For Olympic success emulate the freestylers
I know it’s still four years until the next Winter Olympics in Japan. But when they start the planning for Canada’s next Winter Games contingent, might I recommend that they let the freestylers run the show?
You may have noticed the Canadian freestyle skiers and snowboarders as they took on half-pipes, ski cross, moguls and big air in PyeongChang. They were the ones winning 11 medals for the nation – almost 40 percent of Canada’s record haul of 29 medals.
They were also the ones whooping and hollering and dancing at the base of the hill as they watched each other – and their competitors – hurtle through death-defying leaps, spins and falls on the course. They were, to borrow a well-worn phrase, stoked at just about everything that happened.
If you watched even one of these events you know that they do this in the face of extreme danger. Injuries are gruesome. No big whoop. When the medals were determined, they hugged each other. They hugged their opponents. They threw back they heads and laughed. It was all a party.