A lot can go through a person’s head while flying down a snowy slope nearing speeds of 90 km/h. Especially when strapped to a pair of souped-up skis and clutching two metal poles in an attempt to get down the hill as fast as humanly possible.
Although turning in and out of a series of gates nearing speeds found on most 400-series highways - with only a helmet and a micro polyester suit for protection - would be unnerving for most, it doesn’t faze 14-year-old Seagrave resident Kurt Vendrig.
Following years of training, the local alpine ski racing star thinks only of crossing the finish line as fast as he can.
“Once you get a bit of speed it can get pretty interesting … and very fun as well,” he said with a smile.
Vendrig competed in the K2 Alpine Nationals held at the Silver Star Mountain Resort near Vernon B.C., March 29 to April 3. He got the chance to compete against some of the best in the country by placing in the top 20 in Ontario.
Next season he will be competing against some of the best North American Alpine Skiers in FIS (Fédération internationale de ski) races held throughout Quebec, Ontario, Maine and Vermont.
“I will be racing against guys as old as 21,” said Vendrig, “so I definitely need to work on my mental game.
“It’s important to stay focused; to just worry about my own game and not anyone else. You’re not thinking results, you’re just worried about going as fast as you can.”
The Grade 9 Port Perry High School student began skiing at Lakeridge when he was three. He was racing by the age of six and competing by the time he was 10.
In 2007, Vendrig was invited to train with the Georgian Peaks Individual Race Team near Collingwood Ontario, to enhance his skills. It also increased his time commitment to training four days a week during the ski season.
“Almost every week we head up Wednesday night and he trains Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” said Vendrig’s mother, Janet. “We come back Sunday night and he goes to school two or three days, grabs his homework, gets caught up and then heads back up again.”
“It’s a 228 kilometre drive … one way,” said Vendrig’s father, Richard, “so I know pretty much every Timmys from here all the way to Collingwood.”
Vendrig also attended training camps in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and even Chile - 11,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains. He was one of only 16 chosen to attend the prestigious Thomas Weisel Partners Ontario Training Camp in B.C. last December.
Vendrig trains four to five times a week in the off-season doing cardio and weight lifting exercises. He plays recreational soccer, runs cross-country for his high school team and recently became involved in mountain bike racing with his father.
And all of this demands a considerable financial investment on the part of Vendrig’s parents. Setting up a K2 Alpine racer can cost more than $21,000 a season.
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Seagrave skier aims to reach new heights this year
Seagrave skier aims to reach new heights this year
