I’m a grade twelve student and an athlete. I love love love cross-country skiing, and I really aspire to succeed in this sport!
Believe it or not, I was actually at the very first Fast and Female Event at Silver Star in 2006. I remember the feeling of being so incredibly inspired by the older female athletes. I got them to sign my shirt, and I honestly didn’t take it off for a month after that! I specifically remember Amanda Ammar telling me that I was a really fast, really fun kid. Funny enough, Amanda is now my teammate and she still tells me things like that. But I was so amazed that somebody that successful, and that amazing, told me that in Silver Star back in 2006. So basically, that’s my goal! I want to tell younger girls that they are amazing too! I want girls to be inspired like I was when I went to all those fast females back in the day.
I really want girls to become more involved in sports like cross-country skiing. I think girls turn away from this sport because it’s so manly and so hardcore! But what they don’t realize is that’s the beauty of it! I really look up to Emily Batty because she shows girls that sports like cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and mountain biking are for girls too! She shows everyone to embrace our femininity and go out there and kick butt! She’s fast and she is so female!
I’m so in love with my sport, and I really want to spread the love to others as well! I cannot even describe what this sport means to me, and the more people involved the better. I have become a better person because of cross-country skiing, there’s no denying it. In my club (Canmore Nordic Ski Club) there are no girls my age who ski. It’s tragic for many reasons. I want to tell young girls they are amazing, I want them to look up to me. This has been my dream for a long time now!