FOREWORD | ZOI SADOWSKI-SYNNOTT

FOCUS, SUPPORT ANDHARD WORK by ZOI SADOWSKI-SYNNOTT

I was eight when I started snowboarding with my family and from that moment, I was hooked. Briefly, before then, I had thought I might want to become a professional soccer player, but I absolutely love snowboarding and everything that comes with it, so soccer lost out! I remember a moment when I was 14 when my parents asked me if being a professional snowboarder was what I wanted to do – no worries if not, but if it was, they’d support me. I knew then – 100 per cent without a doubt – that this was what I wanted to do with my life and that I could make it to the highest level. Alongside Jamie Anderson, the most dominant female snowboarder of all time, my mum has been and still is a huge inspiration to me. She works hard at everything she does and has taught me that results come from hard work. My parents have also always reminded me to have fun with it and not to take things too seriously. Happily, that’s easy to do and I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life, which I’m super grateful for! As far as competing goes, I love pushing myself to do things I wouldn’t have thought were possible, setting goals and achieving them. As to why I love snowboarding generally, I just love being outdoors and in the mountains. It was an awesome feeling standing on the podium at the Olympics – one I can’t really describe. It felt pretty surreal to have achieved something I’d dreamed about, and in a way that I was super proud of. I also thought of all the people who had helped me get there: my whole family who have supported me every step of the way, the friends I grew up snowboarding with – we all wanted to become professional snowboarders and pushed each other to be the best we could be – and my coaches along the way who supported me and shared their knowledge. I was lucky to go to Mount Aspiring College in Wānaka, which had an awesome outdoor programme. They understood how amazing it is to get out and about in the mountains, but it was still a super hard juggle to compete and keep on top of my schoolwork. It worked for me to keep the two things separate and to make sure I gave each one 100 per cent of my focus when I was there. At school, I really enjoyed Physics, Maths and PE. The anatomy and physics side of PE was super interesting and knowledge I have used over the years in snowboarding. What I would say to you if you’re reading this and wondering what to do with your life is that there are endless opportunities out there. There’s so much more on offer than you think, so get out there and make the most of it. When you find something you want to do, really get into it and apply yourself. You never know where it will take you!

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Professional Snowboarder

Wānaka-based professional snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (21) is the Beijing 2022 Olympic gold medallist in Slopestyle and silver medallist in Big Air, 2022 X Games gold medallist in both Slopestyle and Big Air, the winner of the Natural Selection Tour at Jackson Hole 2021 and runner-up in the final in Alaska, the 2021 FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Champion, 2021 X Games Aspen Slopestyle silver medallist and Big Air bronze medallist and 2021 Dew Tour Slopestyle winner.