Gus Olds, a sports physical therapist, joins the GB Telemark Team for the World Cup in the Spanish Pyrenees. He is new to the sport and seems to be full of admiration for the telemarkers.
My first impression was how relaxed the team seemed in each other’s company and how, despite the constant good natured ribbing, there was no evidence of any inflated egos that are so often present in many professional teams that I have worked with.
I wondered if this would this be the case under the pressure and strain of competition.
Telemark is an incredibly physically demanding sport that raises the heart rate to near maximal levels for extended periods of time, whilst producing vast amounts of lactic acid. It also requires agility and flexibility.
I am reasonably fit and I was at my limit on a simple jog up in the mountains, after a day’s work. Yet these athletes compete in these conditions for the whole season.
Race Day
The team was up early after a late night of waxing skis; an activity undertaken with a god like reverence and accompanied by many a “fascinating” discussion about what type of wax to use, ironing techniques and soaking times.
Breakfast was wolfed down v. early before heading up the mountain for the first race; the sprint.
The team completed course inspections before taking the lift up to the top of the run.
I waited at the finish and watched the first few competitors complete their run.
The high-speed balancing act that I witnessed made me glad that I had brought my strapping and fracture kit with me, thinking that there would surely be injuries.
I was wrong.
The team each completed a successful run in absolute control (Ed - Oh the archetypal swanlike telemarker) and joined us for lunch in the sun, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they had just performed a series of demanding split lunges, whilst travelling at 40 mph on a pair of razor sharp skis.
Later when we got back the hotel it was my turn to start work, in earnest.
This was the first time I had had to evaluate the athletes from a performance perspective and nearly all had niggling areas of tightness or injuries that would render many a lesser athlete unfit.
However I was told that this is the nature of the sport; vast amounts of lactic acid generated by quads, hamstrings and calves of steel are bound to create havoc if not treated.
I set my goal for the two weeks that I was with the team: reduce the negative effects of lactic acid!
The team all received their first massage, some better than others.
The agonising experience that is having lactic acid ironed out of a tight muscle by an unrelenting elbow or knuckle, is one that I would not wish on my worst enemy, but the team all took it on the chin and it was a indication of their professionalism that they were willing to undergo this ordeal for a few seconds improvement on the next day’s race.
In the next report from Gus Olds we move away from massages to anatomy and from Spain to France. Oh, and more pain.