Yukon cross country skiers Emily Nishikawa and Dahria Beatty competed in the Quebec City world cup races last weekend. For Nishikawa, it was the final competition of her season. Beatty will be competing once more in Maine.

The races took place at the Plains of Abraham which sit just outside the walls of the city. Before the competitions began both Nishikawa and Beatty told the Star that Quebec always has a great atmosphere.

It did not disappoint this year either.

“The atmosphere was incredible,” said Beatty. “Quebec has a big sport fan base. They really enjoy cheering for the athletes.”

“The crowds were great,” said Nishikawa. “It was a cool weekend to end the season.” Nishikawa and Beatty had two teammates, Alex Harvey and Lenny Valijas, announced their retirements in Quebec.

The two Yukoners said it was great to be able to celebrate with them.

“Alex is from Quebec so there was lots out to cheer him on,” said Nishikawa.

“It was a really cool weekend to celebrate and share with them,” said Beatty. In the crowds, there were lots of young ski fans and both Nishikawa and Beatty took some time to sign some autographs and give out some gear.

“There was a lot of signing,” said Beatty. “I gave away my bib after every race as well as some headbands. It was good to see so many people from Quebec, Ontario, and the Eastern States to come out and cheer. It is really good for the sport.”

“There was lots of young kids asking for autographs,” said Nishikawa. “It is nice to meet young people interested in skiing. I remember what it is like to meet people on the national team and hopefully, I inspire some of them.”

The weekend featured three races. A sprint race, a 10-kilometre classic mass start and a 10-kilometre pursuit.

The first race of the weekend was the sprint. Nishikawa came in 47th and Beatty came in 40th. Beatty said the sprint race is one of her favourite races, but said she did not have a great race in Quebec.

“The sprint race was tricky conditions,” said Beatty. “It snowed overnight. It didn’t go as I hoped. It was hard to apply pressure to the snow, it was suited to smaller skiers. I didn’t master the conditions and didn’t get max power out of every push.

“I left it all out there. I was 1.5 seconds out of the knockout round and that was the goal.”

Both Yukon skiers said the 10-kilometre mass start had tricky conditions as well.

“The classic was a tricky day,” said Nishikawa. “It was icy conditions which makes the course faster and harder to balance. There is no edge and it’s hard to get traction around corners it’s just another element to work with.

“It’s a lot of fun. You can’t control what’s around you. You have to anticipate sketchy corners. I definitely had some near falls, the first downhill there was a big pile up just in front of me.”

Nishikawa came in 38th and Beatty came in 44th. Nishikawa said she was missing a “little bit” in the classic. Beatty said it was the race she felt best.

“Although I was four places worse I felt like I raced better,” said Beatty. “I felt like I was able to ski to the conditions better.”

In the final pursuit race, Beatty said she felt like she had decent energy but was feeling the season a little bit and finished 45th. Nishikawa finished 26th accomplishing her goal of placing in the top 30.

“I was really happy to get top 30,” said Nishikawa. “I felt strong. I was feeding off the crowd, it was a lot of fun. I wanted to finish on a high note and I was able to do that. It was a nice way to end the season.”

With their seasons finished or close to done, both Nishikawa and Beatty reflected back on some of their highlights from the past year.

“My race in Davos, (Switzerland), was definitely a highlight,” said Nishikawa who came in 23rd in the 10-kilometre race. “The Tour de Ski I had some solid racing and this world cup in Canada it was nice to get back into the top 30.”

“This season was a good step forward and a big jump up in the results. It is motivating to be consistent in the top 30.”

Beatty reflected on her sprint races in Finland.

“A big highlight was in racing in Lathi where I finished 24th,” said Beatty. “I had raced there three times before and always felt like I struggled. (This year) I really felt like I skied the course and that is really satisfying as an athlete to apply what I learned in previous years to this year and get the results.”

Beatty also said the Quebec City race was special.

“My parents and grandparents were in Quebec,” said Beatty. “It made the atmosphere more special.”

For Nishikawa, the Quebec City world cup marked the final races of her season. Beatty will be doing two races in Maine.

“It is going to be a very strong field,” said Beatty. “It is a good opportunity to do some high-level skiing with the Americans who have been strong all season.”