Portrait of a smiling young person with orange hair, wearing a black t-shirt with a white maple leaf emblem and the words 'Ontario Snowboard' on it. Background features smoky effects, a large snowflake graphic, and text that says 'Cally Lemmex' with 'Cally' crossed out in red.

About Me

My name is Caily Lemmex. I am a competitive Snowboard Cross (SBX) athlete on the Ontario High Performance Team. I live in Dunrobin, Ontario and train at Mont Ste. Marie Quebec with Club Prestige.

I train year round to compete in SBX at the highest level possible. I turned 16 in 2026 and was able to start competing on the international circuit as a FIS athlete. I managed to collect enough FIS points podiuming at 2 Canadian FIS races and finishing top 10 in 4 continental FIS races (NORAMs) to qualify to race at the FIS Junior World Championships in St. Moritz Switzerland. While there, I also raced in my first European Cup race. I loved the bigger tracks.

In 2025 I finished my stint in U15 as the Canadian Junior SBX Champion as well as the Ontario and Quebec Provincial Champ.. in 2024 and 2025 I was nominated for Female SBX Athlete of the Year by Quebec Snowboard. In 2024 and 2025 I was chosen as Ottawa Sport Athlete of the year for snowboarding.

The summer of 2024 I started cross-training by BMX racing with Nepean BMX. I ranked nationally and provincially in my first season. In 2025 I came first in the Ontario Provincial Final for girl’s cruiser and 3rd in 15 co-ed intermediate class.

In October 2025 I also did my first Ontario Powerlifting competition and came 1st in the Sub-Junior age category and lifting enough total weight (798.15 lbs) to rank me third for all women.

My goal for 2027:

I am focused on increasing my speed and refining my technique so I can continue to qualify at NORAM races in Canada and the US. I’d really like to Podium at the Canada Winter Games and make it to a big finals in at least 1 NORAM this year.

My long term goal: I want to race well enough to qualify for the 2027 SBX Jr World Cup, the 2028 Youth Olympics, the SBX World Cup, and the 2030 Winter Olympics.

I also want to be a firefighter one day.

Follow my FIS progress

MY STORY

I was born in Vietnam in 2010. I lived in an orphanage until 2011 when my mom found me and brought me “home” to Canada where I saw snow for the first time. Yeha!

See it   

A woman and a young girl are smiling and looking at each other, sharing a joyful moment indoors.

Check out my vlog to see the first time I ever saw, felt or stood on snow. Who knew what that would lead to.

Dream it

A young girl with black hair, smiling and holding a long ski in a room with red chairs and people in the background.

I was born a couple weeks before the 2010 Winter Olympics and still have the Canada team sweater hanging over my bed. Watching the Olympics is awesome. I’d love to compete at that level one day.

My mom loves sports and makes sure I try lots of different ones. She had me on hockey skates at 18 months and skis at 2. Of course she wanted me to play hockey and soccer (her sports) but I had other plans.

Try it

A young girl in a swimsuit stands on a diving board with her arms raised above her head at an indoor swimming pool, preparing to dive into the water. The pool has multiple lanes with swimmers and spectators are seated on the side.
A young child in a black sports jersey with pink socks standing on a grassy field near a soccer ball, with a soccer goal, orange cones, and other children playing in the background under a clear blue sky.
Two young hockey players in black and yellow jerseys on the ice rink with a coach or official in the background, inside an arena with red seats and advertising boards.
Young skateboarder wearing a helmet and yellow shirt inside a concrete skate bowl with graffiti on the wall.
A young girl smiling and wearing a medal around her neck, standing in a bathroom.

The first time I won a medal I was hooked. There is nothing like it.

I don’t like losing. But I know that losing means I’m trying - and learning.

Feel it

Young girl wearing a red bandana and sports jersey sitting in a stadium with red seats, looking upset.

Find it

A young person in winter clothing, including a camouflage jacket, bright green helmet, and gloves, is mid-air on a snowboard in a snowy outdoor skate park with a snow bank and trees in the background.

In 2017 I tried snowboarding for the first time and my world changed. I LOVED IT.

My first instructors were Breen and Michelle from Mount Pakenham - my hometown hill. They gave me the confidence to try my first freestyle competition and Dual Banked Slalom (Ok. My mom also bribed me with candy - but it worked).

The next year I met Cassandra Smith who ran the the Akademy Snowboard team in Ottawa before becoming Head Coach for Nova Scotia Snowboard. She helped me develop and introduced me to boardercross - winning two silver medals… Cassandra saw that I liked going fast - and I was pretty good at it.

Four people in snowboarding gear celebrating on a snowy slope with trees and cloudy sky in the background. A yellow banner with part of the text 'BASKET' and a yellow cone with items are visible on the left side.
A young person smiling and holding a snowboard medal in a snowy outdoor parking area.

Build it

Group of people in ski gear posing on snow-covered ground with mountains and pine trees in the background.

