It’s common to hear athletes recount on the early onset dreams they had of competing in their sport on the world stage. I didn’t grow up with any dreams or aspirations of high athletic achievement, which is why I would never have envisioned myself as a full time athlete preparing to compete in my second Paralympic Winter Games.
It’s not that I wasn’t athletic, or didn’t participate in sports growing up. I just never felt a particular desire or pull to pursue any specific sport at a high performance level. Although I competed in a variety of sports inside and outside of school (soccer, cross country, basketball, badminton, etc.) my main sport growing up was always ski racing.
I was born into a family of skiers. My grandfather was one of the founding members of Craigleith Ski Club, and from a young age my Dad has been hitting the slopes every weekend. There was no question that I (along with my older sister and cousins) would be a skier too.
I learned to ski when I was two and a half years old, and I began ski racing when I was six years old. I always loved it, but never opted to compete in the more elite levels, mainly because I didn’t want it to lose its fun, and I didn’t see a future for myself in ski racing.
All of this changed when I was approached by the coach of the Para Ontario ski team in 2012 and invited to compete in the Ontario Para Sport Winter Games. At the time, I wanted no part whatsoever in any of it, but somehow my parents were able to convince me to give it a try.
I was born with the congenital amputation of my right arm below the elbow. It wasn’t something that I felt ever affected me inside or outside of sport. I had never considered that Para Alpine Skiing was a sport, and the only other para skiers I had ever seen around were at quite a novice level. I was fifteen years old, and wanted to stay with my able bodied ski team.
I attended the Ontario Para Sport Winter Games, did extremely well, and (much to my surprise) had a blast! My potential was identified to the National level, and in May 2012 I was invited to a training camp in Banff, Alberta as a prospect to the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team. It was there that I saw the high level and legitimacy of Para Alpine skiing. I was extremely attracted to the opportunities that pursuing Para Alpine skiing could offer me – including travel around the world, and potentially competing for Canada in the 2014 Paralympic Winter games.
From then on, I stepped up my commitment to ski racing and I was determined to make the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team, and had my eyes on competing in the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.
I am now in my fourth year of being an athlete on the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team, and preparing to compete in my second Paralympic games in PyeongChang, South Korea. It was been a long road full of ups and downs. The time commitment required of a high performance alpine skier is more than I ever imagined- I am on the road eleven out of twelve months of the year, and have put many things on hold (friends, family, school etc.) to pursue my goals in sport. However, I have no regrets. I have been given many amazing opportunities, learned many important lessons and met many great people throughout my time on the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team.
I’m grateful that my parents encouraged me to step (way) outside of my comfort zone and participate in the Ontario Para Winter Games in 2012 because it led me to this Paralympic journey and has opened a world of opportunity for me both inside and outside of sport.
I am fully committed to my life as an elite athlete, but it is not where I see myself in the long term. It is difficult to be on the road so many months of the year, and miss out on precious time with family and friends. I am also very keen on pursuing my education, something that I cannot do as a full time Para Alpine skier. On the outside, the life of an elite athlete may seem very glamorous, but up close there is a lot of hard work, emotional turmoil and sacrifice.
Erin Latimer, Canadian Paralympic Skier.
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