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Hi, My name is Owen Weigelin, I am 16 years old and I love racing snowboardcross.
When I was little I wanted to join the ski race team at my local hill, but at 7 years old I tried snowboarding for the first time and never looked back. I was 9 years old when I broke through the start gates in my first race. It was the 2018 Provincials weekend at Ski Martock in Nova Scotia and I won third in all three events (snowboardcross, alpine and slopestyle). Although my main discipline is snowboardcross, I have continued to compete in alpine and slopestyle winning a total of 29 medals over the past 6 years. My first podium outside of Nova Scotia was a second-place finish at a Coupe Québec race in 2023 and shortly afterwards in my first Nationals (U15) I finished seventh. At the end of last season I travelled to Alberta to attend the 2023 Gathering – Youth Performance Camp, hosted by Snowboard Canada where I won male camper of the week in a field of more than 150 male riders.
Goal setting is important to me and I have set several short-term and long-term goals. My first goal is to consistently be on the podium at local competitions in Atlantic Canada. My second goal is to finish in the top 32 placings, at least once, during my debut season on the North American (NorAm) circuit. My third goal was set after volunteering as a forerunner in snowboardcross at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. The excitement and competitiveness of the Games motivated me to set a long-term goal to represent Nova Scotia at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec City.
This year I am moving to a more competitive level of snowboardcross racing and will need higher quality race equipment and be required to travel many times throughout the season. With the lack of snow in Nova Scotia, my team must supplement our training time and race experiences by travelling to New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a regular basis. Added together with the costs of local training sessions, travel to and from our Nova Scotia hills several times per week and race registrations, it is shaping up to be an expensive season.
I would be grateful for any support that you could provide to help me reach my goals and enjoy a fun season on the snow.
I thank you in advance for your generosity,
Owen