Sara began skiing at age four when her parents decided she was old enough to ski the 28-kilometre trail into their backcountry mountain lodge.  She was soon enrolled in the Canmore Jackrabbit Ski League and started racing seriously at 14.  Now entering her 12th year on the Canadian Senior Team, Sara has established herself as one of the elite talents on the international scene. She first reached her ultimate goal of stepping onto an international podium in 2005 when she sprinted to a bronze-medal finish at the World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. This triumph laid the groundwork for a brilliant 2005-06 season in which she won four World Cup medals and captured Olympic silver with teammate Beckie Scott in the team sprint in Torino, Italy. The 2005-06 campaign also saw the culmination of a long-time dream shared by Sara and Beckie, when the World Cup tour touched down for two events on their home snow in Canada, including in Sara’s hometown of Canmore, Alta.

When not training or competing, Sara may be found spending time with husband and Canadian alpine skier, Thomas Grandi who also had a breakthrough season in 2005 claiming back-to-back World Cup gold medals. The couple welcomed their first child, Aria, while taking a year off in 2007, and now plans to pursue excellence in motherhood and on the snow. A consummate competitor, the new mother plans to return to the cross-country ski track to compete on home snow this year for the final journey towards the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

As an elite athlete, Sara’s motivation comes from her pure love for the sport, the lifestyle and the team relationships built along the way.  Her sources of inspiration are Terry Fox, for his relentless perseverance, and coach Dave Wood for his unwavering belief in his athletes.  In her spare time, Sara enjoys being a mother, practicing being an amateur barista for her friends, gardening and going for adventures in the backcountry.  The environment is a passion for Sara and Thomas and they have joined with the David Suzuki Foundation to encourage athletes to reduce consumption and to buy carbon offsets for their air travel. After her racing career, Sara hopes to be a sports journalist and to run a backcountry operation.  Whatever Sara ends up doing, her athletic career has taught her the importance of being a part of something she believes in.

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