Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Dionne weaves an excellent tale
By STEVE SIMMONS -- Team Sun
PARK CITY, Utah -- When Deidra Dionne went through media training as part of her Olympic preparation, she came away quite frustrated.
"I had no story to tell," she confessed to her teammates.
That was until all her equipment was stolen in Whistler, B.C., just a week before the Olympic Games. Her skis. Her boots. Her helmet. Her mouthpiece. All of it.
"Can you imagine what most people would be like, losing everything so close to the Olympics? They'd be frantic," said Mary Fraser of the freestyle ski team. "Not Deidra. She turned to us and said, 'Now I have a story to tell.' "
Make that two stories.
Deidra Dionne, in her first Olympics and all of 20 years old, saved her best for last on her new skis when she nailed a back-full, double-full jump and a top score of 100.28 that vaulted her on to the podium with a bronze in women's aerials alongside teammate Veronica Brenner to cap the most complete Canadian performance of the Salt Lake Games. The silver and bronze brings Canada's medal total to seven.
Dionne, who grew up in Red Deer, Alta., and lives in Calgary, and is considered far too normal in a sport of eccentrics, moved from fifth place to third on her final jump, and couldn't stop smiling from the moment her medal became apparent.
"When it ended I was just so overwhelmed," she said. "I was just shaking.
"I knew (after my jump) there were four girls left. I was just hoping it would hold up. It was stressful. It's one of the worst feelings in the whole world because you always want people to jump well. But when I saw it, wow, I couldn't believe it."
At least she might wind up with more new equipment after winning the medal. In order to come up with new skis, boots and equipment so close to the Olympics, Dionne relied on donations from local businesses and people in Whistler. The whole community got behind her.
"I'm lucky enough that it happened a week before the Games," Dionne said. "That way, I was able to get my focus back."
And yesterday, she was thrilled to be sharing the podium with Brenner -- the veteran and the kid on the aerials team with silver and bronze.
"It's so much more special when you have someone to share it with and who knows the hardship you've gone through to get here," said Dionne, who dreamed of the Olympics before she even began skiing.
"I've had a dream since I was a young girl," she said. "When I was 13, I found aerials. From then on, I wanted to do well. When I got to the podium of a World Cup (event), I knew it was possible to be on the podium here."
With her mom and dad and two brothers looking on, Dionne made her way to the Olympic podium last night, still gushing, still smiling, suddenly with a real story to tell.
2002 Games Freestyle Skiing Coverage
