Friday 19 February
Building for the Future
They can be impatient ski fans. For speed events you have to build
up experience, knowledge of tracks and general ski know how. For Ed
Drake, today was about learning for Sochi in 2014. Drake is a nice
guy and gave a frank and honest account of his run afterwards.
Talking with others afterwards, most commented that half a second
quicker would have meant a top thirty, something Drake knew as well.
What might have been had he not been knocked sideways by the viral
infection after his result in November in taking third in the EC
Super G in Reiteralm..... Still this must have been a great
experience for him and something for him to build on for 2014. Yet
you had to feel for a guy back in Europe watching and thinking that
could have been me.....
The whole British Team and I include the press as part of the team
has been given a huge lift with the result of Amy Williams this
evening. GOLD! AWESOME! It has even meant that those friendly
neighbours of ours, yes the French, have had to get the record books
out to work out when the last individual medal by a female was won
by Team GB (58 years ago for the record) then they wanted to know
when the last Gold was (2002 by the Men's Curling Team). The moment
Amy Williams crossed the line to destroy the Germans (who had been
in 1 - 2) you always felt that something would happen. Williams was
in front from the first run and yet straight after the final run,
protests were lodged against her helmet. As one of the Austrian
journalists "facebooked" me ... At least we are not the only nation
to lose badly! And who says that the Austrians do not have a sense
of humour? I could (and probably should) have gone up to the sliding
centre to join in the celebrations but you can bet your mortgage
that I will be at the awards ceremony tomorrow night! Have already
booked my ticket! Just seen courtesy of the tweets going out that
the protest by any nation that would mutter the words "Gordon Brown"
has been thrown out, if only the same could be done to Brown....?
We are now I guess midway through the Games. Four races down, six to
go. Both Chemmy and Ed have committed themselves well. The BBC
are still being as anal as they come. No TV coverage to interview Ed
today as they were, I presume, up at the sliding centre. By the look
of all the anti BBC media going on, all is not well within Auntie
and her staff on holiday tweeting out here. The pre Olympics
schedule looked good for them yet they have not had the character to
carry it off it seems. Not having seen any of it and only
bumped into Graham Bell once, it does seem weird that they have more
staff out here than the BOA I am told. Quality not quantity for
both....or should that be the other way around ho hum.
I did have to have a chuckle when reading the BOA's quotes service
email and then their event report that came out after the skiing
today. All the quotes had come from my questions! Why do they employ
at great expense someone to come up to watch the racing who knows
nothing about ski racing and then does not ask a single question?
The BOA should look to see who covers the events and work with them
rather than bringing out jack of all trades and masters of none! I
was the only journalist at the skiing from the GB press corps in the
mixed zone, though I was told that the BBC did have someone in the
TV mixed zone, Rob Hodgetts, yes he that wrote that anal article on
"who won the last downhill." The guy still will not meet up to
discuss why he writes such diatribe that helps no one! We need
positive stories not negative ones that are just sensationalist.
So we have a gold...have I mentioned that?
Tomorrow we have Super G for the girls up at Whistler Creekside.
Julia Mancuso will go 1, Chemmy will go 2. Julia is on a roll so
hopefully she will inspire Chemmy to tear into the course after her.
If Chemmy can post a faster time than Julia then she is on for an
awesome result. If she can get close then it gets exciting.
Chemmy scored her first World Cup points in Super G and is doing OK
in the World Cup this year. The Super G and GS are the two events
that get exciting for Chemmy. Tomorrow is a one inspection, one run
blast......full gas, all turbo's on!
How is it all going in Bormio as no results to post again today
sadly..........
