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Sport school gives ski racer a head start

Jordan Bax didn't know it when his parents got him into cross-country skiing at age 5, but they were opening the door for what would later become his obsession. He got bitten by the racing bug and the venom never left him.
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Jordan Bax

Jordan Bax didn't know it when his parents got him into cross-country skiing at age 5, but they were opening the door for what would later become his obsession.

He got bitten by the racing bug and the venom never left him. Now, 10 years later, he's rubbing shoulders with some of the city's best athletes.

As a student at the Canadian Sport School, a PacificSport Northern B.C. program based at the Northern Sport Centre for promising athletes aged 14 to 17, the 15-year-old Bax is learning what it takes to excel in sports from his classmates, all of whom have been identified as potential provincial- and national-team athletes.

During the week, he attends morning Grade 10 classes at D.P. Todd secondary school, then moves to the UNBC campus for afternoon classes and training sessions at the Northern Sport Centre. The students have access to weight training and gym facilities, testing equipment and professional trainers Ann Holmes, Tracie Albiser and Brian Finness. While they're in the classroom at the NSC, a qualified School District 57 teacher is on hand to help. The advantage of the Sport School is it gives students more flexibility with their school schedules so they can attend competitions.

At the Sport School, Bax is learning about nutrition, strength and conditioning, mental training, and even how to talk to the media. He's also realized the importance of having a rest day to recuperate, one aspect of training he didn't take seriously before whenever his mom Carolyn suggested it. He's six weeks into his first year at the school and likes what he's seen.

"So far it's super sweet because each athlete in their sport has a different plan," said Bax. "We train four days a week Monday to Thursday and we have track workouts and weights. Some days we focus on being explosive and a lot of days we focus more on your balance. In the lectures they go through goal-setting and I enjoy learning that - it's interesting."

His classmates at the Sport School compete in badminton, snowboarding, hockey, figure skating, judo, basketball, biathlon and gymnastics and each one has a different training plan which corresponds to his or her chosen sport.

"The badminton players are super-quick and it's fun to train with them - you get your butt kicked," Bax laughed.

As a member of Cross County B.C.'s development team, Bax was out on the snowy slopes of Otway Nordic Centre Saturday morning running with the rest of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club racing team in a fun race for chocolate bars. If this past weekend's snow is any indication, the local ski season isn't far away. Last year, the trails at Otway weren't covered until mid-December.

Bax tried biathlon for a year at the Caledonia club but found he prefers cross-country racing. He trains at the Sport School with cross-country skiers Cole Turner and Danica Fiala and biathletes Logan Sherba and Ryan Elden. Bax has a background in running at the Prince George Track and Field Club and specializes in distance events. He also helps coach younger kids in track and field.

In November, Bax and Turner, a Williams Lake skier who just moved to Prince George, will attend a development team camp at Whistler to prepare for the first race weekend of the season, the Haywood Nor-Am events, Dec. 10-11 in Vernon.

"If you're on the team you get to go to more training camps and you train with the provincial coaches and the B.C. team and that puts it into perspective what you need to do to be at that level," said Bax, who worked his way through the Caledonia Jackrabbits program and is now in his third season of competitive ski racing.

"I love competing and seeing how I compare with the other guys. When you do super-good and you know what you're eating and how you've been training is working, that feels really good."

Bax also races in high school cross-country running events and was back at Otway Sunday morning for the third race of the season, finishing second overall in the boys division behind Bazil Spencer of Quesnel. Bax plans to compete in the zone championships Saturday in Quesnel.