Two local students have made the cut for the winter Olympics in PyeongChang this year.
Rosalind Groenewoud and Darren Gardner have been chosen to represent Canada.
For Groenewoud, the road to Korea has been a hard one — she’s had to deal with injuries that would understandably keep any other athlete in the sick bay.
The 2016 Quest University graduate had to overcome a double-knee arthroscopic surgery, a concussion, a blown ACL, MTL and LTL — virtually all the main ligaments in one of her knees — and then, to top it off, a broken arm.
Groenewoud, a second-time Olympian from Calgary, earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic freestyle ski team.
“It took a lot of perseverance,” she said. “It’s hard not to be jealous of people who from the outside looks like their journey was less strenuous.”
“I took one injury at a time, just worked at getting back.” she continued. “I have an awesome support team in terms of physios and trainers and sports psychs.”
This time around, which is her second trip to the Olympics, Groenewoud will be looking to improve on her seventh-place finish in the inaugural women’s halfpipe competition in Sochi 2014.
Groenewoud said she’s looking forward to competing in Korea.
“I think the Olympics always brings added excitement; added pressure,” she said.
She also said that she made a lot of friends during the last Olympics.
“Getting to see them again and cheer them on is definitely just like a cherry on top,” Groenewoud said. “To be able to connect with them again and cheer them on is something that’s really special about the Olympics.”
For Gardner, this will be his first time representing Canada at the Olympics. It seems to be a challenge he’ll be suited for, given his strong performance in last season’s World Cup.
As part of the snowboard team, he’ll be competing in parallel giant slalom.
Also a Quest University student, the rider from Burlington, Ontario, said making the Olympics has been such a big achievement that it’s taken a little time for him to process.
“Definitely feeling super grateful and proud, but my schedule’s been so busy... it’s just kind of finally settling in that I’m going to Korea.” said Gardner. “[I’m] definitely more excited than anything else.”
It’s been a lifelong dream for Gardner.
He started hitting the slopes as a four-year-old. Since his father was a member of a snowboard club, his passion for the sport rubbed off on Gardner.
That passion began to snowball for the young rider, especially during the first year snowboarding was accepted as an Olympic sport.
“I remember watching it with my parents,” said Gardner. “I was eight years old. The image of the Canadians riding down the hill was something that really took me. That was something that drove me to, I guess, where I am today.”
It’s a memory that seems all the more striking now that roles have been reversed — he will be the one on the other side of the TV screen, possibly inspiring young riders to pursue Olympic dreams.
“If I can do that for the next generation, that would be more than winning a medal there,” he said.
Both Olympic qualifiers attended Quest under the school’s Leaders in Elite Athletics & Performance Program (LEAP), which allows elite athletes and performers to attend university with more flexibility in housing, billing, and course scheduling.
