Warren Shouldice

Sport: Freestyle skiing (aerials)

Birthplace: Calgary, Alberta

Residence: Calgary, Alberta

Born: April 1983

"Growing up in Alberta has had a huge effect on my success as an athlete"

One of my favourite things about being an elite athlete is that every day I wake up with a purpose: to get better at the sport I love. During an average training day, only about two hours is actually devoted to technical training, however. I spend at least two more hours at the gym and another hour on top of that for therapy and corrective exercises. In addition to training, it is also vital that I follow a good diet, which typically consists of five meals a day.

Growing up in Alberta has had a huge effect on my success as an athlete. Being so close to the mountains allowed me to ski on weekends since the age of three. I’ve also had access to a number of world-class facilities, a legacy of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary.

My proudest moment in sport is finishing third at the 2009 World Championships only six weeks after a terrible crash that left me with a concussion and compression fracture in my back. For five weeks after the injury, I was unable to train. All I could do was sit at home and hope to make it back in time to compete at the World Championships.

At the World Championships, I was able to jump through the pain. Coming into my final jump, I found myself in ninth position. I ended up performing the same jump that was doing when I injured myself earlier in the season. I did that jump the best I have ever done it and moved all the way up to third place.

Through sport, I’ve learned that anyone can be a leader, however, leadership must be earned through one’s actions. There are also different kinds of leaders and different kinds of leadership.

When I talk to people about it takes to be an elite athlete, I say, “As long as you’re doing it for the love of the sport, then you’re on the right path.”