'It's in my blood': teenager plows snow like family before him
Colby Pickard spends his snow days plowing the streets of Moncton
Colby Pickard was only two–years–old when he first got a taste for snowplowing.
Pickard, now 16, would sit on his grandfather's lap while he operated equipment with the family's excavation and demolition company in Moncton. Back then, Pickard's job was to help steer the big machines.
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"It's in my blood, I guess you could say," said Pickard.
The New Brunswick teen says even at two, he knew he wanted to drive snow plows.
'It's just so neat seeing Moncton as it is in a snow storm at night when no one's on the roads.'- Colby Pickard
Today, he does just that and says he's making "good money" too.
"It's a completely different world when you're out there plowing," Pickard said.
As he plows, Pickard enjoys the open space and fewer cars on the road.
"It's just so neat seeing Moncton as it is in a snow storm at night when no one's on the roads," he said.
While he's plowing, Pickard still thinks of his grandfather, with whom he shares a special relationship.
"He's always on my mind, wondering how he is or what he's doing or how he's making out."
Following Monday's blizzard in Moncton, Pickard started a roughly 15–hour day on Tuesday, which started at 6:30 a.m.
He gets through those long hour shifts by drinking large volumes of Gatorade and French Vanilla.
By 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a tired Pickard went home for the night.
"I like to keep my marks up for school, so I definitely wanted my sleep." he said.
'School comes first'
Pickard says balancing both schoolwork and plowing involves time management.
If necessary, he will come home from plowing and study for an hour.
He tries to complete most of his schoolwork at school and seeks extra help if he needs it.
"You gotta know how to manage it and if you don't…you won't get very far," he said. "You gotta study to get through high school."
Ultimately, school is Pickard's priority.
"Say there's school in the morning and I'm plowing at night, I'll definitely go right from the plow to school," he said. "If need be, I'll go back out after school."
If that's not enough, he also works part–time at Sobeys and finds time to play hockey.
After high school, Pickard hopes to become an electrician.
"School's number one and then plowing's number two," he said.