Featured Picture: Brodie Seger and household. Supplied by Brodie Seger.
On the World Cup circuit, Brodie Seger’s dedication to a downhill course is well-known. However the 29-year-old Canadian skier is aware of that whereas his sport carries excessive dangers and rewards, it doesn’t outline him. Off the slopes, the Alpine Canada Alpin athlete carries a far deeper perspective.
Together with his brother as a teammate and his father combating ALS, Seger has gained a profound understanding of resilience. It’s not nearly pushing previous accidents or close to misses on the race course; it’s about valuing time, leaning on household, and discovering energy within the face of what can’t be managed. As he heads into the Olympic season, Seger brings not simply velocity—however a perspective grounded in dwelling.
Time and Perspective
For Seger, time is essentially the most useful useful resource, but it not often looks like his personal. Life on the World Cup circuit typically means months away in Europe, with days dictated by coaching, restoration, journey, and staff obligations. As a North American athlete, competing on the highest degree virtually requires relocation.
“You don’t all the time really feel like you will have entry to the stuff you need to do,” he admits. However he doesn’t should look far for perspective. His father, as soon as fiercely energetic, is now confined by ALS, whereas his mom has grow to be his full-time caregiver. Watching them has sharpened Seger’s outlook on what really issues.
His father’s willpower to remain current, to “see what occurs subsequent,” even whereas locked into his physique, serves as a quiet reminder that motivation isn’t all the time about chasing podiums. Generally, it’s merely about displaying up, regardless of the problem.
A Household Motto, Inked Perpetually
The Seger household has lengthy embraced a motto: PPT, Energy of Constructive Pondering. It started as a easy reminder to remain grounded and targeted via challenges on and off the slopes. Brodie’s father would say it earlier than they left dwelling to race, a last encouragement as they headed out the door.
The motto took on even deeper which means throughout his father’s battle with ALS, symbolizing energy, optimism and the significance of cherishing each second collectively. It turned greater than phrases when the household turned it into matching tattoos.
“Initially, my mother resisted the concept; tattoos weren’t her factor,” Seger recollects. “However the extra she shared it, the extra she realized how uncommon it was for grownup sons to need a lifelong image linking them to their mother and father.” His father, who had by no means been a fan of tattoos, shocked everybody by encouraging it, recognizing its significance.
Brodie designed a tattoo mixing mountains and forests, symbols of dwelling and the outside they love. After his brother Riley’s commencement in Montana, they visited a tattoo store. “We weren’t feeling 100% the subsequent morning,” Seger laughs, “but it surely was particular.” In the present day, the ink isn’t simply artwork; it’s a each day reminder of their bond, perseverance and the supply of his energy.
Brothers, Rivals, Teammates
Seger didn’t come from a conventional ski racing background. His mother and father enrolled him and Riley in Whistler’s ski college, not realizing it might set them on a World Cup path. Brodie describes himself as experimental, whereas Riley was targeted and pushed from the beginning—fueled by sibling rivalry. That aggressive push continues in the present day on the Canadian velocity staff.
Staff chemistry is crucial. Seger and the lads’s downhill squad intentionally construct tradition via conferences and workshops, serving to youthful athletes combine and making certain constant efficiency. “It’s not only a particular expertise that comes as soon as in a era; it’s one thing the staff cultivates intentionally,” he says.
Racing for a Trigger: #Helmet4Hope
Off the slopes, Seger channels his ardour into fundraising via #Helmet4Hope, an initiative he created to lift consciousness and help for ALS (or MND in Europe) via the facility of sport.
Artists and followers submit helmet designs, and the successful design is worn by Seger all through the season, honoring his father whereas elevating consciousness and sparking conversations about ALS worldwide. This fall, he’ll launch one other fundraiser, persevering with to make use of his platform to make an influence past the race course.
The Olympic Pull
Seger’s Olympic dream traces again to Vancouver 2010, when his hometown buzzed with satisfaction. For him, the Video games signify greater than medals—they symbolize unity, nationwide satisfaction, and contributing to one thing larger than himself.
This season, the Olympics return to Bormio, Italy—a monitor Seger is aware of effectively. He remembers his final race there vividly, crashing after solely a 3rd of the course. The reminiscence lingers, however he approaches February with openness, understanding situations will differ from the icy, treacherous December run.
Discovering the Proper Headspace
Earlier than pushing out of the beginning gate, Seger’s thoughts races virtually as quick as his skis. He appears for strong cues or memorized course sections to carry onto, however expertise has taught him that he performs finest when his head is evident.
“I are inclined to need some feeling of certainty or management earlier than taking place the hill,” he says. However an excessive amount of focus can sluggish him. His breakthroughs come when he lets go of expectations—like in Kitzbühel two years in the past, when he completed twenty eighth with no stress, rediscovering freedom in his snowboarding. That mindset carried him to a top-10 end in Beaver Creek final season.
Rituals assist him keep centered—like a fast fist bump with the staff physio and serviceman—permitting him to embrace danger, discover velocity, and settle for downhill racing’s unpredictability.
Past Outcomes
For Seger, downhill racing is about greater than podiums. It’s about household, perspective, and the moments that form true resilience. With a father combating ALS, he understands that braveness exists off the hill simply as a lot as on it. Guided by his mantra, the Energy of Constructive Pondering, and the love that anchors him at dwelling, Seger heads into the Olympic season able to race with braveness, carry his household’s energy, and depart a legacy of perseverance and pleasure in Canadian snowboarding.
