Max's World Cup Journey
Donation protected
My name is Max Melvin-McNutt, I am a 20 year old Slopestyle snowboard athlete from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada and a member of Canada Snowboard’s National Development Team.
I am fundraising $8000 to help with the costs of travelling to compete at World Cup Snowboard Slopestyle events in Quebec, Utah and Europe in the February and March, 2015.
I started snowboarding when I was 8 at Mt Sima, the local hill in Whitehorse. I started to compete as a snowboarder when I was 11 and won my first halfpipe competition at the age of 12. Over the next years I competed whenever I could in Halfpipe, Slopestyle and even some Boardercross events and always thought about what it would be like to move beyond the Yukon as a snowboarder.
Some kids dream about playing hockey in the NHL, but I dreamed of being a professional snowboarder in the X Games.
When I was 13, I was selected to be on Team Yukon to compete in the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, NWT – a circumpolar international games with athletes from Canada, Russia, Alaska, and Greenland. In 2010 I competed at the Arctic Winter Games again winning multiple medals including gold in the Halfpipe event.
In 2011, I again represented the Yukon at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax and placed 8th in Canada in the halfpipe event at the age of 16, the highest finish ever for a Yukon snowboard athlete, despite not having a functioning halfpipe to train on in the Yukon and only occasional training in that discipline.
That performance helped me earn a spot on the BC Freestyle Snowboard Team and the next season I moved to Whistler to train and compete at a higher level while focusing on the snowboard discipline I truly love – slopestyle.
As a member of BC Team I had access to a full time training program, on and off snow. I started training in the gym, and riding on snow 5 days a week. The first season I was on the BC team I had few podium results at provincial level contests, before my season ended with a broken collarbone in February.
The following season, 2012/13, I returned to Whistler and the BC Team where I progressed a ton early in the season, learning an array of double corks and 1080's. I had 2 first place finishes at provincial level contests, before breaking my collarbone again in late January, creating an early end to yet another season. Arrgh.
In those two seasons, I was only able to get one season total of training and competitions, and my results were not enough to get me to the next level and my goal of making the National team. But I persevered and worked hard to come back from both those injuries.
Last season I returned to Whistler again with a vengeance. I rode through the season injury-fee and ended the season with high-placing results in some top Canadian competitions. I finished 5th at Canadian Nationals, and 3rd in the higher-level Dew Tour Am Series event and ended the season ranked 14th in Canada. Not bad for a kid from the Yukon.
And now this season, I am training hard again as a member of the Canadian National Development Team, or the "Next Generation" program of Canada Snowboard. I am working once again with top coaches and aiming for an even higher level of competitions.
I have qualified for two World Cup events – Stoneham, Quebec and Park City, Utah in late February. I will be applying for other events in Europe (France or Czech Republic) of which I hope to compete in at least one.
The money I am raising will help with travel, accommodation, and competition costs for the final two months of the season. If I am able to compete in these events, and place well, it will improve my chances of being named to the Canadian National Team for next season – something no snowboard athlete from the Yukon has ever achieved.
I receive great support from my family and from the high-performance athlete-funding program of the Yukon Government, and I am thankful for that support. I also work whenever I can to off-set the costs of being a full-time athlete.
I’m grateful for any sponsorship you can give me as it helps me achieve my goals and represent both the Yukon and Canada at these exciting events. I’m working hard to be successful and I thank you for helping me get to places I’ve been dreaming about ever since I was ripping it up as a young kid on the hills around Whitehorse.
I am fundraising $8000 to help with the costs of travelling to compete at World Cup Snowboard Slopestyle events in Quebec, Utah and Europe in the February and March, 2015.
I started snowboarding when I was 8 at Mt Sima, the local hill in Whitehorse. I started to compete as a snowboarder when I was 11 and won my first halfpipe competition at the age of 12. Over the next years I competed whenever I could in Halfpipe, Slopestyle and even some Boardercross events and always thought about what it would be like to move beyond the Yukon as a snowboarder.
Some kids dream about playing hockey in the NHL, but I dreamed of being a professional snowboarder in the X Games.
When I was 13, I was selected to be on Team Yukon to compete in the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, NWT – a circumpolar international games with athletes from Canada, Russia, Alaska, and Greenland. In 2010 I competed at the Arctic Winter Games again winning multiple medals including gold in the Halfpipe event.
In 2011, I again represented the Yukon at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax and placed 8th in Canada in the halfpipe event at the age of 16, the highest finish ever for a Yukon snowboard athlete, despite not having a functioning halfpipe to train on in the Yukon and only occasional training in that discipline.
That performance helped me earn a spot on the BC Freestyle Snowboard Team and the next season I moved to Whistler to train and compete at a higher level while focusing on the snowboard discipline I truly love – slopestyle.
As a member of BC Team I had access to a full time training program, on and off snow. I started training in the gym, and riding on snow 5 days a week. The first season I was on the BC team I had few podium results at provincial level contests, before my season ended with a broken collarbone in February.
The following season, 2012/13, I returned to Whistler and the BC Team where I progressed a ton early in the season, learning an array of double corks and 1080's. I had 2 first place finishes at provincial level contests, before breaking my collarbone again in late January, creating an early end to yet another season. Arrgh.
In those two seasons, I was only able to get one season total of training and competitions, and my results were not enough to get me to the next level and my goal of making the National team. But I persevered and worked hard to come back from both those injuries.
Last season I returned to Whistler again with a vengeance. I rode through the season injury-fee and ended the season with high-placing results in some top Canadian competitions. I finished 5th at Canadian Nationals, and 3rd in the higher-level Dew Tour Am Series event and ended the season ranked 14th in Canada. Not bad for a kid from the Yukon.
And now this season, I am training hard again as a member of the Canadian National Development Team, or the "Next Generation" program of Canada Snowboard. I am working once again with top coaches and aiming for an even higher level of competitions.
I have qualified for two World Cup events – Stoneham, Quebec and Park City, Utah in late February. I will be applying for other events in Europe (France or Czech Republic) of which I hope to compete in at least one.
The money I am raising will help with travel, accommodation, and competition costs for the final two months of the season. If I am able to compete in these events, and place well, it will improve my chances of being named to the Canadian National Team for next season – something no snowboard athlete from the Yukon has ever achieved.
I receive great support from my family and from the high-performance athlete-funding program of the Yukon Government, and I am thankful for that support. I also work whenever I can to off-set the costs of being a full-time athlete.
I’m grateful for any sponsorship you can give me as it helps me achieve my goals and represent both the Yukon and Canada at these exciting events. I’m working hard to be successful and I thank you for helping me get to places I’ve been dreaming about ever since I was ripping it up as a young kid on the hills around Whitehorse.
Organizer
Max Melvin-McNutt
Organizer
Mount Currie, BC
