From Prince Albert to Pyeongchang, one-armed skier knows no limits

Sometimes skiers do a double-take when Brittany Hudak passes them.

"I'm guessing they're thinking, 'She's only got one pole,' and they're taking a second look as I go past," she said.  

That's when they realize she only has one arm too.

Even though the 24-year-old's been missing part of her left arm since birth, it never stopped her drive to compete against her able-bodied peers.

"I was maybe a little stubborn where I just kind of wanted to show people what I was capable of and learn from myself what I was capable of," she said. "I often just tried everything and anything to see if I could do it."

It's that drive that will see Prince Albert's Hudak head to Pyeongchang this March, to compete in Paralympics events in both cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Seven years ago, she'd never even heard of the Paralympics, and had never tried cross-country skiing. A former Paralympian introduced her to the sport shortly after her high school graduation, and told her about the opportunity to compete against people with disabilities, on a more level playing field.

The first time I tried it, I didn't really know what I was doing, kind of like Bambi on ice.- Brittany Hudak

She'd grown up taking part in cross-country running and track and field, but skiing did not come as easily as she first imagined.

"The first time I tried it, I didn't really know what I was doing, kind of like Bambi on ice."

But she was intrigued enough to keep going with the sport, joining a club and taking part in races across Saskatchewan.

She qualified for the 2014 Sochi Olympics in only her second year of cross-country skiing, having to beat out one other woman for a spot on the team, but she went into it without feeling a lot of pressure. 

This time around, her expectations of herself might be a bit higher, as she's spent more time skiing and competing as part of Team Canada and winning a bronze at the para-Nordic World Cup this past December.

Staying focused on her best

But Hudak's hoping to stay focused on her own achievement and setting a personal best, rather than worrying about how she's doing relative to others.

"You just got to worry about what you're doing, and hope that you can get everything to line up."  

Her goal remains to achieve a podium finish at some point in her Paralympics career. After all, the only limit to achievement is a person's own mindset and attitude, she said.

"If I had that mindset growing up, that I was less capable, I would probably not be doing many of the things that I'm doing today."

The full Canadian Paralympics team will be announced on Monday.