Ben Wilkinson-Zan is crucial to Carleton University’s Nordic Ski team.
Ben Wilkinson-Zan is one of the fastest athletes on Carleton University’s Nordic ski team. His coaches and teammates say he has a great work ethic, a lot of talent, and a ton of potential.
That’s pretty good for a freshman.
“I’ve had a really good year,” says the 18-year-old Lisgar Collegiate grad, who is in his first year of mechanical engineering at Carleton. “I’ve improved a lot in certain aspects of my skiing and I’m still looking to improve, but it’s been going really well.”
Wilkinson-Zan began cross-country skiing when he was three, joined local club Nakkertok Nordic’s racing team in Grade 5 and now logs more than 600 hours a year in ski training, racing for both Nakkertok and Carleton Raven’s 21-member varsity team. Both teams ski in Gatineau Park.
He says it’s a lot to manage, but has been able to do well so far by taking only three courses per semester.
“It’s really good to get a better balance with school and skiing,” he says of the lighter courseload.
Carleton Ravens head coach Chris Mamen says learning to juggle skiing and school helps athletes develop over their university years.
“They tend to be able to balance things a lot better,” he says. “It means that they do end up skiing faster and it’s because of better time management. Their body responds better.”
The training is more extreme than Wilkinson-Zan says he's used to.
“The level of commitment and dedication for university skiing is higher and the training is more intense than high school skiing,” Wilkinson-Zan said. “In most parts it’s a natural transition to a higher level, but the one big difference is the addition of the new technique.”
In high school, athletes compete only in skate skiing, whereas they participate in both classic and skate races in university, he said.
Wilkinson-Zan was last year’s national junior skate ski sprint champion and in Grade 11 was named Lisgar’s male athlete of the year after winning the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association’s Nordic championships.
“In the beginning of high school, I wasn’t much of a high level skier,” Wilkinson-Zan says. “I skied because I enjoyed it, but never threw down some substantial results. In Grade 10, I started to take it much more seriously and started placing regularly in the top 10.”
Nordic skiing is popular at Lisgar, with about 40 athletes on the team in Wilkinson-Zan’s graduating year. Many also ski with Nakkertok, he says.
While natural talent does play a role in his success, Nakkertok head coach Kieran Jones says a lot of the young skier’s is the result of pure hard work.
“He’s the type of guy who’s on time, he’s ready for practice every day and he’s always keen to learn more,” Jones says. “I would say I probably field more questions from him than I have from any athlete that I’ve worked with.”
Wilkinson-Zan says he and the Carleton team have their eyes on the gold medal at the Ontario University Athletics championships Feb. 22 at Lakehead. Both the men’s and women’s teams captured the silver medal at last year’s OUAs and the men won gold in 2010 and 2011.
“It’s quite a strong one this year,” Wilkinson-Zan says of the team. “I think we’ve got a decent shot at getting the OUA banner.”
Mamen says it’s important for the younger skiers such as Wilkinson-Zan to step up and perform, as there are four men and three women on the team who will graduate at the end of the season.
“Hopefully, (Wilkinson-Zan) will be leading the team,” Mamen says.
Wilkinson-Zan could be a “crucial asset” for developing the team in the future, says graduating skier Kyle Power. Going into OUAs, he’s Carleton’s fastest skier, Power says.
“It’s important for (him) and the other first-year skiers to stay involved with the team,” Power says. “In the end, fast ski teams attract fast skiers.”
Long-term, Wilkinson-Zan says he has his eyes on the international circuit and, hopefully, the Olympics. His coaches say he could get there if he continues to improve.
“He definitely has the potential,” says Jones. “But it’s a big country, with lots of people who ski. It’s always tough.”