Following a season of many firsts, Maia Schwinghammer is on the path to securing something much bigger.
After standing on the World Cup and World Championship podium for the first time, Schwinghammer has kept her eye on the goal she has sought after since 2010: representing Saskatchewan on the Olympic stage.
“It’s always been the biggest dream for me. It’s been everything. My dad worked at the 2010 Olympics and I was able to watch the moguls event there, that was sort of my inspiration. Watching Jennifer Heil win a silver medal in 2010, it was sort of my ah-ha moment that I wanted to do this,” said Schwinghammer.
As a freestyle skier from Saskatoon, Schwinghammer dedicated a lot of time in the pursuit of her dream and made the national team by 16, which offered her new experiences away from the prairies.
During her career, Schwinghammer has been no stranger to podium finishes, but this season, reaching the podium meant more than receiving a medal. She opened the World Cup circuit with a bronze medal in Sweden and only continued to push her abilities from there.
In what become the best season of her career, Schwinghammer took the first step toward Milano-Cortina 2026 at the Val St-Côme World Cup, in Quebec.
“A win on a home course, in front of a home crowd was unbelievable and it being an event that counts toward the Games was pretty special. Knowing that I just needed one more podium like at the Livigno Olympic test event or World Championships, was pretty nice to have that sort of out of the way.”
Claiming gold in Val St-Côme — notably one of the hardest courses of the season — gave Schwinghammer a taste of winning and was her driving force through the remainder of the World Cup circuit.
Immediately following her win, Schwinghammer secured third place in Deer Valley, Utah. From there, she received various other results, counting down the events that stood between her and the chance to take another step closer to Olympic glory.
She went into the World Championship in Switzerland, knowing it was her last chance to pre-qualify for Milano-Cortina 2026 and aimed to get the weight of the unknown off her chest.
In the moguls event Schwinghammer achieved just what she wanted to, landing herself third on the podium with 240 points, enough to wrap her season on a high.
“I was really happy to get the bronze and it being a World Championship, my first World Championship medal, was pretty cool. That’s definitely the moment of realizing ‘Wow, I just pre-qualified for the Olympics!’ It was pretty special,” shared Schwinghammer.
Although she accumulated four medals throughout the season, only two hold the honour of being a ticket to different opportunities in the 2025-26 season.
The Olympic qualification process is complex, with various opportunities available for athletes to earn a spot at the Games. With her current pre-qualification, Schwinghammer will need to post a top-16 World Cup result next season to be considered for a spot on the Canadian Olympic Committee nomination list.
With the chance of making an Olympic Games looming in the future, it is more than the desire of medalling for Schwinghammer that draws her to the Games.
“To be where I am now is quite special. You know, coming from Saskatchewan and it not being a prime place for skiing, let alone freestyle skiing. Just to have come this far,” said Schwinghammer. “I hope me going to the Olympics can just only inspire more girls and more kids to get out there and just know that they have shot, even if they’re just kids from Saskatchewan.”