About Me
My name is Caily Lemmex. I am a competitive Snowboard Cross (SBX) athlete on the Ontario High Performance Team. I live in Dunrobin, Ontario and train at Mont Ste. Marie Quebec with Club Prestige.
I have dedicated countless hours to training and competing in SBX at the highest level possible for my age. In 2023 I won the Canadian Junior SBX National Championships. in 2024 I won 6 gold and 6 silver medals in 13 races and was nominated for Athlete of the Year by Quebec Snowboard.
The summer of 2024 I started cross-training by BMX racing with Nepean BMX. I ranked nationally and provincially in my first season.
My goal this year:
As I enter my last year as a U15 athlete, am focused on increasing my speed, refining my technique, and continuing to compete in national events - so I am ready to take on more challenging international FIS races next year.
My long term goal:
I want to represent Canada at the the 2028 Youth Olympics, the SBX World Junior Championships, the SBX World Cup, and the 2030 Winter Olympics.
MY STORY
I was born in Vietnam in 2010. I lived in an orphanage until 2011 when my mom finally found me and brought me “home” to Canada where I saw snow for the first time. Yeha!
See it
Check out my vlog to see the first time I ever saw, felt or stood on snow. Who knew what that would lead to.
Dream it
I was born a couple weeks before the 2010 Winter Olympics and still have the Canada team sweater hanging over my bed. Watching the olympics is awesome. I’d love to represent Canada one day.
My mom loves sports and makes sure I try lots of different ones. She had me on hockey skates at 18 months and skis at 2. Of course she wanted me to play hockey and soccer (her sports) but I had other plans.
Try it
The first time I won a medal I was hooked. There is nothing like it.
I don’t like losing. But I know that losing means I’m trying - and learning.
Feel it
Find it
In 2017 I tried snowboarding for the first time and my world changed. I LOVED IT.
My first instructors were Breen and Michelle from Mount Pakenham - my hometown hill. They gave me the confidence to try my first freestyle competition and Dual Banked Slalom (Ok. My mom also bribed me with candy - but it worked).
The next year I met Cassandra Smith who ran the the Akademy Snowboard team in Ottawa before becoming Head Coach for Nova Scotia Snowboard. She helped me develop and introduced me to boardercross - winning two silver medals… Cassandra saw that I liked going fast - and I was pretty good at it.
Build it
In 2021-22, I joined the Club Prestige SBX team at Mont Ste. Marie. My coaches and teammates are amazing. I’m learning so much and having a blast.
I love training on the weekends and doing to all the Quebec and Ontario SBX races with my team.
Believe it
In 2022-23 I kept learning and pushing myself.
Snowboarding helped me believe in myself - which has changed all areas of my life.
I have Tourettes Syndrome and a type of ADHD that can make things awkward for me and others. But on the hill, I don’t feel awkward at all. I feel free, focused and motivated. I believe anything is possible - and keep proving this to myself, my friends, my family and my community.
Achieve it
My personal goal was to make it onto the Ontario Provincial Team someday – and I did it in 2023! Wow - 2 years before I thought I would.
Now, I'm even more determined to get even stronger and better at snowboarding, with dreams of representing Canada at international events.
Keep watching my posts for updates on how my year is going.
Fuel it
2024 was a great year. I trained harder and competed more.
I raced 13 races and medaled in 12. I was nominated for Athlete of the Year by Quebec Snowboard. What an honour.
Expand it
In the summer I was determined to build my cardio. Someone suggested BMX biking as a fun way to stay in shape. They were right.
I joined Nepean BMX and tried my first race in June… Now I’m competing and ranked locally, provincially and nationally in the 14 intermediate category (though technically I’m still a novice).