Para-athlete makes New Brunswick proud

In 2002, Luke Donovan was training for the Acadie-Bathurst Canada Games. It was the first step of his dream to compete at the Olympics. It was the middle of the afternoon and he and his teammates built a jump on the freshly fallen snow.

After a practice run he decided to try his favorite trick, a “big mute grab backflip.” After hiking up a little too far and not checking his speed before takeoff, he found himself caught mid flip. He remembers thinking he had too much air before the impact.

“My first reaction after the accident was ‘I didn’t stick my landing,’” Donovan said. “Then I knew something was quite wrong.”

Donovan in the starting gate. Photo submitted.

Donovan was one of the top freestyle skiers in New Brunswick. He had done this flip a hundred times before and knew what to expect. The whole scene happened in slow motion. Then the reality of the situation kicked in.

“I landed on top of my head with the weight of the skis behind me,” he said. “It sandwiched me, crushing my t-12 vertebra.”

Lying in his hospital bed, with no feeling below his waist, he knew he would have to start over. He also knew his goals and dreams were going to have to be altered. But he had no idea where his journey would begin, after he left the hospital, confined for life to a wheelchair.

Only days after recovering from the accident, Donovan began thinking about skiing again. He still wanted to prove he could be the best. He also wanted to show the world his disability was not going to get in the way.

Luke Donovan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His family moved to Dalhousie, New Brunswick, where he graduated from Ecole Aux Quatres Vents. He remembers spending his summers on Prince Edward Island. This is where he learned to be competitive with his cousins. This is where the Olympic dream began.

“I remember we would have mini-Olympics with swing jumping and sprinting,” Donovan said. “And everything I did from that time forward was with the intensity of an athlete.”

He was a natural competitor. He tried every sport he could and excelled at hockey, soccer, and basketball. But it was the individual creativity of skiing and skateboarding that kept him interested.

Luke Donovan races for the Maritimes. Photo submitted.

Pat Boissonnault is a childhood friend of Donovan’s. He grew up competing with Luke in northern New Brunswick. He says Donovan was competitive, but it was the love of skiing that pushed him to the next level.

“Luke has a passion for the sport most people wouldn’t believe,” Boissonnault said. “He enjoys it so much, it’s all fun to him.”

His desire to be the best led him to Mont-Sainte-Anne on Nov. 23, 2002.  This is where the Olympic plan was put into action. This is also where the accident changed his direction. But Donovan was still determined to be an Olympic athlete. Not even a spinal injury was going to stop him. But the road to the Olympics would not come easy.

In his quest to regain a normal life after the accident, Donovan did what came naturally. He played sports. He didn’t have a second thought about it. He just did what he did before the accident.

“I didn’t ever stop thinking about sports,” Donovan said. “I wanted things to go back to the way they use to be. And sports were inherently included.”

A chance encounter at a Nova Scotia ski hill with the Canadian Para-Alpine development team gave Donovan a second chance. He was studying business at Saint Mary’s University and impressed the team’s coach with his speed and athleticism.

Michael Clark was Donovan’s coach from 2006 to 2008 and helped him get on the World Cup team. He said Donovan showed promise with his all-or-nothing approach. Clark knew his athleticism and desire could be enhanced with consistent training.

“He impressed everyone with his brilliant natural ability,” Clark said. “And he was determined to be a ski racer.”

Donovan was determined from day one. Photo submitted.

With no racing circuit, programs, or coaching in the east, Donovan knew what he had to do. Encouraged by Clark, he packed up his car and moved to British Columbia. This would be a new test –living on his own, with no friends or family, and barely enough money to last a few months.

The first season was the toughest. Donovan was living with a family, trying to work part-time, and train. He was using borrowed equipment and breaking as many sit-skis as they could find. But his race times in slalom and giant slalom were getting faster.

After his second season, Donovan began seeing real progress. He was more consistent, the results got better, and he finished more races. His go-for-it attitude produced fast ski times but a lot of crashes. Everyone started to take notice.

“Half of what makes a good athlete is between the ears,” Clark said. “Luke always knew what he wanted on the hill before he had the ability to do it.”

Adam McGrath has known Donovan since they were 11 years old. He says Luke was always the first one at the lodge and the last one to leave. He says he has seen him clear an 80-foot table-top jump on his sit-ski. Because somebody told him he couldn’t.

“Luke is going to go far in life because he won’t take no for an answer,” McGrath said. “He wants to live up to his own expectations.”

Donovan’s friends and family are a big part of his support. He emails them from all over the world ; he says they’re stoked on his success. They call him a gypsy because he’s always on the move. He’s happy they understand his need to be competitive and take risks again.

Donovan has been a member of the Canadian Para-Alpine World Cup Team for the last two seasons. His goal was to make the Paralympics in Vancouver and win a medal for his country. But his biggest motivation is to live a normal life. He never wanted to be the guy in the wheelchair; he just wanted to be Luke.

Donovan is under pressure to make the Paralympic team and to make Dalhousie, N.B. proud, but he takes it in stride. His goal was always to blend into society and minimize his handicap. And he was hoping his hard work and training would pay off.

Donovan training in British Columbia. Photo submitted.

But he is not interested in fame or fortune.

Donovan was hoping to continue racing after the games, but he’s realistic. He is finishing a degree in business studies at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook and hoped a spot on the podium would help him get a job in the future.

“If I can compete after 2010, that will be great,” Donovan said. “But what I’m really hoping to gain from these experiences is job security.”

With a strong year and some top 10 finishes on the World Cup circuit, Donovan was determined to prove he was one of the best para-skiers in the world. After crushing the qualifying time in a race in Italy, he made the Paralympic team and was on his way to turning another dream into a goal.

With the Paralympic Games in Vancouver approaching, Donovan was ready. He focused his training to fit the upcoming schedule and the Paralympic games in early March. His physical and mental health were as good as ever. He felt he had the right combination of experience, drive, and pre-race discipline.

Since he was a young man racing in New Brunswick, he has always had someone else tie his helmet before a race. He also spends time listening to music and getting into the zone. When he is at the gate ready to drop in, he also likes to visualize himself as a pirate – attacking the gates as if they were his enemy.

And finally, his most important pre-race ritual.

“Before every race I like to count to three in my head,” Donovan said. “The only difference is I like to count to three in German. Then I’m ready.”

But with only weeks before the big event, Luke crashed and flew off his sit-ski and onto his side, ending his chances of competing at the Paralympics. Unable to sit comfortably, without pain, and control his ski, Donovan was forced to withdraw.

“I am very disappointed, but I understand the ups and downs of my sport very well,” Donovan said. ” I think others who don’t understand the nature of sports will be more disappointed.”

Donovan is excited about the future. Photo submitted.

Watching the closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games from his apartment, Donovan is now looking ahead to the future. He is planning to recover from his injury during the spring and start training again in early summer. His goal is to make it to Russia in 2014 and check off Paralympics from his life’s to do list.

Donovan is proud of his contribution to the Paralympic Games and says Vancouver raised the bar for all athletes involved. He hopes the games continue to improve and continue to allow athletes the chance to push their sports forward.

Donovan also hopes to spend more time with family and friends in the future. Years of traveling and competing have taken their toll on his life and relationships.

He plans to take some time to travel, re-organize, and set some new goals for himself. Being focused on sports and overcoming his situation has been tough. For now, he wants to forget about his challenges and just enjoy the moment.

“Since my accident I have continued to stack things upon myself,” Donovan said. “I don’t know anybody that has conquered some of the things I have and so far I do feel I have come a long way.”

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Posted by Jason Murray on Apr 2, 2010. Filed under Features, This Week's Edition, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.