For some Olympic athletes, high performance sport runs in the family

Whether she was falling in at do, qualifications or the finals of women’s moguls at the Milano-Cortina overwinter Olympics, thither has been single constant at the bottom of the hill for Saskatoon-born Maïa Schwinghammer: family and friends cheering her on.

Among those in the crowd is one of Schwinghammer’s biggest inspirations: her dad, Rick Schwinghammer.

“It definitely gave me a lot of the drive of wanting to make the national team.”

Maïa Schwinghammer is one of many competitors at the Olympics who are inspired by parents who are or have been elite athletes. 

On Team Canada alone, there are at least nine kids of Olympians and Paralympians, including speed skaters Laurent Dubreuil and Béatrice Lamarche.

Schwinghammer’s dad didn’t compete in the Olympics, but he did introduce her to freestyle skiing — in the form of ski ballet.

A type of freestyle skiing popular in the 1970s and ’80s, it comes complete with neon snowsuits, choreographed dancing, theatrics and tricks — all on skis.

“We still have pictures of us with the hair and stuff,” her father said.

“Us guys weren't real artists. We were just doing technical tricks and jumps and flips and stuff like that.”

Rick has gained some fame at these Olympics after going viral for his emotional response to being able to see his daughter compete.

“People are all in love with my dad and, you know, by proxy now me, too,” said Maïa.

She placed fifth in the women’s moguls competition on Wednesday.

These Olympians are carrying the torch for their families

Family lore about her father's athletic feats grew long before her birth in 2001.

“I found a newspaper article of him… It's a photo of him,” she said.

“You know, no helmet and a bib, up on the skis. It's pretty cool.”

After he stopped competing, Rick turned to helping build Olympic freestyle sites across the world.

“When she was born, [Maïa] got to come to all these sites and witness and hang out with all these people,” he said.

“I think that would inspire her a lot.”

Also competing at these Games are 46-year-old Sarah Schleper and her 18-year-old son, Lasse Gaxiola, who are representing Mexico.

The International Olympic Committee says the alpine skiers are the first mother-son duo in the history of the Winter Games.

“Those kinds of things make our story really unique and special.”

Gaxiola is competing in Bormio.

“Leading into the Games and leading into the qualification, I so didn't want him to get hurt or anything so that we could actually make this happen,” Schleper said.

“Now we're living out the fairy tale.”

National Reporter

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