In Calgary, Nexxice Senior worked hard on and of ice.

Nexxice Senior has just returned from Calgary after an intensive training camp. In this city in Eastern Canada, the famous team was able to... (simply) train since Ontario banned synchro practices for almost a month!

Canadian Nationals are coming up, and Ontario teams (like the Quebec teams) have no longer been allowed to train.

"We last practiced on January 4th in Ontario, and then, unfortunately, we were locked down. Following our last practice, we were able to get on outdoor ice to keep our feet underneath us. We also continued our zoom training which consisted of flexibility, strength training, ballet, creative dance as well as team bonding activities," explained Nexxice Senior.

Facing this complicated situation, the Canadian team chose to train in Calgary, Alberta, to help the skaters prepare for the national championships.

"Calgary also made a lot of sense for us as a team because many of our skaters are from out west and have family in the area. We are very fortunate to have an amazing support system in Calgary and they made our week so much more special," said Nexxice skaters.

Many skaters juggle synchronized skating with a job or academics. Moving to Calgary has therefore presented some challenges for the athletes. "Typically, this time of year we're travelling to Europe to compete. Most of our skaters found the best course of action was to provide a "heads up" to their employers. Many of us have been lucky enough to find incredible supportive jobs. As long as we provide notice they're more than happy to help us pursue our dreams.

With respect to academics, when the lockdown started in early January most schooling in Ontario moved online. This provided more flexibility in our schedules while being away. Of course, homework was difficult to balance as we were training 5+ hours a day in addition to off-ice training. Before we travel we all communicate with our professors to work through any conflicts," explained Nexxice.

In Calgary, Nexxice Senior had an intensive training camp similar to one they would have before an international competition. The famous team from Burlington had 5 hours of ice each day, followed by 1-2 hours of office at the hotel.

"As this was our first time travelling together we also had the chance to do team bonding activities," added the skaters.

Nexxice returned home on the 30th of January and will now be back to their normal training schedule in Ontario before leaving for nationals which will take place at the end of February... in Calgary!