June 5, 2022

On June 3, Kenni and Berva Kuroda invited their family and the freestyle ski community to remember and celebrate the incredible life and accomplishments of their son, Brayden.

Over 500 people came from far and wide to be part of this collective grieving of a remarkable young man taken from us too soon. The celebration was, in my mind, the most touching, emotional and vibrant memorial I have ever witnessed. So many heartfelt stories, songs, and poems reminded us of the values and virtues that made Brayden the outstanding human being he was; kind, creative, selfless and determined. We also heard the many stories of how truly gifted he was as an athlete, arguably one of the world’s top skiers.

One of the biggest takeaways for me, and how I will remember Brayden, is to celebrate our accomplishments, lift those around us and make sure to have as much fun as possible. He had a remarkable ability to balance his fierce determination to excel with his genuine desire to see everyone around him succeed, like the true champion he was.

Freestyle BC is humbled to have been a small part of Brayden’s sports story. We will never forget his incredible spirit and will do our best to ensure his legacy lives on for time immemorial.

Over the past two years, many of our participants have made donations to the Brayden Kuroda Fund, accumulating over $3000. The Kristi Richards Foundation has decided to match these funds to build on this legacy. It will continue to make annual contributions through the Kristi Richards, Supporting the Dream Fund. In addition, in the spirit of collaboration and to support our future champions, we have added the $2000 donated to the Dueck Family Fund towards the Kuroda Bursary. The bursary will open this fall for applications.

For more information, please contact [email protected].