Youngest skier to ever join Canada's freestyle team is from Oro-Medonte
Oro-Medonte is home to one of Canada's rising stars in freestyle skiing, who happens to be the youngest to join the national team at 14 years old.
Charlie Beatty not only took gold at his first NorAm ski event but also beat some of his Olympian idols to do it.
"I've been dreaming of being on this team competing for my country since I started skiing. So to be finally here, it's really cool to be a part of it and skiing with the guys I grew up looking up to," Charlie said.
Charlie Beatty (C) stands on the podium at Copper Mountain in Colorado where he won his first NorAm event. (Supplied)
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
"I strongly believe Charlie Beatty is the future of freestyle skiing and will be representing Canada at the Olympics one day," said Team Canada Coach Geoff Lovelace.
"It's surreal, really," his mom, Paula Beech, said. "We have watched him since the age of two ski at this hill at Horseshoe Resort."
But Charlie's rise has come with sacrifices, including giving up hockey.
"It was hard for sure, especially at a young age, trying to figure out what I want to do, and I knew whatever I chose, I would be doing it for a long time, so it was hard to kind of think of the long run too," Charlie said.
Charlie Beatty, 14, beside his mom, Paula Beech, at Horseshoe Resort on Tues., March 14, 2023. (CTV News/Ian Duffy)
Swapping his hockey skates for skis was only the first change.
From homeschooling to the tens of thousands of dollars his unpaid dream costs each year, it's taken a community to get him to this point.
"They've really supported my career and my family and my friends and my parents. They've helped out a lot. I definitely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all these people," Charlie said.
Despite his early success, Charlie likes to volunteer at amateur ski events to help grow the sport.
And the teen continues to dream big, with hopes of one day hearing announcers calling his name at the X games and the Olympics.
Follow Charlie's journey on his Instagram page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.