SALT, Michelle

Michelle Salt is the newest addition to the para-snowboard national team. Salt, who was born in Edmonton but nowlives in Calgary, joined the team in 2013. She trains with Evolve Snowboard Club at Calgary Olympic Park and Lake Louise, Alta.

When shes not training, she enjoys other sports such as cycling, wakeboarding and kayaking. She also spends time speaking for STARS (the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) and Canadian Blood services as a patient/recipient.

Salt, 29, is relatively new to the para-snowboard world. She lost her right leg above the knee in a near-fatal motorcycle accident in June 2011 and became determined to participate one day in the Paralympic Games.

Snowboarding has always been a passion of mine, so it made sense to turn that love in to a medal someday, she says. It was such an incredible feeling to get back on the board after hearing it may never happen again.

Doctors told Salts family after the accident that a large part of her survival was the strong condition of her heart, doctors said. She is now a passionate advocate for blood donation as she lost a great deal of blood and would not have survived without receiving donated blood.

She is also a sales rep for a propane company, a realtor and a motivational speaker. She hopes to compete in cycling at the summer Paralympic Games.

Courtesy of the Canadian Paralympic Committee