Calgarians cheered wildly when Team Canada secured two silver medals at the Snow Rodeo FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup at Olympic Park last weekend.
Brendan Mackay and Amy Fraser, who proudly call Calgary home, earned the impressive hardware for Canada, supported by loud cheers from the crowd.
Brendan Mackay
At the start of his World Cup career, Mackay suffered two concussions.
But like any tried and true Albertan, he refused to quit.
Mackay returned at the FIS World Championships in 2017, where he achieved the then-best run of his career.
The talented freestyle skier earned his first World Cup silver medal during the 2019-2020 season.
Mackay has the brains to match his athleticism and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a double major in math and physics.
In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, camping, surfing, playing guitar, and skiing on glaciers in the summer. It doesn’t get much more Canadian.
At the most recent FIS World Cup in Calgary, history repeated itself. Mackay proudly represented his city with an impressive score of 94.25 in the men’s competition, securing the silver medal.
He finished just behind Alex Ferreira from the United States (96.50) and ahead of Jon Sallinen from Finland (92.00).
This achievement marked Mackay’s ninth visit to the World Cup podium, which speaks to his talent as a freestyle skier.
Amy Fraser
Amy Fraser’s performance was just as impressive.
Fraser was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but calls Calgary home.
Her freestyle ski journey began at Canada Olympic Park, where she taught herself how to hit rails and jumps in the freestyle park.
A coach at the Park recognized her talents and asked her to join Canada’s Olympic Team.
She competed in her first World Cup events in the 2019-2020 season.
Fraser earned her first World Cup gold medal at Mammoth Mountain, California, in the United States earlier this month.
“She is always ‘all-in,’ and it’s such a joy to see her efforts paying off. I can’t think of a more deserving athlete to earn a World Cup victory!” Trennon Paytner, Fraser’s coach, told Freestyle Canada.
She graduated from the University of Calgary in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences.
But unlike Mackay, Fraser spent her university years wishing she was travelling, not studying.
Her interests outside of skiing include reading, knitting, playing ukulele, cooking, and eating ice cream.
Fraser awed her fellow Calgarians by clinching second place at Olympic Park with a score of 89.25 in the women’s competition.
She finished closely behind Eileen Gu from China (93.25) and ahead of Zoe Atkin from Britain (88.00).
The success of Mackay and Fraser was a win for the Calgary community and highlighted our province’s athleticism on the global stage.
