Stephenville's Nordic ski star heading to 2022 Special Olympics in Russia
Michael Budden's passion for the trails has earned him a ticket to Kazan
It's hard to track Michael Budden as he whips around the trails of the Whaleback Nordic Ski Club in Stephenville.
These days, the 18-year-old is trying to get in as many sessions as he can before the season ends. You can find him here, training, almost every day of the week.
After all, he's on his way to Russia next winter, representing Canada for the first time on the world stage.
"When you have a big passion in general — to move your body as much, and as hard, as you possibly can — the next thing is just enjoying where you are at," Budden said. "Because you're just happy. You're happy all the time and it just feels right."
Budden, who has autism, a leg that's slightly shorter than the other and "a million other challenges," according to his mother, discovered a sense of balance and speed while skate-skiing along cross-country trails.
His parents, Les and Marie Budden, were told he would never walk when they adopted him as a 14-month-old.
But the Buddens didn't settle for that future. The family spent years at the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's, where Budden underwent physiotherapy and rehab, defying the prediction and changing the course of his life.
But sport altered his trajectory too. His family found a community at the ski club, where Budden has been roaming the trails since he was just a toddler.
As a pre-teen, he got fast. Budden entered competitions, and soon he was thriving through the provincial Special Olympics program.
"He has [different] abilities, but he's always been a go-getter and he strives at everything he is going to do," his mother reflected. His legs couldn't limit him. "We feel every individual can become anything," she said.
Now Budden has the opportunity to compete on a global scale.
He's slated to leave the familiar Stephenville incubator next January, and journey onward to the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Kazan, a Russian city a few hours east of Moscow.
"It just feels great," his father said. He won't be on the plane with his son — Budden's heading across the Atlantic with other Canadian athletes and coaches — but his parents won't be far behind, on another flight to Kazan.
Nine months, though, can move quickly, especially as snow melts and another ski season draws to a close.
When's he's not studying to finish high school, working part-time or preparing for culinary school in the fall, Budden's scheduled for dryland training with his volunteer coaches, pushing his strength to the limit for the ultimate test next winter.
Win or lose in January, though, Budden's secret is just the love of the trails itself.
"The thing about cross-country skiing is just how much I like to move my body in general," Budden said.
"The sport is amazing in itself. But I like to extend my body. I like to move. I like to be assertive, physically. It gives me a chance to go all out when I do that."
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