Glen

Burloak Athlete Spotlight

Athlete:  Glen B

Program:  Masters, canoe

How long have you been paddling?
Would you believe I've paddled for 50-plus years... I took most of the 80s off when my children were young.

When did you start paddling at Burloak?
I paddled as a youth and into my thirties and after moving to Burlington and learning that Burloak had a Masters thing going... I then got hooked again in my forties.

What were your first impressions of the club and the sport?
My first impression of Burloak was 'look at all these old Masters having so much fun out on the Creek'... and I realized I had been missing out for the previous 10 years after I had settled in Burlington.

My first impression of the sport came as a kid of 10 years old when my father (a former oarsman) took me down to the Lachine Racing Canoe Club (Montreal area) home regatta and I knew right then that my life calling was to be in a war canoe race.

What was the biggest surprise to you about the sport?
One of the biggest surprises was while waiting behind the start line for my upcoming Masters C-1 1000m race at Nationals. The Junior Mens war canoe was the next race and when those nine war canoe crews exploded at the starter’s gun, I felt an amazingly strong blast of energy erupt. It blew me away. I had no idea, prior to that moment, that war canoe starts were so dynamic and that I had been a part of it in my youth.

Do you do any other sports? How do you balance both sports?
I played most sports but mastered none of them. As a youth paddler, I also ran track at high school (400m, 800m, and the Mile) with some success and that training helped prep me for the cardio required for the canoeing season. During the paddling season, my teammates and I spent hours at our club in Lachine.

How often do you train, and what does training look like for you?
During the summer a typical Masters season would find me on the water five times a week from May through mid-October. This current winter season, I've been able to maintain five workouts per week.

Do you have to compete? If so, how often?
Yes, I definitely feel I have to compete in order to maintain the discipline to train. Without that incentive, I might become a couch potato. As a Master, racing up to three times a summer satisfies my need.

What is the hardest part of training or racing and how do you overcome it?
The hardest part of training for me is trying to bring my 'old-style' technique into the new millennium and it is something I struggle with.

What do you like most about paddling?
The most enjoyable thing for me, is the friendships I have developed and have been lucky to maintain... 'through the waters to friendship'. As I sit here, I count eleven former Lachine crew-mates that I am still in touch with today (and I haven't paddled at Lachine since 1970).The same goes for my crew-mates with whom I paddled at West Rouge Canoe Club where a winning war canoe crew in 1973 (a crew that contended very well nationally for three seasons) set the depth of friendship that has kept eight of us tight even to today.

My twenty-five years at Burloak has established similar friendships. A guy can't ask for more than that. There's something about engaging with crew-mates through the struggles of training to succeed that has you stand together for life.

Do you have to eat anything specific for training as a paddler?
Uh oh... I wouldn't make it as a competitive paddler today where they apply such focus on food groups... no chips, no sweets... I fail again.

Do you have some favourite memories that stand out?
My first real thrill was pulling on the Lachine red and white striped jersey at my first regatta as a proud thirteen year old and feeling the history of that successful old club sitting on my shoulders and guiding me forward.

Another big thrill, of course, was winning the Black (the John W. Black trophy awarded to the winning Jr Mens C4 1000m) with my Lachine crew-mates on Mooney's Bay.

Then there was winning Junior war canoe with West Rouge which at that time was a very small village on the Rouge River and eleven of those fourteen paddlers came from that small village and took on the Nation without looking back. That was a big thrill as we would've been considered long shots to win but, again, the crew camaraderie that we built worked its magic.

What has the club and program meant for you during COVID-19?
During 2020 when CKC/COVID banned war canoe outings, there was a large void in my summer fun but the club has done exceptionally well, both last year and this year, in getting us on the water. I sure have missed the excitement of a multi-crew war canoe race, and hope there's another one or two of those in my future.

What are your goals for paddling? How are you working to achieve them?
At my age of 74, my goals are pretty basic... keep getting out on the Creek for as long as I can.

Do you have any advice for others considering the sport of paddling?
Please do consider paddling as a serious option in your list of potential activities. Before a newbie Masters kicks the tires and walks away, we always encourage them to keep going past the first few weeks and to hang on in war canoe outings. There is a world of wonder waiting for you in canoeing, and once you’ve felt the excitement of being on the starting line in a war canoe race, there’ll be no turning back.

Hang on to your hat and enjoy the ride!