Two Moose Jaw Canoe and Kayak Club athletes capped their season with a medal haul at the Canoe Kayak Canada Sprint National Championships in Regina — and now, alongside their coach, they’re shifting from lanes to lenses as work resumes on a fall film project.

Scene 1: Nationals

Fade in: The closing credits of summer kayak racing roll across Wascana Lake as two Moose Jaw Canoe and Kayak Club athletes, Calvin Schaaf and Jessie Halvorsen, step down from the podium sporting their new medals.

The championships, held Aug. 26 to 30 on Regina’s Wascana Lake, served as the capstone to the competitive season and the highest level of sprint racing in the country. Hundreds of athletes from across Canada gathered for the event, which also marked the first national appearance for Schaaf and Halvorsen.

Both trained under head coach Mark Gilliland, and he said his paddlers rose to the occasion.

“They did really well. They both won four medals each … and both won some gold and silver … the highlight was on Saturday, during the men’s K2 200 unified kayak final, where Calvin Schaaf and Justin Bunko won third place, and Jessie Halvorsen and Willy Lee were Canadian champions, winning gold in that event,” he said, noting that the paired Regina athletes have regularly trained with Moose Jaw’s team. “That was the highlight of the whole weekend.”

The unified category pairs masters-level athletes with competitors living with cognitive disabilities for a balanced field and a chance to participate.

“In the unified K2, the master paddlers are in the front, so they’re … setting the pace, the stroke rate, and doing all of the steering,” he explained. “In the back, it’s more of a power position where they just have to match the cadence.”

Halvorsen, a decade-long paddler under Gilliland, relished the chance to compete on the grand stage. “This was probably the most competitive experience he’s ever had,” Gilliland said.

The experience left both athletes with medals, memories — and some additional motivation.

“They really had their eyes opened … as to what’s available, or what they could aim for,” Gilliland said. “They … got a really good taste of (a championship-level event), and I’m sure they’re looking forward to competing again.”

Scene 2: Production

With boats returning to storage, Gilliland is already stepping into his next role. The longtime coach is also a filmmaker, and his calendar now turns to production week for The Silk Scarf.

“It’s a very hard cut now to one of the projects that we’ve juggled all season long, and that’s pre-production for a film that we’re shooting the week of Oct. 5, called The Silk Scarf,” he said. “Jessie is also involved with that project. He’s the male lead, and we just finished our casting.”

Gilliland believes the upcoming film is already showing signs of success.

“We think the script is very solid, and the team that we’ve put together is very good, including Jay Mendoza from Regina as our (director of photography), and Derek Frost from Saskatoon as our sound engineer. We’ve got a couple of very good co-producers … we’ll go into post-production in November, and that’s where we’ll layer the audio and put the icing on the cake, so to speak.”

The project is backed by fresh local talent. “We’re very excited to have Alethia Stafford as our female lead. She came to us in auditions and she did a fantastic job — she nailed the audition,” Gilliland said.

A few businesses have already offered their venue for filming, including the Moose Jaw Co-op, The Crushed Can, and Hopkins Dining Parlour.

The film’s tone dictated an autumn backdrop, ending the summer right on schedule.

“It’s kind of an edgy relationship film, and it was natural that we shot it in the fall when the skies are gray and trees are barren,” Gilliland said.

Between coaching and casting, the calendar has been relentless for the Moose Javian.

“The summer has been kind of weird and very, very busy. I’ve had no time for holidays … and no days off,” he said, adding that hometown support has been instrumental to the success of his work. “I very much appreciate … the continuing support for these projects.”

To learn more about the Moose Jaw Canoe and Kayak Club, visit “Moose Jaw Canoe and Kayak Club” on Facebook or email MNSask22@gmail.com. For more information on The Silk Scarf, email JessieTHalvorsen@gmail.com.

Aaron Walker

Reporter

Moose Jaw Express