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Courtenay skier has eye on 2022 Olympics

Dillan Glennie prepares for Canada Winter Games
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Courtenay-raised freestyle skier Dillan Glennie learned the ropes at Mount Washington. Photo supplied

Courtenay-raised freestyle skier Dillan Glennie will be representing Alberta in slopestyle, halfpipe and big air events at the upcoming Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta.

The 18-year-old has relocated to Calgary, where she trains with the Winsport High Performance Team. She competed in slopestyle Feb. 9 at the Calgary NorAm. Days later, she was in Colorado for the Aspen Open, where she competed on the course used for the X Games.

Earlier in the season, Glennie placed fourth in slopestyle at the Canada Cup in Whitehorse. She also had a fourth-place result in halfpipe at the NorAM Rev Tour at Copper Mountain in Colorado.

“Which I was really excited about because I don’t consider myself a big pipe skier, but I am coming to like it a lot,” Glennie said. “I also placed fourth in a NorAm at Waterville (New Hampshire) for slopestyle just last month.”

A graduate of the 2018 class at Vanier Secondary, Glennie learned to ski at Mount Washington. Her parents enrolled her in the Jumps and Bumps program when she was 12, the year her family moved from Vancouver to the Island.

“From there, I just progressed and started to love the sport more and more, and now I have a long-term goal to attend the 2022 (Winter) Olympics in Beijing.”

Glennie trained with the Mountain Washington freestyle club, and spent three years on the B.C. freestyle team. After high school, she “took the summer off snow” and focused on strength training and the mental side of the sport. When winter started, she moved to Calgary, and began training daily at the gym, on the ski hill, or on the trampoline.

Though she misses Island life, Glennie is enjoying her time in Alberta.

“The other members on my team are like family, and we all support and push each other in the sport,” she said. “Calgary has an amazing place to train.”

The Canada Games are a national multi-sport competition, held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. The 2019 Canada Winter Games include 19 sports, contested from Feb. 15 to March 3. Approximately 3,600 athletes, coaches and managers are expected to attend.