Back when there was talk on the street about slopestyle making its way into the 2014 Olympics, all of a sudden seeking out that perfect triple kink at an old forgotten playground became considered cross-training for the avid park rider. In a world where trick consistency and variation is now a hotter topic than when JP Walker filmed his entire video segment switch, competition results have become the crucial deciding factor on which a snowboarder is and isn't on the Canada~Snowboard National Team. But what happens once you are slotted for the team? Is it much different than being that unknown, about-to-blow-up rapper who has just cut an EP said to rival Jay-Z, but doesn't have the dough to buy a few cold ones, let alone go on tour? Pretty much.

Catching up with Leo Addington, the freestyle director for Canada~Snowboard, he suggests that if you were to follow the recommended schedule to secure your spot for Canada, you should have access to at least $25-30K before you start packing your bags to come along for the ride. He further explains that Canada's National Team is funded through Own The Podium which helps support their athletes financially for everything from coaching and physiotherapy to training and competitions. However, on top of this funding, eight Athlete Assisted Program cards (AAP) were also recently guaranteed to slopestyle riders for this current season. The AAP is Sport Canada funded, so it's governmental sports funding, whereas Canada puts a certain amount into athlete assistance sports programs on top of what Own the Podium already does. Given the carding, Canada~Snowboard asks their athletes to do a budget for the season, and then these funds are automatically deposited into their accounts to be used towards training, travelling to competitions, training camps, competition-entry fees, etc. Better yet? It's tax-free.

The 2010 Billabong Ante Up podium says it all (L to R): Matts Kulisek (2nd), Seb Toots (1st), Mark McMorris (3rd)

Out of the eight cards available, without hesitation, the two snowboarders with triple corks on lock, Seb Toutant and Mark McMorris, were given the top spots. Spencer O'Brien, Julien Beaulieu, Robby Balharry, Antoine Truchon, Jon Versteeg, and Tyler Nicholson were also chosen. Although Toutant and McMorris have accepted spots on the Pro Team, Canada~Snowboard is proud to acknowledge that both Toutant and McMorris decided to pass their AAP cards onto two other riders that would need the extra funding more, which in turn opens the doors to Matts Kulisek and Breanna Stangeland.

"It means a lot to me that Mark and Seb turned down their cards," says Stangeland, who competed well in last season's Billabong's Flaunt It contest series. "The funding came as a huge surprise to me, and I'm so grateful I was chosen after them. Last season, the National Team just seemed to be a rumour, but I had a pretty good idea that there was going to be one if slopestyle was accepted into the Olympics. I spent most of last year just making sure I had some good results, in hopes that I could be considered for the team. I'm finally feeling like my hard work is paying off, and it feels really rewarding."

Breanna Stangeland. Langmann photo.

Stangeland's lifestyle has definitely changed since being added to the team. Instead of staying in Whistler most of the season and just working and riding, she'll be travelling a lot more and paying a lot more attention to her health and diet.

"Being on the National Team, contests and training are my main focus, and as any snowboarder knows it is not cheap to travel around and snowboard. It gets stressful thinking about paying for plane tickets, hotel rooms and coaching. This AAP funding is going to help so much with all of that, and now I plan on attending as many contests as I can this year: the World Cups, Burton Opens, hopefully some Dew Tour stops will be at the top of the list, as well as Billabong Flaunt it and the new Canadian Shield contest."

(keep reading for Matts Kulisek's reaction, and to learn more about the opportunities offered to these athletes)