Athlete Profile: Werner Schwar

 Athlete Profile: Werner Schwar in the M6 category from Thunder Bay ON

Although in the sunny days of August, skiing seems far away, it will be here before we know it. Ontario Masters was able to catch up to Werner Schwar, one of our few northern Ontario competitors and ask a few questions.

How did you get into cross country skiing?

When I was 10 years old our family moved to 2 acres of property in rural Burlington. I had an old pair of downhill skis that I didn’t get to use much, so I just started skiing around our mostly flat property with them. I wore my heels raw trying to do this in downhill boots. My parents then got cross country skis for me to save my heels and at the same time for the whole family. I would ski after school making my own loop on our property and on weekends with my Dad in Bronte Creek Provincial Park when there still used to be snow in southern Ontario.

2. When did you start racing?

I actually started ski racing pretty late compared to many kids now. I went in the Burlington winter carnival ski race in 1978 (I think), hardly anyone else there so I won the youth category. The next year I went again and there were lots of other people racing including the Halton Ski Club. These other kids would blow by me on uphills, but I would catch up on flats and downhills. I thought that was odd, until I found out there was such a thing as grip wax that made it easier to go uphills. The summer after at the age of 15, I saw the same kids roller skiing and I said to my parents I want to do that too. So I gave Ernie Roth the coach of the Halton Ski Club a call asking if I could come out to their next practice. That practice was a mix of running, ski striding and strength – all things I had not done much before. I was so tired and stiff for days after, but was hooked and the team welcomed me in. My first real southern Ontario race was in the 1981/82 season at Mountainview in Midland, what a treat that was racing as part of a team with grip wax in real tracks – made it so much more fun and faster. I was addicted after that and was blessed to have an amazing first coach in Ernie and a great group of teammates that I am still friends with to this day.

3. Which is the first Masters World Cup that you attended?

My first World Masters was in Quebec City in 2002. I have been to the subsequent ones held in Canada - Sovereign Lakes BC and Canmore AB last year. Also was at Minneapolis, but contracted pneumonia the day of the first race. Tried to race the 10km and was green after, so my teammates forcibly put me in the car and sent me home.

4. How do you train for the Masters World cups?

I am really fortunate to belong to the Lappe Nordic Ski Club and again have a great coach in Eric Bailey and amazing young teammates aged 13-18 as well as few other masters. So basically I train with athletes almost 40 years younger, who push me and I keep them honest. A great symbiotic relationship. I get to see them get faster as they get older, and I try to just not get slower as I get older. There is a magical time when we are the same speed skiing and that is really fun, but only lasts a year until they are way faster. I also continue to race in the Open Category and go to some Ontario Cups – while it can be humbling it is also good experience trying to hang on to a faster skier if even for a short time.

5. How did you like the Canmore experience?

I love Canmore and the surrounding mountains and have loved skiing there ever since the first pre-Olympic world cup I raced there in 1986. So much has changed there since then. The courses pleasantly surprised me as before I raced on them I didn’t think they were that hard, but racing on them was challenging with no real rest sections until the end. Race organization and logistics were great. For me one highlight, I can’t lie, was winning the 45km skate race, standing on the podium with a gold medal and cowboy hat on and name and Canadian flag on the screen behind me, while the national anthem was being played was pretty great. I also was lucky to stay with two former Thunder Bay skiers for two weeks which was great and we cooked some amazing meals together. Skiing backcountry in the mountains with Mike Jones after the event was also amazing and made it hard to leave.

6. Any plans to attend future Masters World Cups?

I would love to attend them all in the future, but work, other commitments and costs are a bit of a barrier. Would have considered Seefeld next year as I have relatives in Germany that are not that far away (at least by Thunder Bay driving standards), but the 2023 Ski Nationals are in Thunder Bay and I am co-chair of the organizing committee, but will also be racing myself as well. Even though I am way behind the winners it is still a hoot to race the best in Canada and pretend I am still a young ski racer. I definitely plan to be at the next Canadian or American World Masters.

