An all-too-common thread in 2024 has been local athletes showing perseverance when facing adversity.
Many wrenches in the forms of devastating injuries, personal and/or professional setbacks, mental health issues, pressure to perform and funding obstacles, among others, have been thrown in the plans over the past 12 months for the Bow Valley crew.
In general, the national funding model to support athletes remains significantly underfunded, especially when looking at Canmore-based organizations such as Biathlon Canada and Nordiq Canada.
Though it's worth some praise that whenever things have gone sideways, our local athletes have risen to the occasion or from the crumbled foundation, in spite of these difficult moments. Perhaps, it is during those times that they have been their brightest as they strive for excellence or to reach a new plateau.
Unfortunately, there have been too many local athletes sidelined with injuries this past year to name. However, one who stands out is Kris Mahler whose neck was broken during a ski cross World Cup race in December 2023.
What makes his story so remarkable is that almost one year to the day of that bad crash, Mahler returned to the very same Swiss venue to compete at the highest level again (please see A28 for the story). It is admirable to see someone’s tough journey to recovery and then go back to where he got knocked down and go at it fearlessly.
It reminds me of a saying, which, paraphrasing, goes a little like “you cannot achieve success if you fear failure.”
Even so-called “failures” should also be viewed as learning opportunities.
In another instance, alpine skier Erik Read has had a rough go at it professionally in 2024, but he closed out the year with some positivity.
After being cut from the national ski team in the summer, when funding he used to receive from the feds was gone, the two-time Olympian ventured out to continue World Cup racing on a private team, paying for it out of his own pocket.
The start of the season didn’t go according to plan and the technical skier hadn’t made it past the first run (finishing in the top-30) of any race from either being too slow or DNF’ing. That changed this past weekend in Italy when he advanced for a second run in giant slalom. After crossing the finish line, the usually reserved athlete yelled out “finally” at the camera. He went on to finish 20th, earning much needed World Cup points.
It was a feel-good moment. Perhaps uncertainty still surrounds his future, but through persistence, the 33-year-old Read showed he still has it out there.
Sport goes beyond putting a puck in a net or getting get to the bottom of a ski run the quickest. The emotional component and the journey of getting there is just as important.
Often it can be a side thought that athletes are real people at the end of the day – they just happen to be in the public’s eye doing a job that is way cooler than most are privileged enough to experience.
As things wrap up and we look into 2025, the Outlook hopes all athletes stay safe and healthy out there and we look forward to seeing you on the podium.
