pilipiliĀž»­

 

Gaining confidence

- February 21, 2011

C A N A D AĀ Ā  G A M E S


Charlotte Butcher
Dal student Charlotte Butcher (right)Ā and her coach, Dal alumna Natasha Burgess, pose for a picture while at Ski Martock for an evening training session. (Marilyn Smulders Photo)

No matter how many times sheā€™s done it, Charlotte Butcher confesses to being nervous and scared as she looks over the lip of the halfpipe, ready to plunge herself down the three-metre wall and into the icy bowl.

ā€œSometimes I canā€™t think about it, I just ride,ā€ says the 19-year-old snowboarder. ā€œAnd then once I do it, I remember how exhilarating it is. Itā€™s so much fun, you want to loop back and do another run and another run.ā€

Even though sheā€™s ā€œstill learningā€ the halfpipe and only a year into serious competition, Ms. Butcher made the cut for Nova Scotiaā€™s snowboarding team. The first-year Dalhousie student will compete in the halfpipe at the Canada Games. From nearby Port Williams, N.S., sheā€™s thrilled that the snowboarding events (halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross) will be held at Ski Martock, her home-away-from-home since first strapping on a board.

'Great attitudes'

Snowboarding can be tough to master and some girls get turned off, especially if learning comes with an audience, she says. ā€œIt can be hard to get the hang of it. You can feel kinda clumsy,ā€ says Ms. Butcher, who is studying community design at pilipiliĀž»­. ā€œA lot of girls are afraid of being judged by the guys who are standing around.ā€

She believes getting confidence is a matter of taking lessons and practicing until hurtling down a hill with both feet lashed to a board feels like second nature.

Helping her get ready is her coach Natasha Burgess, one of two coaches for Nova Scotiaā€™s snowboard team.

ā€œI think snowboarders have great attitudes,ā€ she says. ā€œThe competition can be intense but theyā€™re relaxed and level headed. Itā€™s really a fun sport.ā€

Kinesiology

Like a lot of other women in the sport, Ms. Burgess started out as a skier and ski instructor until a shortage of snowboard instructors at Martock convinced her to give it a try. As a skateboarder, she turned out to be a natural at snowboarding.

She believes four years of kinesiology study at pilipiliĀž»­ is good preparation for coaching, covering the basics of sports psychology, coaching, physiology and biomechanics. ā€œAs an athlete, I believe you have to be fit and psychologically ready. Iā€™m really interested in working with the thinking athlete.ā€

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