Congrats to Werner for his Gold in long skate (45 km) ,and a Bronze in M2 relay at the World Cup in Canmore this past March! The picture shows Werner (6028) at the finish (what a close race!) in his 45km race just squeezing out fellow Canadian Dave McMahon by .5 of a second.

Good luck Werner in fall training and for the season ahead.

2023 Canadian/Ontario Masters Championships

2023 Canadian/Ontario Masters Championships will be hosted at Hardwood Ski and Bike from March 2 to March 4.

See "Championships" tab for full info 

Athlete profile : Lise Meloche and Dave McMahon

 Athletes profiles: Lise Meloche (W6) and Dave McMahon(M6) from Chelsea, Quebec (race for Ontario)

Dave and Lise could be considered the 'rock star' couple of cross country skiing with a long history of high performance racing. We are lucky enough to have these two representing Ontario on the world stage.

Background:

Dave McMahon and Lise Meloche first met on the National Biathlon Team and formed a lasting personal and professional partnership centred around skiing. Lise raced two Olympic games and 200 World Cups; winning 7 medals, including four (4) Golds.

Dave was Canadian National Biathlon Champion, National Winter Triathlon Champion, ranked 3rd in the World for summer biathlon, and represented Canada at the World Snowshoe Championships and the World Loppet circuit. Dave races cross-country skiing and as a pro-elite winter triathlete and trail runner.

Together, Dave and Lise: wrote the cross-country ski manual; built an independent film production company; produced several award winning films on skiing; launched a skiing channel (xczone) with a viewership of two-million subscribers; and mentored thousands of people to ski through natural fitness lab – one of the largest adult skiing, snowshoeing and trail running programs in the country.

They recently released a feature-length IMAX film in theatres called “Oxygen” about outdoor athleticism, empowered by women.

Who’s Who in Canadian Sport, Volume 3 1999 by Bob Ferguson ISBN 1-894282-00-0.

Ontario Masters was able to catch up to these two amazing athletes to ask some questions about what drives their continued athletic pursuits and successes.

1)How did you get into cross country skiing ?

Lise: " I grew up on skis from 4 years old and initially raced alpine skiing until switching to cross-country in my teens. At university I took up biathlon. Racing World Cup in both biathlon and cross-country skiing."

Dave: "I competed in an eclectic group of sports: figure skating, swimming, running, triathlon, gymnastics, shooting etc., from an early age before getting exposed to biathlon and cross-country skiing in the army."

2)How did you get into Masters racing and World cup racing?

"It took a couple decades of training to get to World Cup level and then another decade on the race circuit. Now we still mostly race in open categories, but is a thrill to participate in Masters racing where possible. "

How do you approach training?

" We follow the same scientific principles for training as one would for racing World Cup. The training hours are similar (1000hrs/year) to what we did in our 20’s but fewer intensity sessions (2-3 per week). As a master athlete, we incorporate a lot more cross-training, recovery and injury prevention into the program. In the summer, we are trail running, roller skiing and cycling. During the winter we train and race cross country skiing, snowshoeing and winter triathlon (Skate-Ski-Run). General strength training and flexibility are super important especially as we age.

Ski technique evolves and we are constantly seeking to improve. We train with elite athletes half our age, to keep us young."

3)How did you like the event at Canmore?

" First of all, we love the town. The mountains are spectacular. One could not ask for a better venue. The race course was perfectly groomed – World Class. The event was flawless in organization and execution. The level-of-competition was impressive, which made for an exciting head-to-head tactical racing experience! "

4)What are your future plans in Masters skiing? Are you planning on going to Seefeld next year?

"There have been very few races in last few years owing to the pandemic, so we are looking forward to a packed competitive schedule next year."

Dave and Lise picked up three gold and four silver medals between them at the 2022 World Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships in Canmore. Congrats to them on stellar performances!!!!!!!

Lise Meloche (W6): Silver middle skate, gold short skate, silver long skate , Gold in relay

David McMahon (M6) Silver middle distance skate, Gold short skate, Silver long skate

2020

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Athlete Profile - Katherine Knight

 Athlete Profile -Katherine Knight -W2 Category from Parry Sound, Ontario

Katherine is one of our younger Masters athletes and she did really well at the World Cup in Canmore coming away with three medals, two of them gold: Gold middle distance classic, bronze short skate, gold in long classic!!

