By Jared
Harte – The Aurora
Stephanie Corbett has accomplished many things
in cross-country skiing, and now in Augustana University that she is reaping
the rewards.
The nineteen-year-old Wabush native began her cross-country
skiing career ath the age of five and by age ten she was skiing
competitively. Corbett says she was
immediately taken with the thrill of racing.
“I kind of liked it because I always won and it
got me out of town,” she laughs. “So I’d always go on ski trips and
everything.”
From 1993 to 2002 she enjoyed many first place
finishes and has been a valuable member of the provincial cross-country ski
team. She may have won many medals
locally but her success didn’t just rest there. Over the years she has won medals at the Provincials, Atlantics,
and even three gold medals at the 2002 Easterns in Charlo, New Brunswick.
Corbett also participated in two Canada Games –
The first in Corner Brook in 1999 and the second was in Bathurst-Campbelton
last year. Although both events were
good experiences for the skier, she had different expectations for each one.
“At the first Canada Games I participated in I
was one of the youngest ones there, so just to go was nice,” she said of the
competition. “Last year I placed around
20th, so that wasn’t too bad as there were about 60 racers.”
She hasn’t gotten to where she is by being a
one-sport athlete, in fact she is quite well rounded, being a former member of
the Provinvial Cross Country Running Team and has won MVP for School Varsity
Cross Country Running in 1999 and placed first in the 2000 Regional High School
Competition.
In 2002 she also competed in the Provincial
Cadet Biathlon Competition, which took place in Corner Brook. This was her first year in the competition
but she still ended up finishing in first place in the female division and was
a member of the team, which took top spot in the female division.
Corbett, who is now a second year Bachelor of
Arts student, recently has had her accomplishments recognized by Augustana and
has received an atheletic scholarship of $1332 for Cross-Country Skiing for
this year. This has been a bonus to the
young skier who is already quite pleased with everything the university in
Camrose, Alberta, has already offered.
“It’s one of the only schools to have
scholarships for cross-country skiing,” said Stephanie. “The ski trails are really close to the
school and the coach is one of the best in Canada.”
She wasn’t given an automatic spot on the team
though and she had to try out against other skiers hungry for a spot. She wasn’t too nervous though as she was
confident in her situation even out in the more competitive West.
“The top people (skiers) don’t usually go to
university and I am kind of in the middle,” says Stephanie. “It’s just way better out in the West, there
is way more people and plenty of snow.”
Stephanie made the team but was a little
frustrated at first due to the increased level of competition. It wasn’t long though before she realized
how much it would improve her.
“In Eastern Canada I was always at the top so
it was kind of frustrating going out there and being closer to the end,” says
Stephanie. “But it is still better
because in Nationals I will do better.”
Although she is not winning medals every race,
being on the Augustana team has helped make skiing a bigger part of her
life. Her routine involves practicing
with her coaches twice a week on various skiing techniques and when not
practicing, she is involved in a training program of about 5-16 hours a week,
which involves cardio, strength training and plenty of skiing.
In the off-season there is no break given to
her as her team has to roller ski to keep in form.
Augustana coaches have helped her improve her
technique and taught her how to wax better to increase her overall speed. The best part for Stephanie is that she need
not worry about the cost.
A lot of Stephanie’s work has paid off as she
was part of the second place Augustana team for the Women’s relay at the
Canadian College and University Nordic Championships (CCUNC). Stephanie is also gunning to be part of the
World University Games, which takes place every four years.