Dara Howell ~ The Making of an Elite Athlete

The Making of an Elite Athlete

It takes a community to make a world-class athlete. What starts as a spark of interest by one young person later grows to encompass family, friends, coaches, team mates, fans, sponsors and supporters.

For freestyle skier Dara Howell, that initial spark came when she tried the sport for the first time at 13. “I was hooked,” she says. “It was so much fun. And now, even when I’m working hard, freestyle skiing is still fun.”

Dara competes in two freestyle disciplines: Halfpipe and Slopestyle. At the recent New Zealand Winter Games she placed 3^rd in Slopestyle and 4^th in Halfpipe and now has her sights set on a berth at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado in January and a spot on next year’s Olympic team. “It will take a lot of determination and a lot of work,” says Dara. “I think I’m ready for it.”

The nature of the sport, namely that it requires snow, means travelling around the globe to train and compete wherever winter conditions exist or can be simulated. Dara trains with the Ontario Pipe and Parks Team, a group of 15 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. 

“A lot of training is done in the summer to prepare for the early season,” she says. “We spend two weeks in Whistler on the glacier and do water ramp camps in Lake Placid or Lac Beauport.” In the early winter season, Dara trains on snow every weekend before heading to competitions primarily on the Dew Tour and the Grand Prix series.

In addition to team training, she also does trampoline training at the Bracebridge Sportsplex and personal training at FittGym in Huntsville. And all while still attending high school.

The level of commitment required to compete at this level makes an athlete’s support network ultra-important. Coaches provide physical training and mental discipline. Family and friends provide encouragement. And sponsors and community fundraisers provide much needed financial support. It’s estimated that the travel and equipment costs required for high-level competition can approach $100,000 per year.

 “My parents are behind me 100%,” says Dara. She has received a small amount of sponsorship from suppliers Solomon and Scott. And the community is getting behind her efforts with a fundraiser – Darapalooza - this past Saturday, September 3 at the Muskoka Ski Club.  Thanks to those that have shown Dara their support, when she reaches the Olympic podium at Sochi in 2014, you can smile and say you helped her get there.

Author: Dawn Huddlestone