Hometown boarder set for Beijing Winter Olympics

• She’s returning from severe injury
• Snowboard cross team Canada trained in Austria
• Her childhood experiences prove invaluable

A Kelowna snowboarder is ready for China thanks to previous Olympic experience, having overcome a major physical setback, and with the memory of chasing her brother through the trees growing up at Big White.

Tess Critchlow, 26, will be competing in Snowboard cross, also called Boardercross, at the Beijing Winter Games.

“It definitely is exciting and like a weight off the shoulders when you get the official announcement that you’ve made the team so that was really exciting,” Critchlow told Kelowna10.

Building back up

Before making the team, Critchlow had to overcome a devastating injury. Overshooting a jump at a training camp last year, she tore her ACL, ruptured her meniscus, and partially tore her MCL.

This forced her to rest and step away from competition. The healing process forced her to build herself back up both physically and mentally.

“The beginning was definitely really tough mentally to see your body not able to perform and not able to do so many things that used to be so easy,” Critchlow said.

“But I think that also helped me grow mentally … I notice it on the course. I don’t know if this sounds weird, but I got more space in my head to think about what I’m doing.”

Snowboard Cross

Her competition, Boardercross, sees a group of athletes race down a narrow track on snowboards. It has turns, jumps, and uneven terrain going downhill to the finish line.

Boardercross competitors require various skills. She said it’s crucial to get a strong start with a lot of momentum, maintain a clean edge on the steeper sections, and minimize airtime after the jumps.

Critchlow was training with her team in Austria alongside other countries like the US, France, and Switzerland when Kelowna10 caught up with her.

She said Boardercross courses are hard to find. Austria held the World Cup and Europa Cup last year, making it an ideal training ground.

Olympic Dreams

With her first competition at six years old, Critchlow has won junior and adult national championships. But it was a surprise trip that made her realize her Olympic aspirations.

“In 2010 my dad surprised me and my brother with tickets to the Olympics and we got to watch [Snowboard cross racer] Maëlle Ricker win gold on home soil,” Critchlow said.

“That’s kind of when the lights went on. This is something that I wanted to pursue and try to make my career.” She recalled the cheering being so loud that day it made the stands shake.

In 2018 her dream was realized as she was called to represent Canada at the Pyeongchang Winter Games, placing ninth, earning the top Canadian result. She said having that previous Olympic experience will help her mentally because she knows what to expect.

Valuable memories

The competitive spirit was fostered into her at an early age. She recalled chasing her brother through the trees at Big White, racing him to the bottom.

That experience still serves her to this day, including at the test event in China last fall, following her first qualification run where she said she posted a poor runtime.

“When I was in the start gate, I pictured my brother beside me and I’m just going to chase him down and see if I can beat him to the bottom,” Critchlow said.

“I think just bringing that comfort, and that drive because I always wanted to beat him, really helped me. And it upped my time by a lot.”