BY MEG LEONARD
GUEST OPINION
Many Prince Edward Islanders remember waking in the middle of the night on Feb. 15, 1998 to watch the gold medal run from a bobsled track in Nagano, Japan. It was a proud moment for all Canadians but Islanders saw one of their own on the Olympic gold podium for the first time in history. Dave MacEachern, who helped set the stage for Canada’s record Olympic bobsled medals for the past two decades, celebrates that 20th anniversary milestone this week.
A three-time Olympian, MacEachern competed in both two-man and four-man bobsleigh at the Winter Games of 1992, 1994 and 1998. Throughout the 1990s, the Charlottetown native was a force on the international circuit. He narrowly missed Olympic bronze at the 1992 Olympics finishing 4th by eleven hundredths of a second.
In 1993 after appearing in the Disney movie Cool Runnings, the Islander would become the predominant bobsled brakeman in the world over the next five years. Dave would join forces with Pierre Lueders to become the most successful two-man team in Canadian history. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Lueders and MacEachern were heavily favoured for gold. Going into those games the two decimated the 50 meter starts of the World Cup circuit and converted their power and speed at 50 meters into four World Cup Golds, and the overall World Cup title. Despite setting the Olympic start record (still unbroken) at the 1994 Games, the twosome would finish a disappointing 7th.
Despite the setback, Lueders and MacEachern would recommit to their ultimate goal. In four years this team would accumulate 27 World Cup medals, a world championship silver medal, and in 1998 become the first Canadians in history to win Olympic gold in two-man bobsled.
What happened at the Nagano Olympic Winter Games was a watershed moment for Canadian sliding sports. The Olympic gold helped trigger significant funding into Canadian bobsledding, and captured the imagination of a swath of young athletes.
To honour his contribution to his sport, MacEachern was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011 and P.E.I.’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
MacEachern honed his media skills on both sides of the television camera as an athlete and television commentator on bobsled and skeleton, spending over a decade with CBC covering Olympic and World Cup competitions.
He returned to P.E.I. to build Dynamic Fitness, which delivers sport-specific physical conditioning programs. His company remains a leader in Atlantic Canada for aspiring Olympic, professional and university athletes. MacEachern had competed in track, hockey and soccer prior to joining the national bobsled team.
MacEachern has been a professional speed and strength coach for many clients, including NHL players Brad Richards and Adam McQuaid, and three time Canadian Olympic sprinter Jared Connaughton. Many of the province’s future elite athletes are currently under his tutelage.
Dynamic Fitness opened the province’s first Pilates studio in 2002, first infrared hot yoga studio in 2009 and currently operates holistic health centers in Fredericton and Charlottetown. Dynamic also offers therapeutic programs to support clients from the first responder and military communities living with a PTSD diagnosis.
A motivational speaker since 1998, Dave shares his story of overcoming obstacles with thousands of children and corporations across North America. His motto continues to be: “Believe, and achieve.”
- Meg Leonard is studio director and personal training specialist at Dynamic Fitness, Charlottetown
