Team Stride & Glide
Jacqui Benson
Prince George, BC
X-Country Skiing

Favorite event….Silverstar Season Opener… always the underdog : )

Best ski race destination….How can there be anything nicer than Otway? Mount St. Anne Que. comes a close second

Favorite ski conditions….packed, fresh snow, -5

I specialize in….seems like it's the mass starts, long, and preferably classic

If I wasn't a skier…Then I would probably have a lot more money and spend sometime traveling around the world, without a heavy ski bag, and then finally settle on a hot beach to surf all day.

Dream car…oh that's easy, a black mini cooper…just so I could drive it like Cameron Diaz does in the 'Italian Job' or a campervan, but not a slow campervan, It would have to have a pretty supped up motor in it so I could pass all the other campervans out there.

When I grow up, I want to be….Well, I have this feeling I may never grow up, so is there any point in going there? I don't really know, I'm taking my BComm in case that day ever comes, you know, like for back-up, that's me always be prepared. (like always having red licorice in the glove box) you never nose : ) Actually, I think it is important to be involved in giving back to the sport and the community once I've moved on.

What do I do in my spare time….until the last few months I didn't know what spare time was, but pretty much any activity outdoors, trying to improve my skills on my longboard skateboard, reading-sometimes intelligent novels-sometimes not : ) cooking!!! There's passion in that word for me.

Most embarrassing moment…. To date…there are too many! When my car wouldn't stop smoking downtown and the firetruck came, about 5 firemen jumped out and were spraying the fire extinguisher under the hood, and it was still smoking away…not to mention that was about the 3rd time that car had been towed to the shop that month.

Noteworthy results from this season:

I have been skiing since a very young age, and for as long as I can remember I have wanted to represent Canada at the Olympic Winter Games. Some days it is only a dream whereas other days it is simply a goal and I know I will achieve it. No matter what, it is always inside of me. I am currently at the point in my skiing career where good results in the past are not going to get me where I need to be. I know in my heart that I have to be racing consistently at a high level to succeed, but I am still trying to figure out how to do that. After living in Canmore, Ab for the last 5 years, trying a few different things, such as working too many hours in a restaurant to survive, or driving a hour each way to attend classes at the University of Calgary, or working at an Inn, I moved back to my hometown at the end of August 2005. Although the first part of the season didn't go as well as I would have hoped, it has since picked up dramatically. The main thing that changed after the first good race, was that I am once again carry the passion to race. Like any addiction, I strive on it, there is no other place I want to be and nothing else I'd rather be doing.

I suppose that giving you my background and history of my time spent in the sport may help you get to know me, as some of my closest friends don't know what I've been through, but it doesn't really begin to tell you who I really am. Lets say adrenaline junkie meets control freak, throw in the superstitions any competitive athlete deals with, and a loud laugh, ( and I LOVE to laugh) and you've got me. This may seem like I am somewhat of a complex character, but that is just a front, I am actually quite simple minded. I never do anything half heartedly, meaning, I give it everything I've got 100% of the time otherwise I am not satisfied with myself. That doesn't mean that when I do give it everything I've got that I am always satisfied, I always find myself striving to be one step better, do one thing better, to live on the edge and deal in the best way possible when things are thrown at me. This is why there is no giving up on those days when my goal seems like only a dream and why I can't let that dream fade away.

I am thankful for the people that have supported me throughout my skiing career, it means so much to me. I try to take whatever opportunity possible to give back to the community in order to keep the sport alive and growing in Canada.