Change of plans
Skier Sydney Marteniuk tests waters for Chicopee racing team
KITCHENER — With her competitive career seemingly behind her, Sydney Marteniuk turned her focus to coaching.
Less than a year later, the transition is on hold.
The outgoing Cameron Heights student, rather than coaching and teaching, is paving the way for up-and-coming skiers by competing as the only under-19 racer at the Chicopee Ski Club. A plan is in the works to create a U19 team next season and Marteniuk is helping Chicopee officials prepare for the new squad by attending a handful of races this winter and taking a few logistical notes along the way.
The decision to continue competing came after Marteniuk sat down with Chicopee coaches Kathryn Tarrant and Mike Goodman to discuss possible teaching opportunities. Most local skiers give up racing after their time is up with Chicopee’s U16 team and Marteniuk figured she’d do the same. She picked up her Level 1 coaching certificate last winter and was ready to make the move. And then came the meeting. “They both said if they had one regret, they wished they would have kept racing a little bit longer and saved coaching for later on in life,” said the 16-year-old Marteniuk. “Honestly, I’m not sure how far I will go with (skiing) but I really enjoy it and I don’t want to give that up just yet.”
Marteniuk, who started skiing when she was four and competing at 11, has recorded a pair of top-10 finishes at U19 events in Mansfield and Craigleith ski clubs. Additional competitions are coming up at Mansfield and Devil’s Glen, as well as the Ontario Winter Games at Blue Mountain. The Grade 11 International Baccalaureate student will also represent Cameron Heights at next week’s Waterloo County high school championship at Beaver Valley, with the Central Western Ontario set for the following week at the same venue.
If Marteniuk makes it to CWOSSA, she’ll compete just one day after representing her school at the CWOSSA swim championship as a member of the senior 4x50-metre freestyle relay team, which finished first at WCSSAA.
The multi-sport athlete also competes for the basketball and track and field teams at Cameron Heights and her passion for those activities makes it unlikely she’ll ever completely commit to skiing.
“School is my big priority and the IB program is busy but it really helps with time management,” she said. “And I really enjoy participating in other sports and don’t think I’d want to give them up.”
Marteniuk wrote her final exam Wednesday and was going to spend Thursday shopping for birthday gifts and hanging out with the family dog, Harvey. She planned on visiting the University of Toronto for a lookaround on Thursday, even though she’s not entirely sure she wants to make the immediate jump from high school to a post-secondary institution. Training for the upcoming month will commence Saturday.
She plans on soon gaining a Level 2 coaching certificate and is considering taking a year off to see the world and coach, whether it be in Western Canada or Europe.