In 2021-22, I joined the Club Prestige SBX team at Mont Ste. Marie. My coaches and teammates are amazing. I’m learning so much and having a blast.

I love training on the weekends and doing to all the Quebec and Ontario SBX races with my team.

Kids and teens skating on a snow-covered ramp at a snowboarding event in a winter forest setting.

Believe it

A snowboarder racing down a snowy course with red safety fencing and colorful flags, including Ontario Snowboard flags, in a wooded area.

In 2022-23 I kept learning and pushing myself.

Snowboarding helped me believe in myself - which has changed all areas of my life.

I have Tourettes Syndrome and a type of ADHD that can make things awkward for me and others. But on the hill, I don’t feel awkward at all. I feel free, focused and motivated. I believe anything is possible - and keep proving this to myself, my friends, my family and my community.

Three snowboarders standing on a podium at a snowy event, holding their awards. The person in the center has a red snowboard and is smiling, with a snowy backdrop and black banners with white logos behind them.

Achieve it

My personal goal was to make it onto the Ontario Provincial Team someday – and I did it in 2023! Wow - 2 years before I thought I would.

Now, I'm even more determined to get even stronger and better at snowboarding, with dreams of representing Canada at international events.

Keep watching my posts for updates on how my year is going.

A young man with dyed orange hair smiling, wearing a black Ontario Snowboard T-shirt, standing in front of a smoky red-black background with text about a provincial snowboarding team.
A group of young people in winter gear standing on snow and holding a banner that reads 'The Gathering Youth Performance Camp,' with snowy mountains and blue sky in the background.

Fuel it

2024 was a great year. I trained harder and competed more.

I raced 13 races and medaled in 12. I was nominated for SBX Female Athlete of the Year by Quebec Snowboard and won the Ottawa Sports Award for top snowboard athlete. What an honour.

In 2025 I was the U15 SBX National Champion, Quebec Champion and Ontario Champion. I also won the Ottawa Sports award again for top snowboard athlete.

In 2026 I started racing internationally as a FIS athlete. That was amazing. I made top 10 in 4 NORAM races, podiumed in 2 FIS races and qualified for the FIS Junior World Championships. It was an unreal year.

A young girl standing in front of a wall decorated with numerous medals, ribbons, and a motivational poster. The medals and ribbons indicate her achievements in snowboarding competitions. The poster displays empowering statements about her strength and dedication.
People exercising in a gym or indoor sports facility. One person is on the ground, while others assist. Text overlay states '115 kilograms = 253.532 pounds'. There are stickers and labels, including a cartoon character lifting weights and social media tags.
A young man with short black hair jumping on a trampoline indoors, wearing a blue t-shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers, with a trainer or volunteer watching nearby.
A man in a white t-shirt is performing a barbell squat with weights, while a woman in a blue shirt observes him at the gym. The gym has large windows and various exercise equipment.

Challenge it

In the summer of 2024 I was determined to build my cardio. Someone suggested BMX biking as a fun way to stay in shape. They were right.

I joined Nepean BMX and tried my first race in June 2024. In 2024 aND 2025 I competed and ranked locally, provincially and nationally.

Young person smiling and wearing a medal while standing with a BMX bike in an outdoor parking lot.
Person standing on a rock, smiling, in front of a purple wall with a large white maple leaf, holding two BMX race award signs.
BMX rider wearing a helmet and colorful jersey performing a jump on a dirt track.
Female powerlifter at a competition, preparing to lift a barbell with weights, indoors at Ottawa Strong event.

In the summer of 2025 I wanted to build my strength so I trained for, and competed in my first powerlifting competition where I won Gold in the Sub Junior category. The weight I lifted put me in 6th place in Canada.

Table showing the top-ranked female sub-junior powerlifters in the 84+ kg weight category for 2025, including their names, locations, weights, ages, and powerlifting totals, with Caily Lemmex highlighted in yellow.

The summer of 2026 is all about building my resilience and mental toughness. To help with this, I was presented with an incredible challenge: a 500km whitewater canoe trip along the Missinaibi River from source to James Bay (Arctic) to be completed in 36 days! Oh and I will be doing this with guides/teachers and 24 other grade 11/12 students that I have never met. Yikes.

This is a significant challenge to me as a female athlete. I will be forced to step well outside my comfort zone and live in Canada’s deep wilderness without technology or modern conveniences, relying solely on my body, skills and instincts to navigate the challenges that arise. I am terrified but also determined that this experience will translate into results on the SBX circuit. I’ll be building my resilience, physical conditioning, and mental toughness, while also improving my teamwork and communication skills. I figure, if I can handle this, bunking with competitors and flying 80km/hour down a mountain will be peanuts.

The added bonus: I’ll be learning about Canadian and First Nation history, geography and storytelling along a main Hudson’s Bay fur trade route. At the end I’ll test for 3 high school credits and hopefully lighten my winter semester so I’ll have more time to shred. Win-Win!

check out my Instagram video