Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Games' thrill quite a ride
By CAMERON MAXWELL -- Calgary Sun
No matter what, Christina Smith and Paula McKenzie will always be in the record and history books.
The duo, who drove the Canada 1 bobsleigh down the track at Park City, are forever immortalized as the first Canadian women to compete in the high-speed sport which, for women, made its Olympic debut.
They arrived in Calgary, bleary-eyed, with other members of the Canadian Olympic team yesterday morning but the two were probably the most animated athletes as they looked back on their history-making experience.
McKenzie, Smith's brakeman, recalled the seconds before they pushed off to start their landmark race.
"You know what, Sigi Feuser, one of our head coaches, was one of the original female bobsleigh drivers and to look into her eyes two seconds before we were going down the run for the first time in women's bobsleigh at the Olympics was incredible -- and a moment I'll never forget," she said.
And with their names firmly penciled into the record books, nobody will forget them.
"We are history makers, that's so cool," noted Smith, 33, who was born in Montreal but lives in Calgary.
The two became a team weeks before the Games and quickly built up a great relationship.
"We had such an amazing preparation for our event and there's no disappointments, no regrets and everything was absolutely beautiful," said Smith, who piloted the sled to a ninth-place finish.
With their friendship firmly cemented, Smith said there was no better person to enjoy the Olympic experience with than McKenzie.
"I couldn't have shared it with a better person," said Smith, giving McKenzie, considered the best brakeman in Canada, a big hug.
For her part, McKenzie, 31, said the Olympics was the highlight of a lifetime.
"The competition was excellent and the village was great," said McKenzie, a Brooks native.
"Seeing the other athletes and going to watch some of the other events was just wonderful."
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2002 Games Bobsleigh Coverage