Included are some pictures of Katherine (204) and Ontario Masters team member and training partner- Aleesha Clark (110) also from Parry Sound.

Ontario Masters Association was able to get a bit of a background from Katherine:

"I started skiing during my last year of high school. OFSAA was in Ottawa that year and my friends suggested I join the team so I could come on the trip to Ottawa. The following year I began skiing for the University of Guelph. I’ve been skiing ever since! "

Why did you join the Ontario Masters?

" I joined the Ontario Masters association as a way to keep on top of all the long distance ski events happening in Ontario. "

What was your training plan for the World Cup in Canmore ?

" There was no training plan leading up to Canmore. During COVID, my husband and I started an annual race to see be the first to 1000km each winter so most of my training consisted of logging as many kms as I could in order to beat him (I didn’t). I also skied a lot with Aleesha Clarke, another Masters skier from Parry Sound who raced in Canmore as well. She’s a talented skate skier, which meant I had to ski hard to keep up. "

How did you manage work and training?

"Like most masters, work often impacts training. I could ski only three out of four weeks each month, so there were stretches of a week at a time when I wasn’t skiing. On the days I was skiing, it was a lot of frigid early mornings or dark nights lit by headlamp."

That does sound cold. As many of our young Masters skiers know it is particularly hard to keep up training when launching careers and families. The perseverance paid off for Katherine.

So what is next for racing for Katherine?

" Currently I don’t have any other races lined up. Canmore was such a great experience and will be hard to beat. This summer I’m trying to enjoy as much time cycling as I can. "

We hope to see Katherine at the local Ontario races next season ( and her husband who is from Australia but has taken to cross country skiing with a passion) . They are both determined to do Gatineau loppet at minimum which is always a great event. Congrats to Katherine on her great performance at Canmore.

Athlete Profile: Chris Huet

 Athlete Profile: Chris Huet, W6 category from Victoria Harbour, Ontario

Chris Huet has been racing the Ontario Masters circuit, winning the Ontario Masters point series several times. At Canmore, Chris raced well and came away with two bronze medals in the medium distance classic (15 km) and the short skate (10 km). Attached is the video of her bronze classic race, where she is greeted at the finish line by Canadian skier Kathy Butler (Saskatchewan).

Ontario Masters was able to chat with Chris to understand where her athleticism and passion to race came from.

How did you get in to cross country skiing?

"I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and my mother was an adventure lover so introduced us to nordic skiing. Later when I started teaching in Brampton I was doing triathlons and coached swimming for the Regency group where Bruce Nevison convinced a group of us to join his Chinguacousy Nordic Team to compete in loppets."

Chris like many masters skiers took time off from competitive sport while raising a family , but once her two daughters got old enough, it was Bruce who once again encouraged them all to race in cross country skiing.

How did you get into Masters World Cup racing?

"When I retired from teaching high school an athlete I used to coach (in running) offered to help me train for my first World Cup Masters race in Minneapolis Minnesota. Brittany Webster had raced for Canada in 2 previous Olympics so was a great resource. I had so much fun, that when I heard the next year was in Beitostolen Norway, I began planning to go. Norway had always been on my bucket list. Again, I had so much fun and loved the culture. I was scheduled to race in Italy before Covid hit so unfortunately missed that year. Connected with Brittany again last fall as we worked together well in my past 2 World Cup events . Canmore was an outstanding event in March. "

What does the future hold?

"Next year I would love to go to Austria but I have not finalized my goals at this point. But I am looking forward to seeing all the friendly masters skiers at local races again next season."

Congrats to Chris on her great success and we look forward to seeing Chris at races next season.

Athlete Profile - Mark Orzel

Athlete Feature : Mark Orzel, M6 (55-59 age category) from Kanata, Ontario

Mark walked away from the Worlds in Canmore with a bronze in short classic, gold in relay, and a bronze in long classic. Congrats to Mark on his great performance.

The Ontario Masters association caught up with Mark to ask him a few questions on his training and performance..

