Photograph by Jocelyne Hebert

By Rebecca Lesser

Grab your favourite beverage and settle into your comfiest chair—peak armchair athlete season is upon us! Viewers from around the world tune in to appreciate the athleticism and competition on display at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Join the celebration by reading Alberta-based IMPACT magazine’s cover story “Pride & Joy,” featuring Canadian taekwondo athlete Skylar Park. Guest editor Chelsea Clarke traces Park’s long family history in the sport, and poignantly describes the overwhelming pressure she faced as “the new face of taekwondo” at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

“The Olympics are a completely different atmosphere than any other competition—the stakes are higher, the pressure is higher,” says Park. “Physically, you can be 100 per cent ready—but if you’re not ready to deal with those pressures and expectations, the rest of your preparation doesn’t matter.”

Learn more about the challenges Park has overcome, and her strength and optimism as she goes for gold at Paris 2024, in IMPACT magazine’s 2024 Summer Outdoor & Travel Issue.

Does all this Olympics spirit have you excited to cheer on a global competition in person? Flip through the magazine to “The Great Canadian Gran Fondo” and learn about a global cycling adventure taking place August 11, 2024 right here in beautiful Strathcona County, Alberta.