Connor Taras
Bio
Edit BioThe first time Connor Taras took paddling lessons he wasn’t exactly enamoured with the sport.
“I was 13 or 14 at the time and did one of the fall programs for canoeing and didn’t like it. I figured I would never be back. But next summer I switched to the kayak and made huge improvements over the summer and have stuck with it since then. What brought me back, wasn’t switching boats but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the club, so I gave it another shot.”
Currently paddling for the Banook Club in Dartmouth, Taras started at the Cheema Club in Waverley which included Olympians Karen Furneaux and Richard Dalton. Their dedication and hard work showed Taras that he also had the potential to one day reach the top in the sport.
It was a wise decision by Taras to pursue the sport. He has been a national team member since 2006 and is steadily climbing up the national rankings in men’s kayak, a deep event in Canada which includes superstar Adam Van Koeverden.
After a transitional 2009 season, Taras appears back on the warpath in 2010. He surprised himself with a third place finish in the men’s K-1 200-metre at the first of two national team trials. The 200 is a new event for him this season and he wasn’t even sure if he would race it at nationals.
He grabbed a spot on the Canadian team for the World Cup events in Europe. The highlight overseas was a bronze medal in the men’s relay, an official world championship event, at the World Cup stop in Duisburg, Germany.
Taras is no stranger to international competition. He raced at five World Cups the previous two seasons, won a silver medal in the K-2 500 at the 2007 world junior championships and in 2006 collected a boatload of medals at European junior meets as well as the Pan Am Championships.
He currently studies business at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax.
Action Shots
Results
2011
May World Cup #2 - Racice, CZE - K2 - 500M B Final 1st
May World Cup #3 - Duisburg, GER - K2 200M B Final 3rd
2010
May National Team Trials 1 - Montreal, QC - K-1 200, 3rd
Jun World Cup #3 - Duisburg, Germany - KR men Relay 4 x 200 m 3rd
Jun World Cup #3 - Duisburg, Germany - K2 men 500 m 7th
2009
Jun. World Cup #3 - Szeged, Hungary - K4 200m 7th
2008
Jul. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-1 500M 3rd
Jul. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-1 1000M 3rd
Jun. ICF World Cup # 3 - Poznan, Poland - K-2 500M 14th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 3 - Poznan, Poland - K-2 200M 11th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 2 - Duisburg, Germany - K-2 500M 14th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 1 - Szeged, Hungary - K-2 500M 16th
May. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Montreal, QC - K-2 500M 3rd
May. Olympic Team Selection Trials - Lake Lanier, Georgia - K-2 500M 2nd
May. Olympic Team Selection Trials - Lake Lanier, Georgia - K-2 1000M 4th
2007
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-1 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 500M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-4 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 200M 2nd
Jul. Junior World Championships - Racice, Czech Republic - K-2 Jr 500m 2nd
Jul. Junior World Championships - Racice, Czech Republic - K-2 Jr 1000m 4th
Jul. Lake Placid International Regatta - Lake Placid, USA - K-1 Jr 1000m 1st
Jul. Lake Placid International Regatta - Lake Placid, USA - K-2 500m 5th
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-2 500m 1st
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-1 500m 2nd
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-1 1000m 1st
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-2 1000m 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - Jr K-1 500M 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 1000m 3rd
Apr. National Team Trials # 1 - Lake Lanier, Georgia, US - K-2 1000m 4th
2006
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 200m 1st
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 500m 4th
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-1 500m 3rd
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 100m 2nd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz - K2 500m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K4 500m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K2 1000m Junior 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K4 1000m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K1 500m 6th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K4 Junior 1000m 5th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K2 Junior 1000m 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K4 Junior 500m 4th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K2 Junior 500m 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K1 Junior 500m 4th
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K1 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K4 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K4 500m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K1 500m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Canoe Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K2 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Canoe Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K2 500m Junior 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 500m 2nd
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 1000m 2nd
2011
May World Cup #2 - Racice, CZE - K2 - 500M B Final 1st
May World Cup #3 - Duisburg, GER - K2 200M B Final 3rd
2010
May National Team Trials 1 - Montreal, QC - K-1 200, 3rd
Jun World Cup #3 - Duisburg, Germany - KR men Relay 4 x 200 m 3rd
Jun World Cup #3 - Duisburg, Germany - K2 men 500 m 7th
2009
Jun. World Cup #3 - Szeged, Hungary - K4 200m 7th
2008
Jul. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-1 500M 3rd
Jul. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-1 1000M 3rd
Jun. ICF World Cup # 3 - Poznan, Poland - K-2 500M 14th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 3 - Poznan, Poland - K-2 200M 11th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 2 - Duisburg, Germany - K-2 500M 14th
Jun. ICF World Cup # 1 - Szeged, Hungary - K-2 500M 16th
May. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Montreal, QC - K-2 500M 3rd
May. Olympic Team Selection Trials - Lake Lanier, Georgia - K-2 500M 2nd
May. Olympic Team Selection Trials - Lake Lanier, Georgia - K-2 1000M 4th
2007
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-1 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 500M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-4 1000M 1st
Aug. Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships - Ottawa, Ontario - Juvenile K-2 200M 2nd
Jul. Junior World Championships - Racice, Czech Republic - K-2 Jr 500m 2nd
Jul. Junior World Championships - Racice, Czech Republic - K-2 Jr 1000m 4th
Jul. Lake Placid International Regatta - Lake Placid, USA - K-1 Jr 1000m 1st
Jul. Lake Placid International Regatta - Lake Placid, USA - K-2 500m 5th
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-2 500m 1st
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-1 500m 2nd
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-1 1000m 1st
Jun. National Team Trials # 3 - Dartmouth, NS - Jr K-2 1000m 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - Jr K-1 500M 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 1000m 3rd
Apr. National Team Trials # 1 - Lake Lanier, Georgia, US - K-2 1000m 4th
2006
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 200m 1st
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 500m 4th
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-1 500m 3rd
Sep. Pan American Canoe and Kayak Championships - Mexico, MEX - Jr K-2 100m 2nd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz - K2 500m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K4 500m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K2 1000m Junior 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K4 1000m Junior 3rd
Jun. International Regatta - Bydgoszcz, Poland - K1 500m 6th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K4 Junior 1000m 5th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K2 Junior 1000m 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K4 Junior 500m 4th
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K2 Junior 500m 1st
Jun. International Regatta - Bochum, Germany - K1 Junior 500m 4th
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K1 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K4 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K4 500m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Kanu Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K1 500m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Canoe Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K2 250m Junior 1st
Jun. Herdecker Canoe Regatta - Herdecker, Germany - K2 500m Junior 1st
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 500m 2nd
May. National Team Trials # 2 - Montreal, QC - K-2 1000m 2nd
