OH! Magazine - Australian Version June 2015 | Page 9

nowboarder Torah Bright tells me
that Christmas 2014 was the first
in 15 years that she spent on Aussie soil
with family and friends. For most of us
mere mortals, that’s hard to imagine, but
Torah is no ordinary Australian. Born in
Cooma, her close proximity to the Snowy
Mountains had her on skis as soon as she
could walk, snowboarding at 11 and
turning professional at 14.

Chasing white gold in the northern
hemisphere and calling Utah in the US
home may have something to do with her
extended absence. ‘I am just choosing to
have a life outside of my snowboard career
right now,’ she says when asked why the
Aussie Christmas.

S

Perhaps it also has something to do with
her appearance on last seasons’ Dancing
With The Stars, which unfortunately saw
her drop out of the competition after
injuring her toe. Saying yes to the
competition and the criticism that comes
with it, she admits, took a lot of courage.
But courage is something that Torah has in
abundance.
‘I can be goofy in front of my friends but
on National TV it was extremely challenging
to portray emotions and try and bring out
these
different
personas
in
the
performances,’ adding that it’s also tough
being judged on something that’s not her
forte.
‘I saw a lot of growth in myself that I never
thought I would get from this show,’ she
explains. ‘I thought I was signing up to
dance and that was it. I didn’t give much
thought to the whole performance side of
things and showbiz.’

It seems that no matter what she is doing,
she’s having fun doing it. ‘I need to make
it fun so I’m able to really enjoy it and get
the most out of myself.’

pro snowboarder Jake Welch. ‘I didn’t want
it to be part of my life story, but I chose
me and my happiness,’ saying she had to
accept it as part of her life.

Torah is nothing short of realistic, admitting
that ‘Life isn’t all fairy tales and gumdrops,’
saying ‘It’s important to share the hard
things in life. You’re either given lessons or
blessings and on your journey, sometimes
you find your lessons are blessings.’

www.tonikrasicki.com.au

TONI
KRASICKI

Living authentically, and trying to tap into
the beat of her own heart is a motto that
Torah lives by, saying that she has always
looked outside of the box and tried to
better herself in other ways then the norm.

Releasing her autobiography It Takes
Courage in 2014, Torah hopes that by
sharing the good and the bad of her
journey it may help to connect with others
experiencing similar circumstances.
‘I’m not afraid to be real. I’m a strong
believer in sharing – sharing is caring,’ she
injects. ‘People sharing with me has
helped me in my life. I was able to connect
with them and realise that I wasn’t the only
one that felt that way.’
When first approached to put pen to paper,
her initial thoughts were ‘No, I don’t want
to do that - my career isn’t over, my life is
just beginning!’ However, it was her sister
that encouraged her to share her story and
write the book.
‘Writing the introduction, I really found a
want and a purpose for writing it, which
was pretty much to put down on paper my
story for my family,’ says Torah. ‘There’s
power, I think, in sharing stories and family
history. And I hope my family and family to
come will be able to enjoy it.’
The book explores personal challenges
including those with her brother/coach and
her marriage breakdown with American

‘My parents had always said “just do your
best and work as hard as you can and
when you do your best and put everything
on the line you can’t be upset if you aren’t
the best”,’ she adds.
Embarking on a professional career at
such a young age has taught Torah the
skills of running her own business and also
has given her the courage to live life the
way she wants, saying that in the
snowboarding world she was a lone wolf
for a while.
‘When I started my snowboarding career
and started to be quite competitive I never
did the trickery (snowboard stunts) that
the other girls were doing just because
they were doing it.’
These days Torah doesn’t spend much
time dwelling on the past nor does she
take much notice of how well-known she
is, although she does get a buzz when
people want to chat about snowboarding.
‘But really,’ she says, ‘I’m just a girl in the
world doing her thing.’
Torah’s autobiography
It Takes Courage ($26.99,
New Holland Publishers)
is out now.

( OH! MAGAZINE ) JUNE 2015

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