Local athlete competing at iF3 World Cup representing Canada

A local fitness enthusiast has punched his virtual ticket to 2020 International Functional Fitness Federation World Cup.

Nick Deschenes will compete in the masters category for men aged 40-44 and will be the lone Canadian in the group amongst three Americans and a German, something he says is exciting. 

“As you get older, doors kind of close. This is one that ironically, the older I get the more interesting it sometimes becomes. I’m somewhat relevant in the age that I am at, versus competing against a younger athlete.”

The competition is live and being held remotely and virtually, meaning depending on where an athlete lives, they could compete in the middle of the night. While Deschenes has secured a decent time slot during the day, some of the people he is competing with could be stuck with 4 a.m.

The participants will have 90-minutes to complete four workouts that are provided to them one week in advance. 

“You look for clues, you do your research. We have our equipment list so I know what equipment to expect … and it’s really about priming those movements,” says Deschenes. 

He’s been in around eight similar competitions so far and says fitness isn’t something you can cheat. 

“It’s not a game. I can’t hope for a puck to go off my leg or my skate and go into the net.”

He hopes future opportunities will lead to travelling the world. The winner of this competition gets an automatic bid to the Portugal World Championships next summer. 

“It’s something I did as a hockey player, I played over in Europe - overseas and to me, it’s like the best of both worlds. It’s like academics/education, travel/sport so that’s kind of my underlying motivational factor.”

Deschenes will compete virtually on Nov. 22 starting at 10 a.m.