N.L.'s 1st snowboard team looks to carve out a place among competition at 2023 Canada Games
'It's really amazing to be a part of history,' says team rider Owen Lapshinoff
Team Newfoundland and Labrador is sliding in with another first at the upcoming Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.
The province's contingent will have a snowboard team at the event for the first time, with the squad competing in both women's and men's events.
"It's really amazing to be a part of history and representing Labrador West for that," snowboarder Owen Lapshinoff told CBC News in a recent interview while taking a break from the slopes at Smokey Mountain Ski Lodge in Labrador City.
The riders are busy training on hills across the province — when there's snow. At other times they use Zoom to discuss progress and prepare for the historic event ahead, while also hitting the gym and yoga studios to stay in shape.
Lapshinoff is no stranger to the intensity of the competition.
He comes from a family whose second home is, essentially, the ski hill.
"I was around eight when I started snowboarding, and I was around snow sports and skiing when I was around three," he said.
"It's been a long time.… I was always encouraged to keep racing, to keep competing as much as I can. It was around when I was 14 when I started realizing, 'I'm pretty OK at this,' and that was when I started racing nationally and travelling more for competitions."
Caroline Swan, chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Snowboard Association, said the event has been a long time coming for snowboarders in the province.
"It was a multiyear process in terms of building the sport in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've actually partnered with a national body, which is Canada Snowboard, and all of the local resorts," Swan said.
"We formed the Newfoundland and Labrador Snowboard Association a few years back and we officially got recognized by the province a few years ago."
The association started scouting local talent immediately to identify who had the chops to compete at the national event.
Swan said it takes a long time and a lot of commitment for the athletes to develop into strong competitors.
Some who are still too young to compete have already shown that commitment and the strong skill set. They've earned the opportunity to travel with the team to P.E.I. simply for the experience.
Elizabeth Lavoie, 12, is one of them — she has been on a board since she was two years old.
"I'm happy and I'm super-proud to represent Smokey Mountain," Lavoie said.
Newfoundland and Labrador is sending 164 athletes in multiple events during the two-week national competition. The games kick off on Feb. 18.
With files from Darryl Dinn