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72 BCBUSINESS MARCH 2020 THE BRICKMAN (LEFT); ISTOCK who grew up in Victoria, represented Canada at World Cup and other international events in the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Our kids are in ski lessons because it's something we can do with them. We do it on weekends, leave the city behind," Dorazio says, adding that she has to be careful not to overdo it on the hill. "But I'm naturally more extreme at it than others, and I have other things to think about than throwing myself down a mountain," she adds, laughing. Dorazio admits that she misses the competi- tive element that came with being a pro athlete. But she's been able to harness it in her current career by climbing up the ranks of one of Van- couver's most prestigious investment firms. "What snowboarding taught me was an ability to dedicate to and focus on something and achieve results," she explains. "Be- cause I had more formal schooling than some peo- ple that were in the snow- board setting, that was a little more easily translat- able for me," she says of leveraging a BComm from UVic, plus an MBA from Boston College, after hang- ing up her board. "But with that confi- dence that snowboarding gave me, ultimately it was a career in itself and had very strategic decisions and setbacks," Dorazio notes. "That really did eventually translate into some initial success and the way I navigated my early career in finance." She also acknowl- edges that she got into snowboarding at the right time, before it had really established itself on the world stage. "It was a time at the infancy of the sport that I was fortunate to be able to participate in and get to the level that I was with a real core group of people in North America, all together at the same time and place in the sport," she recalls. "It wouldn't be avail- able in the way it was then today in any ca- pacity," Dorazio adds. "Whether it's the matu- rity of the sport, the way you get into it is much more formalized. Being an Olympic sport, the types of coaching and training those Canadian teams do, that didn't ex- ist back then." And these days, she'd probably argue that her fitness regimen is almost as tough as it used to be. "I want to be honest—it's a big accomplishment just to get outside with your children at the ages I have right now," Dorazio says. "Sometimes I'm carrying everyone up a hill and pushing an empty stroller at the same time." • A F T E R HO U R S GLOW NORTH The best places to see aurora borealis, according to Yukon Territory's Northern Lights Centre, are small northern communities not subject to light pollution—like Fort Nelson, which holds its Northern Lights Fes- tival March 12 to 21. The 10-day event is packed with cultural activities, First Nations culinary tastings, hill sliding, snowman building, a farm and distillery tour, an overnight trip to Liard Hot Springs Lodge, a sled dog adventure, and a snowmobile lesson and trail ride. Oh, and great views of the Northern Lights. Full festival package, including transfer from Fort St. John or Fort Nelson airport, $1,299 BLOCK PARTY Lego blocks have been used to build models of everything from the Millennium Falcon to the Statue of Liberty. Now Australian Ryan (the BrickMan) McNaught, one of only a dozen certified Lego professionals in the world, is using them to make buildings: models of 20 iconic sky- scrapers for a Telus World of Science exhibit. Towers of Tomorrow With Lego Bricks includes Toronto's CN Tower, New York City's Chrysler Building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the Tokyo Skytree and more. Until September 7, public admission $18.10-$27.15, children under two no charge • BCBUSINESS provides quality, need-to-know business content, reaching busy professionals when and how they need it. BCBUSINESS.CA TWIT TER FACEBOOK LINKEDIN eNEWSLET TER MAGAZINE EVENTS