, while she's doing it- she's totally enjoying herself!
Polar bears are also stealth hunters, and the victim is often unaware of the bears presence until the attack is well underway.

Devon Kershaw- Border Collie
Border Collies are highly energetic, and as a result have a tendency towards neurotic or destructive behavior if not given enough to do.
True to their working heritage, they make for very demanding and energetic pets.
Need I say any more?

Sean Crooks- Cheetah
Unique due to its speed and stealth. The Cheetah is designed for extreme bursts of short speed.
With its tan fur with round black spots this gives the cheetah great camouflage. Sean is always trying to camouflage into the town with his many purchases of camo roof racks, clothes, and bandanna's.
<- Baby Sean

Brian Mckeever- Bat
Even though Brian is blind, he usually tends to observe more than the majority of the team. With less than 10percent vision left, Brian is a definite threat to the world cup "Big Guns".

Brittany Webster- Doe
Very elegant and pretty, deer have compact bodies and long powerful legs. They are very selective feeders- usually browsers, and eat vast amounts of fibrous food.
Brittany is so full of energy, it's not often that I see her sit for a meal. It's quite typical to see her on the run with a carrot in her hand.

Brent Mcmurtry- Gorilla
A strong dominant troop leader, the gorilla is the center of attention. His role includes making decisions, mediating conflicts, and taking responsibility for the safety of the group.
When challenged the gorilla will beat his chest, scream, bare teeth, break branches, and then charge forward.
Brent is extremely competitive. If you've ever raced against him or played a friendly game of tennis, then you've seen these "gorilla
qualities" come out.
Ivan Babikov- Pitt Bull
Strong willed and a sturdy companion. The Pitt Bull is loyal to friends, family and friendly to strangers. They generally have lots of energy and a very high predator drive. In order to channel their energy properly, Pitt Bulls need plenty of exercise and stimulation. Without this, it will become bored, frustrated, and destructive.

Philip Widmer- Tiger
The largest and most powerful of all the "big cats." Great bulk and power aside, one of the tiger's most recognizable feature is their beautiful stripped appearance.
It's true, no one can deny it, Phil is gorgeous!

Drew Goldsack- Koala Bear

Koala bears sleep on average 16-18 hours per day. Drew without his sleep can be a very grumpy bear. His grumpiness is usually quite comedic and entertaining for the whole team.
Other than that, the only additional similarity is that Drew just looks cute like a bear.

Perianne Jones- Squirrel

From Peri's "squirrely hands" to the way she jumps into water, there is no reason why she shouldn't be a squirrel.
Squirrels eat a wide variety of plant food including nuts, seeds, fruits, and green vegetation. They are generally quite clever and very persistent.
For as long as I've known Peri she has been a strong, levelheaded athlete. Being a vegetarian(until this year),I would always see her around the race site with a tin can labeled "PEANUTS Yum Yum". Nibbling on peanuts from her tin can used to be how she would get her protein fix for the day.

Dave Nighbor- Sloth
Aside from when Dave is training or racing, he is generally slow moving. Being "on time" has never been Nighbors strong point.
Sloth's, as well as Dave, have a very hard time digesting food. It can take a sloth up to two months to complete digestion.
Aside from all this, Nighbor has always had that
"X" factor that everyone(and the ladies) love.

George Grey- Lion
Just as a lion is king of the jungle, George is the king of our team. He leads by setting a great example of how a champion skier is made. Hard work, dedication, and always a smile on his face. These are just a few of the Lion's many leading qualities.

Alex Harvey- Timber Wolf

A great team player, Alex fits in well with our "wolf pack."
The Timber Wolf is dominate over all the other canine species. It is built for stamina, and is highly adaptable.
Not much more needs to be said. Whether a race be in Canada or in Europe, when it's time to perform, Alex delivers!

Sarah Daich- Mighty Mouse

"Here she comes to win the race!"

Mighty mouse was often portrayed as a ruthless fighter that would dole out a considerable amount of punishment to the bad cats.
Sarah is the Mighty Mouse of sprinting! Her fighter attitude is a force to be reckoned with on the world cup circuit.

Stefan Kuhn- Wolverine(aka The Glutton and the Devil Bear)

After being away from cross country skiing for 3 years, Stef realized he was a glutton for sprint racing.
Like Stef, the Wolverine is remarkably strong for its size. It's aggressive and more powerful than any other animal of similar size, and is capable of bringing down prey 5 times bigger than itself!
When Stef is lined up at the start beside all those big Europeans he doesn't look too threatening. But looks can be very deceiving as Stef has shown with his top 30 world cup sprint results.

Frederick Touchette- Shark
I am still getting to know Fred. What I have found out though is, that aside from skiing, he loves to surf. I also have preceived him to be the strong silent type.
Sharks are solitary hunters that range the ocean in search of prey. The attack is very unpredictable, but when carried out- deadly!!

