Naomi Urness Awarded 2019 Spirit of Sarah Scholarship
We have awarded fourteen year old Naomi Urness from Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, the Spirit of Sarah scholarship, in memory of Canadian female skiing legend Sarah Burke.
Since 2012, Momentum Camps has partnered with the Sarah Burke Foundation to seek out a young female skier that we identify as possessing certain special characteristics that Sarah Burke was renowned for. These characteristics include modesty, kindness, determination and a positive approach to life, as well as a drive to excel in skiing.
Sarah Burke was dedicated to encouraging more girls to participate in action sports (particularly freeskiing), emboldening young females to follow their dreams and believe in their abilities. This scholarship aims to preserve Sarah’s legacy by helping a dedicated young girl progress her skiing skills at Momentum Camps.
Naomi is the first Quebecois applicant that has been awarded the scholarship. When asked what she wants to achieve at camp this year, she replied “I really want to push myself, try new things with the girls, have fun with others and do the best that I can do.” Naomi’s passion for skiing was tangible in her video entry. She confessed that “[when] I’m skiing I’m nervous and kinda scared, but I really want to achieve it.”
Camp Director and one of the judges, John Smart comments: “It’s always hard to pick a winner each year as there are so many worthy applicants, but we feel that Naomi really embodies a lot of the characteristics of Sarah, when she was a young camper herself. It’s really special to keep Sarah’s memory alive and know that her legacy of encouraging young girls to excel in sport, overcoming setbacks and striving for excellence, lives on even now, seven years after she passed away.”
The scholarship is valued at $3,000 CAD and includes a free eight day Summer Session at Momentum Camps during ‘Girls Week’. This will provide Naomi with access to world class training facilities in Whistler and the chance to be coached by her female skiing idols including Olympic Gold Medallist Cassie Sharpe, World Cup winner Elena Gaskell and World Champion and multiple X-Games medallist Anna Segal.
