One of Canada’s most colourful and controversial cross-country skiers, Kevin Sandau, is retiring from the sport.
The 27-year-old skier began the season with one goal – crack the top 30 on Ski Tour Canada – but fell short, finishing 40th in the skiathlon and 43rd overall.
“Ski Tour was like my Olympics. It was a pretty cool way to end my career,” Sandau said. “This year my training was really good. I’ve done the most volume I’ve ever done – it was something I could really build off of. I put in the time and training investment, but it’s a two-year commitment to the Olympics, and even then I don’t know if I could get to where I want to be.”
He said expenses are increasing as well. Athletes who aren’t on Canada’s A team must spend $140 a day while in Europe to pay for a trip, and this season cost him $25,000 to race strictly in North America. He wasn’t satisfied to spend that money again if he wasn’t reaching his own lofty goals.
“I thought about what next year would look like. It would have been race domestically, then race world champs. Making world champs wouldn’t be enough – I need an international performance,” Sandau said.
Sandau was the first applicant and member of the Alberta World Cup Academy, as his dreams of becoming one of the country’s top skiers began early, working with coach Mike Cavaliere. The two formed a bond that spanned a decade, as they both worked well meticulously planning the season.
“He took me from a mid-pack skier to juniors and U23. He gave me the confidence to be on the start line of those races,” Sandau said. “He had the passion and focus. From May, he knew what to do with an athlete to help them in February.”
Training with Graeme Killick, Jesse Cockney and Heidi Widmer, Sandau was always one of the country’s strongest prospects, as there was rarely a weekend where he wasn’t on the podium.
He pulled off a 13th-place in his first trip to U23 world championships in 2010, and followed it up with an impressive fifth-place finish in the 15 kilometre freestyle race in 2011. The race was the best international result of his career, as he established himself as Canada’s top prospect.
However, Sandau wasn’t able to translate that result into world cup success. He battled on the NorAm circuit, but in retrospect wishes he could have gone overseas.
“I don’t have any regrets with my career, but I wish they had got Graeme Killick, Jesse Cockney, Michael Somppi and myself to Europe to race guys our age on the Scandinavian Cup circuit. When you’re competing on the NorAm, if you’re a top five contender, it’s like a time trial. You race the same guys and learn their weaknesses, and it plays out pretty much the same … overseas, I think, I would have really celebrated a top 15 in those types of races. You get passed by a Norwegian, but you stick with him … that’s how I got faster. If you have guys pushing me, that’s one way to get faster.”
Ironically, Sandau turned down international races this season to focus on the Ski Tour. He was extremely dominant on the NorAm circuit, but feels it may not have been the race experience he should have had before the tour.
“In the NorAms, there was no one pushing me, no one would pass me. I just had to push hard,” Sandau said.
He credits his sister Rhonda Jewett and brother in law Gord Jewett for teaching him to become an elite athlete.
“Gord showed me what could happen. He had multiple back surgeries, and came back and made the Olympics.”
Sandau also became the best filmmaking skier on the team, as he often spent his spare time working with his camera, producing several short films. He stirred the pot once he was cut from the national team. He made a short film skewering Cross Country Canada, accusing them of getting rid of older skiers and likening them to Sauruman in Lord of the Rings.
“I have no regrets over that. I temporarily burnt bridges, but when people were sharing it, there was a lot of support,” Sandau said.
Despite his talent with the camera, he now wants to study software engineering and computer science at university. That doesn’t mean his love of film is gone.
“Last week I went to see Deadpool, and I was watching the trailers and thought, wow I really want to be a part of this,” Sandau said. “Maybe when I am a software engineer, I can fund these fun projects.”
As for younger skiers, he said there are some strong athletes coming up. He’s curious to see who Team Canada hires as its head coach, but jokes if it were him, he’d put a focus on having a European home for developing skiers. Give skiers people to chase. That makes them faster, he said.
“If you take the best guys from the NorAm circuit, right below the world cup, and put them with a coach and wax tech on the Scando Cup circuit, then have the U23 guys on the NorAm circuit, that would be competitive,” Sandau said. “
He’ll spend this summer working at The Haig glacier, and said skiing will always be part of his life. He hasn’t entirely ruled out a cameo appearance at Ski Nationals next year in Canmore, but swears he’s calling ‘cut’ on the Olympic dream.
“So many people have helped me along the way. I think my parents are relieved I want to go to school,” he said.
