Kyle Mattice: freestyle skier, young role model and fantastic athlete

Kyle Mattice, age 13, is following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, Olympic gold medallist Dara Howell. He has been skiing since he was just two years old and has dedicated himself to the sport he loves: freestyle skiing.

Kyle, a Huntsville native who attends Grade 8 at Irwin Memorial Public School in Dwight, grew up skiing the slopes at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area and is now part of agenda freeski, a team based in Barrie that trains at Mount St. Louis Moonstone ski resort. His drive and determination was fostered during his early sports experiences in basketball and volleyball with his teachers and coaches.

Kyle’s goals for this ski season are to do well in all of his competitions, work on his right-side tricks and to make it to Junior Nationals. His long-term goals are to attend and compete in the X-Games and/or Dew Tour.

Kyle Mattice

Agenda freeski provides athletes with a safe and fun environment to progress within their specific sport and to help them achieve their long term goals. The coaches at agenda freeski guide their athletes through proper skill progressions, helping them to create strong fundamentals and set them up for success. Kyle was hand-picked by the team’s coach, Geoff Lovelace, for this year’s team based on his skill acquisition and competition performance throughout last season.

Kyle doesn’t just ski throughout the winter – he and his team also participate in training camps during the spring, summer and fall, including water ramps, trampoline, indoor rail camps, and fitness. When Kyle is not skiing, he is biking, trampolining and wake surfing.

Coach Geoff – who works very closely with all of the athletes to ensure that they are moving towards their goals and making most of their training time – commends Kyle’s huge commitment to the High Performance Team. He describes Kyle as being very coachable and a very capable freestyle ski athlete who is “very determined to achieve his goals and works tirelessly to develop his skills. He never squanders an opportunity to train and is willing to put in the time and effort that is required to advance in this sport.”

Kyle has been seen training here at home in Huntsville on his own time at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area with his family and friends which makes him a fantastic role model, at such a young age, for other athletes around him at agenda freeski, at school and at Hidden Valley. Many of his coaches – past and present – agree that he definitely supports and encourages his fellow athletes and is always ready to give a tip or suggestion to someone who is struggling with a skill.

Kyle is sponsored by Head Skis, Algonquin Outfitters and by his family (mom and dad) which allows him to work hard to follow his dream. The agenda freeski family looks out for each other and cheers each other on at every opportunity. In a sport where athletes are competing individually in every competition scenario, the team’s support and encouragement is unique.

Kyle and the agenda freeski team will be competing in Freestyle Ontario’s Timber Tour competition in Huntsville at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area on January 20-22, 2017. Come on out, see how the freestyle skiers do it, and cheer Kyle and his teammates on!

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