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Kyla Vanderzwet World University Games

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Local Athletes Heading to the World University Games!

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Two young, female, student athletes from Port Elgin will be competing for Canada in the World University games held in Almaty, Kazakstan over 11 days from January 29th to February 8th 2017. Approximately 2,500 student athletes between the ages of 17 and 28 from more than 50 National University Sports Federations around the world will be attending these games. For Kelly Gribbons age 21 and Kyla Vanderzwet 27, this is an amazing opportunity, a huge accomplishment and a very big deal! These games are held every two years in various cities around the world and are 2nd in size only to the Olympics. Kelly, a 4th year engineering student at the University of Guelph, has been named to the Canadian Women’s Ice Hockey team and Kyla, a first year medical student at the University of Western Ontario has been selected for the Women’s Nordic Ski team. Canada will be sending 93 athletes and 27 staff members including coaches and medical staff to these games to compete in 8 of the 11 sports which will be represented there. The athletes are issued Team Canada uniforms, will participate in opening and closing ceremonies and will be housed and fed in a new athlete’s village constructed in Almaty for these games. I know competing at an international level, at an event so close to the Olympic experience is a dream come true for Kyla and I am very sure it is for Kelly as well. But along with the dreaming comes a great deal of hard work.

The motto of the FISU (International University Sports Federation) is “Excellence In Mind and Body”. Both of these young women must balance training for their sport sometimes up to 18 hours a week, depending on the time of year, with keeping up with lectures, assignments, labs and tests. You see to be named to these teams they must have met qualifications based on competition results and be a full time student. Add to that the mountains of sweaty workout laundry that needs to be done, the shopping for, preparation and consuming of healthy nutritious fuel, as well as the quality rest for these athletes and there is little time for much else. I hear parties are few and Netflix is a great way to wind down if needed. Although just writing about this makes me tired!

Here’s one simple exercise to try that trains the legs that these gals both need for their sport. Sit against a wall with your back flat against it and your feet directly under your knees. Be sure that both the knees and hips are bent at 90 degrees. Hold that for at least one minute or as long as you can. When you feel the burn, hold it 20 -30 seconds longer. Both girls must endure a certain amount of pain to get the result they desire in competition. The mind needs to be trained to deal with this as well as the body. There is so much that goes into their training that only they know what it is. Success isn’t just about a place on the podium, although that must feel pretty darn awesome. Success can be a personal best, time wise or goal wise. It can be making it across the finish line with all your equipment intact, avoiding being tripped by an opposing stick on the ice or coming across the line with a PB or skating your best game ever.

Both Kelly and Kyla (who I am sure you have guessed is my daughter) have worked and worked-out at Fitness Corner. I have been glad to be able to provide a local venue for some of their training and I wish them great personal success at World University games 2017!! Have a great experience and lots of fun, girls! You deserve it! Go Canada go!!
#WorldUniversityGames

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Kyla Vanderzwet to Compete at The World University Games

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The World University Games will take place in February, 2017, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

2000 student-athletes from 55 countries are expected to attend, competing in 12 different winter sports. For me, the costs of training, equipment, and participation in skiing have always been self-funded and I’ll be paying my way to Kazakhstan.

If you would like to support me in this adventure, I will gratefully accept any donations here!

DONATE HERE!

I began skiing when I was 18, which is relatively late compared to a lot of competitive skiers. Initially I loved it because of the awesome people I got to train with. As I progressed I appreciated the ongoing learning and challenge of the sport. After high school I started university and trained with the University of Guelph ski team, roller skiing around parking lots and skiing in farmers’ fields when there was enough snow. It wasn’t the most ideal training but I still loved it!

Eventually I switched schools and moved to Ottawa, where I completed my undergrad in Biology and a Master’s in Neuroscience. Living in Ottawa offered excellent training and competing opportunities, and I gained a lot of experience as an athlete with the Carleton Varsity team as well as the XC Ottawa club team. The coaches and athletes on these teams were always hugely supportive, motivating, and fun. During my last year in Ottawa I joined the Nakkertok racing program and learned a ton about proper training, racing, and ski technique from Nakkertok’s head coach, Kieran Jones, as well as the athletes on the team. Nakkertok has an excellent racing program and an incredible community of skiers and supporters. I’m really glad I got to be part of it for a year!

This past spring, I learned that I would be heading to London, ON, to start medical school. I was thrilled! I also thought that the time had come to trade my skis in for a stethoscope, since there isn’t much in the way of Nordic skiing in London. However, a few weeks later I also received an invitation to represent Canada at the World University Games in skiing, which was to be held in February in Kazakhstan. I felt elated if not incredulous – this wasn’t something I had expected at all! Yet competing internationally is a “dream goal” that I write down every year when it comes to setting the long-term objectives. When asked if I would attend, it wasn’t much of a question for me – I knew I had to seize the day!

So far training in London has been a great break from studying and I’ve seen a lot of the area while running and roller-skiing. The Varsity cross-country running team, led by Guy Schultz, has been kind enough to let me train with them and I even made it back to Ottawa for some group ski workouts. On a personal level I know that this adventure will be very challenging but also highly rewarding. However, I hope that it can also serve a bigger role in encouraging people to keep active and participate in the activities they love. I haven’t been studying medicine long, but so far it seems that exercise is good for just about anything health-related. There’s no better way to take your health into your own hands! For young women in particular, who statistically have a very low rate of participation in sport, I hope that you will be inspired to continue participating in whatever activity you love! I have never been the best at skiing, but with a huge stroke of luck (and a lot of hard work) my dream goal came to fruition.