When did you get into cross country skiing?

"I started messing around on skis in 1977 when racing skis still used three pin (55 mm) bindings and there was only one technique - classic. I was a distance runner and it was a nice way to get a bit of cross training. I had the good fortune to have Russ Evans to coach me and get me into racing". Note: Russ played a big role in Ontario Masters skiing for many years.

Mark continued racing through University and got into serious bike racing. Like most Masters once Mark started a family, racing was on the back burner. Mark became a paddling instructor, running a

high school adventure program and eventually became a guide for Black Feather - the adventure company.

When did you get into Masters Racing ?

"About 8 years ago, Wendy Grater, the owner of Black Feather and Ontario Masters Director, suggested I should come out and race with the Ontario Masters group. After a bit of hesitation, I committed to getting back in reasonable form and come out. The community was very welcoming and the races were very fun. My competitive spirit had been re-ignited. After some moderate success in the first season, I realized I wanted to be able to keep up with the ‘top guys’. With each successive season my training plan, preparations and equipment got a little more sophisticated. In order to manage this a bit more efficiently and cost effectively, I decided to focus on just one discipline, classic technique.

With a background in endurance sports and academic training in exercise physiology and biomechanics, I was able to set up my own training program that was fairly effective. After a few seasons I was starting to be able to ski with the ‘top guys’. Although I wanted to participate in the World Masters events in Klosters (2017) and Minneapolis (2018), my work schedule and family commitments prevented it. Bietostollen(2019) was my first Masters World Cup event. It was such an incredible experience that I committed to racing at the event in Cogne in 2020.

A few weeks before the event the ‘wheels fell off the wagon’ for that event and the black cloud that is COVID-19 cast its shadow on Italy. Little did we realize how COVID-19 would effect the world over the next two plus years.

With nearly two years without any real ski racing, Canmore WMC was such a welcome objective. I had tried to continue ski training through it all. It was exciting to be on the starting grid at the Canmore Nordic Centre with an international field. To be able to stand on the podium afterwards was extremely rewarding. The World Masters Cup races are so well done, they elevate the ski racing experience to a level where everyone feels special for being there. The friendships that you make are reasons onto themselves to keep coming back, season after season. My plans are already in motion for Seefeld WMC in 2023."

Congrats to Mark for fantastic results in Canmore and a thank you for mentoring younger Master skiiers and getting engagement in the sport.

Good luck in Seefeld. You got it!!!

 

Athlete Profile - Thomas Stieber

 Athlete feature: Thomas Stieber from Kanata in M1 category

Thomas was our most prolific Ontario Masters medal winner in Canmore. Thomas managed to come home with 4 gold medals. He won gold in every event he entered and the maximum number for the games. Thomas raced in classic technique in the youngest age category 30-34 so we can expect to see more great performances in the years to come.

Until recently, Thomas had very little focus on training - but was certainly passionate about the outdoors, enjoying sports like kitesurfing, cycling, running, and gliding (he holds numerous Canadian Gliding records: https://www.sac.ca/.../fai.../current-canadian-records). Winter has always been Thomas's absolute favourite time of the year with his interests on snow, going from predominantly downhill skiing & snowboarding to almost entirely xc skiing.

Thomas picked up cross country skiing in 2015. After a couple years of skate skiing in nearby Gatineau Park, his neighbour Mark Orzel (former pro bike racer & national cross-country runner, current Masters racer in M6 category) introduced him to structured training. Thomas started training with Mark regularly, but found that skate skiing aggravated old ankle injuries so he switched to classic skis - courtesy of Mark . Training with Mark turned out not to be a seasonal endeavour, with cycling in the summer, filling the skiing void. Thomas's garage (like most Masters nordic skiers) has since filled with bikes and skis. Mark's enthusiasm quickly spread to Thomas's partner, Carlee Glendenning, who also competed at Canmore in the W1 category!

Congrats to Thomas on his great performance at his first World Cup and a big thank you to Mark for mentoring Thomas and Carlee into Masters nordic racing! Happy to see Canadians represented in the younger categories as they are the future of the sport!