Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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 

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

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
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