OST athletes Morgan Megarry and Charles McConville catch up with AOA before departing for On Snow Camp #1 in New Zealand. Both reflect on what came out of the summer mini-camps with FITS.....

MINI CAMP 3
Ontario Ski/Parkour Team
by Charlie McConville (OST/Devil's Glen)

"After breaking my finger the first day of July Collingwood fitness minicamp I was very excited to be a part of the recent minicamp in Toronto at the FITS gym.  We were given the privilege to have a two-hour session at the parkour (free running and climbing) gym during our second day.  In this session I believe we proved how fun and athletic the Ontario Ski Team is this season.  

There was an incredible atmosphere in this gym with all of the athletes pushing their comfort zones to reach new heights and trying new flips in this creative parkour gym.  Having teammates such as the ones I have, everyone brings their own “cards to the table”. Watching the other guys perform these challenging flips and jumps brought a new confidence to my comfort zone as well.  Once most of us had perfected the running back flip off the wall we moved on to standing back flips, front flips, and so on.    

With a group as competitive as ours everybody felt motivated to try a harder task than the previous person.  This showed me how well our team is going to work together this season to become the fastest racers we can be, and how we are going to positively push each other every day, on and off the hill.  I am very grateful to be a part of the Ontario team this year and looking forward to getting on snow!"

FITS Gym, home sweet home. 
By Morgan Megarry (OST/Craigleith)

"Last week myself, and the rest of the Ontario Ski Team, made our way to Toronto to participate in the third Dryland Mini Camp of the year. The camp was held at the FITS Training Facility and was once again run by its owner, Thomas Lam. 

This Mini Camp marked the end of our Strength Training Phase, where we do all of our heavier lifting in an effort to increase overall strength in our legs and core. It was incredible to see the gains throughout the team. We’ve all made a seamless transition from athletic-skier, to powerful, high- level-racing machines. For example, how many amateur sports teams do you know that have 50% of their men’s team regularly squatting 400+lbs? 

However, I did see more than strength gains amongst the team. Not only were we strong physically but, as a team, we were strong structurally. Everyone is putting in countless hours of pain for the same reason, and with that as a common denominator throughout, we have all become very good friends. We push each other to our limit, and in every situation manage to have fun doing it. That’s why I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say that we’re in store for OST’s best year yet."