While John Winchester is mostly recognized around town for being a former teacher at Park Street Collegiate Institute in Orillia, the 61-year-old is also an avid volunteer, involved in local politics and has been an enthusiastic cross-country skier and coach for decades.
"I love it," said Winchester, who started to cross-country ski in 1986, when he was 25 years old. He was inspired to get into the sport by his neighbour, Adam Fyfe, who came from a family of skiers and was on the ski team in Collingwood.
After eventually serving as an assistant coach for the Nordic ski team in Collingwood, Winchester started skiing with the students at Park Street and Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute after the schools merged in 2013.
“I would take the kids out to the local resorts for training,” he recalled. “When the resorts found out I was retiring from teaching they asked if I wanted to work here.”
Winchester, a native of St. Thomas, has been a ski instructor at local resorts for the past seven years, first at Horseshoe Resort and now at Hardwood Ski and Bike.
“It keeps me in shape for a lot of the activities I enjoy in the summer,” he said. “It’s great for keeping active in the winter.”
Winchester says it’s important for him to be active to be a good role model for his daughters, who are both skiers in high school.
“If they see me being active in my 60s now, then they will be more prone to stay active as well,” he said.
While Winchester taught in a classroom for 30 years, he says teaching is still his passion, which he exercises through his love of skiing.
“I like to teach brand new skiers the basics,” he said. “I also enjoy teaching experienced skiers because I get to help refine their technique and improve them. I like the challenges that come with that.”
Winchester plans on continuing to teach at Hardwood Ski and Bike for as long as they will keep him around.
“There are a lot of other instructors here that are quite a bit older than I am,” he said. “It shows that when you keep active, age is just a number.”
Winchester says cross-country skiing is a great sport for people of all ages who want to stay active during the cold winter months. He also says it’s a sport that most are able to pursue.
“A season pass here for adults is around $600,” he said. “Compared to most other sports, it’s not terribly expensive.”
For those interested in getting into the sport, Winchester suggests buying used equipment.
“Everything I own is used,” he said. “If you aren’t sure about the sport, you can also rent the equipment to get a better feel for if this is something you would like to do.”
Having the “world-class” Hardwood Ski and Bike in the area is something Winchester hopes more people will take advantage of.
“We’ve had some of the best skiers from all across the country competing here,” he said. “It’s such a good facility here, the instructors are very knowledgeable, and people come away from here having had a really good experience.”
