Editor’s Note: Orillia’s athlete of the year for 2018 will be announced at Monday night’s city council meeting. Over the next four days, we will profile the four nominees. Today we feature Bob Wink.
Few athletes - at any age, any level or age group - are talented and dedicated enough to compete in a world championship in two sports in the same year.
But 49-year-old Bob Wink of Oro-Medonte did just that in 2018, which is why he was nominated as Orillia’s Athlete of the Year.
Wink is an elite-level masters rower and slalom water skier; he competes in regattas and water-skiing tournaments throughout the summer.
Last year was a banner year for Wink who has been a competitive masters athlete for nearly two decades.
In water-skiing, he finished first at Niagara Regional Finals, first at the provincial championships, third at nationals and was selected to represent Canada as part of the 10-athlete national team that came fourth at the World Waterski Championships in Chile.
At the worlds, Wink finished in 10th spot as an individual in the slalom finals.
He was also a world-class rower.
Wink, who began rowing while a student at the University of Western Ontario where he won back-to-back provincial university crowns in 1993 and 1994, continued his mastery in 2018.
While shining at various regattas, he hit his stride at provincials, winning four gold medals. Not to be outdone, at the worlds in Florida, Wink and his teammates rowed to three gold medals against the globe’s best masters rowers.
The talented and driven athlete has accomplished all this while managing diabetes. It’s about balance, said rowing partner Brad Ingleton.
“Bob works to find a balance between the dedication to train and compete in two sports, while devoting time to his family, volunteer in his community and run his own business, Windmill Garden and Landscaping,” said Ingleton.
“Something else that makes Bob’s accomplishments in sport impressive is how he manages the rigours of training and work as a diabetic,” said Ingleton.
Wink was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 22.
“As a diabetic, his training for an endurance sport such as rowing requires additional planning and monitoring to maintain a safe and healthy blood sugar level,” Ingleton noted.
And while Wink loves to compete in these summer sports, he is active year-round. He spends much of his winter on the west coast pursuing his love of alpine and Nordic skiing.
