Dave Duncan

Motto:

"When fear stares you down, spit in its eye"

The Rundown:

Nicknames: "Dunc", "Baduncadunc"
D.O.B.: July 15, 1982
Place of birth: London, ON
Where you grew up: London, ON
Current hometown: Golden, BC
Where you train: Golden, BC is where I do all my physical training. Skiing- Everywhere there's snow
Website/Blog: www.dave-duncan.ca

 

 

EQUIPMENT

Skis: Atomic
Boots: Atomic
Poles: Scott
Helmet: Scott
Goggles: Scott

HEAD GEAR SPONSOR

 

 

 

 

 

Shoulder Patch:

 

Current international standing and recent results:

Current World Cup Point Ranking: 7th
2009 World Cup Point Ranking: 31st
2009 FIS Point Standings: 20th

 

2010

 

3rd - World Cup, Lake Placid, USA
9th - World Cup, Blue Mountain, CAN
10th - World Cup, Alpe d’Huez, FRA
11th - World Cup, Les Contamines, FRA
3rd - World Cup, St. Johann, AUT
14th - World Cup, San Candido, ITA

2009

1st - Canadian Nationals Championships, Calgary, CAN
29th  - World Cup Finals, La Plagne, FRA
9th - World Cup, Branaes, SWE
25th - World Cup, Myrkdalen-Voss, NOR
12th - World Cup, Cypress Mt. CAN
2nd -  Nor-AM, Copper Mt. USA
4th - Nor-Am, Copper Mt. USA

2008

3rd Canadian Nationals Championships, Red Mountain, CAN
4th  FIS World Cup, Sierra Nevada, ESP
16th FIS World Cup, Deer Valley, UT
18th FIS World Cup, Meiringen, SUI
1st Spanish National Championships
2nd FIS Europa Cup, Sierra Nevada, ESP

One On One With...

What are your goals for 2010?
The Olympics are something that only come around once every four years and are hailed as the biggest event, so while my goal for World Cups in 2010 would be to consistently finish in the top 5, my goal for the Olympics is to win!  Qualifying for the Olympics is huge in itself and I can hold my head high if I don't realize this goal of Gold, but for me, taking the last step onto the top of the podium is why I have dreamt of the Olympics since I can remember.

How did you get into your sport (i.e. other Olympians in family?)
I just finished my alpine racing career and was set to graduate from the University of Alaska, Anchorage (April 2006).  I had talked to a couple of people who were doing ski cross and seen a couple of races on TV.  There was nothing put positive energy being given off by the sport, so I figured, why not give it a try?  I had success early on by placing 4th in the US Championships (April 2006).  The next race I went to was the X-Games last chance qualifier (Jan 2007).  It was there, that I met Cam Bailey (current Ski Cross Canada CEO).  Cam filled me in on what the tentative plans were in Canada and that I should consider coming to the tryout camps.  This sounded great, the only problem was I just started working at my dream job (working for a heli ski company) and had committed to the season.  So after skiing buttery big mountain powder lines and working 16 hour days in the middle of nowhere, Alaska (1 hour small plane ride in or out) I returned to civilization and started training for the 2nd tryout camp (June 2007) (missed the first one due to work).  If ski cross didn't have its hooks in me prior to the camp, they were definitely set afterwards.  I decided to move back to Canada and take up training full-time to achieve my goal of being named to the national team.  In November 2007 I was named to the team and there was no looking back.

Describe a bit about your hometown, about how you got started there in your sport.
When I think of London, I don't think about mountains, snow or skiing, but without Boler Mountain and the skiing I did there, I wouldn't be where I am today.  London does however develop a lot of athletes.  Because of the coaching and dry land training available in London, the proper athletic morals were instilled at a young age and set me up for future achievements.  I got my start in skiing at the age of three.  It was a beautiful blue bird winter day and instead of wasting it away inside, my mom decided to take me out skiing around the corner at the London Ski Club (Boler Mountain).  One day is all it took for me to find the sport I would be doing for the next twenty-three years and counting.  According to record I left the hill that first day kicking and screaming because I didn't want to be done.  The next day my Mom brought home all new skis and equipment.  I was so excited I jumped up and down on the couch before falling and breaking my arm.  My first injury, but not the last and skied the whole first year in a cast.

