Kira Lengkeek will soon be competing again on the international stage as the Airdrie snowboarder has recently been in the United States, training and competing.

Getting her first taste of local competition last weekend, Lengkeek rode to a gold medal for the first Alberta Snowboard Association event of the Southern Alberta Series at Canada Olympic Park.

"It was a really nice change to be home and competing with all the local kids again."

World renowned snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White was also at COP a few days prior to the competition, training for his upcoming stops on the Dew Tour and at the X-Games.

"It was really interesting being able to ride with Shaun White," said Lengkeek. "Seeing him come all the way down to Calgary just kind of makes me realize how thankful I should be for the halfpipe and how thankful I am for it."

Before returning to Canada, Lengkeek was south of the border in Colorado chasing snow and getting as much training time as she could before competing on the Rev Tour (Revolution Tour), which will see her compete at Mammoth Mountain in California at the end of the month.

"The Rev Tour is kind of similar to the Dew Tour but it's more the amateur version of it, so I won't be competing with all the pros from the X-Games and the Olympics but more the upcoming riders that will be there in a couple years."

Lengkeek cherished her experiences so far in Colorado getting a chance to meet up with some old friends while also elevating her performance in the pipe.

"It was really cool to be down there training with a lot of people that were down in China with me last year for Junior Worlds, and I'll hopefully get to see most of them out in Lillehammer, Norway again later this season."

The grade 12 George McDougall student placed 5th at Junior Worlds in China last year, securing one spot for Canada at the 2016 Youth Olympics in Norway.

Grateful to have performed so well in China, Lengkeek is proud to be the lone halfpipe athlete competing for Canada at the Youth Olympics, and competing in the same spot she earned just over a year ago.

Not letting the experience and pressure get to her head, the local teenager is just excited to be able to competing at such a high level and doing something she loves.

"It's amazing that I'm able to do all these things and that I'm so young and it's already taken me on so many different adventures, so many new places, it's introduced to me so many people. It's definitely made me realize that I have so much time to do this, because a lot of riders honestly do peak when they're a bit older, and I'm still really young so it makes me realize how much I have ahead of me, and that I can go anywhere with it."

Lengkeek says all the training and competitions can become overwhelming at times but that her coach, friends, and family help keep her mind in the right place.

"It's a little bit stressful honestly, but my coach has been able to keep me calm about it and made me realize what's really important - being around friends, being happy, having fun, rather than being the best."

The Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway kick off February 12th and run through to the 21st.

Bradley Jones - airdrienews@goldenwestradio.com