Three things Amy Purdy does off snow

Get to know the US snowboarder before she goes for World gold in Big White, Canada, next week. 27 Jan 2017

Amy Purdy going over a hill in the snowboard cross course in Rosa Khutor.

Amy Purdy, USA, going over a hill in the snowboard cross course in Rosa Khutor.

Ⓒwww.photo-hartmann.de

By Giuseppe Di Florio | For the IPC

“I truly love my job and am grateful for every opportunity that comes my way.”

US snowboarder Amy Purdy had a rollercoaster year in 2016. The Paralympic bronze medallist and “Dancing with the Stars” TV celebrity performed a memorable samba dance during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympics. But she also had to undergo physical therapy to mend an injury that forced her to miss the beginning of the 2016-17 season. But she debuted just in time at the NorAm and World Cup events at Lake Tahoe, California, USA, right before the 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships kick off next week:

Before she goes for World gold from 1-8 February in Big White, Canada, get to know a little about Purdy off the snow:

1.Speaking

Purdy is an international corporate motivational speaker and travels all over the world to speak.

“It has been a dream career to be able to live and learn from my life and share it!” she said. “I truly love my job and am grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. Plus I get to connect with so many people. I realise how important human connection is and there is no lack of that when speaking in front of thousands of people at a time. I truly feel blessed and will never take it for granted!”

2.Travelling

“If I’m not speaking then I’m on an airplane traveling! Last year I travelled to Italy, France, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Prague and Brazil. I absolutely love traveling, seeing the world and learning new cultures and I hope to do a lot more in the future.”

3.Spending time with her husband

“And of course with all the moving around I do, one of my favourite things is to be home relaxing with my husband! I love cooking dinner with him. It really is this mellow part of my day where I can be relaxed and present. My husband and I have been renovating our house for the last year and a half and I’m so excited for it to get finished because we created a really social setup for the kitchen for when our friends come over. I daydream about being able to cook for everyone!”

Purdy will be among the 80 athletes from 25 countries who will take part in the 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships that kick off on 1 February in Big White, Canada.