Natasha Bodnarchuk:

Canadian National Team Ski Jumper

Blog 1:

Hi there! My name is Natasha Bodnarchuk and I’m an athlete on the Canadian National Ski Jumping Team. I’m thrilled to be a Game Plan Champion and can’t wait to share more of my project throughout the next few months. But first, a bit about myself…

Succeeding my graduation of high school in 2016 I decided to take a gap year in order to pursue my dream of competing in the Olympics for ski jumping. I thought doing so would free me of stress and would show what a committed athlete I was. If anything, only focusing on sport put even more pressure on me. I was constantly thinking about ski jumping. The lack of balance of sport and other hobbies left me feeling like I was being consumed by my sport. The winter leading up to the Olympics was the worst season I’d ever had. I felt completely drained and recognized I needed to make some changes.

I knew that I wanted to start something new along with my continued sport journey, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to apply for University just yet. I felt stuck. I was considering doing online school but didn’t know where to start. That’s when I met with my Game Plan advisor, Cara, who gave me several options for school along with some kind-hearted advice. Something I really respect and value about Cara is that she always asks me how I’m doing, not just in terms of sport, but also in my day-to-day life. Cara gave me contact information for an advisor at the University of Calgary and also introduced me to edX. edX is an online learning website that offers tons of different University courses. The thing that really caught my eye about edX is that you could take a course from nearly any University in the world. There was a course on evolution from the University of Kyoto, Japan! While edX courses can’t be used as University credits, Cara told me it was a great way to dip my foot in the water; to find something I enjoyed and to maybe have a better idea of what I’d like to study in the future.

I immediately went home after that meeting and logged into Game Plan to see more of what they offer and to uncover more details on edX. I was still tentative to take an online course, as I’d never done one before and it had been a while since I’d done any school. Cara was really helpful, assuring me that it was my decision and that she would offer me support in whatever I chose. After looking at the extensive lists on edX’s website there was one that stood out in particular… To be continued!