Mark Arendz’s summer weight loss program had one step: get a new arm.
Wanting to trade his bulky prosthetic for a sleek blade that attaches easily to his rifle, the 24-year-old para-biathlete brainstormed with coach Robin McKeever and found an option that was fast and functional.
The prosthetic folds flush against his bicep while skiing, and folds down quickly to provide a stable surface when shooting prone.
“I wanted something lighter this year, and we came up with this,” Arendz said before the season.
Over the years, Arendz has practiced with a number of arms. He lost his in a farming accident in Prince Edward Island when he was five years old, but that hasn’t kept him from becoming one of Canada’s top nordic athletes.
He appears ready to contend again for the overall IPC cross-country and biathlon title after winning a silver medal in Vuokatti, Finland. He’s won the overall title once, and finished second twice. Coming off a two-medal performance at the Paralympic Games, the wins bring his IPC career total to 17.
He struck silver in the 15 kilometre standing individual race, shooting clean and recording a time of 39:12.9.
“It took me the first two laps to get into the race, but from there I felt I kept getting better with each lap,” said Arendz. “An individual race puts an emphasis on shooting. I made sure that nothing went wrong on the range, and I feel the shooting is finally coming around again. It is getting closer to where I want it.”
Arendz will battle most of the year with Norway’s Nils Erik Ulset, who took the win on Saturday, finishing in 38:08. He’s ready to build on such early success, and is quick to compliment his support crew.
“A clean race on the range always feels great, but to combine that with an awesome result is the icing on the cake. The wax techs gave me rockets for skis today which made the difference on the new snow that fell last night.”
He also finished fifth in the men’s 10 km standing ski race.
Arendz wasn’t the only Canadian to shine. Chris Klebl and Brittany Hudak earned bronze medals in their respective events. Klebl won bronze in the 10 km sit ski competition, while Hudak finished third in the standing 5 km competition. She finished her race in 17:28.
“It was a stellar day and start to the season for our team,” said Robin McKeever, head coach of the Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team. “It was a great result for Brittany. She has worked hard and trained well with the goal of being a medal contender in 2018. She now needs to continue to develop her technical ability.”
While Klebl is a veteran on Canada’s team, this is Hudak’s first year on the Canadian ParaNordic team. She was born missing part of her left arm, and was recruited by Colette Bourgonje, who discovered her working in a Canadian Tire in Manitoba.
“It’s a pretty exciting day being on the podium for the first time in a world cup,” said Hudak. “The race felt great for me. I was pushing hard and able to keep my mental focus. It just felt great to see an awesome result at the end of the race. A big thanks goes to my coaches, Own the Podium and Cross Country Canada for the amazing support to get me here.”
