Snowboarding opens unexpected doors for Canadian Liam Gill

“Snowboarding was a way to prove that I was good at something. It was a great opportunity for me as a child. I had something that made me feel confident and good about myself. I definitely needed it.”

Gill will compete in the season-ending world championships in her hometown, beginning with Friday's qualifying round.

Saturday night's finals will be held at WinSport Canada's Olympic Park.

Snowboarding opened an unexpected door for Gill as she competed in her second year on the national team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

The only Indigenous man on Canada's team has drawn attention from this community.

Gill is a member of Liidlii Kue, Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories. He says that when he didn't perform as well as he wanted in Beijing, their support was a lifeline.

“It was the biggest stage I've ever been on,” Gill said. “I was left in the spotlight. Even though I performed horribly, I got great feedback.

“Even though I came in last place and left with a bruised eye, I still got great comments. It helped keep me together because I swear I fell apart after the second run. The amount of support I have received from the local community has been overwhelming.”

Gill's grandmother is from Fort Simpson, NWT, where she went to help young people snowboard shortly after the Olympics and returned the following year to do it again.

“I ran up and down this hill holding hands for the first time and taught kids to snowboard. The next year, I couldn't keep up with them,” says Gill.

When Sunshine Ski Resort west of Banff, Alta., told Gill she could host an event of her choice, she wanted to get kids from the NWT for free.

His mother, Joanna, started looking for grants. With the help of a legacy grant from the Canadian Olympic Committee, Gill was able to bring about 20 teenagers from Fort Smith and Fort Simpson to the resort in May 2023 for a few days of boarding.

“The whole idea was just to make money, that wasn't the problem, it was to fully fund it and let the kids just have fun. We pulled it off,” Gill said. “It changed my life forever. I have to keep doing this. I need to do more.”

He's planning another Liam and Friends session at Sunshine in March, but his World Cup season isn't over yet.

Built in 2014, the WinSport half pipe is the largest in Western Canada, measuring 6.7 meters high, 22 meters wide, 160 meters long and 83 degrees vertical.

Calgary was a fortuitous training stop for retired American snowboarding legend Sean White, thanks to its pipe sizes and nighttime lighting.

Calgary's Snow Rodeo was originally scheduled to include World Cup slopestyle on Sunday, but that event was canceled in January.

“Due to the unprecedentedly warm weather this winter, WinSport was unable to produce the required amount of snow at the required time to build the required slopestyle course,” WinSport said in a statement.

Gill posted a career-best eighth-place finish at the world championships in Laax, Switzerland, in January. He is also nursing a sore tailbone after a crash in the men's final in Mammoth, Calif., on Sunday.

“I've been looking forward to this World Cup in Calgary all year because it's home and my friends are in town and my family can watch and watch it all,” Gill said. “I just want to get to the finals.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 8, 2024.

Donna Spencer, Canadian Press