By David Karp
Ottawa’s harsh winter has unofficially started, and Margarita Gorbounova couldn’t be happier.
For Gorbounova, an Ottawa-based cross-country skier and biathlete who is legally blind, this time of year marks the start of her competitive season. For skiers, preparing for a new season can be more challenging than for other athletes, given the absence of snow in the summer and fall.
“I do lots of roller skiing,” explains the Vancouver 2010 cross-country ski Paralympian who’s since added biathlon to her plate. “I can do it a lot in Mooney’s Bay Park, by the Rideau River, and in Gatineau Park — on the less hilly parts.”
Gorbounova supplements her roller skiing with cycling and running. For biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and shooting, there’s an additional challenge. Athletes with visual impairments employ a rifle that fires a laser beam instead of bullets, using beeps to indicate how far the beam is from the target. But the special rifle needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet to work, so Gorbounova spends the offseason practicing shooting in her basement.
“You need to do combo training,” the 29-year-old details. “You need to go for a run or something to simulate biathlon. Most people can shoot when they’re lying still, but you add the heart rate to it…”
So while many Ottawans curse the start of winter because it means another season of snow shoveling and frozen eyelashes, Gorbounova looks forward to winter because she can finally just ski.
“It’s a great way to get out in the winter and enjoy the outdoors when everyone else is watching TV,” she notes. “That’s basically why I started skiing. Everyone always complains about winter and how much they hate it.”
Shooting for Sochi
Another perk this winter’s arrival offers is a break from her day job as a federal government translator – supported by a Treasury Board program that grants government employees up to three months paid leave per year to train and participate in international sporting events – in the lead-up to the March 7-16 Paralympic Winter Games.
That will provide some additional time for Gorbounova to bond with her guide, who helps her navigate the cross-country course.
Locally, Gorbounova trains under Kate Boyd, a coach with Kanata Nordic and program manager for Nakkertok Nordic. But visits with competition guide Andrea Bundon, a University of British Colombia PhD student, are less frequent.
“You need to work together as a team,” emphasizes Gorbounova, whose top result in Vancouver was 7th-place with now-retired guide Robert d’Arras of Ottawa. “(Andrea and I) work really well together. But we don’t really get a chance to ski together very often since she’s at the other end of the country.”
Paralympic year lifts stakes
Starting with the International Paralympic Committee Nordic World Cups Dec. 9-17 in Canmore, Alta., this season’s races each carry extra meaning, as it may make or break whether athletes qualify for the Paralympics in Russia. Gorbounova already met the minimum qualifying standard for cross-country skiing back in January at the IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup in Cable, Wisconsin.
But the St. Petersburg-born athlete who moved to Ottawa in 1999 isn’t guaranteed a ticket to Sochi, since Canada’s team is limited to 11 nordic skiers. Having the biathlon in her repertoire could open the door a bit wider, however.
“My goal (for Canmore) is to qualify (for the Paralympics) in biathlon and, if possible, to improve my standing from last year in cross-country,” she highlights.
Clegg targets 4th Olympics
Gorbouvona isn’t the only biathlete with Ottawa ties who will have a big race in Canmore. Robin Clegg, 36, is expecting there will be an open race in late December to determine one of Canada’s Olympic biathlon berths.
Now a Canmore resident, Clegg lived in Dunrobin during his teenage years and participated in the 1995 Canada Winter Games while representing Chelsea Nordic.
He went on to compete in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and is now taking a shot at qualifying for Sochi, despite retiring from international competition after Vancouver, and being hampered by a serious elbow injury sustained when a car crashed into him while biking near Calgary.