Curt Minard - Canadian Paralympic Committee

Curt Minard burst on to the Para snowboard scene in Febuary 2016, taking home the gold medal in his first ever snowboardcross and banked slalom races, in a pair of NorAMs at Big White Ski Resort, BC. From there, Minard went on to win the Canadian National Championship in 2016, doing so with a broken shoulder to boot. A year later, he defended his national title as a member of the Para NextGen program.

In 2018, Minard competed at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games posting two top-10 finishes.

A year earlier, he won the bronze medal in the snowboardcross on the PyeongChang course at the World Cup final in March 2017, to conclude the 2016-17 season. Minard also posted two top-eight finishes in January 2017 at the IPC World Championships held at Big White, B.C.

In his first full season, 2016-17, Minard finished sixth overall on the World Cup circuit. He competes in the Upper Limb (UL) category.

Minard lost a portion of his left hand and wrist in an electrical contact accident in 2008. He was electrocuted with over 14400 volts of electricity with approximately 5 Amps of current, which is about 500% more than most humans can withstand before their bodies shut down. He also had many complications in the hospital, including a bursting artery in his left arm and a pulmonary embolism, both of which almost took his life.

When not snowboarding, Minard is an avid hockey player who captured gold with Canada’s Standing Amputee Hockey Team at the 2012 World Championships in Finland. Has a long list of athletic passions and when not on the snow can be found in the gym, rink, mountain bike trails, golf course, tennis court or lake. He strives to compete at all levels as if he were able-bodied, which assists in pushing him to be better and stronger.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2018 – Paralympic Winter Games… 2017 – Competed at his first world championships… won bronze medal at World Cup Final in PyeongChang, South Korea.

PERSONAL

In 2012 he founded Limitless Communications and has worked as a motivational keynote speaker following his accident… He and his partner Heidi have four children between them… The youngest two, Maddex and Jordan, continually push Minard to be the best and are very supportive of his quest for the 2018 Paralympics… he lives by the motto: “Results are limitless… if you believe in yourself.”

Minard’s travel suitcase is always equipped with several prosthetic arms, one for each situation… Competition day superstitions include: Heidi has to wax his boards, he wears the same base layer on a winning streak and never leaves home without a stick of chewing gum.

NOTABLE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS