Motivated sibling duo reflects on successful cross-country skiing season

12-year-old Jasper and 8-year-old Gwendolyn have been involved in cross-country skiing pretty much since the time they could walk.

The brother and sister pair are incredibly ambitious, dedicating hundreds of hours every season to practicing, training, and competing at a high level.

Several weeks ago, the Sault hosted the Ontario Youth Championships where 184 athletes from 14 clubs across the province competed at Hiawatha. The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club won the championship banner on home soil as local skiers earned an abundance of accolades. 

Jasper and Gwendolyn were massive contributors to that banner win as they each received two gold medals in skate ski and classic for their respective age groups. 

"It felt really good just to be recognized in that way," Jasper says. "It's a really cool feeling having worked super hard for something and having it pay off."

To suggest the siblings work hard to receive these achievements would be heavily understated.

In this past season alone, Jasper logged over 400 kilometres of practice distance, while Gwendolyn recorded over 300 kilometres herself.

It may be tough work, but they also find it very enjoyable.

"It's fun to get outside," Gwendolyn says. "Having our friends ski with us is really nice, and I find it really relaxing."

The Soo Finnish Club is regarded as being a tight knit athletics community filled with immense support from the families that are involved. It's that sense of teamwork which drives the Tchir siblings to continue working hard.

"Having a team is really important for support," Jasper says. "Every time I train with my friends it's lots of fun and makes it so much more enjoyable."

The local junior and senior race teams are described as being like a family, and the support between the older and younger skiers is invaluable to their work ethic.

"I like having them around to help and teach me things about skiing," Gwendolyn says. "There's lots of older skiers on the team, and it's really motivating to have them there."

The pandemic halted the bulk of practices and races for the better part of two years. The kids were limited to club races with their teammates as they missed out on competing against other clubs outside of the Sault. 

But that didn't deter the brother and sister from staying motivated. 

"Not being able to race was a bummer," Jasper says. "But I took those two years to train hard and really prepare for the years to come."

While the skiing season may be over for Jasper and Gwendolyn, that doesn't mean the work stops here.

Between the two of them, the siblings take part in cross-training and dryland training, where they do do a lot of running and other fitness activities. They're also involved in several sports and activities like swimming, baseball, soccer, biking, and dance. 

"Ballet helps with my balance and swimming helps with our endurance," Gwendolyn says.

The kids also find motivation in the athletes they're inspired by.

Gwendolyn adores American gold medalist Jessie Diggins, as well as local senior club skiers Anna and Kate. Jasper looks up to world champions Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey. Kershaw actually reached out to Jasper and told him to keep working hard, and even gave Jasper one of his skis.

The Tchirs say they're already looking forward to next year, and they each plan to continue competing in cross-country skiing until the end of high school and potentially beyond that.

The siblings encourage anyone who may be considering picking up the sport to get involved.

"It's a good choice for staying active and taking part in social activities," Jasper says. "You don't have to launch right into racing. You can ski for fun or competitively. It's just a great way to make friends."