Joe Hutton serving as guide for Logan Lariviere at Paralympic Winter Games

Joe Hutton (front) of St. Marys, leads the way for Sudbury’s Logan Lariviere, who will be competing at the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in Italy March 6-15.

By Spencer Seymour

St. Marys native Joe Hutton will be serving as a guide for Team Canada skier Logan Lariviere of Sudbury at the upcoming Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games March 6-15.

Hutton said getting to serve as a guide as part of Team Canada’s Paralympic squad is an exciting new adventure.

“It’s definitely a bit of a surreal experience for sure,” Hutton told the Independent. “I’m coming from a skiing background. I’ve competed for many years at a fairly high level. I’ve competed nationally and internationally for six years or so, so it’s a bit of a long time coming but also a new experience.”

According to Hutton, the opportunity arose last summer thanks to a former university peer recommending Hutton fill a need for qualified guides.

“Cross-country skiing is a pretty small community when you get to the national level, especially in Canada,” said Hutton. “I was fortunate enough to meet a bunch of great people and have the opportunity to ski, race and compete against a lot of people who become your friends, your community and your family.

“One of the girls that I was on a team with when I was in university, Brooke Ailey, had begun guiding for one of the visually impaired female athletes, and she’ll also be attending the games. She had reached out to me this past summer and said, ‘We’re looking for a guide, and I threw your name in the hat. Would you be interested?’ And of course I said, ‘Sure, it’s an amazing opportunity.’ ”

Hutton joked as he recounted his initial reaction to the offer.

“My first thought was, ‘It looks like my winter’s looking a lot different this year.’ Logan (Lariviere) had to qualify for these games, so we didn’t know, obviously, until fairly recently that this is going to be the case, but when I signed on to do this, the coaches were very honest with me about the commitment this would be because the goal was for Logan to make the Olympics and qualify for the Paralympic Games. I think it’d be pretty crazy of me to say ‘no.’ ”

Hutton noted there were several very attractive reasons for him to agree to take on the role.

“From a selfish perspective, it allows me to stay in the sport. It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to still ski, but from a more personal perspective, the athlete I’m guiding for, Logan (Lariviere), is 19 years old. He’s graduated from high school now, and his job is to train full-time to be an athlete.

“I think of myself when I was just getting into high-level skiing at that age, and how much skiing meant to me and the community it allowed me to be a part of,” Hutton continued. “I think it’s pretty cool that I’m able to give him that opportunity and be a part of how he’s able to have those similar experiences that I had that shaped me into the person I am today.”

Hutton further detailed how exactly skiing helped shape the person he now is.

“I think a lot of it stems from the life lessons you learn in skiing. The dedication to a sport and the passion that’s required. Sure, there are sacrifices you have to make, but there are things to be learned in those sacrifices as well. Competing at the highest level in any sport is demanding, but it’s also very rewarding.”

Hutton discussed how he can pass along those lessons to Lariviere.

“I think it’s in everything that you do,” said Hutton. “There are a lot of other veterans on this team who have a tonne of skiing experience as well, so being able to work with those other veterans and help show the newer members the ropes, create habits, you share different ideas about how training should go and share those philosophies and have a person to talk through those ideas, is super helpful, especially when you’re a younger athlete like Logan.”

Having had plenty of time to work together and build camaraderie with one another, Hutton said he and Lariviere have developed a good rapport.

“I’m feeling very good about working with Logan. We’ve now competed at two periods of the World Cups together. In December, we spent a few weeks in Canmore racing, training and competing in the first period of the World Cups, and then after Christmas, we went to Germany to compete in the second period of the World Cups, and it went really well. We have a lot of similar interests outside of skiing, and I think that helps us have a positive relationship outside of the sport as well, which then correlates onto the trail.”

As of the Independent’s press time, Hutton and the Canadian Paralympic team are in the middle of a 10-day staging period in Austria to get acclimated to the elevation, get rid of any jet lag and begin practicing. They will then head to Italy in the first few days of March, where they will stay for two weeks.

Lariviere and Hutton’s slate of action begins on March 10 with the 1.5-kilometre sprint classic race. On March 11, they will compete in the 10-kilometre classic individual start. Thirdly will be the 20-kilometre interval start skate style competition on March 14. Depending on their results and coaches’ discretion, they may also be part of the relay team.

However, the entire team, said Hutton, is a welcoming and positive environment to be a part of.

“It’s a pretty incredible team,” Hutton said of Canada’s Paralympic team. “I think that’s one of the key things that really blew me away. I’ve competed now for many different cross-country teams and select teams for different events, and there’s something about this group of people. There are a lot of veterans going to this year’s Paralympics, which I think helps. Just being surrounded by people that care so much makes it such a unique group of individuals that all come to this sport from different avenues yet have the same goal in mind to perform and be as competitive as possible, while also just being really good individuals. It’s tough to put into words, but it’s just a really fun group.”