Opposite ends of athletic spectrum
Arendz, Moyse keep their eyes on their respective prizes in 2019
At first glance, para nordic skier Mark Arendz and former Olympic bobsleigh brakeman Heather Moyse look to be on opposite ends of the athletic spectrum these days.
Arendz, a six-time medallist at the 2018 Paralympic Games, added two World Cup silvers and a bronze medal, plus four silvers and two bronzes at the recent world para nordic skiing championships, to his already bursting trophy case this season. Moyse, a two-time Olympic bobsleigh gold-medallist, who is now more or less retired from international competition, is building a career as a motivational speaker.
But look closer and the differences aren’t so striking.
Arendz’s attention is on the snow and the shooting, even after achieving greatness at the sport’s highest level.
“I didn’t change focus after the Games. I wanted to keep the pedal on. Instead of taking that break I wanted to push to the next level,” said the Hartsville native, who also added the Lieutenant Governor’s Award, the senior male athlete of the year and the Bill Halpenny Award (shared with para hockey’s Billy Bridges) to his collection at the recent Sport P.E.I. awards in Charlottetown.
Focus for Moyse, a Summerside native, is about using her experience to help others.
Indeed, that’s why she won the inspiration award at Sport P.E.I.’s recent presentation.
The Canadian Olympic Committee asked her back in late 2017 to work with rookie driver Alysia Rissling at the 2018 Olympics.
Rissling came into the Games ranked sixth in the world and came out of Games, a notorious crusher of the most mentally tough competitor, ranked sixth — a win by any measure.
“(An athlete’s) mindset can make or break a performance. I’m proud of my physical accomplishments, but also proud to live up to the pressures and go back. I went back with the desire to impact the next generation,” Moyse said. “People fall off, people crumble under pressure. At this level success is measured in terms of mindset not physical skill.
“It’s 10 per cent physical, 90 per cent dealing with pressure and distraction. My job was to teach her to deal with that 90 per cent to tap the 10 per cent.”
By her own admission Moyse rarely hits the gym — she admits she never liked it anyway — and hasn’t run for more than 10 minutes at a time in months.
But the competitive fire still burns as she lasers in on a speaking career. She’s already a published author after the 2017 release of “Redefining Realistic.”
“Most important for me is to make a difference. Stand up to pressures, stick to my messaging, making impact. To define success based on fulfillment.”
As for Arendz, he might be on to what Moyse is talking about.
After the Games, he allowed himself a breath or two and absorbed the attention and joined the activities his medal wins allowed. As Moyse talks about, he saw fulfillment in his success, which, he said, refreshed him for the new season.
“In thinking about it and all the different things I found myself quite busy. It was quite helpful for me.”
Next up, Moyse speaks later this month at CFB Borden in Ontario while Arendz competes at a World Cup event March 13 to 17 in Sapporo, Japan.