Hello my name is Matt Hallat and I am a member of the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team. I have been a member of CPAST for the past 5 ski seasons. During that time I have competed and trained all around the world from Queenstown , New Zealand to Nagano , Japan and Pyong Chang , Korea , as well as all across Austria , Switzerland , Italy , and France , not to mention all across the United States and Canada . I have competed in many NorAm (North American), Europa Cup and World Cup races during that time as well as one World Championships in Wilchonau , Austria and, of course, the 2006 Paralympics held in Torino , Italy .

My travels and competitions have been an experience that I cannot put into words. The one goal that has remained over that entire time, the drive that keeps me going, is knowing that in less than 3 years time I will have the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to ski in one of the biggest sporting events in the world, in front of my family and friends, with the support of my home country, on the ski hill I grew up on, across the street from where I live. The Paralympic Winter Games has been my goal since I was a young child.

How it all got started.

March 7th 1990, my mother's birthday, at the age of 5, I was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Ewings Sarcoma. Less than 1 month before my sixth birthday I had my right leg amputated through the knee. After a year of chemotherapy, many ups and downs , my life was never going to be the same, but my love of sports only grew.

Growing up I played soccer, baseball, hockey, golf, and mountain biked. But I had found my calling the moment I stepped into my first ski. The exhilaration of racing down the mountain, dodging in and out of people was something that was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. A coach I had described it best: “When I get up in the morning, go to work, the grocery store, and take on the normal day's tasks, I am disabled. But when I step into a ski, I am equal. I can ski with anybody.”

I knew when I was young that I wanted to be an Olympic champion. When I was at Decision Day in GM place that early morning in July 2003, I realized I had the opportunity to accomplish my goal at home, something that had never crossed my mind and something that made the desire to be successful that much greater.

How I'm going to get there.

So here I am, 3 years away working towards my lifelong childhood goal. Currently I train year round. My year typically looks something like this. In late May and June I train in the gym and on my bike, roughly twice a day, 5 or 6 days a week. In mid July my team and I travel to New Zealand for some summer ( New Zealand winter) training. This usually consists of about 3 weeks of 6 days a week training in the beautiful scenery of southern island New Zealand . From there we head home and back to the gym until mid October where we make our way to the glaciers of Europe . The locations thus far have been Pitztal , Austria : Tignes , France ; and Zermatt Switzerland , but it really depends on where the snow is at that year. From there we usually head home for a week of rest and a few more weeks in the gym, then off to Panorama, in the interior of BC, in November. We are getting more and more into race mode at this point at the season is not far away. December through April is go time. Early season races might include a NorAm (North American) race, or a Europa Cup race, followed by the big tour, the World Cup. The World Cup takes place every year and usually consists of about 16 races in four different locations around the globe. Typically there are always 2 locations in Europe as this is the hot bed for skiing in the world, as well as 2 locations in either North America (one in Canada and one in the US ) or 2 locations in Asia . For every race in the World Cup, finishers are awarded points based on their finishing position, 100 points for first, 80 for second, 60 for third all the way to 1 point for the 30 th position . At the end of the season they crowd a champion in each event as well as a World Cup champion: the athlete with the most points. This typically brings us to April where we have our National Championships, and a final training camp to test equipment for the following season. May is a month of light work outs, recovery from the physical grind of the season as well as some rest and relaxation.

Over my first 4 seasons on the team I have had some ups and downs. Considering I joined the World Cup team at 18, that is not surprising. Generally ski racers don't come into their prime until their mid 20's, which puts me in a great place over the next three seasons. I have the experience of the last four seasons to guide me through and I hope for big things over these next four years and into 2010.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those who have helped me all along the way, and to thank those who continue to support me and my skiing dreams. There have been several family members, sponsors, coaches, teammates, school teachers and of course friends who have all played vital parts in my skiing career, and with whom I would not be here today. I simply would not be where I am today without the tremendous support of those all around me.