By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
It’s always a special occasion when the local community has one of its own to cheer on at the Olympics, but this year brings a bonus – the chance to cheer on Cobourg-born and -raised Zoe Bergeron at three upcoming national and international regattas.
Though most of Zoe’s time has been spent in Mississauga since the age of 15 for intensive sprint-canoe training with the Mississauga Canoe Club, the 20-year-old still considers herself a Cobourg resident. And in those years between the ages of nine and 15, she could be found out on Lake Ontario with the Cobourg Dragon Boat and Canoe Club, training with local paddling legend Jeremy Fowlie.
It all started back in Grade 4, she recalls.
“My schoolteacher was married to Jeremy,” she said in a recent interview – “he came to school and did a presentation on the canoeing.”
The children were sent home with flyers, which she showed to her parents Kim and Rod Bergeron.
“I started literally two days later in their after-school program.”
Working with Fowlie, Zoe discovered sprint canoeing. This specialty has the paddler up on one knee wielding a one-sided paddle.
“It has been my sport ever since,” she declared.
She devoted herself to it until, at the age of 15, she got the opportunity to move on to the Mississauga Canoe Club where, due to COVID-19, she was able to pursue her schooling on-line and her paddling on the water.
Her training regimen calls for 11 on-water practices a week, but for her to get out two or three times a day is not unusual.
Within the next few weeks, she is slated for some important regattas.
Aug. 19 to 24 will find her at the Canadian National Championships, which will host the best athletes from each province.
From Sept. 16 to 20, she will be in Croatia for the International Canoe Federation Marathon World Championships (known colloquially as the ICF Marathon World) to compete in the 3.5K short course and the 12K long course.
Before leaving Europe, she will travel to Cagliari, Italy, for the International Sacidano Race in the 200-meter and 500-meter races (“It’s not a world championship, but I was selected to go,” she said).
The enthusiasm in her voice when she talks about paddling is unmistakable.
“To spend 40 hours a week at the canoe club, you have to love to do that. You have to really want to be there,” Zoe said.
“If I could do it 24/7, I would.”
And forget any visions of a placid paddle on a sunny day – she’s out there in all kinds of weather.
“I have paddled where water is freezing on the side of my boat,” she said.
“If there’s thunder, our coaches get us out of there. But if it’s raining, they say, ‘what if you are at a race and it starts raining?’”
The Olympics are not necessarily in her sights – mainly because, for now, it’s not an Olympic event.
“But if, one day, it was, that would be the goal. As of right now, I am at the highest level I can be at with what I do.”
All of this is going on while she is studying Fitness and Health Promotion at Fleming College, from which she expects to graduate next April. But her dedication to paddling means that will continue for now.
Right now, Zoe is in the under-23 age category for paddlers aged 19 to 23, and she plans on continuing at least until she ages out of that contingent.
“Last year, I placed eighth in the world and was the youngest in my age category,” she said.
“And I’m not stopping until I win a medal on the international stage. I haven’t put in all these hours NOT to win a medal, so I am going to keep going until I win.
“I am really persistent on getting top-five-in-the-world this year – that’s my biggest goal.”
Her first experience at an international meet last year was most encouraging. Going in, she recalls telling herself just not to finish last.
“I ended up getting way better than I expected, so this year it’s the top five now,” she predicted.
