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He shoots, he skis! Corner Brook athlete representing N.L. in 2 sports at Canada Winter Games

David Adey, a 15-year-old athlete from Corner Brook, is the only member of Team Newfoundland and Labrador to be competing in two sports — biathlon and cross-country skiing — at this year's Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.

David Adey, 15, representing province in biathlon and cross-country skiing

Chérie Wheeler · CBC News ·
A biathlete lays in the prone position on a grey mat in the snow with his rifle aimed down range.
Now 15 years old, Adey has been competing in biathlon since he was eight. (Christine Adey)
Cross-country skier David Adey in mid-stride on a snowy trail wearing a blue and black ski suit, a red and white piney, a white hat, and reflective sunglasses.
David Adey at the National Ski Championships in 2022. (Doug Stephen)

This year's Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island are a dream come true for a 15-year-old athlete in Corner Brook.

Not only will David Adey be competing in cross-country skiing but he'll also be representing Newfoundland and Labrador in biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Adey is the only member of Team N.L. to be competing in two sports, though he is modest about the distinction.

"They're pretty similar," he told CBC News. "Obviously [biathlon is] still cross-country skiing but with a rifle on your back … and it requires a little more attention to your breathing and positioning, especially as you come into the range."

It took a lot of hard work to make both provincial teams, but once he did, it meant training every day for both sports. Most days of the week, you can find him on his skis for shorter biathlon sets or long ski sessions and spending as much time on the rifle range as he can. 

But with the first week of competition only days away, Adey is focusing more on rest so he'll be ready to race.

Teenaged boy wearing a red coat, white hat and black sun glasses stands outside holding his cross-country skis and poles. He is wearing two medals.
Adey sports two medals from the International Biathlon Union's regional open in Brookvale, PEI in 2022. (Christine Adey)

"It's more about recovery so that way when we go to the Games we have almost this sudden burst of energy and we're not tired from all of our training," he said.

That's a tricky line to walk (or ski), though, considering Adey will only have a few days' rest between biathlon in the first week of the Games and cross-country skiing in the second. Katie Thistle, one of Team N.L.'s biathlon coaches, says that's something they're very aware of.

"Luckily we work closely with other coaching staff [of joint athletes] to make sure they're not being over worked or over loaded,"she said.

A teenaged boy holds his cross-country skis and poles in front of blue netting around a snowy cross-country ski track.
Adey has been skiing since he was in he was in primary school. (Christine Adey)

Thistle has been coaching Adey since he started biathlon at the age of eight. Even then, she could see how dedicated he was to both sports, she said.

"It's so great to see his hard work pay off," she said.

Besides the physical side of things, Adey knows sport is also about mental focus and before any kind of race he likes to "put the headphones on, listen to some music and zone out."

"[I] just think about everything that I am going to do and what I have done," he said.

The Canada Winter Games kick off Saturday and run until March 5.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chérie Wheeler

Chérie Wheeler is the morning producer for CBC Newfoundland Morning and is based in Gander.

    With files from CBC Newfoundland Morning

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