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Wednesday, 30 Apr 08
Introducing 17-year-old Zoya Lynch, a ski jumper representing Canada. Here is her story told by her sis, Izzy …
The youngest of four in a mountain dwelling family with deep roots in extreme outdoor activities, Zoya Lynch learned from an early age that in order to be recognized as someone other than the “little Lynch” she was going to have to stand out. She spent much of her childhood being herded from her family’s backcountry lodge to their favorite mountain resorts in the Canadian Rockies, where mom and dad would drop her in the daycare early in the morning and be back to get her after last chair. While her two older sisters ski race, Zoya seemed instinctively drawn to the big mountain terrain. From the moment she was released from the lodge, babysitters and mom and dad strapped a pair of hand-me-down boards on her feet and she went off to follow her older brothers’ tails searching for airtime. Big air and Zoya found each other quickly, and at 8 years old she joined the local ski jumping team where she went on to make the national team at the age of 15.
This past year marked Zoya’s ninth year jumping. Recovering from a broken pelvis last February she went on to have one of the best seasons of her life, finishing first at Canadian Nationals, third in U.S. nationals, and achieving various top-30 results in the women’s Continental Cup tour — not to mention wrapping up her last few high school courses and pioneering the fight for the inclusion of Women’s Ski Jumping in the Olympics. Zoya was nominated as Canada’s go-to girl and media representative in the current human rights battle to get her sport represented in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Speaking publicly about her cause in university lecture halls, elementary school classrooms and to various media representatives has been a regular occurrence for this 17 year old.
Anyone who knows this girl well knows she likes to keep things spicy. From dousing her post workout snacks in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, to seizing every opportunity for adventure possible, she is always keeping people on their toes with her wild ways. Variety is the spice of Zoya’s life and when she is not traveling all over Europe with her ski jumping team, you’ll find her ripping up the slopes at her local ski area, road tripping across western Canada, spending time in the backcountry, and planning off-season travel adventures to places in South East Asia and Brazil. She feels at home in the mountains where she can get moving and chill with friends who have a similar love for the outdoors.
With a name like Zoya Kiloran it’s not hard to make a memorable first impression, but this little sister is known for her ability to make a lasting mark on people with her big heart. She believes in keeping things simple and telling it like it is — a good woman to look to for honest advice. Her intuition and easy going attitude is refreshing in the sport of ski jumping and she is known for keeping things in perspective and breaking the tension on the women’s circuit when the going gets tough and the future of the sport is looking gloomy. She refuses to take life too seriously and forget how to have fun or who she is, but remains dedicated to achieving her goals and continues to work hard to make it all happen.
For more on Zoya’s fight to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics held in her country, visit www.wsj2010.com to sign a petition to show your support.
Featured Jumper: Zoya Lynch
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Introducing 17-year-old Zoya Lynch, a ski jumper representing Canada. Here is her story told by her sis, Izzy …
The youngest of four in a mountain dwelling family with deep roots in extreme outdoor activities, Zoya Lynch learned from an early age that in order to be recognized as someone other than the “little Lynch” she was going to have to stand out. She spent much of her childhood being herded from her family’s backcountry lodge to their favorite mountain resorts in the Canadian Rockies, where mom and dad would drop her in the daycare early in the morning and be back to get her after last chair. While her two older sisters ski race, Zoya seemed instinctively drawn to the big mountain terrain. From the moment she was released from the lodge, babysitters and mom and dad strapped a pair of hand-me-down boards on her feet and she went off to follow her older brothers’ tails searching for airtime. Big air and Zoya found each other quickly, and at 8 years old she joined the local ski jumping team where she went on to make the national team at the age of 15.
This past year marked Zoya’s ninth year jumping. Recovering from a broken pelvis last February she went on to have one of the best seasons of her life, finishing first at Canadian Nationals, third in U.S. nationals, and achieving various top-30 results in the women’s Continental Cup tour — not to mention wrapping up her last few high school courses and pioneering the fight for the inclusion of Women’s Ski Jumping in the Olympics. Zoya was nominated as Canada’s go-to girl and media representative in the current human rights battle to get her sport represented in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Speaking publicly about her cause in university lecture halls, elementary school classrooms and to various media representatives has been a regular occurrence for this 17 year old.
Anyone who knows this girl well knows she likes to keep things spicy. From dousing her post workout snacks in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, to seizing every opportunity for adventure possible, she is always keeping people on their toes with her wild ways. Variety is the spice of Zoya’s life and when she is not traveling all over Europe with her ski jumping team, you’ll find her ripping up the slopes at her local ski area, road tripping across western Canada, spending time in the backcountry, and planning off-season travel adventures to places in South East Asia and Brazil. She feels at home in the mountains where she can get moving and chill with friends who have a similar love for the outdoors.
With a name like Zoya Kiloran it’s not hard to make a memorable first impression, but this little sister is known for her ability to make a lasting mark on people with her big heart. She believes in keeping things simple and telling it like it is — a good woman to look to for honest advice. Her intuition and easy going attitude is refreshing in the sport of ski jumping and she is known for keeping things in perspective and breaking the tension on the women’s circuit when the going gets tough and the future of the sport is looking gloomy. She refuses to take life too seriously and forget how to have fun or who she is, but remains dedicated to achieving her goals and continues to work hard to make it all happen.
For more on Zoya’s fight to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Olympics held in her country, visit www.wsj2010.com to sign a petition to show your support.
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