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!

Masters World Cup 2023 again in Seefeld (AUT)

 This year, the World Masters Cross-Country Ski Association had received an application from Estonia for the Masters World Cup 2023 for the first time. Unfortunately, the organizers of the Tartu Ski Marathon were forced to withdraw their application for the year 2023 and postpone it to a later year to be determined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, a well-known Bavarian organiser stepped in at short notice: the SC Monte Kaolino Hirschau, Germany.The experienced team organised the MWC with 1070 participants in Seefeld (AUT) as early as 2003, as well as many national and international events since then.

Therefore, in 2023, the MWC will be held on the expansive Seefeld cross-country ski trail network again, which has been expanded significantly since the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 2019.  The 3rd week of March is planned as the date. 

More information at www.mwc2023.com.

Welcome

Welcome to the new Canadian Masters XC Ski – Ontario Division website!
The Ontario Master XC Ski Association is an affiliate of the Canadian Masters XC Ski Ass’n.  We represent cross country skiers, aged 30 and up, who enjoy recreational and competitive cross country skiing.
Our goals are:

-          to promote Masters XC skiing and events in Ontario and beyond

-          to create a welcoming environment for Masters skiers to enjoy their sport

-          to facilitate an Ontario Masters Championship event annually

-          to facilitate a ‘Loppet Points Series’ annually

-          to assist planning to go to more events locally, nationally or internationally

Our annual membership is between 100 and 200 skiers, and we are keen to increase this number. Membership allows you to

a)       enter Ontario, Canadian and World Masters Championships

b)       be part of the Loppet Point Series

c)       receive informative electronic newsletters

d)       take part in Ontario Masters dryland and/or snow training sessions

Our new website will include training tips, gear recommendations, local ski event updates and photos from recent events.
Be an active member by providing your feedback to improve our division and website, and to make the Ontario Masters a vibrant and active association!