Tess Coady: ‘It’s not falling over, it’s progressing’

Olympic bronze medallist Tess Coady, a talent who snowboards as though she knows the world is at her feet, gives an involuntarily shrug of the shoulders while discussing a personal philosophy that’s been shaped by her sport’s unforgiving, and indiscriminate, knocks.

“If you’re not falling, you’re not progressing,” said the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete of the setbacks and injuries that are part of her passion.

However, the 25-year-old, acknowledges with an unbridled enthusiasm the role snowboarding – and those involved in it – have played in moulding her as an individual.

“Snowboarding is kind of the whole reason I’m the person that I am now,” she says proudly. “I spend so much of my life in the mountains and around winter people – I just love it.

“It’s so good; such a fun sport where you have so much, like, freedom in your self-expression on your snowboard. I’ve definitely had challenges and stuff with it . . . the ups and downs.

“Injuries are definitely a pretty challenging thing [Coady tore her ACL at the 2018 Olympics and needed a shoulder reconstruction last year]. I think when you’re in, like, the world of winter sport – sport – it’s something you accept is part of it.

“In this world of extreme sport, you sort of know that it’s likea risk factor.  It’s definitely been challenging some of that stuff, but I think it’s also like been really good fuel for me to come back stronger or have something to prove.

“It’s a bit of a game of luck [injuries] in some instances. But . . . I don’t know . . . if you’re not falling, you’re not progressing. So, you kind of need to, like, play that game.”

But then, of course, there’s the adrenaline rush that ensures Coady, and those of her ilk, keep coming back for more as soon as they can.

“Screamingdown the mountain is super fun,” she says smiling at the image playing in her mind.

“It’s pretty crazy when you think about it sometimes because you can get going really fast, and if it’s not a super-like perfectly groomed run, you can kind of go bouncing down which can be a bit scary.

“It’s thrilling and scary because you just, you’re moving so fast and it can take not much to, like, throw you off, but if it doesn’t, it’s really fun. There’s a lot of wind going past you . . . you’re moving really quick, so it’s fun. [And] the board can definitely get to a point where it feels like part of your body; that’s such a good feeling when you get to that point.”

Coady said her interest in snowboarding was piqued during a trip to the US when she was 14 and she watched from the crowd the athletes who finished on the Dew Tour’s podium received their prizes.

“I thought I could have a chance at being a pro snowboarder,” she said of witnessing the spectacle. “Being able to see that, like super close up, made it feel like [it was] something that I could do as well.”

Eight years later, Coady captured the Australian public’s attention when the bronze medal she won at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was draped over her neck.

“The bronze medal . . . that was pretty awesome,” she coos. “Like, it was such a cool experience being there with the whole team and then walking away with a medal.

“It’s definitely like a dream come true sort of situation. It’s so cool being able to go and compete at the Olympics; being there and being around people that I really love. I spend a lot of time with a lot of the athletes, so that was probably one of the most special parts about it – getting to win the medal and then celebrating it with my friends.

“I’m looking forward to Milano Cortina. I love Livigno, which is where the slopestyle events are going to be. It’s such a beautiful town and I’ve had some really great memories there.”

Despite her many triumphs, Coady said if there is one legacy she’s proud of it’s being a beacon for the next generation of female winter sport athletes.

“It’s really cool seeing the younger riders come through now, especially the female riders and sort of I always think it’s really cool when you see them and they’ve got great sponsors and they’re winning prize money and stuff like that,” she said.

“And, yeah, I don’t know . . . I guess I hope that I helped sort of make thathappen and make that change a bit.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS