“I love the idea of being a professional snowboarder, I want to see how far I can get.
“That would be so awesome, ‘What do you do for work’ oh I snowboard. That would just be so great.”
Tiegan Clark has been training the slopes since she was young, with a strong ambition to be one of the next best things.
The 20-year-old started looking at programmes in Ontario after her dad encouraged her to get into the high velocity winter sports.
“I started snowboarding recreationally when I was eight, but I wasn’t very consistent and would only go once every other year.
“My dad wanted me to learn how to snowboard because when he came here from Australia, he really wanted to snowboard.”
Like many athletes, the dream for Clark really started after she first discovered the thrill of the winter sports through the Winter Olympics.
That’s when she discovered her love for Snowboard Cross.
“After the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, I was more interested in snowboard cross and I thought the whole sport looked incredibly cool.
“I started looking for programmes in Ontario that trained for snowboard cross, and in my first year in 2023, I started training with a team called Blue Mountain.
“I started kind of improving but switched teams so I could train all year round, and from there I’ve been slowly improving with the hope of ending up at MISU University Winter Games next year.”
However, growing up means the 20-year-old has had to adapt to changes in her life, including a location change.
“I’m studying at university now, so I want to see how the next couple of years go, especially going into my fourth year there’s a lot to take into consideration.
“I obviously want to see how far I can get before I commit to this as a career in the future.”
Studying at Toronto Met, the snowboarder has added tasks of balancing her student life, with the sport she loves to do.
“I have quite a lot of times between classes, but at the same time, a lot of things end up being due within the same week which can often be difficult.
“I manage by keeping an active Google Calendar and just have to set myself reminders for everything, so I stay on top of it!”
Clark has dedicated a lot of her time growing up to the sport but often reflects on her personal growth during her pathway, remembering the journey she’s been on.
“Just accept that your pathway is always going to be different to somebody else’s and your goal will always different because really…you’re always racing yourself.
“It’s this idea of ‘Can I beat my time? What can I improve on?’ It’s all about progressing in your own time and that’s something I should have thought more into when I first started off.
“Three years ago, I couldn’t turn properly, and now I’m here and I can do these courses really well so I’m just really grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”
