HUDAK ON FAST TRACK TO PARALYMPICS
Nordic skier being touted as potential medallist four years after taking up sport
Brittany Hudak was in the middle of a typical shift at a Canadian Tire store in Prince Albert one day in January 2013 when she was approached by a stranger who would change her life.
Hudak, born without part of her left arm, listened to the woman tell her about the Paralympic Games and the world of opportunities offered by para-sport.
“She gave me some of her Paralympic cards and asked if I had heard about the Games and para-sport, and basically asked if I wanted to try cross-country skiing,” said Hudak, who was then 19.
The random stranger was Colette Bourgonje, the first Canadian to win a Paralympic medal at Vancouver 2010. She competed in 10 summer and winter Paralympics — in track and field and cross-country sit skiing — and won 10 medals.
“At that time I wasn’t aware of the Paralympics,” Hudak said. “I really wasn’t aware there was more of an equal way for people with disabilities to compete, and maybe that’s why I had never taken sport to a high level. Because the best shot I had was running events, where my arm disability doesn’t affect me as much, so that’s where I could be on more of a level playing field.
“But just the idea of actually getting to compete against other people with disabilities was more appealing.
“I also feel that most people, if they are approached by some random stranger while they’re working, they would just ignore the gesture. But I remember going home that day and having that intuition feeling, like I should contact this lady. There is something more here. Maybe I should give skiing a try.”
She waited only a day, maybe two, before sending Bourgonje an email.
Within a couple weeks she was skiing with Sturgeon River Nordic, a local club. By December 2013 she had qualified to compete at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi.
“Yeah, it was a big shock, because I didn’t even realize that I had potential to qualify.”
She and Bourgonje devised a training plan, Hudak cut back on shifts at Canadian Tire, balanced university studies in social work with training six days a week, and committed to sport.
“I know the year before the Games there is a test event at the venue and I didn’t go to the test event because I think nobody thought I was going to the Games. I’ve seen a video of myself skiing in that first year, and I was not very good at all. So I can imagine when coaches first saw me, they’re probably thinking, ‘I don’t know if this girl is really going to take this sport anywhere.’
“That just goes to show with determination and hard work you never know where you’ll end up.”
She went to Sochi as a development skier, didn’t hit the podium but gained valuable experience. She continued to improve her results on the Para-Nordic circuit, winning a crystal globe in 2015 as an overall World Cup winner. She’ll compete in Canmore, Alta., this month during the Para-Nordic World Cup stop, the first of the season. And she is seen as a serious medal threat for her second Paralympics in PyeongChang.
“She definitely has tons of potential and she loves the sport, so she’s very dedicated,” said Brian McKeever, a longtime member of Canada’s Para-Nordic national team. “It’s fun to see her development. She works very hard, takes technique cues well. And she has the ability to train a lot, which is always important with endurance sport especially, because it’s a lot of long, lonely hours.”
And it was completely foreign to her. It’s a technique-heavy sport — she also competes in biathlon which adds rifle shooting to the mix — and she has been on a voyage of self-discovery.
“My disability was congenital. I have been adapting since Day 1. I haven’t known anything different. It was quite interesting to be on skis for the first time, to realize how I have been affected by my disability. Like, I have one dominant leg. Why can’t I glide longer on this right ski?
“Your total body alignment is completely different. It was interesting to see how my body adapted to having a disability. When I danced and when I ran, I didn’t notice it as much.”
She watches video now, more than four years into her new pursuit, and still isn’t satisfied.
“I’ve really got that competitive drive. I’m a little bit picky and I can tell I haven’t been skiing that long just because my fitness isn’t necessarily there and the technique, I don’t really look like a graceful skier.
“We always say a good skier makes it look easy. I don’t think I make it look easy, but it’s pretty obvious that I try hard.”