Freestyle skiing: Olympic champion Howell returns with better balance
Canadian freestyle skier Dara Howell wasn’t ready for the whirlwind that followed her slopestyle victory at the 2014 Sochi Games. An Olympic champion at 19, she struggled with the spotlight and eventually pulled away from the sport.
“I hid from all of it because I didn’t know how to handle it,” she said Wednesday.
There was no single incident that caused her to lose focus. Howell just knew that she wasn’t motivated to perform and took a break for the better part of two seasons.
“I was so overwhelmed,” she said. “I didn’t handle things very well. I felt the pressure of having to make other people happy . . . I don’t really know (the reason) to be honest.”
During her time away, Howell tried to spend as much time as possible with friends and family in her hometown of Huntsville, Ont. She started meeting with a sports psychologist last year and began to ramp things up again while working with new coaches.
Eventually, she began to feel like her old self on the slopes.
“Maybe I’m delusional for thinking it, but post-Olympics I really went under the radar, so I feel like I’m coming back under the radar a little bit,” she said. “I feel I’m right where I want to be.”
Howell surged up the World Cup standings in 2012-13 and won a silver medal at the 2013 world championship.
In Sochi the following year, Howell aimed high and delivered the run she wanted at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Nailing an off-axis full twisting flip helped push her to a comfortable nine-point victory.
The results weren’t great when Howell returned last season, but podium appearances weren’t a top priority. Her main goal was to get back into a rhythm — mentally and physically — and build up again ahead of the Olympic campaign.
“I’ve never felt better,” she said over coffee during a stop on a media tour. “I’m in probably the best shape that I’ve ever been in. I feel strong, I’m happy.”
Canada’s freestyle team for the Olympics will likely be named in late January. The Pyeongchang Games are set for Feb. 9-25.
“I worked hard at the last Games, but I’m working even harder for these Games.”