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Escarpment Magazine Harvest & Holiday 2013
ESCARPMENT FEATURE
|
on the road to sochi
Phil Brown
Age: 22
Home Club: Craigleith
Sport & Discipline: Alpine Skiing - Slalom & Giant Slalom
Samm Denena
Age 18
Home Club: Horseshoe Valley Resort
Sport & Discipline: Snowboard Slopestyle
Member Canadian National Slopestyle Team
Twitter: @philbrown7
Instagram: @philbrown77
Q:
How has skiing on the Escarpment helped you hone your skills for the World stage?
A:
Growing up spending my weekends training and competing on the escarpment provided me with what
I think is the best environment for youth. Unfortunately the escarpment is more of a hill then a mountain, but it
allowed us to focus 100% on racing, no distractions. Also, I think this is one of the only places where you can
have a core group of teammates growing up together and competing against rival clubs. It was a perfect en-
vironment for us to learn about skiing technically well and most importantly, how to compete!
Q:
What challenges do you face as an athlete?
A:
I am extremely competitive and very critical of my own performance. In many ways, this is the main reason
why I have been successful. Simply put, I love to win, and hate to lose. At times this can be very unproductive,
especially when I am too hard on myself. I have a hard time taking things in stride and learning from my mis-
takes. This is something I work on daily.
Q:
Who has been your biggest influence?
A:
My biggest influence was my old coach from Craigleith who everybody knows, Bebe Zoricic. He first
started coaching me at 11 years old. His passion for the sport is something you don’t see very often. He
pushed us to our limits and challenged us to improve. At times, I wasn’t always happy with him because of
how hard he made us work. But, looking back, I think if it were not for Bebe showing me how special ski
racing is I probably wouldn’t have chosen to pursue the sport as a career.
Q:
What challenges do you face as an athlete?
A:
Being the year of the Olympics, I think stress is the biggest one for me, you have people constantly asking
if you’re going, and so many family members and friends counting on you to do the best you can do. I think
the biggest struggle for me is focusing on why I started the sport and why I fell in love with it, rather then fo-
cusing on everyone else.
Q:
How do you handle the costs of the sport?
A:
My parents have been my biggest supporters throughout the whole Olympic dream and process. If it was-
n't for them I wouldn't be able to go to the places I do. I also received "Quest For Gold" which is an Ontario
bursary, that helps high level athletes in the province!
Q:
Who has been your biggest influence?
A:
Jamie Anderson. She's one of the best—if not the best female snowboarder in the world, and I’ve looked
up to her since the day I got on my first snowboard. I know Jamie really well now, and it’s the best thing in the
world knowing someone you look up to and someone who had such a big influence on you, is now competing
against you!
Q:
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming athletes?
A:
Never give up. Never lose the love in your sport, just always remember why you started it in the first place,
and everyday look back and realize how far you've come, and you'll only wanna push yourself more.
photo | Chris Witwicki
photo Courtesy Alpine Canada
{
Never give up.
Never lose the love
in your port...
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If you want
something, go get it!
