He’s worn the Maple Leaf and won a World Championship as a member of Canada’s amputee hockey squad.
Now, Vernon’s Curt Minard will compete for Canada in a new sport on its biggest stage.
Minard has been selected to the Canada Snowboard squad that will compete in the Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea next month. Minard will compete in snowboardcross and bank slalom.
“I am extremely honoured to be selected and I am as ready as I will ever be,” said Minard from the road Wednesday morning, heading to Manning Park for a pre-Paralympics training camp.
“The hard work, commitment and determination on the quest to represent Canada have prepared me for this amazing journey. I’ve dreamt of this moment since I was a child and my goal is to show Canadians and the world that great things happen when you push limits and believe in yourself.”
Minard, who lost part of his arm in an industrial accident, was second in the overall Para Snowboardcross Crystal Globe rankings in 2017-18.
Canada’s team features all but two Paralympic Game debutants, with John Leslie (Arnprior, Ont.) and Michelle Salt (Calgary) having participated in snowboarding’s Paralympic debut in 2014.
With the addition of a second snowboarding discipline (Banked Slalom) for 2018, Canadian Paralympic Team riders will now have an additional opportunity to showcase their sport to the world.
The team is coming off one of the most successful World Cup seasons in its history. Besides Minard’s success, Salt finished third in the Overall Banked Slalom Crystal Globe rankings.
The team also capped off the World Cup finals in style, grabbing third in the overall Nations Cup standings, representing the first time Canada has reached the podium in the Cup.
Competition dates for Para Snowboardcross and Banked Slalom are March 12 and 16, respectively.
The seven athletes named to Team Canada include Minard, Salt, Leslie, Sandrine Hamel (Saint-Sauveur, Que.), Alex Massie (Barrie, Ont.), Colton Liddle (Wawa, Ont.) and Andrew Genge (Oshawa, Ont.).
Minard is the second North Okanagan athlete selected to compete in PyeongChang. Spallumcheen’s Ina Forrest will be part of the Canadian wheelchair curling team.