By Marissa Tiel
The calendar is the most-opened app on Austin White鈥檚 phone. The third-year UBC Okanagan student manages a balancing act that rivals the Wallendas.
White is a member of the UBC Okanagan Heat cross country team, an athlete on the B.C. Snowboard senior team, a coach of the B.C. Snowboard junior team and a full-time human kinetics student.
鈥淚t is stressful at times. You have two high intensity sports teams you鈥檙e training for at the same time, athletics, your jobs, so all that together, it鈥檚 definitely time management skills being put to the test,鈥� he says during a break from classes earlier this week. 鈥淏ut if you take it one day at a time, a week at a time, break it all down and stay organized, it鈥檚 really manageable actually and it sounds a lot worse than what it actually is.鈥�
On a drizzly Tuesday morning, he sets up shop outside the Hangar gym at UBC Okanagan, spreading his things out on a table near the track as he shares notes with a classmate.
With exams looming, the Oyama student-athlete is nose deep in his computer. But the snowboarding season is just around the corner.
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Once winter hits, White will be spending his weekends up at Big White coaching the B.C. junior team and travelling with them to races.
White comes from a varied sports background and started snowboarding after a soccer teammate let him know about a team up at Big White when he was 11 years old.
He liked to snowboard, so he thought he鈥檇 give it a try and in the first year had a good showing during one of the races.
鈥淓verybody in front of me just happened to fall and I ended up winning the race and I was 11 years old and it blew my mind,鈥� he says. 鈥� I was like, 鈥榦h my God, this is the best sport ever,鈥� and ever since then I started working my way up the teams and eight years later I鈥檓 still competing and pretty happy with where I鈥檓 at.鈥�
White loves the thrill of the race: all the variables that come with sliding down a snowy track with three other guys over and over again.
鈥淲ith snowboarding, it鈥檚 always something new,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou never know what鈥檚 going to happen and it鈥檚 being able to adapt that makes it so much more exciting and so much more thrilling.鈥�
But White doesn鈥檛 just spend his time on the hill, he鈥檚 also a member of the UBC Okanagan Heat cross country running team.
He says that doing both snowboarding and running gives him a variety in his training.
Heat cross country running coach John Machuga agrees that competing in both sports offers a mental shift.
鈥淵ou can give yourself a break physically and mentally,鈥� he says.
Machuga says that White is a 鈥済ood-natured鈥� and 鈥渉ard-working athlete.鈥�
He鈥檚 always up for workouts, no matter how tough and he shows up with a smile.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 just do it,鈥� says Machuga. 鈥淗e鈥檚 excited to do it.鈥�
White isn鈥檛 alone in being a high-performance athlete on the team. Brittany Webster, on the women鈥檚 side, is a 2010 and 2014 Olympian in cross country skiing. Machuga says they have a positive influence on their peers, working out with a focus and determination that isn鈥檛 always present in athletes who haven鈥檛 had the experience of racing at an international level.
It鈥檚 also the intangibles. Things like being able to travel well, says Machuga. 鈥淭hat makes a difference.鈥�
But the physical traits of the sports don鈥檛 always match up.
In cross country, White is training for a 30 or 40-minute race, while in snowboardcross, the race is only a minute or a minute-and-a-half long.
White says that he鈥檒l prioritize his training depending on the season. So in the fall, while his snowboarding team is working on power, he鈥檚 working on his endurance with the Heat.
Then as soon as cross country season ends, he鈥檚 in the gym working on his power and strength to catch up to his snowboarding teammates.
He gets his snow time on the weekends, while coaching the junior team.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough because if I really wanted to be full-time training for myself, I鈥檇 be in Europe right now with the senior team. I鈥檇 be travelling to every NorAm event that鈥檚 happening, but with school and with my budget, it鈥檚 really difficult,鈥� says White.
Even if he can鈥檛 train full-time in snowboarding, being with the junior team on weekends lets him enter that snowboardcross mindset and spend time out on the hill.
There鈥檚 no doubt that being a multi-sport athlete has been beneficial for White, even in ways that might not be visible.
鈥淚n snowboarding, I鈥檝e dealt with stressful situations, stressful competitions, so taking that into my cross country, it鈥檚 easier for me to relax before a race, easier for me to get into the training regimen with cross country,鈥� says White. 鈥淭hen with cross country, there鈥檚 such good qualities I love about being on the team and I love about others on the cross country team that I try to incorporate into my snowboardcross.鈥�
With cross country season wrapped up, White will be shifting his attention to snowboarding.
He鈥檚 only slated for three classes this winter semester to better focus on snowboarding and preparing for what could be the biggest race of his career to date.
In March he鈥檒l be competing at his second Winter Universiade Games in Russia.
He first competed at the Winter Universiade Games in 2017 when they were hosted in Kazakhstan.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 really sure what to expect there, but I ended up surprising myself with a sixth-place finish there,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or these upcoming games, I now know what to expect. I鈥檝e got the first initial experience of the games out of the way, so I can focus on the racing there and focus on getting a good result.鈥�
His first races of the season will take place at Panorama in January, and he should have four events under his belt before taking off for Russia.
B.C. Snowboarding assistant coach Meghan Hebert attended those first games with him back in 2017 and has been part of his growth in the sport.
鈥淥ver the last five years, I have had the pleasure to coach Austin and be part of his growth not only as an athlete, but also as a student and young adult. Probably what astounds me the most about Austin is how he鈥檚 grown mentally,鈥� says Hebert.
鈥淎 huge part of our sport is being able to block out distractions as well as overcome hurdles and Austin does this well. I expect Austin will only push these boundaries this season as he continues to balance university life and sport life while preparing to travel to Russia for his second University Games.鈥�
White says that he鈥檚 hoping to improve on his results this time around.
鈥淚鈥檓 really hoping to do a lot better here and my goal is pretty much to take home a medal,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 want to leave the games feeling disappointed if I don鈥檛 win that though, so I鈥檓 trying to go in there with an open mind.鈥�
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