Olympic bobsleigh athlete Melissa Lotholz has been named the first recipient of the Town of Barrhead Blue Heron Award.
Lotholz received the award during June 12 council meeting.
The newly minted award was created two months ago to give council a way to honour a distinguished person, organization or group that through their activities and achievements, help develop the community and provide a social, cultural or economic benefit to the community of Barrhead and beyond.
In February, the Barrhead native along with pilot Christine de Bruin finished in seventh place at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Mayor Dave McKenzie said no one was more deserving.
“Needless to say we are all extremely proud of you, proud of the way you have represented our community, the exposure and notoriety, in a good way, that you have given our community through all the activities leading up to the Olympics,” he said.
Prior to receiving the award councillors were given a chance to ask Lotholz questions.
Coun. Leslie Penny asked how Lotholz got into the sport.
Lotholz said like many bobsleigh brakemen she started out at Barrhead Composite High School as a track and field athlete.
“It was through the Alberta Schools Athletics Association I got invited to run at the University of Alberta track team,” she said. “I watched one of my friends on the team get into bobsled and I thought our body types are similar and we have a lot of the same attributes, similar power and speed so I thought if she could do it so could I.”
That friend was Christine de Bruin.
“We actually joked, while we were still members of the track team, about competing at the Olympics together, and that is exactly what happened, six years later and in the same sled,” Lotholz said, adding prior to the Olympics they had not worked together very often.
For the majority of Lotholz time with the national team, she has been paired with Kaillie Humphries on the World Cup circuit.
During her rookie year (2014-15), Melissa pushed Humphries to three podium finishes. In 2015-16, she pushed Humphries to nine podium finishes in as many races to secure the overall World Cup title. The Canadian duo won four World Cup races, had three silver medals (including the World Championships), and two bronze.
In the 2016-17, she split her time pushing Humphries and pilot Alysia Rissling. Lotholz landed on the podium four times including a silver-medal finish with Team Humphries at the 2017 World Championships in Konigssee, Germany.
“In our sport, things go at a quick pace and things can change up at any time,” she said. “I started the season with Kaillie, got hurt so I took three races off and at the Olympics I competed with Christine,” she said. Prior to her injury, in the first four races of the season, before Christmas, in Canada One, Humphries and Lotholz dominated the track, finishing with, three podium finishes — first place in Lake Placid, second in Park City and first in Whistler.
However, Lotholz has no regrets.
“It was a privilege to be able to compete with a friend and somebody whose journey I have seen and that she has seen mine,” she said.
Coun. Rod Klumph asked if Lotholz had started training again.
“I actually just came from the gym,” she said, adding because the World Cup circuit is starting a month later than usual, in December, her regime is lighter than it usually is. “Our sleds are 365 pounds, about the same weight as an upright piano, so it is all about moving something really heavy, fast. At this point, we do speed training three times a week, and we are in the gym another four doing upper and lower body. Anything we can do to increase that power output.”
McKenzie asked when she had to start thinking about the next Olympics.
Lotholz said currently she is taking a step back to evaluate her options. Although she still wants to be involved in the sport she doesn’t know at what capacity.
“I have been dabbling with driving. I don’t know if I want to switch to the front end of the sled, but it is something I’m going to talk with my coaches about,” she said. “I am also looking at what other things passions or parts of me do I want to pursue while I am in athletics, now that I know the ebbs and flow of the sport.”
One of the things she is also considering is finishing her degree in nutrition and food science.
