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By Louis-Riel Rebelles
Alpine skier Sierra Smith zoomed down slopes from the west coast to the Italian Alps in the past month, collecting many medals as souvenirs along the way.
The Grade 10 Louis-Riel high school student made a name for herself with a number of top performances, starting with the Trofeo Topolino March 4-5 in Italy, which is widely recognized as the (unofficial) world championships for her age group.
“It was a very different environment,” signals Smith, highlighting the skiers from around the globe, the strict procedures, the large crowd of spectators and the far bigger mountain than back home. “It was way more serious than anything I’ve ever raced.”
Smith has been on skis since age 2, but she found herself shaking in her boots once she got to the start gate.
“I was quite stressed for my first run,” indicates the competitive racer of five years. “I did not know what to expect. I went there just hoping that I wouldn’t come last. I really had no expectations.”
Instead, Smith wound up within range of the very best under-16 women, finishing 16th out of 84 athletes in the slalom event, and 18th (and top Canadian) in the giant slalom.
“Watching them all ski and knowing this is what the competition is like, and knowing I can be up there with them, it was exciting to see,” Smith underlines. “It really boosted my confidence.”
School welcomes busy ski sked
There was little time to savour the biggest moment of her career. Upon returning to Canada, Smith raced the next day at the Quebec U16 provincial championships in the Eastern Townships.
The Mont-Ste.-Marie club athlete struggled adjusting to the time change initially, but nonetheless placed 2nd in GS, and then won slalom races on back-to-back days by massive margins.
Then it was off to Mont-Tremblant for the March 20-23 Can-Ams, where she claimed silver medals in GS and slalom.
Finally, Smith attended the April 1-3 Whistler Cup – a smaller-scale Trofeo Topolino featuring entrants from 11 countries – and won a bronze medal in super-G.
“I’ve been doing pretty well in training, so I was pretty confident I could succeed,” says Smith, who also placed 4th in U16 women’s slalom, .03 seconds away from the podium. “I put it all together and it went real well.”
With all the travel for competitions, Smith has only been in school for four days in past two months.
“It really helps that my teachers are supportive of what I’m doing,” emphasizes the member of Louis-Riel’s sports-study program. “They’re all very accommodating with my schoolwork and they all help me out.”
Smith is anglophone, but decided it was worthwhile to study in her second language given what the innovative program offers.
“There are a lot of others who come for sports-études and learn French,” notes the Montreal-born student who’s lived in France. “The program gives me the edge that I want.”
Smith enjoys having a daily physical conditioning period during her school day in the off-season, as well as the opportunity to train on snow several afternoons a week in winter.
It takes a lot of dedication to succeed both in sports and at school, says the Rebelles’ 2015 OFSAA team champion.
“You need to want to do it for life,” Smith adds. “I love ski racing, so doing this is a lot of fun.”