We're sitting down with Ashleigh McIvor and Jay DeMerit, to talk about life as professional athletes and their relationship with money.
Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/07/2015 -- Ashleigh McIvor, age 30 is a newly retired Canadian skicross Olympic Champion currently residing in Whistler and Vancouver, BC. As the first gold medal winner of women's skicross in it's Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Games, Ashleigh has a very interesting story to tell about growing up in small town Whistler and being hurtled onto the world stage -- for Canada's Home Games.
Ashleigh's unique path to success began with her entry to ski racing at the age of 10 and progressed through the transition from alpine (where athletes race the clock) and into the sport she was clearly destined to represent her country in: skicross (where racers go head to head over jumps, berms and all sorts of varying terrain) at the relatively late age of 20. Ashleigh battled back from countless injuries to eventually become a dominant force on the World Cup circuit and at the X Games, before claiming her World Championship victory to qualify for the Olympic Games in her home town. She has always focused on finding joy in her sports has been able to carry that over to her career in broadcasting, modelling and public speaking.
Jay DeMerit is someone who can attest to the value of perseverance. After not making the professional leagues in the U.S., Jay left for Europe at the age of 23 without any professional experience – only a passport, $1500 and a backpack full of dreams.
Determined to join a team, he approached countless professional clubs throughout Europe for a chance to try-out. To make ends meet, he played in Sunday park leagues and lower level division London clubs earning only 40 pounds a week. He slept on floors and ate beans and toast in order to survive.
Eventually he joined a semi-professional team and after playing one game, earned his first professional contract. In 2007, DeMerit became the captain of the Watford FC team at the age of 27 (becoming the first US-born captain in the team's history).
DeMerit went from barely scraping by, to creating a legacy. He became an instant hero in England when he helped his team earn promotion to the English Premier league by scoring the "40 million pound goal", was one of the few players who got to play every minute of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the list goes on. His most recent post was as Captain of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC where he retired in 2014, transitioning into an ambassador role for the team.
While DeMerit has created much success in his prolific soccer career, he is also an avid entrepreneur. He started multiple online and brick and mortar companies, including co-founding Songwhale, a content-based technology company with offices worldwide. With his wife, the former Canadian Olympic gold medalist, Ashleigh McIvor, the two plan to start the Rise & Shine Retreat in the summer of 2015, in Pemberton Valley. The retreats will include a soccer program as well as facilities for corporate retreats, weddings, and other events, to fuel a charitable component enabling underprivileged youth to join in on the sports camps.
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