Aurora Skier Captures Spot on Canadian National Mogul Team
Berkley Brown has enjoyed skiing moguls … fast, since she was seven years old. After being sidelined for six months with a torn ACL during her first season with the Ontario Provincial team three years ago, she returned with a vengeance to win the 2015 U16 Junior Nationals the following season.
“I like the challenge of freestyle moguls, it’s a good balance of being able to jump and ski with speed. If you like jumping, moguls and going fast, it’s very satisfying.”
Now 16 and in her third year with the Ontario team, Berkley has experienced her best season yet finishing as the first overall point leader in the 2017 International Ski Federation’s Nor-Am Cup last month with 540 points. In February, she competed against the top skiers from across the U.S., Canada and Australia at the four Nor-Am Cup stops in eight competitions (singles and duals). The last time a Canadian won the Nor-Am was in 2012.
Berkley performed consistently well at all four competitions this year, placing 2nd in singles (against 43 competitors) and 2nd in duals in Killington, Vermont; 1st in singles (her first gold medal in a Nor-Am competition) and 6th in duals in Val Saint-Côme, Quebec; 2nd in singles and 3rd in duals in Lake Tahoe, California; and 1st in duals in Apex, British Columbia – for a total of 6 of the 8 medals on the Nor-Am Tour.
As a Grade 11 student at The Country Day School in King, Berkley is grateful for how supportive her teachers have been while she has been away on tour. “They offer me help while I’m away and help me catch up when I’m back.” While her classmates enjoyed their two-week March Break, Berkley was studying hard to catch up on what she had missed the previous month.
And her season isn’t over quite yet. In early March, Berkley returned from Senior Nationals in Quebec where she won a bronze medal in both singles and duals and shared the podium with Olympians and World Cup athletes. Shortly thereafter, she was off competing again in the Junior Worlds held this year in Valmalenco, Italy, where she was up against the top U20 female mogul skiers for two days of training and two days of competition.
“It’s really cool to meet everyone from all the different countries. I hope to put down a good run that I’m happy with and hopefully the results will come with it.”
In early April, Berkley achieved her ultimate goal to date – an invitation to join the Canadian National Mogul Team. She will resume her rigorous 11-month training schedule as of May on the glaciers out west or on water skis up north, and is excited to continue preparing for whatever the future holds.
Story by Kim Sillcox
Photo credits: The Mogul Skiing Academy
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
