As the all-time league-leader in goals, assists and points, there seemed little incentive for Tavares to return for an 18th season.
“Now that I’m 40,” said the Mississauga native who attended and now teaches at Philip Pocock Secondary School, “I was thinking about hanging them up.”
Reminded that he was on record last year for saying he had a couple good seasons left in him, Tavares laughed.
“I’ve been saying I’m going to retire in five years for 10 years now.
“But seriously, I was thinking about retiring before being introduced to a program that my wife (Katrina) fell into.”
Tavares was referring to the CrossFit club that opened in Port Credit last December.
“It’s a 20-minute workout, but it’s pretty hard core. It’s a full body exercise,” he said.
Co-owner Eric Vandermeersch said a workout at the club, “Is hard core intensity training. Harder than anybody else on the planet.”
Yet, Vandermeersch maintains the workouts can be “downscaled” or “upscaled” to suit “ladies in their 50s as well as young guys in their mid 20s.”
Both Tavares and Vandermeersch have seen big changes since his workouts began just under three weeks ago.
“John is an interesting case,” said Vandermeersch. “He’s an aging lacrosse player, who is smart and fit for his sport.”
While Tavares was strong in every aspect, says Vandermeersch, he was also sporting knee and should injuries.
“His range of motion is now better,” said Vandermeersch. “and he’s thicker and stronger.
“He will be able to handle abuse (on the lacrosse floor) and go full out.”
Tavares admits, “I didn’t know if I had another year (of lacrosse) in me. Between summer and winter lacrosse, after this summer, I was exhausted. I didn’t know if I had it in me, to do it again.
“But after I started working out, I began to think I can add on a couple more years (to my career).”
Tavares isn’t the only high-profile athlete who works out at CrossFit.
Vandermeersch says a number of fire, police and swat personnel train at the 2400-sq.-ft. location, including the firefighters on Mississauga’s Combat Team.
dwiner@mississauga.net
