When the going gets tough then the tough get going.
That’s a good way to look at how things have unfolded this winter for Corner Brook alpine skier Andrew Payne.
Payne, a 14-year-old who has been a competitive alpine skier with Marble Mountain alpine racing team, is the only Newfoundlander suiting up with Canada East District at the 2018 14U Can-Ams being held this week at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Me.
The top five female and male alpine racers from the Atlantic provinces, based on national points awarded over the course of the race season, were named to the team, which has his dad Rob Payne taking on the role of head coach for the team that will get a taste of Sugarloaf with their first races scheduled for Wednesday.
“It’s really good. It’s what I worked for all year. I want to finish on a strong note,” Payne said Monday as he and his dad arrived at Surgarloaf Mountain.
It’s been a tough year for a young gun who loves to race down the mountain. A lack of snow and several rainstorms caused some headaches for local alpine skiers over the winter so it was tough to get in meaningful training, particularly early in the season when Marble Mountain was a mound of dirt smack dab in the middle of our winter season.
He had to make a number of trips to ski hills in Atlantic Canada to keep on top of his game and he also attended a weeklong training camp in British Columbia at the end of November to ensure he would get some training time under his belt.
It wasn’t a disappointing year, however, since he was hoping to be at Sugarloaf at this time of the year and it came to fruition. He’s the only Newfoundlander to earn a spot with the team too so he’s pretty proud.
“I feel really good about it. I’m really excited that I made it. I’m glad that I could do it,” he said.
