Local Athletes That We Sponsor
Patrick Skelton - Biathlete
Date of Birth: April 29, 1991
Hometown: Collingwood, ON
Club Name: Highlands Nordic, Duntroon, ON
When did you start Biathlon?
Winter of 2005
Who are your coaches?
Jen & Mike Sholte, Michelle Armitage
What's the best day you have had in biathlon?
3rd in Relay at 2010 Nationals,
5th at World/Youth Junior Trials-La Patrie 2010
What is the hardest thing about it?
The combination of skills required.
What do you like about the sport?
The transition from skiing to shooting.
What other sports do you do?
Cycling, flatwater kayaking and canoeing, mountain biking.
Least favorite training?
Running/training alone.
Amanda Sin - Elite Cross Country Mountain Bike Racer
Tell us about yourself:
I am an elite cross country mountain bike racer. I live in Collingwood and I race for the 3 Rox Racing team. I am a member of the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team. I compete locally as well as all over the world.
I am also a physiotherapist and worked at Maximum Physiotherapy before becoming a full-time athlete. I am excited to remain a part of the Maximum team by being a representative in the community. I also love yoga, xc skiing, running, food and cooking.
What are your goals?
Being an Olympian has been a lifelong dream and representing Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London is my goal. I have been racing for seven years and the next two will be exciting and challenging. I'm inspired by the opportunity to pursue this dream of wearing the maple leaf in London.
As an athlete I have the opportunity and responsibility to be a role model in my community. I want to encourage others to lead a happy, helathy and fulfilled life by being more active, eating well and being nice to one another.
Career Highlights:
2010
2nd - Canadian National Championships
28th World Championships
7th Pan-American Championships
16th World Cup (New York)
Ontario Provincial Champion
2009
3rd - Canadian National Championships
26th World Championships
6th Pan-american Championships
2008
4th -Canadian National Championships
10th - -World Cup (Mont Sainte Anne)
2007
Canada Cup Champion
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April 2011 Update from Amanda
5th At Pan American Championships
"I am home from the PanAmerican Championships held last Sunday April 3rd, just outside of Bogota, Columbia. It was a great time and Columbia was a really cool place that I would be interested in traveling to again. There were 13 athletes representing Canada at the race, which included countries from North, South, and Central America. It was really beautiful and very cyclist friendly where we were. The weather was perfect with sun everyday and temperatures in the mid 20s. It rained on the last night there after we were all packed up and heading for the airport.
The race course was great. It was tough with lots of climbing and really steep climbing. The course was also at an altitude of over 2500 m, so that made things challenging as most of us Canadians live basically at sea level. I can’t say for sure if I noticed the altitude specifically, but the race definitely felt hard!
After a short start loop, the women headed out onto the first lap and I was sitting somewhere in the top 10 I think. Starting is something I’m working on improving because I always end up much further back than I plan! I gradually worked my way up the field and stayed in 6th place for a while. I then caught a couple more and moved into 4th. I was feeling pretty good, but was struggling on the steeper sections of the climbs. This is where I was passed by fellow Canadian Emily Batty. I worked hard to try to make time back up to her, but was unable to close the gap. I stayed in 5th for the rest of the race, hoping that maybe Emily would be able to work her way up to a medal position. In the end Emily finished in 4th, I finished 5th, and fellow Canadian Mical Dyck, finished 9th".
Etienne Moreau - Elite Cross Country Mountain Bike Racer
Everything started when I moved from Canada to Belgium in 1999. I joined the first youth mountain bike club in the country. I ran my first race in 2000 and moved up the ranks every year until 2005. I won my first victory that year and discovered road racing. I started to train more intensely and after winning 6 championships, I had the chance to participate in national and provincial team projects. I raced in France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In 2008, I moved back to Collingwood. 2009 was a learning year for me. I had a new coach, a new team, a new bike, I was racing against people I didn’t know, in places I’d never been. Again, I moved up the ranks. 2010 was definitely my best year. I trained very hard all through winter to be in shape for the season. I finished 6th at the Tremblant Canada Cup and 7th at two other Canada Cups. I also had a great race at the provincials, where I finished third. Finally, I accomplished my main objective for the season: representing Canada at the World Championships in Mont-St-Anne. I finished 37th. I also won the Athlete of the year award at Jean Vanier high school. I am now studying engineering at Queen’s University and I am part of the varsity cycling and Nordic skiing teams.
This season, I am moving up to the Elite category and will try to get 20 UCI points, the minimum amount of racing points you need to race in a World Cup. My objective is to race in the World Championships and World Cups in 2012.
Claudia Johnston - Ironman Triathlete
Claudia Johnston is an athlete with a depth of experience and drive for top level performance not found in many racers. This is no doubt due in part to the love and support given by her five children Anya, Maverick, Warren, Dea and Arden.
At 36, her accomplishments rival that of any elite level athlete. In 2002, she won the 100 km Ontario Ultramarathon in 9:42:02. She followed that up in May with a personal record 9:39:05 at the World Championships in Belgium. Other achievements in running include 3rd place in 2003 at the Horseshoe Valley 50km trail run as well as strong finishes over a number of years in many ultra distance running events.
In 2001 her passion for triathlon was ignited. That year she came in 9th in a time of 12 hrs at Ironman Switzerland. After the arrival of her fifth child in 2006, she turned her attention back to triathlon and her results have been steadily improving, qualifying to race in the 2008 World Championship at the Olympic distance. In 2008 she finished first in five races, across all distances from sprint to iron over the space of just two months. In the Canadian Iron 226 she came in 3rd overall, beating the ladies’ record by more then 20 minutes.
Based on her results in 2009, Claudia was determined to compete at the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Her qualifying race was Ironman France, where she happily won her age group by more than 15 minutes, and placed 8th overall. Claudia continued racing in Ontario, every distance, winning the Bracebridge Half Ironman first overall and winning her age group at the Muskoka 70.3, also breaking into the top ten overall. Kona was an amazing experience for Claudia, placing 6th in her age group. At the 2010 Ironman World Championships, Claudia took nearly 50 minutes off her previous time and placed an impressive 3rd in her age group and was the 28th woman overall. Her time of 9:55 puts her in an elite group of women who have broken the 10 hour mark.
She attributes her great improvement this past year to working with coach Barrie Shepley and the C3 High Performance team, including attending her first training camp. She is currently training for the Karnten Ironman Austria which takes place on July 3, 2011 in Klagenfurt Austria. She has a couple of local athletes training with her for this event: Scott Thornton, owner of Indestri CrossFit Gym and Glenn Wark, a local physiotherapist. She hopes to qualify at the Austrian event for the Hawaii World Championships Ironman 2011, which takes place later in the year.
Claudia continues to be a familiar face at the YMCA and now at Buddha Rider where she teaches spin classes.
Claudia is a dedicated amateur athlete who gives back to her community and to those who support her. Her love of sport encourages others to test their limits, as she tests hers every day, and she will do whatever it takes to improve even more this year.
Creemore Soccer Team
Creemore Peewee A Rep Hockey Team
