Family of ski cross athlete who died in Squamish raising money to help others
Posted October 4, 2019 12:26 pm.
Last Updated October 4, 2019 12:33 pm.
SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) – The family of a national ski cross athlete who died in Squamish this week is thanking everyone who has contributed to setting up a scholarship in her memory.
22-year-old Mikayla Martin was killed in a mountain biking accident in the backcountry, near her home, on Tuesday.
Her aunt, Julie Martin, has started a GoFundMe campaign to support young athletes like her niece when they’re just starting out.
“Becoming an elite athlete is not just a lot of hard work, there’s a lot of expenses involved,” she says. “In Mikayla’s memory we wanted to be able to assist other young new athletes that share the dreams that she had.”
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Before she died, Martin had qualified for the World Cup circuit and was preparing for her debut season at that elite level.
The Mikayla Martin Memorial Fund has already hit its $10,000 target, and the family is now considering expanding that goal to create a longer-lasting scholarship fund.
“We are just absolutely humbled and overwhelmed by the response that we’ve received so far. It’s a tremendous tribute to Mikayla that so many people have reached out from all over the country and all over the world to contribute to turning her life into this type of legacy,” Julie Martin says.
