New Northern Exploration and Sport Development Fund to offer $70,000 this year

Three national team cross-country skiers will be able to start their dryland season without worrying how to pay for their sport.

Dahria Beatty, Knute Johnsgaard and Emily Nishikawa are the first recipients of the Northern Exploration and Sport Development Fund which will fund the trio for $70,000 for the upcoming season.

“We’re ecstatic about it,” said Nishikawa. “Just to have that community support as we head into an Olympic year means so much to us.”

With funding opportunities harder to come by and no financial support from Cross Country Canada, the skiers are essentially paying their own way when it comes to training camps and racing on the world cup circuit in Europe.

“We’re paying to ski and to race on the world cup so it’s definitely a very expensive endeavour we’re doing right now,” she said.

The Northern Exploration and Sport Development Fund is fully funded by RyanWood Exploration, which operates out of Dawson City.

Cathy Wood and Shawn Ryan are the company’s principals.

Wood said that with their own children growing up and playing soccer at a high performance level, she understands the stress that money can put on athletes.

“We will help make it a little bit easier so that they can focus on just what they need to be doing, which is training,” said Wood.

Instead of just offering a lump sum of money, Wood consulted with the athletes and asked them to submit a budget for the season.

“I decided let’s not beat around the bush,” said Wood. “You tell me what you need because I believe what you need is training and you’re 100 per cent committed to that so let me do what I can do so you can do your job.”

Submitting a budget for bursaries and grants is commonplace; having a sponsor ask for a budget, not so much.

“They were kind of shy because that isn’t a normal approach,” said Wood.

Gathered in a Takhini living room, the athletes and their families mingled with Wood and Ryan and members of the Yukon’s cross-country community.

They spoke of what the contribution means to the lives and careers of the young athletes who are training to compete at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.

“It’s certainly the most significant contribution any of us have ever received,” said Johnsgaard. “It’ll do wonders for us.”

Balancing financial need and training hasn’t always been the easiest for the athletes.

“It’s a shame when you have to sacrifice training camps or trips because you don’t feel like they can fit in your budget even though you know they would be the best opportunity to improve and be the best racer you can be,” said Beatty.

“This way we can be the best prepared possible for when we hit the start line at the Olympics and be able to represent the Yukon and Canada to the best of our abilities.”

Johnsgaard said that there’s a “false assumption” that once you make the national team that everything is going to be paid for.

“In fact, it’s the opposite... with all these opportunities comes extra costs and there’s certainly been instances where you dictate your training on what’s going to be most affordable,” he said.

He referenced “compromising a good night’s sleep by five athletes cramming into a two-bedroom suite for a race weekend.

“I’ve definitely experienced situations where my skiing has suffered because of my limited resources.

“Now that RyanWood Exploration has stepped forward, we no longer have to worry about those struggles.”

The skiers presented Wood with a signed race bib from the Quebec City World Cup, which will be framed.

She plans to display it in her home.

Wood is hopeful the fund will be available for other high performance athletes in other sports in future years.

Said Wood, “My hope is to bring in other exploration companies with funding dollars that can keep this fund ongoing.”