Watch the video above: Mark McMorris is influencing a new generation of snowboarders
SASKATOON – Winning an Olympic bronze medal in snowboarding is awesome, doing it with a broken rib is impressive, being one of the greatest snowboarders in the world after growing up in one of the flattest places is inspiring.
Growing up in Regina, Mark McMorris used whatever he could get his hands on to elevate the flat Saskatchewan landscape. He proved in front of the world it doesn’t matter where you come from but how you embrace it.
“Not necessarily just snowboarders but a generation is pretty cool to be inspiring people to reach their goals and you can do things from small places,” McMorris said.
Diefenbaker Park Hill in Saskatoon is where nine-year-old Auston Fidler is hoping his Olympic dream begins.
“I just go down and try and do a jump and that,” Fidler said.
“Auston, he was talking about on the way here how he wants to be in the Olympics doing snowboarding and I had no idea he’s ever snowboarded before, he went pretty good down the hill, he made it at least halfway before he wiped out,” said Fidler’s cousin Jennifer Allenby.
McMorris initially learned to snowboard on a small hill but the Olympic slopestyle bronze medallist needed to take his skills to new heights. The Saskatchewan Snowboard Association allowed him to do just that.
“I was part of (it) the very first year it started when I was 13 and we would do eight trips out to the mountains each year, so it’s really cool for kids to get good enough to be added to that team and able to go take it places,” McMorris said.
McMorris has not only left his stamp on big air events, he’s also left his mark on up and coming snowboarders of all ages.
McMorris’ whirl wind season will wrap up at the beginning of March when he competes at the Burton US Open.
After that he says he’s going to the back country where there is no cellphone service where he can get away and reconnect with why he started snowboarding in the first place.
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