Tag - Snowboarding

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Flag bearing at Beijing Paralympics: life’s top honor

Hello everyone, I’m here to share this experience that is up there as one of the highlights of my life.  First, before the races started, we learned we wouldn’t be attending the Opening Ceremony (besides 4 people from our Federation) because of Covid concerns. We were all shattered, as we felt like that was one of our rights as athletes. But we moved on.  Then we all raced, had an immense amount of fun, adrenalin, nerves, anxiety, all that comes with competing in...

April 15, 2022Read more...

Logistics of Paralympics

Hello everyone, It’s end of January here and I’m preparing for a long trip away from home, lots of logistics go into all of it… making sure the home front will be ok, the wife and kids. My mom will be here to help out for a couple weeks, bless her heart:) making sure all my boards are dialed in, all the snow equipment. Speaking of boards, I have 2 fresh ones that PossAbilities got me, that will be a separate...

January 29, 2022Read more...

Snowboarding Training Camp: Success!

Hello all, Two weeks back from the Netherlands and I’m still buzzing about it. I had such a good time and learned valuable lessons and tricks from my coach. Came back in top shape —wish there was a race right after! It was at times challenging, like I thought “why am I doin this? Do I even belong in this sport racing with those guys at that level?” But the more I train the more the confidence grew, and that’s exactly the reason...

October 9, 2021Read more...

Upcoming Training Camp: Landgraaf

SnowWorld, Netherlands Guys, I’m super excited to share fantastic news: I’m going to a training camp in the Netherlands, the biggest indoor snow facility in the world, in Landgraaf! So happy it’s finally happening… at first  team Brazil was going to send me to Mount Hood in Oregon (the only snowy mountain in US that stays open year round with a servicing lift to go up the mountain); I would be the only Brazilian bc their athletes can’t really get into US...

September 6, 2021Read more...

How bad do you want it?

Greetings folks; I’ve been thinking, constantly, now that the Tokyo Paralympics are upon us (I possibly could have been there had my category in triathlon was not cut off) how difficult it will be for me to make the 2022 Winter Paralympics.  Truth to be told, the odds have never been stacked higher against me. If you compare to triathlon days: I had no kids; work was part time so I could focus on training (had a $ scholarship that helped...

August 24, 2021Read more...

F1 Racers?

Hi guys, As I’m watching one of my favorite Netflix shows “Drive to Survive,” again I thought of the similarities between my current racing sport and F1.  First I thought, “no, I’m out of my mind to even compare myself to them,” but some things are true.  Those guys train a lot, they’re some of the fittest athletes on earth actually. I would love to be on that level, but even though I train, it is different. They’re paid to do only that...

July 15, 2021Read more...

Game on: Can I keep up?

Greetings fellow friends of PossAbilities, hope everyone is doing well! Excited with the news that Covid is slowly letting go… it’s still not a won battle but we’re inching closer. With that said, hopefully frontiers will be opening up. I had a really good Zoom call with the Brazilian snow sports Federation, they believe and want to invest in me. It was great and reassuring to hear that! My concern is where I’m at right now, it’s like a chess...

June 25, 2021Read more...

Races post Covid:

Hey guys, I had this plan all set up for the 2020/2021 season. I would do 3 races then would be home in a timely manner for the birth of our baby. Covid had other plans and those races were all canceled. Baby Maile was born on a very special day and thankfully it all went well. There would be 2 more races in the calendar that I was not going to be able to participate. Of course, as luck would...

April 29, 2021Read more...

Upcoming Training Camp

Hello everyone, In talking with the snow sports federation in Brazil, we are about to hear news regarding Beijing Winter Paralympics 2022.  I personally thought they may postpone them just like what we’re seeing in Tokyo, being that we completely missed this last season of racing (canceled due to Covid).  Apparently they won’t be postponing Beijing, just the qualification criteria may change —I’ll learn more about that as soon as they do (the federation said).  While I wait to hear about Beijing news, I’m...

February 17, 2021Read more...

For the love of the sport

Hey guys! When winter time comes I get really excited when it snows, and try to find any window to go to the mountains.  This time around, with the “stay at home order,” I could not find a place to stay in Mammoth Mountain, no hotels or Airbnb were open to public. The few people I know that have houses there, I tried reaching out with no success.  When the snow came hard and I found an opportunity to go I was there!...

January 29, 2021Read more...