How were you supported by your community growing up?
The community support really came from the dedicated racing parents.  Growing up there was a bunch of us that skied and moved up the ranks together.  Without this tight knit group of parents taking off work and making sacrifices of their own we wouldn't have been able to make it to Collingwood or somewhere along the 401 for races.  All of my racing, when I was living in London, was before High School and I was already missing days of school to train and race.  These parents made sure the others and myself were able to get to where we needed to be.  The combination of racers, parents, coaches and teachers became a community with a high degree of support for one another and allowed everyone to prosper.

What is it about your hometown that inspired you in your sport?
My current hometown of Golden, BC inspires me with its sheer beauty.  There is something incredibly powerful for me about being surrounded by mountains.  It doesn't matter where you look in town, you'll see beautiful mountain landscapes.  The mountains are a constant reminder of skiing and motivate me to push even harder.  When I'm somewhere flat, I catch myself looking for the mountains.  Also, the people I've met in my new hometown have welcomed me with open arms and taken a keen interest in what I'm trying to do.  The town and people have such positive energy that it inspires me to keep pushing my limits and further my career through sport.

How were you impacted by where you grew up?
I was impacted because I lived within a couple of minutes of the ski hill.  So every day after school I was able to go skiing and I did.  Also, all of the guys I raced with were close, so we were all able to do this and feed off of each other.  The London Ski Club may not be the biggest hill around, but if you ski it every day and night, the vertical adds up and you achieve a competitive advantage.

How would you describe yourself?
I am a product of my experiences in life.  Which, having mostly been in individual competitive sport all of life leads me to be high motivated, competitive and introverted person.  I'm kind of overboard with making lists for any given day and making sure I cross everything off by the end of the day.  I just like to get things done.  I'm definitely more of your quite type, who is just as happy to stay home and relax, as I am to go and hang out with friends.  But I also have a passion for getting into the outdoors and exploring the mountains, rivers and valleys.  It is my high level of motivation and competitive side, which lead my charge in sport.  When I'm on the slopes I have the constant desire to improve and go faster.  It is this drive that I look to take me to the top.

What is one of the biggest challenges you've faced in reaching your goals in this sport?
Finances.  Each year I progressed in ski racing it became more expensive to continue and threatened to derail me.  My Mom took out loans and exhausted scholarship options so I could realize my full potential.  She did everything she could to make sure money was not going to be the reason I had to leave skiing.  For this I am thankful.  It wasn't until I accepted a full-scholarship to the University of Alaska, Anchorage that someone else was going to cover the cost.  Each year at the end of the season, I didn't know if there was going to be another, but my Mom found a way.  Even last year was a struggle.  All my efforts were going towards training and racing.  I lived off of the money I made the previous year, but it was getting down to the wire.  If it weren't for the Sport Canada funding and my new sponsor, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort I wouldn't be able to train and compete at my current level.

What do you consider of one of your biggest accomplishments to date?
My biggest accomplishment is obtaining a University degree while racing simultaneously.  In addition, being named to the Canadian Ski Cross Team in 2007.  In terms of results, my biggest accomplishment is still coming.

What other interests do you have outside your sport?
Aviation.  If I had not of found ski cross I would probably be working towards a position in the Military flying helicopters.  Rugby is another sport that I dearly love.  I picked it up much later than skiing, but it to has its hooks in me.  Currently due to the commitment I've made to ski cross rugby is on hold, but I look forward to playing it again in the future.  I also enjoy mountain, road and downhill biking, rock climbing, ice climbing, hockey, squash, tennis, big mountain skiing and anything else outside.

A quote from a mentor about their chances in 2010 or a description of what they're like as people:
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little things"
Dale Hunter - Coach of London Knights

"Through the course of the season Dave showed promise, progression and the potential to be the cornerstone of the future for our ski cross team"
- Cam Bailey CEO Canadian Ski Cross Team