Para-alpine skier, Braydon Luscombe, won silver in the slalom event at the 2011 Canada Winter Games held on February 22 at Ski Wentworth, near Halifax in Nova Scotia this week.

Proudly sponsored by Vancouver Airport Authority, Braydon’s favorite discipline is slalom. Following his silver medal performance, Braydon said “we raced GS [giant slalom] and I placed 4th. I made a few mistakes in the run so I was pretty disappointed. But I knew my best event was coming up. I placed 2nd and am pretty excited about it. The medals are fantastic!”

Following the 2011 Canada Winter Games, Braydon heads over to Austria with the Canadian National team to train and race some of the most challenging courses in the world, then its back to Canada for the Canadian Para-National Championships, starting on March 14 in Kimberley, BC.

For more information about Team BC performances at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, visit Team BC.

Check out Braydon’s style and technique in this video as he negotiates his way through the giant slalom (GS) course at Winter Park in Colarado – go Braydon!  Racing against two of the best one-legged skiers in the world, he placed 4th overall in GS!  Congratulations Braydon!

To learn more about Braydon and the Airport Authority’s support of this talented, young athlete, read our blog from December 15, 2010

Growing Champion: Braydon Luscombe, Para Skiing, 16 years old. Hometown: Duncan, Vancouver Island/Coast

Vancouver Airport Authority is proud to announce our sponsorship of Braydon Luscombe, within the Growing Champions™ program where athletes directly benefit from funds to offset their training and competition costs.  As a sponsor, Vancouver Airport Authority will help Braydon get one step closer to his dreams of becoming one of B.C.’s best and representing Canada on the world stage by helping with travel expenses, “It is challenging to meet all the expenses that my training and competition require,” says Braydon. “My parents work very hard to support me in every way they can. It would be great to not have to struggle so much to get to every event because of the cost.”

Braydon Luscombe is an active young athlete with big dreams for the future. “I am 16 years old and a right leg amputee,” says Braydon, who won the Alpine Giant Slalom at the 2005 BC Provincials in addition to placing in the top three in three slalom events at the 2007 BC Winter Games. “I love spending time with children and seeing other disabled people being all they can be.”

Braydon Luscombe, para skiier

Grade 12 student, Braydon participates in many sports including volleyball, basketball, ball hockey and mountain biking. Braydon also volunteers in the community (helping with yard work at a local retirement home) and at school (he was both an organizer and volunteer when his school hosted the 2007 Girls Soccer Championships). In addition, he is a junior counsellor with the War Amps BC Seminar. “I am involved with younger amputee children as a role model and educator,” says Braydon. “We learn to speak on the topics of safety, issues of being an amputee, health and education.”

Braydon was inspired to participate in Para Alpine skiing after meeting Gord Tuck, Paralympian who won medals at the Nagano 1998 Paralympic Winter Games. Braydon joined the Mt. Washington Adaptive Skiing Program and was hooked, not afraid of failing or falling, Braydon has been skiing competitively ever since and is a proud member of the B.C. Para Alpine Ski Team. Braydon’s goal is training to compete and reach the podium at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.