A DREAM COME TRUE
Born in Regina, skater competes for the Czechs
Cortney Mansour, who competed in ice dance for the Czech Republic at the 2018 Winter Olympics, was three years old and living in Regina when she took her first steps on skates.
“The first session was non-inspiring,” said her father, Dr. Stephen Mansour, an orthodontist in Regina. “Cortney sat on the threshold and cried. Even a bribe of candy did not provide sufficient incentive to go on to the ice.
“We waited six weeks and then re-enrolled her into the (CanSkate) program. What a difference! Her attitude had changed and her skating career officially took off.”
The takeoff eventually led to a landing in Pyeongchang.
“This Olympic experience has been unforgettable,” Cortney Mansour said Friday via email from South Korea.
“Making it to the Olympics was always my dream, so I had very high expectations, but these past few weeks have far surpassed those expectations.
“The (athletes’) village has activities going on all the time so it has been fun to experience everything. Also, the competition was amazing. Being able to skate on Olympic ice is indescribable.”
The 23-year-old Mansour made her Olympic debut on Monday, finishing 23rd in short dance alongside partner Michal Ceska.
“It is incredibly exciting to be at the Olympics, and a lifetime dream realized for Cortney,” her father said via email from Pyeongchang. “It is difficult to explain a parent’s emotion when their child enters the Olympic stadium.”
Cortney lived in Regina for the first eight years of her life, at which point she moved to Florida and continued to skate there.
She also developed a passion for ice dance, as opposed to competing individually, and as a result skated with several partners while living in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Toronto and, now, Detroit.
Five years ago, Mansour’s coaches in Toronto suggested a tryout with Ceska, so a flight to Prague was booked.
A successful tryout was the catalyst for Mansour and Ceska skating together at European and world championships.
Last year, Mansour received her Czech passport and was therefore eligible to compete for that country in the Olympics, for which she and Ceska qualified in October.
“Representing the Czech Republic is amazing,” Mansour said. “I have spent a lot of time (there) over the past five years and I am now a Czech citizen, so it really feels like a second home to me.
“They have been very welcoming to me and I am very proud to be at the Olympics representing the Czech Republic.”
She also appreciates the journey and all the people who have helped her along the way.
“I knew before getting into this sport that it would require a lot from both my family and I, so I was prepared to move,” Mansour said.
“I never imagined that I would have had to move so many times — five times, to be exact. It has been fun to experience living in different places around both America and Canada.”
Clearly, her determination and the countless sacrifices she has made have paid off.
“Cortney is a determined young woman and has given up a ‘normal’ young life to pursue her dream,” her father said. “She never experienced a high school prom or homecoming, but she has travelled the world. She wouldn’t change a thing.”
The repeated transitions have been eased by the fact that her mother, Pauline, has also made the moves to various locations.
“My success in skating is a combination of hard work and the never-ending support from my family,” Mansour said.
“To be successful in a sport, you have to put in the time. Talent will only take you so far. It’s the work that you put in that will take you to the next level.
“Also, my family has been so supportive of both my partner and I. Without them, we would not be where we are today. It really takes a village to be successful.”