Standing on an Olympic start line is the ultimate dream for most Canadian athletes.
Standing on an Olympic start line with your childhood friends – that’s another stratosphere.
However, Emma Lunder will do just that in PyeongChang, when longtime friends Julia Ransom and Sarah Beaudry join her on Team Canada. The three biathletes met in their early teens – Ransom was the hotshot athlete from Kelowna, Beaudry the star of Prince George, and Lunder the pride of Vernon – and have chased one another all the way to the upper echelons of the sport.
“That’s the dream – three girls from B.C.,” said Lunder, whose boyfriend Christian Gow will also join her on Team Canada. “I can’t imagine what it will be like to be on the start line.”
If it weren’t for a serious case of sibling rivalry, Lunder may have never become an Olympian. Her parents had to bribe her with hot chocolate to ski as a young child. When her brother Angus was a sea cadet, she tagged along in what proved to be a very serendipitous journey.
“I went to one of the shooting days, tried it out and they said I was better than my brother,” Lunder said. “I was hooked after that.”
She climbed the ranks, went to the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 to watch all the biathlon races, and subsequently decided to put a hold on school, move to Canmore and pursue her sport at the highest level.
After nine years of training in Canmore, she qualified for her first world cup mass start this season, and is now a top-30 threat, and a key member of the women’s relay team. Taking those steps just felt natural, and she savours every part of the journey.
“I get to be active with some of the most fit athletes in Canada, every day. I try to keep that in mind and appreciate it every day,” Lunder said.
“Everyone on the team has put in hard work since day one. There are things you hone in on, there are things you change. I’ve found a better balance between training, jobs and relationships, and now I manage everything better than in the past.”
Lunder is one of Canmore’s most recognizable athletes, thanks in part to her community involvement. The sharpshooter volunteers at the Canmore Food Bank once a week, filling hampers and taking phone calls, and has been embraced by the crew. In high performance sport, which requires athletes to be selfish, it’s a great outlet, Lunder said, and shows her a different side of Canmore.
“It’s so nice to do something outside of the sport. It feels so good to give back,” Lunder said. “The women I work with are all older than I am, they’ve all had careers, and raised families. It’s nice to meet people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, and for an hour a week, we’re chatting and hearing stories.
“They are all so supportive of my biathlon … food bank use has really picked up. There is definitely a need in this community.”
Lunder also works at the Canmore Starbucks to help pay for her sport. It’s also helped her connect with the community, who recognize her and learn about her journey.
“I think Starbucks has been a big part of that, meeting tons of people from all over,” Lunder said.
Life is pretty good in Canmore, but not without its challenges. The sport has gone through several struggles this year, ranging from lost funding to lost coaches.
“I’ve noticed, especially on the women’s side, we’ve come together and we’re open. We’re able to talk about things with one another. We can be emotional, and obviously been through some devastating things this year. It’s crazy to say, but it will make us stronger in the end,” Lunder said.
What frustrates her most is the ongoing struggle against doping, though.
“If I could fix one thing, I’d make sure anyone who doped would never race again. So many have got away with so much. We are so diligent with doping control, it’s crazy people are getting away with it. There should be zero tolerance,” Lunder said.
Lunder’s progression has never been a straight line, but she’s reached her dream destination. Now she ponders what dreams may come.
