Feb 12, 2010
Author: Jaclyn Manteiga
The world will be watching Vancouver kick off the Olympics tonight in an opening ceremony extravaganza. Once that's done, the three athletes who will be representing Canada in the Women's Halfpipe competion will be gearing up for the February 18 appearance. Here, they talk about what the journey to Vancouver has been like and what we can expect at the Halfpipe.
Palmer Taylor
Now that the Canadian Olympic Snowboard team has been selected, competitors feeling the pressure more than ever. After spending years of hard work chasing points, learning new tricks and winning races the Canadian team is stacked with halfpipe heavy hitters who will vie for gold. Alongside pipe veterans Sarah Conrad and Mercedes Nicoll is 17-year-old Palmer Taylor, who is the youngest addition to the team. With the whirlwind of qualifying, Taylor was able to step back and reflect on what brought her to this point.
“Up to this point the qualification process has been going well for me. I was the top Canadian in Colorado at the Copper Mountain Grand Prix where I finished nineth, and at the Mammoth Grand Prix I didn’t do so well, fell both runs and finished twenty-first.”
After grabbing the third and final half-pipe selection ahead of Alex Duckworth she is among the top competitors to join the roster. With the qualification period over, and the Olympic team announced, the Collingwood native no longer has any more hoops to jump through in order to head to Vancouver.
Taylor began training at her local resort Blue Mountain where she concentrated on perfecting competition level tricks. She’s emphatic that her biggest advantage moving forward in this Olympic process was the support of her coach, Jesse Fulton. Fulton took Taylor under his wing while extensively training and educating her on new tricks at Blue. So what does she have prepared for her Olympic run, some new tricks? Playing evasive Taylor would only hint: “it is quite a possibility.” It looks like Taylor is leaving it until the big day to show us her techniques in the super pipe.
While living life out of a suitcase can become tiring, even if the ultimate destination is at the top of the Olympic podium, Taylor continues on with her busy schedule. Still, she isn’t putting too much pressure on herself heading into the games.
“Don’t fall into pressure. Have fun. Ride like you know how to.”
Photo by Mike Weyerhaeuser, JDP Freesport Agency, Ltd.
Mercedes Nicoll
Among the six British Columbia athletes named to the 2010 Canadian Olympic snowboard team by Canada-Snowboard is Mercedes Nicoll. This Whistler native knows the challenges competing for one of the hardest contests to qualify for. After competing at the 2006 Olympics in Torino she recognizes the huge amount of pride it gives one to represent their country. Keeping herself busy on the snow and traveling on the international contest circuit Nicoll took some time to think about her long journey to the Olympics.
“I wish saying stressful could sum it up! It's been a rollercoaster. There was so much pressure starting last season, I didn't deal with it well, had so many contests that I had to do well at, and didn't. Then I just got it off my chest and told my family and friends, I might not be going! That took some stress away. These last contests have been super intense, cause I knew I really wanted to make it.”
Having the Olympics games in her hometown adds a certain pressure to perform, but Nicoll knows how to focus this attention on competing since she’s been entering contests from the age of 14. The support of her close network has been her biggest advantage, “Having my family and friends behind me no matter what happens.”
Nicoll knows how to charge it in the pipe, throwing out big tricks in her runs like backside 540s. Her primary personal aim is to keep her run smooth and consistent, while staying versitile in preparation for the Games by creating new ones. “I've just put together a new run, and I want to throw a back 9 in there as well as a cab 7.”
With the opening ceremony days away, Nicoll looks back on the qualification process, learning a few things along the way. “To live in the now, think about the task at hand, not the outcome!”
Mercedes Nicoll, Brad Martin, Sarah Conrad
Sarah Conrad
Hailing from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Sarah Conrad is the current leader of the women’s team ranking with one top five under her belt. This gave her an automatic berth on the Canadian Olympic Snowboard team. Going to the Olympics on Canadian soil has been a huge goal of Sarah’s ever since Vancouver won the bid seven years ago. Although it has been a long qualification process, it was well worth the wait after ending up as Canada’s top female halfpipe rider in qualifiers. Despite her busy schedule at the X Games, Conrad took the time to reflect on her experience competing.
“Competing is what I've been doing for the past eight years so it really hasn't been that different for me. Canada is basically looking at five select contests and luckily for me, I've been doing pretty well at them.”
Conrad was on the Canadian team at the 2006 Torino Olympics, where she gained valuable experience. Conrad recalls her biggest advantage moving forward, “I've got nothing to lose and there is nowhere to go but up. The energy at these past US Grand Prix contests has been insane, all I want to do is get back in there and learn new runs.” Her familiarity with competition lifestyle has given her the ability to juggle more contests while in preparation for the games.
This month, Conrad made her official debut at the Winter X Games in Aspen where she took the opportunity to warm up for the Olympics. Although she didn’t make the final six women, Conrad placed tenth against many top international riders. The massive set up was a good practice run leading up to the Olympic games, as many of the riders competing there will also be in Vancouver.
“I don't think I really have that much more jumping to do. I've been officially named to the Olympic halfpipe team, so now all I have to do is catch up on months worth of interviews. The final team was announced on Jan 25th right after the final Olympic qualifying event in Stoneham, Quebec.”
In the unique world of halfpipe competition, Conrad is a definite must see. As she prepares herself for the Olympics, she is focused on landing a few new tricks. “I've been playing around with back nines and maybe a couple more tricks to make my run a bit different.”
Providing the most influence on her snowboard career is Canadian halfpipe team head coach Tom Hutchinson and Kris Decoste. After training with a bunch of coaches before the national team, Conrad found a compatible match with Hutchinson who gave her the push to try World Cup events.
“Change is good. We've had some coaching changes in the past year and I think we've finally found a good mix. Its so easy to get stuck in a rut and just be happy with the tricks you have. Sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes and a kick in the butt to bring you up to that next level”
Photo: Calynn Irwinn
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