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Door-to-door fundraising working for d'Artois

Whistler skier asking for small donations to help keep Sochi dream alive
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Dollars for d'artois Whistler's own Simon d'Artois, seen here competing at the 2013 FIS halfpipe ski world championships, is turning to members of the local community to raise the funds he needs to keep working towards a berth in the 2014 Olympics. Photo courtesy of Canadian Freestyle ski association

With no financial support coming from the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association this year, Simon d'Artois is hoping his hometown can help him stay on the path to his Olympic dream this winter.

The Whistler native and national halfpipe ski team member will need to pay his own way through the 2013-14 season. The CFSA is continuing to fund "A Group" athletes for the upcoming winter, but "B Group" skiers like d'Artois are on their own. That means the 21-year-old is feeling the financial pressure to get to training camps and competitions that will act as qualifiers towards the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, this season. On top of travel costs, the fees for lift tickets, contest entries and other expenses can pile up quickly.

"It's kind of a bummer because it puts us in a tough position," said d'Artois. "Everything is out of our pocket."

With the price of training camps reaching as much as $8,000 alone, d'Artois has missed out on some key team trips, including one this offseason to New Zealand. The cost of competing and training would be even more prohibitive if the team didn't use Whistler as its main base.

"I've been lucky that I've been able to stay at my house and not have to pay for accommodations and stuff like that," said d'Artois.

Crowdfunding online has become a common way for many Olympic hopefuls to attract financial aid. But d'Artois is taking an old-school approach by canvassing local businesses for small amounts, which he hopes will total up to his funding goal of more than $12,000 for the year.

"I'm asking for $200 from each business ... I try to make it really specific and not too big of a number," he said. "It might be a little bit more work, but I'm just trying to get myself known by the community. Going door-to-door gives me a chance to get to know everybody, and for people to get to know me and what they're supporting."

The grassroots approach is one that was recommended to him by Stacy Kohut, who won several medals for Canada in Paralympic sit-ski competition during the 1990s. Kohut and d'Artois, who work together, started discussing the idea of looking for support locally first.

"He's been a big help in terms of getting my fundraising going and helping me get on the right track," said d'Artois.

Kohut said he has a soft spot for athletes "on the fringe" and wanted to share with d'Artois some ideas that helped him attract funding help during his competitive skiing days.

"I was there once as a Paralympian — always on the fringe, always knocking on the door and trying to find ways to get my name out there more," said Kohut.

"Simon's a hometown boy from Whistler ... so when he's out there on the world stage competing, he's one of Whistler's kids. Why not go and kick-start your grassroots program by going to those people you've been around your whole life?"

During the season, d'Artois plans to keep in regular contact with contributors by reporting back on his travels and results so sponsors can see where their money is going. With a number of talented teammates, it will be tough for d'Artois to make it to Sochi but he remains confident in his chances.

"I believe that I can do it and I've just got to keep that belief that I can make it to the Olympics," he said.

Anyone interested in helping d'Artois can contact him at simondartois@hotmail.com.

Several locals seeking assistance

D'Artois is one of many local winter-sport athletes who have recently kicked off a fundraising campaign of some kind, regardless of what goal they're looking to achieve this season. Kohut has also been sharing some of his experience with Reid Watts, a promising young luge athlete that has been among the first sliders finding success while based out of the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Charley Field, a Pemberton resident who is a member of the women's B.C. Ski Team, launched her own online fundraising drive for the winter through www.makeachamp.com.

Field, who is hoping to crack the national team roster for the 2014-15 season, is one of several Canadian alpine skiers utilizing the website in order to attract financial help — Elli Terwiel, Dustin Cook and Mikaela Tommy are among some Alpine Canada athletes who have already surpassed their monetary goal through donations via the page. Field will also hold a "Raise to Race" dinner at the Pemberton Legion on Nov. 29 for the fourth year in a row.

For others, the crowdfunding site pursu.it has been the avenue for many Whistler-based athletes to seek assistance from the public. Matt Margetts, a teammate of d'Artois', hit his $20,000 goal in just a few short weeks. Snowboarders Alex Duckworth and Molly Milligan recently had pursu.it campaigns wrap up after exceeding their targets, and fellow local rider Andrew Matthews fell just shy of his $11,500 goal with a drive of his own on the site.

Now Kyle Thomas, Matthews's roommate and a halfpipe snowboarder who is still hopeful of being considered for Sochi, will be launching a push of his own on pursu.it in early November.

"Essentially, I'm looking for funding ... that would go towards Whistler Valley Snowboard Club membership fees, which is a huge one on its own, and then the three World Cups I'm looking to go to this year and a Colorado training camp," said Thomas, who will need strong results at the three World Cup events before Sochi in order to qualify.

Meanwhile, d'Artois said he's putting the finishing touches on an online campaign of his own to supplement any support he receives from the Whistler community, and will launch a pursu.it page in the near future.