Sunday, January 20, 2002
Skeleton crew turns attention to Olympics
By CAMERON MAXWELL -- Calgary Sun
It was a homecoming befitting an Olympian.
As the Canadian skeleton team returned triumphant from the season-ending World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Friday night, a dozen supporters met them at the Calgary International Airport, cheering and carrying signs of congratulations.
For Calgary's Lindsay Alcock, it was a welcome sight following her third-place finish, which locked up a spot on the team that goes to Salt Lake City next month.
Fort St. John, B.C.'s Michelle Kelly won the gold medal while Toronto's Duff Gibson slid to a bronze in men's competition.
"I'm just ecstatic. It's been an amazing trip," said Alcock, 24, who had to finish top-six at St. Moritz to gain an Olympic berth.
"I had a job to do going into this last World Cup and the job is accomplished, so I'm ready to look to Salt Lake City now."
And it was a job well done, as Alcock capped a stellar season that started with her first ever World Cup gold on her home Canada Olympic Park track.
She finished third overall in World Cup standings, not bad for someone racing on the tour for the first time and who has only been competing as a slider since late 1998.
Alcock knows her season will end on the biggest stage in the world and realizes she will be overwhelmed at first.
"I don't think (the World Cup) is even near what it's going to be like in a few weeks time and I probably won't understand until I actually get there, so I'll just have to look to others who have experienced the feeling of the Olympics," said Alcock, a first aid instructor.
"It'll be good to get some advice from them about what to expect."
While Alcock needed the last event of the year to get to the Games, Kelly has been qualified for two seasons.
The 27-year-old, who lives and trains in Calgary, seems to struggle early in the season but manages to pick it up at the end.
"I had a rough season last year but ended it off on a good note and coming into this year as one of the favourites, I just hadn't been able to put it together,"she said.
The season started good for Kelly, who broke the track record in Igls, Austria on her first run but then had a slow second run.
But from there it went downhill. She hit a cameraman in Lake Placid, forgot her helmet, fell at the start in Calgary.
"It's been a nightmare and I was really struggling before Christmas," said Kelly, a former bobsleigh competitor.
But at Christmas, Kelly looked herself in the mirror and came out with a new lease on sliding and it's paid off.
2002 Games Skeleton Coverage
