Top Canadian Olympic snowboarder Alexa Loo is getting ready to compete on her home turf at Cypress Mountain for the 2010 Games.
In this article from her hometown paper, the Richmond Review, Alexa talks about how excited she is to be able to share her Olympic experience with her biggest fans and supporters - her family! She's thrilled that Petro-Canada's Canadian Athlete Family Program is making that possible.
"I will be able to completely focus on my event, knowing that my parents will be looked after—from the Listel Hotel in downtown Vancouver where they will be hosted, to their meals and their transportation to the event," says Alexa.
"It takes a load off my mind to know that Petro-Canada is taking care of the logistics so that I don’t have to. In Torino, I went to their hotel to make sure that their room was appropriate for them, I booked flights, and bought tickets for my parents, and I had to worry about how they were getting to the hill on race day. Now I don’t have to concern myself with all of that, and I can just focus on racing."
Loo says her family has supported her for years and the chance to share the Olympic experience, "hearing the roar of the crowd and feel the magic of the Olympics first hand," makes their sacrifices even more worthwhile.
"It also helps them to understand me better—what it is that has driven me for so many years to do all of the work that I have done," she says.
Alexa's mom, Toni Loo says:
"Being able to stay close to the action and Canada House will allow Charlie and I to meet other parents of athletes and share with them the Olympic experience."
"This will also help Alexa because she will not have to worry about how we are going to get to the events, and if I am calm I can help calm Alexa—even at a distance."
Alexa came by her passion for sport honestly. Her parents met and fell in love thanks to their passion for skiing and were sure to pass their love of sports on to their kids.
Charlie and Toni Loo have always believed that competitive sport prepares young children for the "real world, where everyone competes to get ahead whether in business or for job promotion."
"And it is one of the best tools for keeping fit, with all that implies for one’s ability to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle over the years,” dad Charlie says. "Alexa’s mother and I still have a passion for skiing, having skied over 35 days in each of the past two years."
"Having her biggest race here at home is going to be a great thrill."
We wish Alexa the best in her Olympic journey - and we're looking forward to hosting Alexa's parents at the Vancouver 2010 Games!
In the video below, Alexa Loo talks about Olympic competition with her parents.
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