Reaching Further, Needing More

I finished the 2016-2017 racing season in the best way possible, racing for my club, my team and my province at Canadian Nationals in Canmore. Although I was still getting over a cold and I was mentally exhausted from 4 months of racing and living on the road, I had a great time. After Nationals, I headed home to Thunder Bay for some R&R and exam preparation. It felt amazing to finally unload my suitcase, sleep in my own bed and settle into a somewhat normal routine. Over the course of the month, when I was not in the gym, studying, eating pizza or watching Netflix, I had time to reflect on the past season and come up with a plan for the upcoming one.

As you all know, the Winter Olympics are just around the corner! This year my focus is to qualify to represent Team Canada in PyeongChang. It is exciting for me to think that after all these years, it feels like a very real possibility rather than just a dream. Of course, I realize that earning my spot on the team will not be easy. In order to make this dream a reality, I must take advantage of every opportunity that is offered to me, and not be afraid to seek help when I need it. To compete against the best in the world, I must go above and beyond which is why this year I am making the small things a big priority. This means working with a nutritionist, with a sports psychologist and more closely with my strength coach. This means asking questions and seeking advice from all coaches, not just my own. This means learning as much as I possibly can to be the best athlete I can be.

This year I have been given the opportunity to attend  3 official National Team training camps over the course of the summer and fall. Right now, I am in Tremblant QC, for the first training camp of the season where we are focusing on regaining general fitness. In July, I plan on attending a NST women’s camp in New Zealand where I will be able to ski on snow for over 2 weeks in real winter conditions. Then in the fall I will head to Park City, Utah for an altitude training camp. Each of these camps have a different goal and will be critical towards my racing this season.

I believe that these training opportunities, combined with the coaching and support team that I have in Thunder Bay, I have the right tools to succeed. However, with more training and racing opportunities come higher costs.  Many people assume that once you are on the National Team and racing on the World Cup circuit, your racing and training costs are mostly covered. Unfortunately, that is far from the truth.  In fact, on World Cup I must pay a fixed fee of  $160 a day to cover all of my expenses. 

If you combine my training, racing, coaching and living expenses, my season is going to cost me approximately $40,000. During the last 3 years, I have  been able to cover most of my expenses with the funding I receive through grants and  Federal and Provincial Carding (Athlete Assistance Programs). I feel very lucky and honoured to receive this financial assistance because without it, I would definitely not be where I am today. This year however, to be able to attend all the training camps and races that I wish to attend, I am short $8,000. I am trying to raise this through sponsorships and grants.

On my blog I have created a Support Me page. If you click on this you give a donation, which will go straight to my PayPal account. Anything would be greatly appreciated! If you are a business owner and you are interested is creating a partnership with me, I have also posted my sponsorship package on this page (Demande de commandite aussi disponible en français)!

As always, thank you for reading!

Katherine