Reprinted from Canadian Sport Institute
January 29th, 2013John Wood never hesitated to help a fellow paddler.
“He’d talk to anyone,” said Jim Reardon, who knew Wood since they teenagers and trained with him at McMaster University leading up to the 1972 Olympics in Munich. “If John was paddling by, he’d offer tips or words of encouragement, and he’d do that for anybody.”
But you would have to get up pretty early in the morning to benefit from the advice of the Olympic silver medallist. The Oakville resident would arrive at the Burloak Canoe Club, paddle for as many as 10-kilometres and be hauling his canoe out of the water as many of the athletes — most of them half his age — were arriving for their early-morning workouts. Then it was off to work for Wood, who built a successful career as a stockbroker and was the president of the 20/20 Group.
Wood died by suicide last Wednesday. The family said that by acknowledging the cause of death of the 62-year-old, they hope it might encourage others suffering from mental illness to seek help.
“We’re all very devastated,” said Reardon, the past commodore of Burloak, where Wood had served as a director. “John was a cheerful, upbeat kind of guy. This was a shock to us all.”
Wood competed at three Olympics, winning his silver in the C-1 500-metre (canoe single) in Montreal in 1976, a medal Reardon said he earned “by dogged determination.”
Dean Oldershaw also trained alongside Wood prior to the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, though as a kayaker, he said he fortunately never had to race against him.
“I thought I was a hard worker but when we would train I'd see his back most of the time when we were running or cross-country skiing,” Oldershaw said. “He was an inspiration to be around and I know he made me train harder.”
Wood was a member of the Mississauga Canoe Club during his competitive career but joined the Burloak Canoe Club after settling in Oakville. Oldershaw, credited Wood with being a role model for younger athletes who helped pave the way for other Canadian Olympians such as Larry Cain and Steve Giles. (Wood was doing colour commentary for CBC when Cain won gold and silver at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984).
Forty years after he first competed at the Olympics, Wood’s influence was still being felt. Adam van Koeverden, a four-time Olympic medallist in kayak who, like Wood, has competed at three Summer Games, called Wood “a builder of Canadian sport” who not only accomplished a lot as an athlete but also was willing to share his time, expertise and stories with young competitors.
“John was so much more than just a guy who went to the Olympics and got a medal,” van Koeverden said. “He was a guy who embraced that lifestyle and that eagerness to be on the water regardless of the weather. He had a lifetime commitment to sport and health and fitness.”
At an Olympics where Canada was shut out in gold, Wood delivered the top finish by the host country, one of the five silvers earned by Canadian athletes in Montreal. It was also the first Olympic medal for a Canadian canoeist in 24 years.
“It taught the athletes in canoe and kayak in North America that it was possible to win an Olympic medal against the Soviets and the other Eastern Bloc countries,” said Mac Hickox, Wood’s coach from 1973 through 1976. “It was a breakthrough moment.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee called Wood “a trailblazer in the sport of canoeing. John’s passion as a paddler not only fuelled his own success, but also led him to serve as an example to others in his sport.”
Wood, a member of both the Mississauga and Oakville Sports Hall of Fame, finished seventh in the C-2 in Montreal and the following year won a silver medal in the same event with Greg Smith at the world championships.
Though he retired from paddling shortly after, Wood found himself climbing atop the podium again after earning a bronze medal in sailing at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico in 1979.
“He was a very talented athlete,” Reardon said. “He was a good runner, a good swimmer. I think he would have excelled at whatever he did.”
Hickox, who maintained a lifelong friendship, said Wood’s tremendous work ethic extended from his canoeing days into other walks of life, including golf, sailing, business and a multitude of other pursuits.
“That was such a characteristic of John,” Hickox said. “He had such a sense of determination, almost to the point of being able to block everything out.”
"It was my honour to have known him and not just on race day," said Oldershaw.
“He was a down-to-earth guy,” Reardon said. “He was a friend to everybody.”
Wood is survived by his wife Debbie, sons Jason, Michael and Alan and daughter Jenny.
A celebration of Wood’s life will be held Saturday at the Mississauga Canoe Club from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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