Grant
I think I started skiing, or at least getting out
on the water, when I was 18 months old.
something was wrong. After getting
X-rays, I found out I had broken my
neck. It was atough road. I often wondered,
when I was in my body brace,
if I’d everski again. But here we are. I
won the slalom by half a buoy and lost
thejump by 10 centimetres.”
When one considers how long
Grant has been a competitor andhow
much work she devotes to becoming
the best she can be, onecan easily
understand how important this
world title is to her.“I got started water
skiing through my parents,” she said.
“They’rerecreational skiers and we
have a family cottage at Betula Lake
in theWhiteshell. I think I started
skiing, or at least getting out on the
water,when I was 18 months old. My
older brother, Cole, who is two yearsolder
than I am started to compete
and I just wanted to do everything he
did. I always wanted to follow in his
footsteps so I competed in myfirst
Western Canadians at age 6 and my
first nationals at age 7.
“I was in Girls 1 at my first nationals
which I think is U-9. I don’tremember
a lot about it, but I do know I won
a medal. Since then, I’vebeen to 13
national championships and I love
going. It was alwayseasy for me to ski
at nationals because my best friends
from aroundthe country just happen
to be the other skiers I’ve met at nationals.
It’s just a great sport.”
Grant’s resume is long and impressive.
In 2010 she placed secondin the
jump at the Junior World Championships
in Italy and then atthe 2013
Under-21 World Championships she
placed second in jumpand third in
slalom. She competed in the 2010 Pan
Am Championshipsas a member of
Team Canada where she placed third
in jump,fourth in slalom, fourth in
overall and second in team. To top off
herlist of accomplishments, she was
named Water Ski World ChampionshipsJunior
Skier of the Year in 2009,
2010 and 2012.
“It’s kind of interesting that I’m now
the slalom world championwhen my
favorite event is the jump,” she said
with a laugh. “I rankhigher in jump
than slalom.”
Although she is a professional water
skier, she is also on a full waterski scholarship
to Louisiana-Lafayette, where she
is majoring inSpeech Language Pathology
and Audiology and is a member of
theRagin’ Cajuns varsity team.
“It’s good to be back in school after I
just took off the last semesterto train
at Matt Rini’s private lake in Orlando
all winter,” she said. “Mycoach is from
Claremont, Fla., so I like to train in
Orlando as muchas I can.
“Our Louisiana-Lafayette team competes
in the South Central Regionand
then we’ll ski at the National Collegiate
Water Ski Associationchampionships
in Texas in October. Then, for
me, it’s off to theOpen World Championships
in Mexico. Fall is getting busy,
but I love it.”
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