Huntsville resident Mark Cheek, 23 years of age, has done his family, friends, and community proud with some impressive results at the Calgary Special Olympics National Winter Games.
Cheek took home a Gold medal in his 1km race, a Silver medal in his 2.5km race and he was 11 seconds behind the Bronze medal winner in his 5km race.
Cheek joined the Special Olympics Muskoka ski program at Arrowhead Provincial Park and has excelled in the Freestyle (Skate Ski) style competitions.
His coach, Cindy Blake, noted that Cheeck is very competitive but always makes a point of congratulating his opponents while having fun meeting new friends along the way.
Each athlete earns a series of points at Nationals to go towards qualifying for the 2025 Special Olympic World Winter Games in Torino, Italy. “We should find out in May/June who qualifies for Team Canada… fingers crossed, but happy to have had the opportunity to compete either way,” noted Cheek.
He said being part of the Special Olympics has been amazing, particularly being part of a team and making new friends from all over. Cheek also had praise for his coach. “Cindy, my coach helps me a lot with my ski technique, she’s awesome!”
Cheek said it took him a while to digest the fact that he had won two top medals. “At first, it didn’t kick in, but after the day was done, I was like, I WON!” Cheek said all his relatives congratulated him and his Mom, Dad, and brother were super excited and proud and many of his friends at the Arrowhead Ski Club sent messages through his coach.
So what’s next? “I will be training to be faster. Skiing is finished for the season, but running is about to start,” he noted, adding that he would love to be part of the World Special Olympics in Italy next year.
Cheek thanked his coach Cindy and everyone at the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club Masters Program, especially coaches Steve and Sierra for helping him train. He also thanked Jerry for helping and keeping his skis waxed and Canadian Tire, Greystone, and Algonquin Outfitters for the new gear.
“Thanks to Special Olympics Muskoka for having a program that made it all possible. Thanks to all the people that donated and helped me raise money for my trip to
the Nationals,” he added.
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Congratulations Mark!
I can’t wait to hear about Worlds next year!
Congratulations. Hard work brings results!
Congratulations Mark! Your dedication and work ethic netted great results!
Congratulations Mark! 2 medals in 3 events is amazing.
Great to see you continue to work hard in the off season.