Bascue sets sights on 2022 Winter Games

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » Cody Bascue can’t wait to pack his bags for Beijing, China, which will host the Winter Olympics four years from now.

The 23-year-old Whitehall native gained a world of experience at last month’s Games in Pyeong Chang, South Korea.

After placing far back in the two-man event, Bascue piloted his four-man bobsled to an impressive ninth-place finish.

“Just getting that first Olympics, and what it feels like, out of the way was the biggest learning experience,” he said. “It’s hard to prepare for competition like that. Everything about it is completely different -- more cameras, more people, it’s louder. There’s more weight on your shoulders because it’s the Olympic Games. At the next Olympics, hopefully I go in knowing what to expect and can perform at my best.”

Bascue said his small-town upbringing and fan support proved

valuable on the world stage, with millions of television viewers watching.

“I think it’s actually helped more than if I were from a bigger city; just how closely everybody works together to help people get to where they want to be,” he said. “Things don’t always go your way at the Olympic Games. So to get that support day in and day out was uplifting to get me through the experience. I don’t think I would be where I am today if I grew up somewhere else.”

The adulation continued upon his return home, at a recent Adirondack Thunder hockey game, where fans chanted “USA!, USA!” as Bascue took part in a pre-game ceremonial puck drop. Players from both teams gave their traditional hockey show approval, by tapping sticks on the ice.

After suffering a calf injury in Korea, Bascue was glad to get home and rest up physically and mentally.

“It was a long season,” he said. “It’s good to get away from the bright lights a little bit.”

Although living and training in Lake Placid, he still makes frequent trips to Whitehall for visits with family and friends.

“Over the summer I get to come down and do all sorts of things with the family, like go camping,” Bascue said. “It’s nice to have them so close where I can just come down on a weekend and hang out.”

He might even find time to take a couple of online college courses, which he set aside previously to get ready for PyeongChang.

“I devoted everything to try to make the Olympics and do well there,” he said. “I kind of dropped everything to train for my sport.”

Soon, the step-by-step process starts all over with short- and long-term goals in mind -- next winter’s World Cup season, the 2019 World Championships -- for making the 2022 Winter Olympics.

“I’m taking it race by race, year by year, knowing that four years from now is the ultimate goal,” Bascue said. “You want to perform at your best all four years, not just at the Olympic Games.”