Olympic hopeful Elizabeth Hosking hasn’t had a day off in a long time, and Friday was no different.
Despite having the day off from school, Hosking had a 4 a.m. wake-up call, so she could guest host Global News Morning in Montreal.
The 15-year-old has been busy juggling school and a career in snowboarding.
She credits her high school in Saint-Jérôme for giving her the flexibility to pursue both.
“The teachers really help me out to succeed,” Hosking said. “They really want to see everyone succeed.”
Catherine Parent who with her husband, Brian Smith, coaches Hosking, said attending school is really important to Hosking, explaining it’s what keeps her grounded.
“It’s all she has left that is normal,” Parent said.
The Secondary 4 student is currently ranked No. 2 in Canada in the halfpipe and was the highest ranking Canadian woman in the same discipline at the World Championships in Spain, where she finished 14th.
WATCH BELOW: Elizabeth Hosking guest hosts Global News Morning in Montreal
Hosking started skiing when she was only three years old, but it was the snowboarders that grabbed her attention.
“I saw snowboarders on the mountain and I was like ‘that looks so cool, I want to do that,'” she said.
Hosking recalled her parents telling her she was too young to snowboard.
“My brother had one and I was super jealous,” she said, adding that she eventually took matters into her own hands.
“One day, I was just tired and I took my brother’s snowboard,” she said, explaining she used it to go down the family’s u-shaped driveway.
The ride also convinced her parents that maybe it was time to let her give snowboarding a try.
Parent said Hosking has always been determined.
“I met her when she was eight and she told me she wanted to go to the Olympics.”
READ MORE: Speedskater Isabelle Charest to lead Canada’s 2018 Olympic team
Seven years later, Hosking is well on her way – she has a shot at one of two spots up for grabs on Canada’s Olympic team.
“It would be my childhood dream come true,” she said.
Hosking came into the limelight last year, after she won the Canadian Championships at the age of 14.
What’s more is that she did it only six weeks after suffering a serious injury.
“I broke both my wrists,” she said.
But it’s not what one might think. She broke her wrists while training at the gym, not catching big air on the halfpipe.
READ MORE: Olympic medallist Mark McMorris suffers severe injuries in snowboard accident
Hosking admitted she was goofing off with friends.
“I was doing resistance training with a bungee cord, and I thought it would be funny if my friends dragged me as far as the cord could go,” she said.
The idea was to slide backwards on her front when they let go of the cord.
Unfortunately it didn’t go as planned and Hosking flew through the air before breaking her fall with her wrists.
“I looked at my wrists and thought, ‘this isn’t normal,'” she said.
She required surgery on both wrists and a metal plate and a few bolts were needed to fix the damage.
READ MORE: Failure and rejection are a part of success: Michelle Obama
“The year started off badly,” Hosking said of the setback, but added that you have to learn from your failures and disappointments.
According to Parent, failure is one of Hosking’s biggest fears.
“She’s very worried about disappointing others,” she said.
Parent explained they’ve put a system in place to help Hosking work through her feelings when she experiences a setback.
“She has a two-hour time limit to dwell” Parent said, then she has to move on.
Comments