Archive for winter olympics
Ashley Caldwell – The Youngest Member of the US Olympic Team
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my favorite parts of the Olympics has to be the stories behind the athletes. Tonight I will be cheering extra hard for Aerial Skiier Ashley Caldwell – the youngest member of this year’s US Olympic team at 16 years old. She has only been training aerials for three years and really had her sights set on the 2014 games. The former Level 9 gymnast from Virginia not only made the US Olympic team, she also qualified for tonight’s aerials finals, too! Way to go Ashley!
Here is footage of her full double full – which I think is her first jump for finals tonight:
I remember watching Ashley compete as a gymnast during her years at Apex – and can only imagine how proud all her coaches from gymnastics are of her tonight (the rest of the coaches and gymnasts in the state are proud of you too, Ashley)! I am sure all those basics, twisting and flipping drills, trampoline time, conditioning and lessons she learned from her days in the gym contributed to her quick rise to the top in US Freestyle skiing.
GO ASHLEY! Another example of the great things gymnastics can prepare you for.
Thank You Moms Olympic Commercial
Posted by: | CommentsLet me just say that the ads for the Winter Olympics so far are so much better than those for the Superbowl! My favorite one so far has to be the Proctor and Gamble ad featuring winter sport athletes as little kids – because through the eyes of their Mothers, they will always be little kids. (click on video below to play or view at YouTube)
It truly speaks to the core of my soul as a Mom and a coach. Even though so many of the athletes I coached through the years are all grown up, the memories I have of them as little kids are so precious!
Now where is that box of tissues when I need them?
Snowboarder Torah Bright Out of X Games
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Australian Olympic snowboarder, Torah Bright, has withdrawn from the 2010 Winter X Games after hitting her head on the ice in training and suffering yet another concussion.
According to The Australian,
Bright was training in the half-pipe at Aspen, Colorado, yesterday to prepare for this weekend’s Winter X Games, when she missed the landing on one of her standard tricks, a switchback 720 (double spin), and struck the back of her head on the ice floor of the bowl.
She was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital for precautionary scans which cleared her of any serious injury, but she has withdrawn from the X Games, which was to have been her last competition before the Olympics.
Bright played down the mishap as “a bit of a fall” and said it would not affect her preparation for the Winter Olympics.
Let’s hope she has a speedy recovery with no long term effects from that fall and can show off her crazy new skill, the “double cork” in Vancouver later this month.
Here is a great documentary piece on Torah Bright for Roxy where she talks about riding the “White Wave”, her hopes, dreams and her worst snowboarding injury.
