If you are looking for the definition of an all-star athlete, look no further than Team Alberta cross country skier, Kristen Hudson.

At the young age of 12, Kristen and her family decided to take up cross country skiing together and they fell in love with it.

After her sister Megan started racing, Kristen decided to try it too and she has never looked back.

“My sister is the one who inspired me to start competing in cross-country skiing. She went to the Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships many times. Megan encouraged me to train with her.”

That same year Kristen signed up for Special Olympics and it is something that she claims she has enjoyed every minute of.

Once again Kristen has earned her spot on Team Alberta and her experience will surely be an asset as she races along the trails in Thunder Bay in February.

This will be her fourth straight appearance at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, which is an incredible feat.

She competed in Quebec City in 2008, St. Albert in 2012, and Corner Brook in 2016.

At her most recent Nationals experience Kristen was able to put it all together and found great success winning gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Kristen was able to carry that momentum into the World Games in Austria as a member of Team Canada in 2017, taking home a gold in team relay and a bronze in the 2.5km race.

Now 37, Kristen is looking to extend her winning streak to Thunder Bay and make Worlds again.

“I want to do my best and try to not be too nervous,” says Kristen. “I would like to get gold medals and hope to go to the next Special Olympics World Winter Games.”

Even in her14th year with Special Olympics, Kristen is loving competing continues to get better.

She is training out of her hometown of Edmonton with the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club.

There she is doing dryland training all over the city at Gold Bar Park, Hawrelak Park, and the Edmonton Ski Hill.

In the winter time, Kristen does most of her training at Gold Bar, where she also trains with Special Olympics.

Kristen has been specifically focusing on improving one part of her game in preparation for Nationals.

“One skate, it’s a technique used to go very quickly when skate skiing.”

But the best part of Kristen’s game is her ability to offset, which is a technique that helps skiers climb hills more effectively.

The coaches helping Kristen achieve those goals are Ember Large, who is a coach at the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club, and Chris Field, who is a coach with Special Olympics Alberta-Edmonton.

Kristen says she’s happy and proud to represent Alberta again.

She will be looking to defend some of her medals from the last Nationals, as well as getting back to Worlds for Team Canada.

Join us in wishing Kristen the best of luck for Team Alberta in Thunder Bay!

Visit https://www.specialolympics.ca/2020-team-alberta to stay up-to-date with all things Team Alberta 2020. And to check out what is going on in Kristen’s local affiliate, Edmonton click here.

Friends and family should follow this link to find out how they can attend games and you can cheer on the Wolfpack by picking up your Team Alberta 2020 cheer gear!

Join the pack and support the team through fundraising initiatives like Draft an Athlete or Personal Best.

Also, be sure to check out http://specialolympics2020.com/ for all the latest news updates regarding the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay from February 25 – 29.