Page 20 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 47

20 October 2016
1397 Brookdale Ave.,
Cornwall
Mike Perras Talks Multisport
By Molly Kett
ifty-six-year-old Mike Perras
Fis one of the founding partners
at Future Office Products, which
opened in 1993, and is also active in
local Multisport and sport in general
in the Cornwall area.
“I have always been active
throughout my life, playing many
sports in high school and throughout
my adult life mainly for recreation
and fun. As my two children started
playing sports, I started down the
volunteering path to coach them
whenever the opportunity arose,”
says Perras. “Years ago, while
coaching my oldest son at basketball
mini league, I was asked if I ever
considered refereeing. Never to
pass up a new sports challenge,
I gave it a try. That began a
now 30 year and counting career,
starting with officiating house league,
eventually moving up to league
and Provincial Championships, as
well as being the instructor of Officials
for the Seaway Valley Basketball
Officials in the last number of years.”
After Perras stepped away from
high school and club teams in 2007,
including basketball, he began to
run to stay active and keep stress
low. He says he ran his first 5 km
road race on a “spur of the moment,”
which eventually led to his love for
multisport.
“I was visiting my sister in Calgary
during the stampede and read an ad
in the Calgary newspaper about
the Stampede road race happening
the next day. I decided right then
go give it a shot. I went out too
slow and tried to finish too fast.
suffered in the last kilometre, but
the experience reminded me that I official, noticed that I now had a
love the competition and I needed to bicycle and told me about club.
find something to fill the void after decided to give the club a try to see in a pool when he joined the club.
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“Through hard work and
encouragement from my club mates
I actually have competed in a 3
kilometre swim race in the Ottawa
River, something I never thought I
would be able to in my wildest dream
before that,” says Perras.
He says he participated in as
many of the club events his schedule
permits as a competitor or volunteer.
“As a member I have tried to get
out to some of the learn to run clinics
over the years as time permitted to
help and encourage any new members
who want to start out in the sport,”
says Perras. “Multisport is great in
that everyone can do it for their own
reasons. The thrill of competition,
self-improvement, and overall
health benefits are just a few of the
things I like. What I didn’t expect
is the sense of family and friends
within the club, where everyone is
encouraging no matter what your
level of participation is. Everyone’s
ego is left at home when we train or
compete. That has been the best part
of all.”
Coming up next for Perras, his
significant other Dana and he have
booked an Olympic Triathlon race
for June 2017 in Mont Tremblant
with friends. He will also be running
races with the club all winter. He is
also planning on another half ironman
or his first full ironman race if things
go well.
Multisport in the winter for
Perras also involves playing hockey,
refereeing, swimming, skiing, and
snowshoe racing.
basketball,” says Perras. When my what it was all about. I felt at home The Cornwall Multisport Club is
brother-in-law gave me a road bike with the club from the very start.” actually where Perras met Dana and
I that he was not using anymore, Perras has been a member at the they’ve been together ever since.
my neighbour, a fellow basketball Cornwall Multisport Club since “We train and participate in various
multisport events together; I guess
I 2010. He could not swim one length the couple that runs together stays
together.”