Who inspires you? A question we've asked our community here at Coalition Snow to recognize the amazing women we look up to and are inspired by.
To celebrate and commemorate a wonderful women’s history month we asked the women of our community at Coalition Snow about the women who inspire them.
Women, particularly in snow sports are often left without many role models or people who look like them and that needs to change. For the women who are in this sport despite the lack of space created for them, their role models, inspirations and supporters are so important. So we took the chance to catch up with our community and find out who inspired them to be the bad-ass women they are today, and why. Check it out.
Charlotte (Senior Designer, Coalition Snow)
“My inspiration stems from the girls and women that I teach in my snowboard lessons. Their moxie and determination to seek joy, seek improvement, and seek to take up space make me want to show up as my best in everything I do on snow. I end all my lessons with women and girls by giving them a sticker that says “Ride Like Her” accompanied by my spiel on how someday they will be someone that somebody else will want to ride like. It brings me to tears more often than I would like to admit. It's a privilege and honor to spend my time with them and be a part of their snowboarding journey.”
Evin (Headmistress of the Coalition Clubhouse, Coalition Snow)
“My sister Kali is a woman who has always been an inspiration. As a kid I always wanted to do what she was doing, she is fearless. Even when I wouldn't do what she was doing because I was afraid, I was always looking up to her as my badass sister. She will jump off a cliff into water, ride a scary roller coaster and dig her feet into something that she wants. She has been an EMT for years and a few years ago she decided to become a firefighter. Despite so many hurdles and discrimination on varying levels, she didn't give up. This year she finally got into an academy, I would have given up, she inspires me to not give up and not take shit, especially from the boys clubs.”
Natasha (Ambassador, Coalition Snow)
“Tina Buffo, my mom, never told me “no” growing up, even when we couldn’t afford a lift ticket or a snowboard lesson. She was always herself - giddy with excitement each Christmas morning in her red pajamas, and the star of every dance floor, snapping fingers, bent knees and bobbing head, shuffling from one end to the other with style. Most of all, she cared - for me and my brother as a single mom, for my dad when he got sick, for all of my friends during sleepovers, for the homeless woman she invited to live with her, and even for my best friend’s newborn that she never met, but still crocheted a blanket for, with one arm, during her last month alive. Now, almost seven years since she died from cancer, whenever faced with a challenging decision, I think about how everyone remembers her for the love she gave and what an honor it would be to be remembered in that way. So, I choose to follow in her footsteps, and care for others, above anything else.”
Jacinta (Program & Content Coordinator, Coalition Snow)
"I don’t have a lot of role models who look like me, this is something I have struggled with most of my life. So strong role models in my life are extremely important and in some ways I’ve had to dive into the deep end with many things as I haven’t seen many people who look like me doing the things I want to do. I couldn’t do these things without a support, love and knowing that I have people who believe in me. Being lucky enough to receive this unconditional love and support, it’s something I want to do for others. I learned this from my Grandmother. I am inspired everyday by my grandmother. She is truly the center and core of our family - the matriarch. I have made a lot of decisions in my life to travel, move and explore and though she doesn’t always understand my choices, she always supports them and allows me to be daring because I know she will be there supporting me. She encourages me to be myself and fight for what I believe in and I owe a lot of my achievements to this support.”
Heidi Hoang (Ambassador, Coalition Snow)
"I never had to look too far to find inspiration. I have always been surrounded by strong women since I was born… but my mom has definitely played a key role. My mom taught my sister and I how to be independent. Led by example, we grew up making our own choices and not depending on others. I’m grateful to have her and my sister in my life."
