Anja Barugh. Some family from Tyrone, other family from Kerry – neither a freestyle skiing stronghold.
With the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina about six weeks away, attention is turning to the often offbeat journey of Irish athletes to the slopes and the ice - and the 2026 Games are proving to be no different.
At the Beijing Games in 2022, Ireland had six athletes competing and with the qualification being finalised in the coming weeks, the aim is for "between five and eight places" for the expanded 16-discipline meet.
The official Irish delegation is set to be confirmed at the end of January and Barugh is hoping to be included in that coveted list.
The halfpipe specialist has one key advantage over most too: she is already an Olympian, albeit for her country of birth, New Zealand.
Three years ago at the Beijing Games, the 26-year-old finished 19th in the women's halfpipe event. This time she's hoping for better under the Irish flag.
"I’ve had an injury this past year and it meant that I had a lot of time to think about where I was with my skiing and where I wanted to go," Barugh told RTÉ Sport of her decision to switch nations.
"I’ve family from Tyrone and family from Kerry [and as a result her mother is called Kerry and her brother Tyrone]; I’ve had the chance to represent my dad’s side of the family and I felt it would be nice to represent mum’s.
"It started from there, the decisions, and I am really happy with my choice. Everyone’s been so welcoming and kind and they just really want the best for you as an athlete, which is great."
Born in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s north island, close to where much of the Lord of the Rings movie series was filmed, she first experienced the thrill of the slopes on Mount Ruapehu.
Those early years on a dairy farm saw her regularly having to sit down and watch Irish farming videos on YouTube before a move to Wanaka – and its famed outdoor sporting opportunities - in 2017 saw her explore the possibility of adopting freestyle skiing as more than just a hobby.
"I grew up around a bunch of cows, grandad making us watch Irish farming videos," she said.
"When we had to pop down to the cow shed it was like 'yep, that’s going on the telly’ and we’d sit and watch them.
"I moved to the south island when I was about 17 and I got into halfpipe skiing and then I did my first World Cup at 19.
"Obviously there was the whirlwind of what happened in the world around that time (Covid-19) but I fell in love with it and kept going through the chaos."
Much of the year was pretty much a write-off for Barugh through injury, a competitor who states that she has been "pretty lucky, touch on wood" with knocks and bangs.
So what was the injury?
"It was a pretty substantial break to my arm, a double spiral fracture with three breaking points and I ended up with 12 pins and a plate in my arm."
Pretty lucky indeed...
"That was a big one and it obviously makes you think whether you’re doing the right thing, if you should come back," Barugh continued.
"For me, I loved the sport enough and wanted the opportunity to be able to get to the Games again and aim for a bit of redemption from the last Games.
"Injuries happen, that’s part of it. As we all say, you could suffer one of these injuries walking down the street. Especially here in Calgary."
The Canadian town is Barugh’s base when speaking to RTÉ Sport as she chases the qualification standard that will allow her to be considered for the Irish team. She’s confident that she’ll hit it, with a number of opportunities still to come.
Down-time is limited currently, her calendar dominated by airport bookings, but occasionally she’ll get the chance to update her social media when waiting for competition.
A keen photographer – something she hopes to return to in the near future – Barugh has an eye for the beautiful and her channels provide a wondrous insight into the world of winter sports.
One TikTok video of a sunrise ski in New Zealand has been watched over six million times, but despite her obvious talents in that particular department, Barugh admits that she holds a love-hate relationship with that part of her world.
"I think it's a hard one. Like, I really struggle with social media," she said.
"It's one of those ones where you want to express your thoughts and feelings, but then obviously you have to like play... you have to be responsive. It's hard to be truthful and true to that kind of stuff.
"I mean, everyone has something to say, especially during the Games, but I do struggle with social media. I love it. It is a form of promotion, it's a form of protection, but it's also a struggle."
A more pertinent struggle is making sure she is picked for the Irish team at the end of next month.
After her injury woes, whatever happens, she is just delighted to have made a return to the sport she loves.
Another Games, this time in the green, white and orange, would just cap off that comeback.
