Monday, 30 Jul 07
April 30, 1982, 25, Kelowna, BC
- how many years have you been snowboarding
14 years/ competing 4
- how did you get into the sport
Growing up my dad was apart of the local ski patrol so it was a family
weekend outting. I started with skiing, which I advidly did for 9 years.
My brother and his friends started snowboarding about 3 years before i
started and wanted to try so bad. So on the christmas of 1993 my parents
bought me a Hooger Booger from the local Sportmart. With a stance of "14
and both on angels of +18 I was ready to rock. My bro tought be to land my
first frontside 180 on that baby.
Several years later my brother and his friends where all enetering the local
boardercross at Big White. They entered me in the 15 and under amature
womans, but because there where no other younger female riders I road
against the boys. With 8 boys in the under 15 category I placed 3rd, this
was a big 5 minutes of fame for myself. I was all over the radio and
everyone was talking about this young female rider that kicked the boys
butts!
It wasn't until 8 years later that I entered into another race. This time
it was my boyfriend at the time, who convinced me compete. It was the first
Radgalz event to ever hit snow, (who i am now a team riderof Radgalz). I
entered the over 20 amature boardercross, where my friend Megan and I both
finished the race with faster times than the pro woman. I then thought that
this could be a great opportunity to travel and snowboard across Canada.
The next season, I competed free lance, going to all the sanctioned events I
could find out about. That season I placed 3rd overall in BC and was asked
to join the BC Provincial Team.
During the first race of that next season, being completely out of shape,
due to a over confidence I had with my riding ability I fell over a "double"
and ruptured my spleen. The next 6 months where horrible. I spent 12 days
in ICU, no food, no walking. I then was sent home to endure 4 months of
inhome care. The first month I couldn't even leave the house, i became very
depressed and started researching how I could heal myself faster so that I
wouldn't have to spend the next 2 years with no exercise and being over
weight. I talked to the local Natural Food and Supplement Store workers and
they told to be very careful but that there where some fasts that I could
try to quicken the healing process. I decided to try the lemonade diet,
which was organic lemons, organic maple surup, and cayan pepper. I then
begain my painful and mightmear filled 12 day fast. It was horrible, i
dreamed about burgers and became very upsessed with my weight. After the
fast,I went in for my frequint untrasounds and was so stoked to find out
that I was completely heald! The next 4 months were tough, i had developed
a small eating disorder due to the weight i had gained during the recovery.
I then started training and decided to move to Whistler, I had received a
Canada West Pass for that next season, and thought if I was to do this, i
must do it right, and live where I would be in the best athletic and
supportive environment. That next season I placed 1st in BC, 5th in Canada
and was 50th over all in the World.
- you mentioned that you had to overcome some challenges like little money,
drugs, etc. to be where you are now. tell us about that.
Growing up in Kelowna, and I'm sure any small town. There is a lot of drugs
and negative enfluences. Not that I ever had a problem but yes I did like
to party. I drank a lot and not naming what drugs i have done but have
experimented as much or more that other teens. I think over coming this was
very hard but I had something inside me driving to me become something
better than all that. I had seen so many friends turn themselves into
something so aweful and sad I just didn't want to be that person. I have a
very addictive personality and for me if its not alcohol, drugs, or food,
than I was going to consitrate all my energy on working out and becoming the
strongest that my body could be. Don't get me wrong i still have trouble
with boozing and getting off track but when i tell my friends in Whistler
who i used to be and what i used to do, they are astonished at who I have
become.
Money has always been a problem, I think this is something that most
families deal with with. When I was in grade 3 my dad lost his job and from
there it seemed that things just got worse. My parents filed for bankrupcy
when i was in grade 6 and the Church my parents attended dropped food off at
our door step every couple of days. The Browns, our close family friends
would bring by school supples and cloths for us to have for our education.
I think I was really too young to really know what was going on, but I still
felt sad because I didn't have or get to do what a lot of what the other
kids did. I got a job when I was 13 so that I could have some money. From
then on in I have worked for everything I have. My parents have done what
they can for me when I have really needed it but have always felt bad asking
since I know they need the money and need to help my other siblings too.
It's funny that I would get into one of the most expensive sports, but it
has just seemed to work out. My jobs at Milestones and Rics Grill are both
very supportive of my career and will give me the best shifts possible when
I am in town. Rics Grill has gone even farther to sponsor me and help me
with funding. It is still a great struggle, this trip for Chili on the 15th
of August has been a headach trying to make the money and borrow it from
friends and family but I'm hoping that I can pay everyone back when I win
that Golg medal.
- what was your biggest jump (aka risk) in life that turned out to be worth
it?
I would have to say moving to Whistler. The summer prior to moving here I
worked an average of 12 hours a day and acuatlly had lost my license from
drinking and driving the fall before so was forced to ride my bike
everywhere. Probably 2 hours a day in biking. I went insame that summer
and had an eating disorder was so depressed but I was so drivin to do what
ever it would take to get out of that town and onto something better.
- what are your goals?
My short term goals would be to win the Nor-Cup this next season to be able
to get onto the World Cup curcuit. This would then lead to the National
Team and to the Olympics. I'm not sure how long i want to be competing for
but it has been so fun and such a great opportunity. i would love to bring
that Gold medal home, but even if i just get to go to the Olympics, that
would still be a great accomplishment for me.
- what was your biggest disappointment, and how did you push through?
I guess if would be my lack of focus which is shown to me through my
injuries. After rupturing my spleen I was determined to stay fit and not
let myself go through that again. Last summer I lost my focus again and
blew my knee, ACL and MCL which made it hard to work again so i had no money
and once again i was behind the pack with my fitness. This pasted season
again i lost my focus after The Grand Prix and bombed the last 3 most
important competitions. It is still a big struggle for me and I a big
mental weakness with this area of myself, but every year i seem to get
stronger the more I learn from my mistakes and from my self. I hope that i
can stay focus this whole season, so that I can obtain my goals and move on
to the next level in my life.
- who is your hero?
This might sound consided and people can take what they want from it. But
its myself, i am so proud of who i am and what i have went through in my
life. Don't get me wrong I admire my friends and family for what they have
accomplished as well. But I don't believe at looking at some you don't know
and probably have nothing incommon with and putting them up on a pedistal.
The only way to move up in you life is to acknowledge yourself and your
faults and grow from them. Be proud of what you have done, bad and good,
and take what you can from it. i have no one more to look up to as the
person i know i can and want to be. That person will be me and that is all
that drives me.
- how would people describe your personality?
Hahaha, this is always a hard question because it really makes you relise
what the world sees of you. I know my friends would say I'm like a turtul
have a very hard shell around me but am all warm hearted inside. I joke
around a lot and always have a smile on my face. But if I'm in a mad mood
or even just tired, well everyone will know. I seem to send out these
vibes, that say stay out of my way! Hahahha. But in the end I think my
friends and family would say I am very drivin, compassionate, generous and
funny. I have tons of faults and will be the first to admit them, but am
also very stubborn when i am right! hahahhaha
- any thing else we should know?
I just wanted to say that i think I had a pretty normal life growing up had
some problems but over came them. It looks to me that there are so many
other families with problems and all these kids that think because your not
rich or you have a problem with wanting to party you can't do anything. Its
just not right, I wish that a lot of people could have that power optomism
and be able to stop dwelling on the bad and just do what you want to do.
Everyone would be so much happier!
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