Nineteen-year-old Trevor Kiers of Sprucedale wants to bring another Olympic gold medal to the Huntsville area.
Inspired by Dara Howell’s performance in the last Winter Olympic Games, and the pride it brought to Huntsville, Kiers has his sights on making the National Biathlon team this year and hopefully a spot on the Olympic team in 2022 if not sooner. ”Seeing such a young athlete like Dara has certainly given me a sense of hope and inspiration,” Kiers said. “She not only attended the Olympic Games, but won. She gave Huntsville a good sense that the town is doing well, and I would like to prove that yet again.”
Kiers is a graduate of Almaguin Highlands Secondary school. He started competing in biathlon with the Almaguin Highlands Army Cadets in 2010, developing his skills regularly training at Arrowhead Provincial Park in Huntsville. His interest in ski racing became serious while competing against the best of Ontario high school Nordic racers at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Championships.
In the 2013-14 season, Kiers left the Cadet circuit and moved up to the Biathlon Ontario circuit where he was asked to compete for Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. A relative newcomer to the club system of the sport, he was an unknown entity and quickly soared on the National scene.
Last year, Kiers won a gold medal in the Junior Mixed Relay and a bronze in the Youth Men’s Sprint at the Canadian Biathlon Championships at Valcartier, Quebec. He also won gold in the Youth Men’s Sprint and Individual at the Ontario Championships and Quebec Cup.
Kiers is currently in Canmore, Alberta, and will be training and competing with the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre team for the next 11 months. His goals are to qualify for the World Juniors, access elite level coaching, reach the podium at the North American Cup and the Nationals, and maintain his Ontario Athlete Assistance Program carding status. “Since my move to Canmore, I have worked, trained and am living with athletes who have tasted success. I listen to their stories, their dreams and I am inspired. I trained with the National team and I was impressed being in the same room with such legends. My coach said something that has stuck with me. He said, ‘This morning Nathan Smith woke up, showered and put his clothes on and ate breakfast. Now what did you do this morning?’ He was telling me these guys wake up just like you and me and that had quite an impact.”
The carding status is particularly important as it provides much-needed funding to progress in his sport.
I face a common challenge for developing athletes, a financial struggle which prevents me from being able to focus on training. I often find it (the financial struggle) does not give me the ability to race at my peak and at the best events for my development. So far this year I have worked to afford investing in two sets of skis, boots, and roller skis and had to replace a broken pole. I invested $6,869.79 of personal finances to support competing at the National level and this year I have earned the chance to compete at International level events. My costs this season will be at least $21,425. If I make the national level, I will be eligible for federal funding which will certainly help.Trevor Kiers, at a recent meeting of Rotarians in Huntsville
Kiers is most grateful to two Huntsville businesses, The Sportlab and Muskoka Millwright and Machining, who have come on board.
John Cowan, Chair of Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club and head coach of the Huntsville High School Nordic ski team, is impressed with Kiers determination.
The qualities Trevor displays are not any different from any other high performance athlete’s in the search of becoming the best. There are three characteristics that stand out. Trevor is accountable and committed to his goal. Secondly, he surrounds himself with people with the best knowledge and technical aspects of the sport to develop a trust team. Finally, he reflects on past performances and asks the most difficult questions of himself using constructive comments to improve his results. John Cowan
Olympic and world biathlon champions historically have come from the European Nordic countries. Typically the sport requires an eight- to ten-year commitment. It requires development of physical, mental and tactical skills. The journey has been described not as a sacrifice but as a passion of seeing the possible. Trevor Kiers is in it for the long haul. He needs some financial help to get there but is confident that will come. He also has a goal: he wants Huntsville to celebrate another gold medal, one he wins on the International stage.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free, twice-weekly newsletter here.
0 Comments