Sliders owning the podium on bare-bones support

The Mellisa Hollingsworth and Sarah Reid era officially ended in 2014, leaving the Canadian skeleton team without a star.

In Canada, Own the Podium divvies up government funding based on results, doling out $3.5 million to the skeleton program over the four years leading up to the 2014 Winter Games. In the three years since Sochi — where Reid finished seventh and Hollingsworth 11th — that number has plummeted to just $382,500.

But lack of funding has not stopped two Canadian women from rocketing to the top of the podium. On Friday in St. Moritz, Switzerland, rookie Mirela Rahneva captured her first World Cup gold with a sizzling two-run time of two minutes, 16.53 seconds, more than 1.5 seconds ahead of silver medallist Kendall Wesenberg of the United States. A second is an eternity in skeleton, never mind a second-and-a-half. Calgary’s Elisabeth Vathje finished just off the podium in fourth, but she already has two World Cup victories in 2016-17. In five World Cup races this season, Canada has won gold three times. Rahneva also has two bronze medals in her first five World Cup races.

“Today was incredible,” she told Postmedia on Friday.

“Watching the Canadian flag go up and knowing it was because of my efforts made me feel so proud and privileged. It’s definitely been a lot of hard work getting here and never would I have thought I would be on the podium in my first season, let alone win a race. ”

Rahneva, 28, is a wedding planner by trade. The Ottawa product works in the catering department at Winsport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary to help pay roughly $20,000 in team fees.

During the off-season, she routinely logs 13-hour days with training in the morning followed by an evening shift of setting up tables, pouring coffee and tending to the logistics of weddings, bar mitzvahs and corporate parties.

“It’s hard, but it just becomes your regular life,” she told Postmedia before heading out on the World Cup circuit. “It’s a grind. You’re sore, and you’re beat up. Sometimes, you crash, and you’re a bit achy. But I love it.”

It’s hard, but it just becomes your regular life.

So does Vathje. The 22-year-old slider burst onto the World Cup circuit in 2014-15 with five podium performances, including gold on her home track in Calgary. Then came the sophomore slump. The highest she finished last year was sixth.

So Vathje is focusing on numbers of a different kind — on slashing fractions of seconds off her run times and going faster than ever before. Coupled with Rahneva’s success, she hopes the money will soon start to flow again with Canada poised to contend for skeleton medals at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“This is the first time in many years we’ve had two Canadians on the podium,” Vathje said. “And Jane Channell is just as strong, she’s just had some bad luck, honestly. Our women’s field is so strong, and yet I know for a fact my teammates are having to choose between team fees and groceries. And that’s kind of ridiculous.”