Kevin Rempel: World Championships Here We Come
The Canadian Ice Sledge Hockey player shares his training regimens. 16 Feb 2012Leading up to the World Championships this March in Hamar, Norway, I will be giving updates on what is going on with training, behind the scenes, and all that we do in preparation for the final tournament of the year.
Every year, getting to be an athlete brings new and exciting adventures.
Since making the National Sledge Hockey team in 2010, it’s taken me across Canada and the world to see new places while proudly winning gold medals for our country. It’s opened doors and allowed me to meet some really fantastic people that are helping me along the way, as well as planning for my future after sport.
One of my favorite things to do while on this journey is share it with everyone through my own website. Now, since the IPC has launched a brand new very interactive website, they have given me the chance to share my journey with an even greater audience!
Leading up to the World Championships this March in Hamar, Norway, I will be giving updates on what is going on with training, behind the scenes, and all that we do in preparation for the final tournament of the year.
As of this week, we have just over four weeks until we leave. First, we will be heading to the Canadian Forces Base, Borden, to train and spend some time with the Soldier On program. Last year when we had the selection camp for the start of the 2010-2011 season tryouts were held at CFB Petawawa. It was such an experience to get to train there and see what the soldier life was like. It was also a lot of fun.
Check out this video of our experience from last year on Hockey Canada’s Sledge channel.
Meanwhile, back here at home in Ontario, training hasn’t slowed down a bit since the beginning of the season. For myself, my routine consists of a minimum of two days in a gym per week, and two days on the ice per week. If possible, I aim to get three days on the ice, but that doesn’t always work out.
Myself and the guys in the GTA have had a trainer, Haliegh Callison from Twist Conditioning, come work with us for on ice skills and cardio. We do some drills and then always finish with “towing,” where we basically drag Haliegh down to the end and back several times until our arms fall off.
It’s a dreadful thing if you think about it, but that’s the thing – don’t think about it.
Just do it.
We’ve got until the end of this week doing that and then head off to Rochester, New York to play some exhibition games against USA. It’s going to be a good three-game series and serve as a reminder as to where we are heading into Norway.
I bet these nest few weeks are going to fly by.
I can’t wait.