Canada Games gold medalist Alexandra Duckworth hails from Kingsburg, Nova Scotia. She was recently named Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Female Individual Athlete of the Month, administered by Sport Nova Scotia, after placing third at Canada’s first Slopestyle World Cup in Calgary, Alberta. This past summer, Alex shared her Games story with us.
How did you get into snowboarding?
The fam and I used to ski recreationally since I was 7 but at 10, I switched to snowboarding and going to Martock became a more regular activity. I started competing provincially at 14 and gradually got into competing at a national and international level. I attended Stratton Mountain School, a ski and snowboard academy in southern Vermont, for my two final years of highschool and since graduating, I’ve dedicated every winter season to snowboarding full-time.
What was it like being at the 2007 Canada Games?
The Whitehorse games were the first games that snowboarding was included. Whitehorse was a funny experience- the northern territories are pretty incomparable to the rest of the country. Our days were consumed by hiking the mountain in negative 40 degree weather. At night, we had access to the 24 hour cafeteria, game rooms, movie rooms and even entertainment ranging from stand-up comics to Elvis Presley impersonators. On the day of my event, I was competing with a few close pals and the scores ended up being super close. Initially, we had been told that my friend Breanna had finished in first but as it turned out there was a miscalculation and I ended up finishing 1st.
As a member of Team Nova Scotia for the 2007 Games, I got to experience a high level of team spirit, which was a first for me coming from an individual sport.
What would you say to young athletes that are training to compete at the 2011 Games?
The Canada Games is such a cool opportunity for up and coming athletes. The whole concept of representing your province and getting to see a new part of Canada is a great incentive to dedicate time into your sport.
Besides winning the Individual Athlete of the Month award, what else have you achieved since your gold medal at the Canada Games?
- Canadian Open Snowboard Tour Champion 2009
- 5th in Halfpipe at the Grand Prix in Boreal, California, 2009
- 2nd in the Canadian Halfpipe Championships, 2009
- 8th place, Stoneham World Cup, 2010
- 3rd place, Calgary World Cup, 2010