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Two Canadians receive scholarships from Sarah Burke Foundation

Oliver Neil and Juliette Pelchat are from Calgary, Alta. and Whistler, B.C.

The Sarah Burke Foundation recently handed out two more up-and-coming scholarships to two Canadian winter sports athletes.

The two recipients, Oliver Neil and Juliette Pelchat, hail from Calgary, Alta. and Whistler, B.C., respectively. They both received $7,500 from the foundation.

Neil, 15, is a free skier who competes in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. Pelchat, 17, is a snowboarder and member of the 2022-2023 Canadian National Team for slopestyle snowboarding. Pelchat also recently graduated from high school and is currently training in Europe.

“It is a true honour to represent this award this year,” wrote Pelchat in an email to The Squamish Chief. “The Sarah Burke Foundation award isn’t just about the funds but more about the meaning it carries.”

“Sarah inspires me because of the mark she left as an athlete and an advocate for females within sports,” Pelchat continued. “I look up to her as a role model and sometimes I close my eyes and imagine that she is watching over us at the top of the mountains and that’s what inspires me to be the very best athlete I can be.”

As for advice to younger athletes who may be applying for Sarah Burke Foundation scholarships in the future, she said to “apply with purpose.”

“Have a mission and give back as much as you can,” she wrote. “As long as you give out positive energy to the world it will give back.”

Pelchat shared that she is currently “chasing snow” for snowboarding and taking courses to improve her skills, such as an avalanche course. Her goals for the season are to learn as much as she can and strengthen her abilities.

“Snowboarding is my art and I am so excited to continue to do it and hopefully inspire others to do the same,” she wrote.

Oliver Neil was described in the news release as enjoying the challenge of learning new tricks and the creativity the sport allows. It said Neil also volunteers at ski events and helps train service dogs with his family.

The Sarah Burke Foundation started in 2012 after Burke tragically died from a skiing accident while training.

From Squamish, Burke was a pioneer for women freestyle skiers.

The foundation celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year.

Earlier this year, the foundation recognized seven athletes it had previously awarded scholarships to that eventually went on to compete in the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.