One of Canadas world championship hopefuls didnt pick up a snowboard until he was 20 years old. He was a ski instructor at the time at a small mountain in Quebec, and only picked it up because there was a shortage of snowboard instructors. On only his second day of riding he gave his first lesson. And loved every minute of it.
Thus began the snowboard career of Dan Raymond, formerly of Aylmer, Quebec and currently of Whistler.
From those humble beginnings Raymond has gone on to earn every level of snowboard instructor certification available. He even wrote the coaching manual several years ago, and continues to train instructors at every level.
He also has his Level Three National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) certification, but wont be able to complete the practical part of his Level 4 until after he finishes competing and that could be a long time away.
"Im the nerd of Canadian snowboarding," laughed Raymond. "Before I even started competing I was a Level Four Instructor and was the head guy for the coaching program. Ive always been interested in the progression, whether its learning something new from a course book or learning a new trick.
"I was really interested in freestyle, and wanted to push that aspect forward. Im still trying to push that. You work hard to learn new tricks, but theres always more out there."
Raymond was added to the FIS Snowboard World Championships team at the last minute, edging out two national teammates for the one remaining spot in the halfpipe event. His top World Cup result from last season was sixth while competing at home in Whistler not bad for a guy who has only been competing for about four years.
According to Raymond, it was Whistler Valley Snowboard Club founder Rob Picard who originally encouraged him to start competing back when Raymond was coaching for their programs.
Raymond started his competitive career slowly, entering local contests and pro competitions before getting his first World Cup starts two years ago. With the encouragement of his girlfriend, Raymond has his sights set on competing at the Torino Olympics in 2006. Its a lofty goal for someone who picked up the sport late in life, but Raymond says that only makes him work harder.
"I was 26 at the time, which is unheard of in snowboarding because you have to jump through so many hoops. Some said I was too old, some said I didnt have the drive, but I kept pushing and pushing. Ive had injuries, and every time I went down someone would say that was it for me then I came back again," said Raymond.
"I had to believe in myself. Every time someone says something negative, its a huge motivator for me. I have to prove them wrong."
The constant progression in the sport makes it a challenge to stay ahead he says. Its also the reason why he finds the sport so interesting.
"When I first got into competitions, I had a McTwist and a 540. I never pictured myself as a back-to-back sevens (720 spins) guy, but now Im doing sevens, nines, and I can spin all four ways in the pipe. The next thing is back-to-back 1080s. It makes you wish there was more time in the season when youre not competing so you can just focus on learning new tricks."
Getting to the national team and the world championships hasnt been easy for Raymond. For one thing, the injuries have been piling up in recent years hes separated both shoulders, torn ligaments in his right knee and left ankle, broken his right leg mountain biking, and most recently, tore ligaments in his left knee.
He went for surgery on his left knee in May, and getting back to 100 per cent has been a full-time job for the past six months.
Another thing thats been difficult for Raymond is the cost of competing. The national team pays for some training camps, but he says most travel expenses are still coming out of his own pocket. This year he will likely be on the road for over two months.
Raymond would like to see more funding for athletes at the national team level, and for Sport Canada to change its requirements for their Athlete Assistance Program to reflect the realities of the sport.
"Right now to get funding you have to be in the top-16 in the world, and they only accept results from the world championships. In snowboarding the championships only happen every two years and even then you can only field four athletes in any discipline. So there are two guys on the freestyle team who wont even have a chance of qualifying for that funding for two more years," said Raymond. "Its a Catch 22 you have to be the best to get any money, but you need the money to get better."
Because Raymonds jobs keep him on the snow most of the time, hes able to fit in some training while earning money to compete. In the summer he is the head coach for the Whistler Summer Snowboard Camp, and during the winter he works with the Canadian Sports Business Academy, as well as a trainer for local instructors. He still teaches the odd lesson as well.
He is also sponsored by Flow Snowboards, NFA, Dakine, Kuu Wax, SixSixOne Helmets, Sombrio and Zeal Optics, which he says helps out a lot.
He also justifies the estimated $9,000 in travelling expenses for this season as necessary for his own career.
"The way I look at it, this is my university education. The money I spend competing will help me down the road when I move back into coaching. Im determined to coach the national team when Im done competing for myself.
"I dont know when thats going to be. Who knows, I could be 35 and competing in the 2010 Olympics. If Im riding well and still having fun, then Im going to keep competing."
Raymond doesnt have any specific goals for the world championships, just to be one of the riders that makes the finals (the top 10) after the qualifier. "Getting into the finals is the hard part," he said. "Once youre in there the door is wide open, anybody can win it. Great things can happen."
Although he gets a little stage fright a few days before a contest, by the time he gets through his morning routine, he says hes excited to be in the spotlight.
"Crowds are good, lots of cameras are good, having people look up at you when youre flying over their heads is definitely good," he said.
"You want to put on a show for the crowd and for the judges. If you see something you like (in the world championships) then make some noise. We love that."
Some facts about Dan Raymond
Before snowboarding, Raymond was a ski instructor. "I still get picked on for that. At least I was the ski instructor with the baggy pants."
A few years ago, Raymond and his girlfriend passed on buying a house in Whistler. The same house has doubled in value, but if theyd gone through with it, Raymond says theres no way he could have afforded to compete "Id be working to pay the mortgage." He also decided not to get a car to keep his expenses down.
Raymond is a Samurai. For the past four out of four years hes taken part in the Samurai of Singletrack mountain bike race. He also takes part in Loonie Races when hes not busy coaching at WSSC.
Raymond has coached several members of the national team when they were juniors, including halfpipe riders Mercedes Nicoll and Hugo Lemay, and big air specialist Neil Connolly.
Raymonds favourite rider is U.S. snowboarder Todd Richards. "Hes an inspiration for me. Hes a couple of years older than I am, and over the last few years I cant believe how much hes still improving."