Kennedy Justinen, a Rocky Mountain House native, has her sights set on the Olympic Games. (GoFundMe)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

chasing dreams

Rocky Mountain House snowboarder seeking Canada’s support to achieve Olympic dream

Mar 14, 2021 | 1:28 PM

A Rocky Mountain House-born and raised snowboarder is seeking help on the final leg of her journey to the top.

Kennedy Justinen first learned to ski when she was four, but didn’t obtain elite level coaching until reaching 21. Most do so several years earlier.

She’s since taken up snowboarding and competed on the Snowboard Cross World Cup tour, two North American tours in the Canada and U.S., and even finished 9th overall in 2020.

Last September, she joined B.C.’s provincial snowboard cross team, and now has her sights set on the Olympics.

“Training and competing at this elite level has come with many challenges for me, from changing environments, new teams and teammates each season, even making the choice to take on a ‘transient lifestyle’ so I can afford training camps, and have the ability to get up and go at any point in time,” Justinen writes in a GoFundMe set up to help her move to the next stage of her athletic career.

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“Being able to continue to train and compete with more stability and reaching for Olympic stages is bigger than just me. Through this journey of self-discovery and growth, I aspire to demonstrate how conviction and attention to any goal will bring fruitful relationships and experience. I believe that life has no timeline, and we have the potential to create our own path. Your support with send momentum soaring towards Olympic stages and beyond.”

The GoFundMe, which is supporting her coaching, accommodations and travel, has raised more than $5,600 of the $20,000 goal as of March 14. To date, she says, she’s relied on small donations from local businesses and family.

Now living in Kelowna, Justinen has a degree in hairstyling, and most recently competed in locations like Montafon, Austria and Bergamo, Italy earlier this year.