Christopher Mehak
When kayaker Christopher Mehak joined the Burloak Canoe Club
in 2006, he already possessed the skills that showed he could one day be a star on the Canadian paddling team, skills he achieved through the excellent programs at Balmy Beach Club in Toronto and the Mississauga Canoe Club.
However at Burloak he was able to rub shoulders with establish international stars like three-time Olympic medallist Adam Van Koeverden, Mark Oldershaw and Brady Reardon.
“The decision to go to Burloak was one of the biggest in my career,” said Mehak, 21. “At that point I was ready to make a bigger jump in the sport. Adam, Mark and Brady show you on a daily basis how to achieve success on the international stage.”
Now Mehak would love nothing more than to board the plane with his clubmates for Poland this August which hosts the 2010 World Championships. He received his first taste of overseas competition this past spring when he travelled to competitions in Hungary and Germany as part of the under-23 squad. His previous international experience was the 2009 Pan Am Championships in which he earned gold and silver medals.
Mehak is building his reputation as one of the top crewboat racers particularly in the K-4 events. His crewboat skills have been a focus for him in training as he chases that berth on the world team. He says paddling with teammates helps his technique and has made him a more versatile kayaker. While crews can “click” early Mehak says it is mostly hours upon hours of training that can develop the chemistry to assure a well-oiled machine to challenge the best in the world.
Competing at such a high level, Mehak admits he’s been fortunate to pursue his dream without too many roadblocks. He’s been injury-free and the physical education department at the University of Toronto has coordinated a program for him that’s tailored to assure he can pursue his winter training in Florida.
It was at age 13, that Mehak first took strokes in a kayak while at a sports camp at Balmy Beach. Even though the group only paddled twice that week, Mehak returned to pursue the sport seriously and has stuck with it ever since. He can’t pinpoint the exact reason why he loves the sport so much but describes the feeling propelling the boat by cutting the paddle smoothly through water as “taking a good golf swing.”
This will be Mehak’s fourth appearance at the Mazda CanoeKayak Knockout. His best memory was placing second in the K-4 race last year. He also feels the competition is an excellent event to promote the sport in non Olympic years.
Contact Lorraine Lafreniere at CKC to add your name to the growing list llafreniere@canoekayak.ca
