All those countless morning-to-night hours Cassie Sharpe of Comox spent growing up on the slopes of Mount Washington have paid off in the biggest way possible on the biggest stage in sports.
Sharpe, 25, won the gold medal in women鈥檚 ski halfpipe Tuesday in Pyeongchang, South Korea to become the first Islander to win an Olympic gold medal in a snow event at the Winter Games.
She follows up on Victoria hockey player Jamie Benn鈥檚 gold medal from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Sharpe was totally on form and nailed jump after jump to record a commanding score of 95.80. The best score of three runs in the final is taken. She was the final skier because she led Sunday鈥檚 qualifying rounds. When silver-medallist Marie Martinod crashed on her final run, all the Islander had to do was stay upright and the gold medal was hers. Brita Sigourney of the U.S. captured the bronze medal.
鈥淏ecause if you do well through [qualifying], you can [compete] last, and it鈥檚 your victory lap,鈥� Sharpe said.
"It鈥檚 the best feeling in the world. I didn鈥檛 realize how emotional I was going to be at the top. My coach hugged me and I was about to cry. It doesn鈥檛 feel real, yet. So much hard work has gone into this. I鈥檓 elated.鈥�
Sharpe is known as a front-runner. If she starts boldly, she rarely lets up, and that was evident on her golden morning.
鈥淥n my first run, I just really wanted to land. That鈥檚 like my biggest thing for my confidence,"Sharpe told The Canadian Press.
鈥淚f I don鈥檛 land my first run, I have a hard time coming back from that. So I just really wanted to land my run, and then after that, I was OK.鈥�
There were 10 family members from the Comox Valley cheering Sharpe on to gold in South Korea, including dad Don and mom Chantal.
Sharpe said it wasn鈥檛 going to feel real until she saw her family, so she made her way over to them and grasped her dad and mom in long bear hugs.
鈥淗ello, Cassie Sharpe鈥檚 dad,鈥� said Don Sharpe, upon answering the phone slopeside in PyeongChang.
鈥淚t was so emotional. We had a group hug and a group cry,鈥� said Don Sharpe.
"This is crazy. We never expected this. We told Cassie we were happy and proud she had made it here and to have fun with it.鈥�
Cassie Sharpe did more than just be a woman who wants to have fun. She ripped through the field and left little doubt about who is now the greatest female ski halfpiper in the world. Sharpe had been dropping hints about this stunning breakout by winning two World Cup events this season and last season becoming the first female to land a 720 corkscrew in competition.
It is at moments like this when people harken back to their roots.
鈥淚 told [Cassie鈥檚 older brother] Douglas this is what you get for sneaking her onto the slopes at Mount Washington when she wasn鈥檛 supposed to be on there,鈥� said Don Sharpe, who was director of business operations for Mount Washington for 17 years up to 2017.
The Sharpes鈥� story at the Olympics is far from over.
Cassie鈥檚 younger brother, Darcy Sharpe, was named an alternate for the Canadian team to the Pyeongchang Olympics. The 21-year-old from Comox recently won silver at the Winter X Games in men鈥檚 snowboarding slopestyle, so having the Sharpe siblings both competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is a strong possibility.
It鈥檚 all part of the emerging Olympic success story out of Mount Washington, the Island鈥檚 lone major ski hill.
A part of that storyline is Spencer O鈥橞rien of Courtenay, who qualified 11th Sunday in the for the 12-boarder women鈥檚 big air final at the Pyeongchang Olympics, which is scheduled for Friday.
The event is making its Olympic debut and has given the veteran O鈥橞rien a second chance in Pyeongchang after she was battered about by the howling winds in placing a disappointing 22nd in slopestyle earlier in the Games.
Big air seems a daunting proposition physically.
鈥淵ou start small and work your way up,鈥� said O鈥橞rien, in a statement. 鈥淚鈥檓 a total baby and don鈥檛 even like jumping off rocks into the water. But you start small and work your way up. Now the integration of air bags into training has really pushed the progression.鈥�
It鈥檚 part of the marketing evolution as the Olympics attempt to appeal to a younger generation used to more edgy sporting pursuits.
鈥淚t鈥檚 special to me to be part of it,鈥� said O鈥橞rien, the 2013 world slopestyle champion.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity I never thought I would get in big air. We never even had women鈥檚 big air in my career. Everyone is throwing out all the stops and pushing the limits. I can鈥檛 wait for the final. I think it鈥檚 going to be an absolute insane show.鈥�
The Island is better known for producing Summer Olympians. But Sharpe and O鈥橞rien are among a quartet of Mount Washington-produced Winter Olympians in Pyeongchang.
Making a notable Olympic debut, 22-year-old Teal Harle of Campbell River placed fifth at Pyeongchang in men鈥檚 skiing slopestyle as sa国际传媒 took three of the top-six positions with Alex Beaulieu-Marchand of Quebec the bronze medallist and Evan McEachran from Oakville, Ont., sixth.
鈥淸It] was unreal. I鈥檝e definitely surpassed every expectation I had for the Games,鈥� said Harle, who was cheered on across the Pacific by a watching party in Campbell River.
鈥淕oing into it, my goal was just to land a run in qualifications and I made it to finals, so that was insane. I couldn鈥檛 be happier with how [it] went.鈥�
Carle Brenneman, 28, of Comox placed 14th in women鈥檚 snowboard cross in her Olympic debut.
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Cassie Sharpe of Comox has won the gold medal in women鈥檚 ski halfpipe at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Sharpe finished with a score of 95.80 on a cool, sunny morning at Phoenix Park.
France's Marie Martinod took silver after crashing in her final run, guaranteeing Sharpe the top spot.
American Brita Sigourney won bronze.
Sharpe was the last skier to compete in the three-run final after winning the qualifying session a day earlier.
She set the tone early in the final, getting a 94.40 in her first run down the halfpipe and following it up with a 95.80 in the second.
鈥淥n my first run I just really wanted to land, that鈥檚 like my biggest thing for my confidence,鈥� said Sharpe. 鈥淚f I don鈥檛 land my first run, I have a hard time coming back from that, so I just really wanted to land my run, and then after that I was like 鈥橭K, I want to qualify first because I want to drop last in the final鈥�.
鈥淏ecause if you do well through that, you can drop last, and it鈥檚 your victory lap. It鈥檚 the best feeling in the world. So if I can get another one of those, I mean, I鈥檓 so excited.鈥�
The best of three runs is a skier's final score in ski halfpipe.
Calgary's Rosalind Groenewoud finished 10th overall.
