No local athletes in Vancouver. So what?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-On Tuesday, a couple racers from the U.S. Ski Team were training on Snow King, trying to stay focused on the biggest competition of their lives by going through the motions just days before the 2010 Winter Games.

Jackson Hole isn’t represented by anyone on the Olympic roster this time around. However, I would wager that if you asked some of the U.S. athletes, particularly the women training on Snow King, whether the spirit of this place would appear in Vancouver, they would tell you, “Absolutely.”

Sure, we had a few shots at sending a familiar face to the Games, but it wasn’t in the cards this time. Just to be clear, I’m not saying anyone’s making a fuss over that fact.

But Jackson Hole has its strong Olympic legacy. A talk last month by valley residents Pepi Stiegler and Tommy Moe, both former gold medalists in skiing, was so well attended that some people couldn’t even catch a view of the champions as they spoke.

The New York Times ran an article last week about how Olympic snowboarders have to focus on a single discipline to advance. Jackson Hole native son Travis Rice, once one of the top pipe riders, didn’t want to give up all the fun he has in the backcountry just to win at the X-Games and the Olympics. To Rice, keeping it real meant following his heart into rural areas in British Columbia – granted he has the backing that allows him to fly around in private helicopters.

But the idea of pursuing a desire, be it Olympic gold or finding enlightenment on a powder day, have equal footing in Jackson Hole. Almost. JHW
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No local athletes in Vancouver. So what? | Planet JH News Article: Near JH

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