Childhood is often a swirl of dreams and lofty goals. Nicola Dempsey epitomizes this as one of the rising stars in the world of winter sports, specifically snowboard cross. What started as a desire to surf like the main character in her favourite movie has morphed into a burgeoning career on the fresh powder across Canada. Cars.ca is very happy to welcome Dempsey to our team as our first sponsored athlete.

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A Unique Way To Begin The Journey

“So, Lilo and Stitch was my favourite movie as a kid, and I wanted to be just like Lilo and surf,” Dempsey said. “But, the thing was, there isn’t a lot of surfing here in Nova Scotia.”
The precise starting point for Dempsey’s journey officially kicked off on bunny hill at Cypress Mountain in British Columbia.

“We were on a trip out in BC visiting family, and my mom said, ‘We’re going to take a day and go to Cypress Mountain,” Dempsey said. “She asked if I wanted to try skiing or snowboarding. I said snowboarding, immediately.”

As soon as Dempsey and her family returned from out west, her mom signed her up for lessons at Ski Martock near Windsor, Nova Scotia.

“On my first day (of lessons), I was so convinced that I knew how to do it, I didn’t listen for the whole hour,” Dempsey said. “So, then when the lesson was over and I went down the hill, I realized I didn’t know how to stop.”

Dempsey eventually stopped after crashing into a sign, leading to her best advice for new snowboarders: Listen to your instructors!

The Future of Snowboard Cross

Snowboard Cross differs from what most people think of when they think about snowboarding. In Dempsey’s specialty sport, four people race down the hill while dealing with a variety of technical challenges, including big burms, jumps and other features.

“Basically, just get to the bottom (of the hill) as fast as you can without dying and taking other people out,” Dempsey said. “Snowboard cross challenges all your technical abilities as a rider, instead of just going around gates.”

Dempsey’s sport has been a part of the Winter Olympics since the games in Turin, Italy, in 2006. Because of the extensive infrastructure needed for snowboard cross, it isn’t the most visible winter event, but Dempsey is hopeful for the future of the sport.

“[Snowboard cross is] getting more attention across the globe because more spots in different countries are hosting events and trying to get on the World Cup tour,” Dempsey said. “We see lots of younger athletes coming up. As the sport goes on, people keep pushing the boundaries of what the bar is for being good.”

Sharing The Stage With The Best

Snowboard cross is growing its stars, like Dempsey. However, there are some established names competing, like Nick Baumgartner. He has appeared in several international competitions, as well as a few Olympic games for the American team.

“I really like Nick Baumgartner,” Dempsey said. “He really shows that you can do that at any age, and in any capacity that you can make it happen.”

While Dempsey competes in snowboard cross, she has also developed an eye for rising talent in other areas of winter sports.

“I really like Chloe Kim, she is a freestyle snowboarder,” Dempsey said. “And Eileen Gu, a freestyle skier. They’re both Asian girls, and I really like to see representation out there. It’s very uplifting.”

Future Goals and Aspirations

There is no limit to Dempsey’s potential. She has designs on continually improving with a dream of eventually representing Canada and her sport in future winter games.

“It’s on the vision board,” Dempsey said. “When I first started snowboarding, and in my lessons, I said I want to go to the Olympics. I was very dead set on that. The Olympics sound like so much fun, the whole world coming together. That would be such a great experience, such an honour.”

The current snowboard cross season is wrapping up. Dempsey is currently training every day, in addition to working two jobs to support herself. Before the season wraps up for good, Dempsey plans to travel to Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Alberta in May for The Gathering.

“It’s a Canada Snowboard event, and it’s so much fun,” Dempsey said. “They put on a camp for four days, and it’s spring ski, so it’s warm. People are in t-shirts and put on sunscreen.”

Cars.ca is proud to support such a dynamic athlete, and we look forward to working with Nicola for a long time.