On Saturday we headed over to Cypress Mountain for our first event, the ladies freestyle moguls. I have been a fan of this Olympic event since it was first introduced to the games in 1992 in Albertville, France. Donna Weinbrecht (who I’ve been told I sort of look like) won the very first gold medal for the event for the USA. She was so fast and did the coolest tricks; she inspired me to tackle the moguls on the local hill I grew up on, Mt. Brighton. To this day moguls to me are a never-ending quest to get faster and be able to bomb down them just like her.
The bus ride to Cypress Mountain was well organized and had people giving away free hot chocolate and coffee at the start. The line moved quickly and we got to the mountain in no time (with a slight delay that we were unsure was the bus or the driver stalling the bus out) Getting in to all the events you have to go through security and have your ticket checked which is a bit of waiting, but not too bad.
The Cypress Mountain venue was very small. There was a small warming house, a smaller-sized grandstand, one small food tent (several very long lines), and an Olympic merchandise store. When we got there it was sprinkling on and off, but that soon changed to raining pretty steadily on and off. It was cold and windy rainy, pretty miserable for us fans. It also made the bumps soft, which is not what the athletes like, but it does make the landings softer for the tricks. Cypress has had a problem with weather all season. They had a ton of snow early in the season (Whistler opened a record early), but then it warmed-up and never seemed to get cold again. Helicopters and trucks bringing an estimated 300-400 loads of snow were deployed for the mountain to actually be able to put on the event.
Despite the weather (one reporter stated that the fans should have all been awarded the Order of Canada for enduring the 7+ hours of rain, sleet, and wind), it was an awesome time. They had a DJ that was spinning some great tunes a different one for each of the runs and it was like a dance party as people tried to fight the cold and not let it dampen the party spirit that was on the mountain. The ladies themselves put on one heck of a show; first in the warm-up qualifying runs and then in the actual competition. The speed of those ladies was crazy fast! They all seemed to have a variety of tricks that they pulled out on the 2 sets of kickers located at the top and mid-bottom.
The crowd was a mix of Canadian, American, and then the random other countries. The Canadians had hopes of winning their first home won gold medal and their girl Jennifer Heil was the favorite to win. The USA was also favored to medal with Hannah Kearney and Heather McPhie. In the qualifying round, those three girls were at the top.
In the final round, the ladies go in reverse qualifying order, so the top girls were at the end. What a show did they put on! Another Canadian Kristi Richards who had a medal chance fell halfway through the 2nd set of bumps, but then paused and regrouped and skied out the rest and for the last kicker did one of the best tricks of the evening. Heather McPhie also had a fall and was knocked out of the competition, which allowed Shannon Bahrke to swoop in and win a bronze. The show down between Jennifer and Hannah was intense as both skied phenomenally, but there is only 1 winner and that was Hannah. The USA fans went wild. The Canadian fans, clearly disappointed still put on a good face and still cheered. Just great sportsmanship by the fans. I was so excited and proud, I had a few tears in between ringing the cowbell and flag waving and yelling. It was a great moment.
The bus ride home was a mess and we were starving since they ran out of food and the lines were huge, but it was worth it for the chance to see that the USA bring home its first medal of the games!
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