Fernie’s Sam Goodison will be representing Alberta at the upcoming Canada Winter Games, in the categories of Ski Moguls and Aerials.
For the 16-year-old, who has been skiing since he was three-years-old, this is one of his biggest competitions yet.
“It’s pretty awesome honestly, just to be chosen as one of the top athletes in Alberta,” said Goodison. “It’s just been an amazing experience so far and I’m pretty excited for the weekend,” he said.
For Goodison, competitions begin in Red Deer on Sunday, February 17, in the Aerial category. The following day, the young skier will hit the slopes again for the Moguls competition.
“I think everyone here is hoping for a medal, but I think it’s pretty awesome to just be here, representing the province at this national level competition,” said Goodison.
“I think as long as I can put down a run, that’ll be a pretty solid weekend for me,” he said.
After competing on behalf of the Fernie Freestyle Ski Club for many years, Goodison made the switch to the Freestyle Alberta Club. This serves as his first year representing Alberta instead of B.C.
Fernie’s Caoimhe Heavey is another local athlete representing Fernie at the upcoming winter games. Wearing the Team BC jersey, she will be competing in the categories of Slopestyle, Half Pipe and Big Air. Read more here.
Goodison ended last season in fourth spot overall, but this year he managed to secure a spot in the top three, which qualified him for the games.
Although he finished in fourth last year, Goodison says it was a great season for him.
“Last year was a really good season for me,” he said. “I competed in my first North American competition, I also had a top 16 result at quite a few national events, and I also placed fourth in junior nationals.”
In addition to this, at the provincial competition in Fernie, Goodison came first on both days.
Goodison’s successes from last year carried into this year. The young athlete has been travelling all around North America, competing against the best of the best.
“This is definitely what I’ve been working towards, for quite a few years now,” said Goodison.
“There’s the next step up, which is obviously the World Cup level, but I’m honestly pretty happy to be where I am right now. This is pretty awesome for me,” he said.
In the near future, Goodison’s goal is to continue to compete at the international level, hopefully make it onto the National team, and see where life takes him from there.
editor@thefreepress.ca
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