Back in 2014 after another Winter Paralympics, head coach Robin McKeever was at a crossroads. He had achieved success at the highest level, but after 18 years of life as an athlete and coach, was unsure if he was properly balancing his family life and career.
“After 2014, I sat down with my nine-year-old son and told him I might quit. He asked why I would quit my job and I told him because I don’t get to see him very much. But he told me ‘I like what you do. I think it’s really cool.’ ”
On his son’s advice, McKeever kept his job and was at the helm of another successful ParaNordic season, led by his brother Brian McKeever and athletes Mark Arendz, Chris Klebl, Brittany Huday and Emily Weeks.
This week, his efforts were recognized by Alberta Venture magazine, where he was named one of Alberta’s 50 most influential people, sharing the list with the likes of Premier Rachel Notley and Calgary’s Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“It was kind of surprising. I was not expecting it, but it doesn’t happen unless you have crazy support behind you,” McKeever said. “When I was first told about the award, I wasn’t aware what it was, then I was shocked that I won.”
As an athlete, McKeever began his career in 1987 and represented Canada at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
In 2001, he began skiing as a guide for his brother, where the duo earned seven gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals at three Paralympic Games.
After 2010, he was named head coach of Canada’s ParaNordic program, where he pushed the program to follow the high performance model.
“I have to thank the ParaNordic team and the whole system for believing in what we’re doing, which is to create a high performance system above and beyond what was there before. We are pushing our athletes to perform at the same level, and beyond, of what able body athletes can do,” McKeever said.
He still gets to be a dad, as his son often joins the team at practice, skiing alongside his father and uncle, or catching video of the team’s technique.
“Trying to balance it all with being a dad is what I’m most proud of,” McKeever said.
He plans to continue coaching until at least 2018, and will re-evaluate at that point.
