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Jan Hymers
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Jan Hymers – Racer
It all started when a friend was telling me about his skiing trip and said the magic words "too bad you can't do this".
I went to the Ski Show that year, talked to someone from the HADS ski group (Hamilton Association for Disabled Skiing) and started to learn to ski that winter.
Two years later I did my first race at Winterfest and won a bronze medal!
I went out west for the first time that year as well, and did the CADS skiing program at Banff.
That gave me the chance to watch and be inspired by the experts. I was in my mid-twenties then, which just goes to show - you can do anything, if you try!
The next year, I skied again with HADS, but also spent time skiing with the Ontario team, racing in the Winterfest, Edleweiss and Ontario Championships.
Out west again, I developed some more racing experience, skiing with a great volunteer with the CADS Black Diamond Program.
Over the next few years I skied with ADDS (the Toronto group) and became a member of the Ontario team.
I raced in the Ontario Championships, achieved some bronze & silver medals out west, and made some great and lasting friendships.
Inevitably, I had to take a break from skiing while working, doing university courses, getting married and moving houses etc.
However, I found I missed skiing, so I started again with the ADDS group, and was encouraged to come back to train and race with the Ontario team (now ODART).
I won two bronze medals at the Ontario Championships and two more at the Quebec Championships that year, which made this a good decision!
Since then, I have not looked back, and have been skiing with the ODART team each year.
Being given awards like "most improved skier" by the coach helped me develop confidence and keep going.
I learned a lot from the coaches and from other more experienced skiers, and have been lucky enough to win at least one medal almost every year since coming back.
But the highlight has been winning a gold medal at the Calabogie Race in 2008, along with a gold medal in the CADS race at Sun Peaks that same year!
Over the years I've been skiing, it's been great to win medals, but I have also enjoyed the chance to travel, to develop new skiing skills from great coaches,
and most of all, to make new friends, to pass on some of the things I have learned over the years, and to work with the best team ever!
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