Gimli ski club member getting into the groove for Masters World Cup in Finland
A member of the Gimli Cross Country Ski Club is getting in the groove for the Masters World Cup in Europe next year.
Paul Toupin is competing in his second world cup in cross-country skiing, which will be held in Vuokatti, Finland. It’s a high profile event that started in the 1980s under the World Masters Cross-Country Ski Association.
The competition is for athletes who have reached the age of 30 and older and includes skiers 90 years of age and older. The annual competition, which has 12 age classes, attracts thousands of cross-country skiers from across the globe, whether they’re top competitive skiers or those who simply have a desire to race.
“There’s some pretty tough competition at these games. My age category, which is 60-64 years old, is the largest participant category in the whole event. The 65-70 age category is the second-largest category,” said Toupin. “You can get some former Olympians competing, which makes it challenging.”
Toupin competed in his first masters competition last year in Austria – the only Manitoban in the games – and will again be the only Manitoban competing in the games in February, he said. There were over 1,000 competitors last year.
“This is a whole week of racing. My races will be 10, 20 and 30 kilometres in my age division,” he said.
Most people are familiar with regular, old cross-country skiing, which is called classic skiing. People use a diagonal stride that looks as though they’re walking on skies. But there’s also a form of cross-country skiing called skate-skiing or freestyle, which is more technical and resembles ice-skating with push-offs and higher speeds. There are specific skis and poles for each technique. Both styles of skiing are offered at the world cup.
Toupin will be competing in skate-skiing at the games. And to stay in peak physical condition after the snow melts, he straps on his regular ski boots, grabs his poles and slips into a pair of roller skis, which are shorted than regular skis and have wheels.
He’s a familiar site in Gimli’s Pelican Beach subdivision where he has been rolling down the road all summer. And he’s not your average skier, considering the hours and kilometres he puts in under a national training program that included three weeks’ training in Canmore, Alta. That’s on top of his full-time job.
“I’m not your average dude on skis. What I ski in a week most people would never do in a whole season. People seeing me roller-skiing down here [Pelican Beach] every day and they might not know why I’m doing this; they think I’m taking up road space,” said Toupin. “I did close to 700 hours and 10,000 kilometres of skiing last year, a combination of snow and roller-skiing. Roller-skiing is the only way to stay in shape over the summer. Skiing is a technical sport and you need to hone your skills throughout the summer.”
Once the snow flies, though, Toupin will be hitting the ski trails in Camp Morton Provincial Park, which has some of the nicest trails in the province. They wind through forests along Lake Winnipeg.
“I happen to be one of the trail groomers so if the trails aren’t in good condition, I’ve only myself to blame,” said Toupin. “The Gimli ski club has about four groomers, and I take care of a good part of the skate [-skiing] section. Grooming the trails is very time-consuming. As a group, the club puts a lot of effort and time into maintaining the provincial park’s trails.”
The Gimli Cross Country Ski Club is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1987. It’s made up of volunteers who host events for its membership. It also maintains 20 kilometres of well groomed ski trails (15 classic and five skate trails) and 10 kilometres of shared-use trails in Camp Morton Provincial Park, about six kilometres north of Gimli.
The club has warm-up shelters on the east and west sides of PR 222 and provides trail maps on its website. It offers a number of skiing programs, including the jackrabbit program for kids. The club’s events are featured on Zone 4, which is software used by race organizers to get people registered and provide race results.
Cross-country skiing is right up there with walking and swimming as one of the best aerobic and fat-burning activities as it uses a high percentage of body muscles. In addition to its cardiovascular benefits, skiing builds endurance and is a low impact activity that doesn’t put stress on one’s joints the way running does.
“If you keep in shape, you don’t lose a lot of your level of fitness. You lose .03 every year as you age. And you’re metabolism changes and things slow down. I don’t recover as well as I used to and the time it takes to put in the hours is tough; you feel it more,” said Toupin. “On the other hand, the more you push yourself, the more your body adapts. Cross-country skiing is the toughest sport going. It’s physically demanding on your body.”
Having worked in the sporting-goods industry, Toupin has the know-how when it comes to outfitting people with the right skis for the job, whether it’s classic or skate-skiing. He can also order skis for people who live in the Gimli area if they don’t feel like driving to Winnipeg. And for those who eschew waxing and ironing, Toupin offers a waxing service out of his garage.
“I offer a waxing service because I want to see people go skiing and enjoy the Camp Morton trails,” he said.
To help fund his upcoming trip to Finland – which will entail a significant outlay – Toupin is selling watercolour prints [unframed] by artist Vesa Peltonen. The print depicts a cross-country skier making his/her way through a forest in Thunder Bay.
“Last year on equipment and travel, I spent over $30,000,” said Toupin.
The Masters World Cup will be held Feb. 9-16, 2024 in Finland. For more information about the competition, visit mwc2024.com
Information about the Gimli Cross Country Ski Club, including how to register, kids programs, services it offers and trail maps can be found on its website: www.gimliskiclub.ca
People can also email skigimli@gmail.com for more information.
Express Photos by Patricia Barrett
