The Wellness-Led Track to Worlds
Emma Cook-Clarke’s Experience at Skimo World Championships
This year I decided to dive into the sport of Ski Mountaineer Racing, or Skimo. I splurged and bought carbon boots, booked time off work for races and focused more on specific training rather than solely backcountry skiing for the love of wild exploration. Though a healthy amount of that still occurred! In addition to these changes, I did something radical: I went for regular treatments at Back At It! This has been my first year of consistent wellness treatments and preemptive appointments. My previous standard was to book in a panic to band aide some injury I had neglected, hoping for miraculous hands to fix me up before competing the next day. Did this work? Sometimes, but it was usually a shot in the dark and not a method I would recommend. What has been successful however, is seeing professionals monthly, trying various forms of treatment, and learning tools to better understand my body. Massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care and naturopathy have all been instrumental in addressing the stresses on the body.
Through the help of many kind experts at Back At It, I was able to train hard and race harder. In March I competed at the Skimo World Championships in Spain. I raced to a 9th place finish in the Vertical discipline, the top result by a Canadian in history in the Vertical. I placed 12th in the Individual with an effort I am proud of, and 18th with a teammate in the Mixed Relay. Upon returning to Canada there were two more race weekends, in which I placed 1st in both individual races. The support from Back At It has been incredible this year, and I will continue to prioritize regular treatment. I’m looking forward to continuing to commit to bettering myself in this sport next year, but now it’s time to switch the focus to running!!!
Emma Cook-Clarke, Back At It Athlete Ambassador
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