Sara Renner- Canadian Eskimo Dog

The Canadian Eskimo Dog needs large amounts of exercise and is powerfully built for hard work. It is loyal, tough, brave, intelligent, and alert. They usually can be overly excitable and take pure delight in cold winter weather.
I've never met a more positive person than Sara. Our team is so lucky to have her with us.

Amanda Ammar- Mink

Just so you all know, I did not pick my animal. I got a close friend to pick it so it's fair.
Like me, Mink are very playful and cute!! They can be highly aggressive, and are very active. Most people don't have the knowledge or the patience to properly care for a mink.
For the most part, I am a hyper person. This can be a little overwhelming for people sometimes, but I think that usually I make other's happy and hyper too! Which is what I love to do.
So there you have it! As athletes we all work so hard, and I think its really important to have lots of fun along the way. Writing this Haywood report made me giggle to myself over a dozen times and I hope that it made you laugh too. On top of that, I just wanted to show how much I appreciate my teammates, and how happy I am to be apart of the national team.

I. Love. Nipika.

2008-07-28T14:44:00.000-06:00

Howdy Ya'll!

This year our team is fortunate enough to have three camps at the Nipika Mountain Resort. Thanks to our friend and owner of the resort,Lyle Wilson, who has set our team up with an amazing training environment!
I just got back from Nipika Training Camp #1, and let me tell you, it was awesome! There really are no negatives when it comes to Nipika. It's only an 1.5hr- 1.75hr drive from Canmore towards Radium, nestled in the woods beside the Kootenay River. Environmentally friendly, the lodges at Nipika are run by solar and micro-hydro electricity. I could go on forever about how cool this place is, so instead just check it out yourself(www.nipika.com) and I'll get on to telling you what we did.
This camp was a volume/intensity focused block. We were either doing long distance rollarskiing zone 1, or zone 3 intensity. It was not easy, the zone 3 intensity was always 45min-1hr of continuous work double polling or skating. Even though we worked hard, we still found plenty of time to play hard!!
Team barbeque's at Sara's Cabin, volleyball, boccie ball, cliff jumping, and late night games of poker were just some of the fun activities we did every afternoon.
I had such a great time training, and hanging out with the team. I'm really looking forward to the next two camps at Nipika. Especially the last camp there, cause Team 2009 may be joining us and it's going to be our team against them in the Ultimate Beach Volleyball Game!! They are so going down!

The boys enjoying their dinner out in the evening sun at Nipika.

One of the many beach volleyball games played.

Stef showing off his sweet tan lines.
Howdy Cowboy!Late night poker games.
Nipika's awesome swimming hole, hot tub, and sauna.Sean desperately looks for that Internet signal.The youngest and cutest member of the team. Aria enjoys a big bowl of oatmeal at breakfast.

Back From Haig Glacier

2008-07-08T10:43:00.000-06:00

HeyOh!

I'm back from the mountain top, full of energy, from a very productive week of skiing and training. The Haig is such a funny camp cause it is always a high volume training week(20-25hrs) at high altitude. Still, I always come out of this camp with more energy than I went in with.
This is probably due to the "no distraction" factor, and the amazing staff that takes care of us as if we were babies. Joel Knoff and Jody made this Haig camp the BEST EVER! Usually with just one of them up there its a great camp, but the two of them together opened up a whole new "WOW" that I didn't know the Haig could be.
We had pretty brutal weather on this camp. Overcast, rain, rain, more rain made for very soft slushy conditions- which sucks, but it is also what our team needs to ski in. With the increase in global warming, it's rare that we ever race on cold, hard pack snow conditions anyway.
All this rain and slush aside, we were having a great time because with training comes eating- and we ate like kings! No joke. We visited many countries in our dinners. Italy, Mexico, and India were in the lineup, but my favorites were Lebanon, and Japan.
The Lebanese dinner was amazing! Rice wrapped in grape vine leaves, grilled pork kabob, and a layered phylo pastry with cheese and veggies. So delish!!
Japanese night was even better. Making our own sushi rolls brought the whole team together. Spicy smoked salmon rolls with tempura asparagus, and tempura shrimp rolls were just some of the delicousness that the team made. Accompanying this was miso soup, salad, and an awesome peanut spinach concoction that Jody made. Hungry yet?? While we were making the sushi, Phil made a roll with a bit of kick hidden in the middle. When I say kick, I mean a big glob of wasabi. We placed the roll with the rest and watched as Ivan picked up the death roll and put it on his dinner plate. Phil had a hard time containing the laughter as Ivan got closer and closer to downing the "special roll." When Ivan finally got to it, there was a delayed response and I was about to be disappointed- but then the tears came and so did the panic for water. Ahhhh. Good times.
Overall I had a great time training and bonding with my teammates over food and annoying monopoly games.
This week is a rest/intensity week, and I actually get to partake in the intensity fun!! I haven't done any z3/z4 intensity for over two months- so I am really really excited to feel some pain!
Friggen Giv'er,
Nanammar

Let's get it started

2008-07-01T20:41:00.000-06:00

Wow! I have a blog!

This will be the sweetest blog ever because now I'll be able to keep you all updated with what's going on in the life of Ammar.