CARRIE DEBRONEKitchener Citizen
January 17, 2013
Ending her career where it began, 29-year-old Canadian Olympic downhill and Super-G skier Kelly VanderBeek officially retired as a professional athlete on January12 at the Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener.
A member of the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team for the last 13 years, she is the team’s most-decorated female member.
VanderBeek place 2nd at World Cup events in both 2007 and 2008. Making her FIS World Cup debut in 2002 and winning the Canadian junior athlete of the Year that same year, she went on to become the first Canadian woman to reach the podium on Canadian soil, placing 3rd at the 2006 World Cup downhill in Lake Louise. She competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics narrowly missing the podium to place 4th in the Super-G.
In December 2009, VanderBeek suffered a severe knee injury after a training run crash at the World Cup in Val d’Isere, France. The accident ended her season and her dream of competing in the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics.
“I started skiing at Chicopee 21 years ago and I feel like the luckiest person in the whole world, she said, reminiscing about the years she had racing with the Chicopee teams while working with her local coach Peter Bassin, and then going on in her career to compete at the World Cup and Olympic levels and all the people she has had in her life who
supported her and helped further her career.
“I wasn’t alone. You‘re only as good as the people you have
around you and I have some really good people around me,”
VanderBeek said through tears.
“On December 17, 2009 I got unlucky for 10 seconds,” she said as she emotionally recounted to the room packed full of family, friends, collegues and supporters, how she realized recently that although her knee will support her well enough for her to remain an athlete, it will never be strong enough again to endure the strain of professional ski racing.
“Part of me feels like I’ve failed. It’s the first time in my life that I set a goal and didn’t achieve it,” she said, referring to her plan to compete in the next winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
But she said it was her husband, David Ford (a five time Olympic kayaker and member of Canada’s kayak team) who convinced her otherwise.
“He said failure would be to not try, and I tried,” she said through tears.
VanderBeek and Ford moved from Chilliwak, B.C. to Canmore Alta. last fall so that Kelly would be able to work with medical staff and trainers with the national cross country ski team.
Accepting the reality that her severe knee injury has ended her professional downhill skiing career, she said that now “emotionally, I have never been happier,” and once again feels “very lucky as windows and doors have opened” to her in the last few years allowing her the chance to become a host and broadcaster for CTV during the Vancouver and London Olympics and a guest host for Sportsnet, CBC and Sportscene.
She hopes to continue working in broadcasting and to further develop her photography business.
VanderBeek was presented with a print and flowers by Robert Rousselle, Director of Sport Business for Alpine Canada.
“We’re sure proud of her accomplishments,” Rousselle said.
Her mother, Janet, publicly thanked those who helped Kelly in her athletic career, giving special credit to her GRCI guidance counselor Ron Petker, who helped manage her high school education when she was away so often to compete. But Janet VanderBeek said the person who had the most influence on Kelly was her coach Peter Bassin who instilled two things in her -- an incredibly strong work ethic and a passion for ski racing.
After several video messages from colleagues and friends who could not be at the retirement announcement, and a few clips of her downhill racing highlights, Kelly invited everyone in the room to join her for a toast with a cup of hot chocolate.
“Let’s not cry because it’s over but smile because it happened,” she said as she raised her drink.
Bassin, who coached Vanderbeek for six years until she made the national team, said Chicopee Ski Club provided everything VanderBeek needed to allow her to train to national level.
He teared up as he talked about VanderBeek’s hard work ethic and dedication to her sport. He talked about the two of them learning Italian together, and told the story about reaching 300,000 kilometers on his old Volvo, having driven so far to various ski competitions.
“We both got out of the car and patted it and gave it a kiss,” he laughed.
“I was a tough fellow and tough on her and she worked hard to get to the national level. I give a lot of credit to her parents. They had a lot of opportunities to go other places for coaching but they believed in me and stayed with my coaching,” Bassin said.
In 2009, VanderBeek created the Kelly VanderBeek Racing Club (KVR) in an effort to support young racers in Southwestern Ontario. The club provides young athletes with high performance training and is based out of her home club, Chicopee Ski Club. She is also involved with Kelly VanderBeek Kid’s Fit program that encourages kids to become fit though all sports.
Former Kitchener resident and Canadian Olympic downhill skier Kelly VanderBeek (middle) announced her retirement January 12 at Chicopee Ski Club amidst a room full of family, friends and supporters. Standing with her is her mother Janet VanderBeek and Peter Bassin, who coached her locally for six years until she became a member of the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team in 2000.
CAREER STARTED AT CHICOPEE SKI CLUB
Former Kitchener resident and Canadian Olympic skier Kelly VanderBeek retires
Former Kitchener resident and Canadian Olympic skier Kelly VanderBeek retires