CROSS IT OFF THE LIST
Thompson joins B.C. hall
Imagine a sport that entails the joyous memories of being a little girl and weaving downhill side-byside with your friends, only in this sport you can win an Olympic gold medal.
That’s what ski cross is to Whistler’s Marielle Thompson, the 25-year-old who won gold at Sochi in 2014 and who will be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday.
“Just enjoying the mountain, it’s still like that,” she said. “Even when you’re at the World Cup level, the camaraderie is there.
“You do training runs with your competitors, and you’re chasing the men on our team, too. There’s so many opportunities just to have a blast.”
Thompson is back training after a well-earned vacation on the Mexican Caribbean, her first real getaway since she began competing in earnest.
Don’t worry, she’s not retiring, although it’s rare someone gets inducted to a hall of fame while they ’re still competing. Thompson is focused on the coming season after ACL and MCL tears while training in December ruined her 2017-18 campaign.
“Mexico was nice, it was nice to get away,” she said. “It was gorgeous and it was super hot, so it was nice to warm up the bones. I hadn’t (had a vacation) until Mexico, it was a much-needed rest.
“And, no, I’m not retiring. I’m still excited to keep going.”
When the B.C. Sports Hall got in touch last year to inform her of her induction, it caught her off-guard.
“I had no idea it was coming, so to get the phone call, I was quite taken aback,” she said. “And it was shortly after I was injured and I was not in that great of spirits, so it was definitely an uplifting phone call to hear that big of news.”
Besides her 2014 Olympic gold, Thompson is a two-time World Cup Crystal Globe winner as overall World Cup champ (2012, 2014); won 13 World Cup tour events and placed on the podium 23 times; and is Canada’s four-time national ski cross champion (2012-15).
For the uninitiated, ski cross is a wild sprint downhill, four racers abreast vying for the cleanest line while executing huge jumps and tight turns. The amount of time available to make decisions is measured in milliseconds.
Thompson has been called the most consistent ski cross racer on the planet.
“It means a lot to have so many people having that sort of confidence in me,” she said. “I try to do my best, I know everyone is watching me.
“At the (Pyeongchang) Olympics I hadn’t been on a ski course for three months and that first run of training everyone obviously had their eyes on me. I do know that pressure’s there, but it’s no more pressure than I put on myself.”
Thompson grew up with skiing role models such as Ashleigh McIvor, Mike and Britt Janyk, and other accomplished athletes from Whistler.
“To have them leading the way was really awesome. Seeing those guys doing so well makes you believe that if they came from such a small place as Whistler, maybe you can do it one day.”
By her Grade 12 year, Thompson had won the overall Nor-Am title, and although she didn’t realize it at the time, that gave her a World Cup berth for the following season, which gave her the chance to train with Canada’s national team.
“And the rest is kind of history,” she said. “Racing with friends, having fun: It’s definitely one of the most fun things you can do on skis. And I like to think I’m racing my best when I’m having fun.”
She couldn’t compete in the World Cup circuit last season, but watched every race and cheered on her teammates.
That Thompson competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games at all is a marvel, after such a devastating injury in December, but she also had the fastest time trial. It’s a tribute, she said, to the help she got from people too numerous to count.
“So many people were behind me every step of the way, I couldn’t have done it without everyone.
“Four years (to Beijing 2022) is pretty far away. I’m looking forward to getting back out there. The
finish to this (past) season, for me, left something to be desired ... I’m focused on having a good summer and fall and see how things go from there.”