Canada’s top 10 female athletes

3. NAME: Hayley Wickenheiser
SPORT: Hockey
AGE: 29

TRAINING LOCALE: Olympic Oval in Calgary

TRAINING SCHEDULE: From September to April, Wickenheiser trains from four to six hours a day, six days a week (typically three practices and three games per week). Off-season, she does two 3-hour training sessions a day, six days a week. These may include weight training, boxing, running, mountain biking, agility work, speed and balance training, and, starting in July, on-ice sessions.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Lives with her partner, Tomas Pacina, and is the adoptive mother of Noah, 7.

MILESTONES:
• Gold (and MVP), 2007 Women’s World Championships
• Gold (and MVP) 2006 (and 2002) Winter Olympics
• MVP, 2004 Women’s World Championships

MEANS OF SUPPORT: Wickenheiser gets sponsorship backing from General Mills, Nike Bauer, MasterCard and Merlin Ford. She supplements this with appearances and speaking engagements. (She speaks at schools for free.) She and Tomas also have a company, International Hockey Consulting, which provides services such as on- and off-ice training and public speaking, and they dabble in real estate.

JUGGLING ACT: Wickenheiser’s biggest hurdle is finding time to meet all the demands of an elite athlete – including training and requests for appearances – and still be able to spend time with Noah. The most stressful part of her job is leaving Noah and Tomas behind when she travels.

She also juggles volunteer commitments with charities including Right to Play and KidSport, which use sports as a way to empower and educate disadvantaged kids. Wickenheiser says she’s lucky to have a partner who has limited his own career as a hockey coach to make her life easier. Also, her parents take Noah on weekends if she and Tomas are both away for work, and her “wonderful” nanny steps in when needed, too.

BALANCING TIP: Focus your attention on what’s important and learn to say no to what isn’t.

NEXT BIG CHALLENGE: 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

4. NAME: Clara Hughes
SPORT: Speed skating
AGE: 35

TRAINING LOCALE: Olympic Oval in Calgary

TRAINING SCHEDULE: In season, Hughes trains twice a day, six days a week. On a typical day, she skates about 20 kilometres, rides the trainer (a sort of indoor stationary bicycle) up to two hours or runs for up to an hour. In addition, she lifts weights twice a week and spends hours doing exercises specially designed for speed skating; for example, using a rubber cable with a belt to practise turning/crossing movements on corners.

She also does core strength workouts to improve balance and movement, and stretching exercises about 30 to 45 minutes a day four times a week. Off season, she cross trains at every opportunity; for example, this past spring and summer, she biked mountain passes in Quebec, California and Alberta.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married (six years to Peter Guzman).

MILESTONES:
• Gold (5,000 metres), 2006 Winter Olympics
• Silver (team pursuit), 2006 Winter Olympics
• Gold (5,000 metres), 2004 World Single Distances Championships
• Double bronze medals at 1996 Summer Olympics for cycling (she is only the second woman and fourth person ever to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics)

MEANS OF SUPPORT: Hughes says she’s “incredibly fortunate” to have the support of numerous sponsors, including Bell Canada, Visa, CV Technologies (makers of Cold-fX) and Adidas Eyewear. “What a gift – I have the best job in the world,” she says.

JUGGLING ACT: The biggest challenge for Hughes is her involvement in two charities that are close to her heart – Right to Play (to which she and her husband have donated $10,000 of their own money) and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which raises money to protect the Sutton Mountain Range in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She considers herself fortunate to be able see these mountains when she’s at her home in Quebec. She also fits in public speaking and mentors a handful of young athletes.

BALANCING TIP: Prioritize and know your limits. “What’s most difficult for me is saying no. I often feel that I’m letting people down. I’ve had to learn how to recognize my limits and respect these limits.”

NEXT BIG CHALLENGE: World Single Distance Championships (5,000 metres) in Nagano, Japan, in March 2008. Then the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She hopes to defend her Olympic title in the 5,000-metre race on home soil before retiring as an Olympic athlete.

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