On a cool early morning in January, CBC Metro Morning host Matt Galloway warmed the airwaves with an interview with Jennifer Heil, a retired freestyle mogul skier who is a Canadian gold (2006) and silver (2010) Olympic medalist.
Prepping for her new gig as a CBC announcer for the upcoming Sochi Olympics, Heil told Canadians what it’s really like standing in the start gate of an Olympic competition, and how far she had to go to realize her Olympic dreams.
In the start gate, Heil described the feeling of “stillness” she believes comes over most elite athletes at that point—a quiet that follows years of intense training and competition to get to that single Olympic moment. As an athlete, Heil says, “you get out of the way, essentially, and let your body do the work.”
Heil, who is an ambassador for the foundation Because I Am A Girl, told Galloway there were many times during her career when she simply wanted to run away, but she stuck with it with “strength of spirit” and remains in awe of that ability in any elite athlete.
Heil dominated her sport and was expected to win gold in 2010 in Vancouver but had to settle for a silver—a lasting surprise to both Heil and Canadian fans of freestyle skiing. She has since retired and told CBC she does not miss the training but will miss “that moment in at the top of the start gate.”
To hear Heil’s complete CBC Metro Morning interview, click on the following link:
https://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/episodes/2014/01/09/olympic-experience/
Photo of Jenn Heil courtesy of Because I Am A Girl.
SnowOnline Editor: Lori Knowles
