Illawarra student chasing her Winter Olympic dream after becoming the youngest female to represent Australia
As an Aussie winter athlete, Marci Davis-Cook faces a tough challenge of living in a country that doesn’t really snow. With just one or two fresh dumps of snow each year, The Illawarra Grammar School student is forced to adapt to our warmer climate by improvising and being creative with her training regime, as well as having to spend months overseas away from family and friends in order to actually train on the slopes.
Her effort, sacrifice and determination is already paying off, with Marci being selected as the youngest female to represent Australia in snowboard cross at the 2024 Junior World Championships.
How it all started
Marci has fond memories of the snow from an early age, having fun sliding down the slopes between her mum's legs at just two years old. Her passion grew through the Illawarra Alpine Club, where she learned to ski and snowboard and began competing in interclub events.
Despite initially not being a fan of snowboarding, that changed when her brother started to take it seriously. She was determined to be better at it than him, and wanted to win the race in her family to be the first to wear the green and gold. Her mum ended up taking that honour, representing Australia in masters hockey, so Marci is now committed to wearing it the most.
What it takes to compete in a winter sport
In order to compete in her sport, Marci maximises her training opportunities throughout the year adapting to what’s available to her at the time. When she’s at home on the South Coast of NSW away from the snow, her training starts early morning before school at the gym focussing on exercises that will benefit her on the slopes, with evenings spent running, dancing and playing hockey to maintain her fitness. She’s also spending time learning about nutrition, mindset and leadership thanks to The Illawarra Academy of Sport.
During the months with access to the snow, Marci makes the most of the opportunity spending hours training on the mountain along with intense gym sessions. She also has to balance this with the demands of Year 12, which her school has made possible with online learning when she’s away overseas.
Making her mark on the world stage
Representing Australia at the Junior World Championships in Georgia gave Marci a real taste of what it feels like to compete on the world stage and fuelled her determination for more. She has also landed podium finishes in the 2023-24 Europa Cup in Czechia and the 2023 North America Cup Circuit.
The Edstart Achievement Award is helping Marci continue her journey to become the best in her sport, with the award grant supporting her campaign to compete at the 2025 Junior World Championships in France. She's on track to achieve her ultimate goal of representing Australia at the 2030 Winter Olympic Games.
To learn more about the Edstart Achievement Award Program, visit edstart.com.au/award.
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Edstart is an education fee management company helping schools improve the payment experience with family care and technology. We offer comprehensive fee solutions that enable schools to increase payment flexibility for families without the added complexity and workload.
To see how we can help you, visit our main website.
Find out more