During snowboarding competitions, you'll typically find Cindy Chawner at the bottom of a slope waiting for her youngest daughter, Mia, to finish her run.
Not so this February when the mother and daughter duo will experience a Freaky Friday moment and see their roles reversed at Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
For the very first time, the former Royal Australian Air Force personal capability officer and operations officer will be the one carving up the slopes, while her husband, Terry, and daughter, nervously await her arrival.
By no means a novice on the snow, Cindy can see the irony in making her competition debut at an international adaptive sporting event attended by more than 500 competitors from 24 countries around the world.
"This is all pretty full-on for me," confided the daredevil mum of six and grandmother of nine.
"Even though I've never competed, I've snowboarded for years - purely recreationally of course.
"As a family, most of us either ski or snowboard, and one of the things I really like about these sports is that you can do it together or at your own pace.
"I will never be at the level that the rest of my family are, but that's OK."
'I honestly didn't see myself being selected, but I didn't realise how much I wanted it until I thought I wasn't going to get it.'
That said, the Cobargo-raised and Binjura-based 59-year-old is keen to push herself outside her comfort zone in all her Invictus events, which also include wheelchair basketball, indoor rowing, swimming and skeleton.
"I'm seriously excited about the skeleton event, riding headfirst on a tiny sled on your stomach down a frozen track," she said.
"I don't think using the 'slip and slide' in the backyard with the kids when they were young actually qualifies as skeleton practice, but I'm sure it will be a lot of fun."
Cindy sees the Invictus Games as her opportunity to put herself first after spending her entire career looking after other people.
"I discharged in June 2023 with a range of physical and mental health issues, and my mental health leading up to the separation was not good," she said.
"I just couldn't see myself having any sort of future at the time. I gained a lot of weight, found so many reasons not to get out of bed or leave the house, and really had no motivation at all.
"This [Invictus Games] came up just at the right time."
'If other people can get the same level of benefit that I'm getting, even just by going through the selection and training process, I think as many people as possible need to be able to have that experience.'
By implementing small, manageable goals like changing her eating habits and including some daily exercise in her routine, Cindy was able to build a solid foundation that is allowing her to make the most of this remarkable opportunity.
Holding herself accountable was key, and she is already reaping the fitness and health benefits.
"I honestly didn't see myself being selected, but I didn't realise how much I wanted it until I thought I wasn't going to get it," Cindy said.
"I'll be 60 next year. In my mind, I think I'll only have one shot at the games, but it's not just about age.
"I feel like I should step away so someone else can have this life-changing opportunity. If other people can get the same level of benefit that I'm getting, even just by going through the selection and training process, I think as many people as possible need to be able to have that experience."
Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will be held between February 8 and 16.
Cindy is just one of 33 Team Australia members travelling to Canada to compete in a range of winter and core adaptive sports.
The games highlight the exceptional physical skills and mental toughness of wounded, injured and ill service members, both former and current serving, from military across the world as they work towards rehabilitation and recovery.
