Monday, December 17, 2001
Olympic dreams down the tube
By CAMERON MAXWELL -- Calgary Sun
The Olympic dream is built up over a lifetime but for Calgary's Christine Fraser the dream was quashed in less than a minute.
Fraser failed to qualify for the Salt Lake City Games yesterday after finishing ninth in the season-ending Visa World Cup women's bobsleigh event at Canada Olympic Park.
She needed a Canadian Olympic Association-mandated top-six finish to join fellow pilot Christina Smith as Canada's bobsleigh representatives.
But after an impressive first run of 57.75 seconds, which left Fraser and brakeman Paula McKenzie in seventh place -- just a hundredth of a second out of sixth -- the duo slowed on their second and final run, clocking a disappointing 58.52.
"I tried not to put any pressure on myself. I did well on the first run and on the second one, a little bit too much (pressure), and I maybe drove too hard," said Fraser, 34, adding it'll take some time for the disappointment to fully sink in.
Smith, who drove the Canada II sled and ironically finished sixth in the race, was weeping openly after Fraser didn't meet the mark.
"I guess that's sport -- we really tried our best. I went into the second seed so Christine could stay in the first seed and she went fourth off the start (in the first heat) and I was in 20th place, so we tried everything and she had an awesome brakeman in Paula but you can only do so much,"said Smith, a Calgarian, who was elated with her finish.
Germany's Susi Erdmann won gold for the second straight day, capturing the World Cup title in the process, with a combined time of one minute 54.66 seconds. USA I took the silver (1:55.12), while the Germany I sled driven by Sandra Prokoff was third (1:55.19).
Smith finished with a combined time of 1:55.84, while Fraser wound up with 1:56.27.
With her result, Smith wound up seventh on the World Cup circuit with Fraser right behind her in eighth.
Fraser said she might appeal to the COA for an Olympic spot by arguing she meets the International Olympic Committee's criteria of being a top-15 sledder in the world. Her argument is bolstered by the fact that countries like the US and Germany, both of which have three pilots in the top-15, have to drop one of their drivers for the Games.
"That (appeal) I won't make a decision on today," said Fraser, who could be backed in her bid by Bobsleigh Canada.
While managing director of Bobsleigh Canada, Jeff Hugill, admits Fraser's finish is outside the contract signed with the COA, he's willing to see if there is something that can be done to get her to Salt Lake City.
"There's a lot of factors. We have to look at all the race results," said Hugill.
"We have to look at it from the upsides, downsides. We want to be a podium program -- if we are supporting something that has no validity of going to the Games and doing well, we'd be fighting ourselves."
Hugill said he was surprised Fraser had not finished in the top-six this season, with eighth being her best result.
"(Top six) was certainly expected. Canada has been a leader in women's bobsleigh -- we were fifth and seventh at last year's world championships ... and we seem to be moving away from that," he said.
If history is any indication, Fraser's appeal may be in vain, as the COA has rarely changed its standards in particular cases for athletes.
2002 Games Bobsled Coverage
