Alexander Maycock will make 2nd appearance at world games

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

Noted local cross country skier, Alexander Maycock, will represent Canada at the 2021 FISU World University Games in Lucerne, Switzerland from January 21 to 31, 2021.

The Nipissing University student is one member of the cross country ski team of 12 skiers chosen to represent the nation at the games.

The team has six male and six female skiers. Team Canada has a total of 150 athletes and 40 support staff who will be competing in a variety of sports.

“I am excited for the incredible opportunity to represent Canada at the FISU Games,” Alexander said. “It is a true honour to represent my country and university at the international level and I'm very grateful for this opportunity.”

The FISU World University Games are the largest multi-sport games next to the Olympics.

Athletes will compete for 76 sets of awards in 11 sports including Alpine skiing, bandy, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, short track, ski orienteering, and snowboarding.

The games are held every two years.

Keeping in shape for a sport that is limited to a few short months during the winter means Alexander must do a lot of dry land training both during the off-season and when he is competing.

He also has the advantage of training right at school. Nipissing University has a cross-country track on campus.

There's no slacking allowed in this sport. To secure a place on the national team, the qualifying committee takes your best results from the previous year to determine who makes the national team, so you have to put out your best effort every time.

This will be Alexander's second trip to the event. He competed in the 2019 Games in Russia and is one of only two returning members of Team Canada.

He said that the experience of his first time competing will give him a mental edge for the upcoming Games.

“You learn a lot the first time you go to the Games. You learn the culture and you're prepared mentally. The second time you have more experience and more confidence.”

Alexander competes in the 1.5 km sprint, the 10 km race, and the grueling 30 km event. The 30 km event takes around 75 minutes to finish.

He said his favourite race is the sprint.

Competing in Europe is quite a bit different from racing in North America. The skiing culture is popular in the Nordic countries and during the FISU Games the course is lined with thousands of spectators cheering, ringing bells, and making a lot of noise.

It is an atmosphere, Alexander said, that encourages athletes to give their best effort on the track.

Despite the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, the 2021 FISU World University Games organizing committee is planning as if the event will indeed take place.

The summer and winter FISU World University games are the largest global sports events for student athletes and include competitors from over 150 countries.