FALL RIVER: When Grace McIntyre checked her phone at school one day in late January, she saw a very important email had arrived in her inbox.
The Fall River girl immediately went to Mr. Crawford, who was teaching the phys-ed class at Lockview High, seeking his permission to check the email which came from Cross Country Skiing Nova Scotia regarding the Canada Games, being held in Red Deer, Alta.
“I asked him if I could take a minute to read it,” recalled McIntyre. “He said sure, as long as he could read it with me. So I read the email and it was to confirm that I made the team.
“I was so excited and it was so overwhelming at the same time. It was like this huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.”
The news of her making the team came after the decision by a selection committee who was tasked with deciding who made the team.
“It was a very stressful time, as you could imagine,” she said.
McIntyre is the youngest athlete to make the CWG Cross Country Ski team since they put in a percentage and time requirement in the qualifying process for nominating skiers to the team. She will be competing against female cross country skiiers aged 14-23 in Red Deer.
Based on her age of 14-years-old, McIntyre does have the possibility of competing three times with N.S.—two more after this year—at the Canada Games.
“It means so much to me to be able to go and represent my province,” said McIntyre. “It makes me feel accomplished, knowing that I got myself here with hard work, and dedication to the sport. Every single bit of training has paid off, long car rides to find snow, long hours in the gym and early morning runs in the summer.”
She said the team has been racing and training a lot, including competitions one which saw her nab bronze at the Maritime Cup.
McIntyre is remaining level-headed as to what she’s expecting at the Canada Games.
“Coming from a small team like Nova Scotia I’m not going with the expectation to win, but to surprise myself and hopefully make some great times,” said McIntyre. “This will surely be a great way to better myself as a racer and as an athlete, and make new friends and great memories.”
