It may not have come as a complete surprise.
Yet that didn't lessen the excitement Adam Kates felt recently when informed he'd been named to the Canadian National Cross-Country Ski Team.
Beginning Thursday, the 24-year-old Sault Ste. Marie native joins his new teammates for a 10-day training camp at Mount Assinaboine, near Canmore, Alta.
"I was ranked fifth in Canada last year, so I figured there'd be some kind of promotion," said Kates, who had been skiing with the National Development Centre Team, one level below the national squad.
"I wasn't sure what kind of promotion, but this is definitely good news. It was exciting and it's nice to be on the Canadian team and skiing at the highest level possible."
The upgrade also means more government financial support for Kates, a recent graduate of the concurrent education program at Thunder Bay's Lakehead University. He goes from being on a Development (athlete's) Card, worth $500 per month, to a Senior Card, which pays him $1,100 monthly.
"It's definitely something I've been working towards, but I always knew it would happen once I finished my schooling," Kates continued. "Without the distraction of attending school, I was confident I'd be up with the top guys."
With plans to concentrate solely on his skiing, until at least the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Kates continues to seek local sponsorship to help pay for expenses.
While the five-foot-10, 165-pounder's immediate goal is to qualify for next February's World Championships in Germany, his ultimate goal is to represent Canada in 2006.
At that point, he'll reevaluate his plans, and possibly try to qualify for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
In March, Kates secured a bronze medal in a 50-kilometre event at the Canadian Championships in Charlo, N.B.
He also won an Austrian Cup 15k classic during a European Tour in February and, in January, finished fourth in a 10k skate at the Canada Cup at Mont Orford, Que.
"I think I finished outside of the top five among Canadians just twice this year," Kates said. "I was happy that my results for the year were very consistent."
