WESTLOCK — There’s no better way to make a statement than to make the cut for Team Alberta in your final year of freestyle competition.
That’s exactly what Westlock mogul skier Michael Smith has accomplished, earning a spot on Team Alberta earlier this spring.
The 19-year-old recently returned from competition in Australia as a member of the Alberta mogul team, where he trained during a three-week on-snow training camp for from Aug. 7 to Sept. 1 and also competed in the Australian National Championships (Aug. 30) at Perisher ski hill. It is the first time Smith has been named to Team Alberta.
“Throughout the season we compete and (at) every competition we place, (we) collects points … I made enough points to be considered (for Team Alberta) and I was the highest on their selection,” said Smith, noting only 10 skiers from across Alberta are chosen for the team.
Smith said he finished around 10th place in the men’s mogul category in the Australian nationals, where he competed against members of the Japanese and Chinese national Olympic teams as well as the Australian national Olympic team and various other clubs from Australia.
Skiing since he was five, Smith spent several years with the Tawatinaw Valley Freeriders and has specialized in moguls for the past six years.
The freestyle camp in Australia was an opportunity to train on snow, said Smith, noting he often goes to British Columbia after the season is over but could not do that this year.
“That glacier closed recently so this was just a way to make up lost on-snow time,” he said, noting the great learning experience. “We needed to be on snow and train at a high level course. I think every time I’m on skis I learn something new.
“You always keep moving forward.”
Smith will be competing in Sweden this fall when he participates in another international freestyle skiing event from Oct. 30 to Nov. 14.
“It’s an open event. We go there and gain points and those points allow us to get on various Canadian and North American tours,” explained Smith, adding that being named to Team Alberta provided an opportunity for him to earn a spot to participate on the North American Tour this upcoming season, which runs from December to March.
If successful, he’ll compete in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia and at an unconfirmed event in the United States, before attending university next year.
“It’s going to be a really good season,” said Smith, pointing out the great support from family, teammates and his sponsor Carl’s Auto Service in Westlock.
As Smith prepares for his last competitive season in his freestyle career, he reflects on the international competitions, teammates and friends he’s made over the years and looks forward to a successful finish on the slopes.
“There’s a lot of things to take away. A lot of life experiences."
