Pedestal, not podium
She may not have reached a podium this time, but Heather Moyse’s hometown fans still put her on a pedestal.
Moyse and bobsleigh partner Alysia Rissling pushed and drove their way to a sixth-place finish at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games Wednesday.
It was Moyse’s fourth Olympic adventure. She and former teammate Kaillie Humphries won back-to-back gold medals in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
Though she will not be coming home to Summerside this time with another medal to add to her collection, the fans who gathered at Summerside’s Credit Union Place to watch Moyse’s runs could not have been more pleased with her accomplishment.
“It’s a tough competition; they’re all world-class athletes. So I think everyone here on P.E.I. should be really, really proud,” said Karen Thompson Bell, after Moyse’s fourth run.
“Whatever happens, we’re proud of her as a community … we have a lot to be proud of,” added Peggy Miles.
“Because of her success and her involvement in the Olympics, she’s been able to rally our community together and I think that’s a pretty special thing.”
Thompson-Bell and Miles were two of a handful of people who gathered at Credit Union Place to watch Wednesday’s event.
Organizers had been hoping for more people, but the suspect a freezing rain warning and delayed school openings kept most folks home and watching on their own devices.
Bill McKinnon, and many others, tweeted out his respect and admiration for Moyse and her accomplishments.
“Heather Moyse is amazing and I/we on P.E.I. are oh so proud of her and her driver, Alysia Rissling, for their amazing result in their first Olympics together. For Heather to go from zero to sixth place in 5.5 months is stunning. Well done.”