Shaw, who is from Rosemere, Quebec, began his career in skiing at an early age. He now represents Canada in long distance cross-country ski races known as WorldLoppets. Canada holds one out of 12 World Loppet races in Gatineau, Quebec. Shaw actually won three of the World Loppets in Gatineau.
Shaw came to visit Newfoundland and Labrador for two weeks earlier this month to do some roller and cross-country skiing.
“The reason why I came up was for the scenery and the adventure. The adventure of hopefully seeing moose and caribou- animals that we don’t have around home and the challenge of the whole trip.” Shaw told the Labradorian.
He’d been to central and western parts of the island made his way to Labrador and visited the communities of Port Hope Simpson, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Labrador City before heading back home.
Shaw used his time at the Birch Brook to do some hill work as he called it.
“I could see the huge lake and the mountains in the background, my god it was beautiful!
“You can surely hold a world cup or national or international ski race here.” Shaw said.
Shaw, at 45, says he is in the best shape of his life and encourages the younger generation to become more involved in physical activity and to give cross-country skiing a chance. “I challenge the young people who have become used to using snowmobiles as a means of transportation to start cross country skiing,” he said.
He says skiing has helped him to have more energy levels and the key to leading a healthy lifestyle means becoming more active and quitting unhealthy habits like smoking.
In seeing his own family suffer with the addiction, Shaw in 2002, inline skated to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking. He has also used his athletic abilities to take him across Canada to raise money for Arthritis.
Shaw’s dedication to skiing, and with the help of sponsors like Rossignol, has led him around the world in competitions as far as Sweden.
In the new year he plans to head to Finland and Austria for cross-country competitions.
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