Don't talk to Heather Moyse about track records, start times, first place, second place, 10th place, being on the podium -- being anything, really -- because all she always wants to be is better than she was the run before.
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Moyse, Humphries lead bobsled race, but don't tell them
- February 23, 2010 11:40 PM |
- By Joe O'Connor
Story provided by
WHISTLER, B.C. -- Don't talk to Heather Moyse about track records, start times, first place, second place, 10th place, being on the podium -- being anything, really -- because all she always wants to be is better than she was the run before.
"[Pilot] Kaillie Humphries and I have actually been trying not to think of outcome, it has been all about the process," Moyse said. "If I start thinking about a time, it is going to mess us up. Which is why I don't pay attention, I actually have no idea where people are ranked right now."
Here is a hint: The Canada-1 sled sits first through the first two heats of the women's bobsled.
Canada-2, piloted by Helen Upperton and pushed by Shelley-Ann Brown, is fourth, .02 seconds back of Germany-2. The surprising American duo of Erin Pac and Elena Meyers is in second, with a .27 second cushion on the Germans, and then comes Moyse and Humphries at the top of the heap -- with a .13 second advantage they would rather not talk about.
On a night where the track record was broken, reset, and broken again, Canada-1 emerged from the heat with a handful of marks. Best start (5.11 seconds), fastest time (53.01 seconds), highest speed (146.9 km/h). But the records do not count, neither does the cushion Canada-1 holds going into the final two runs.
"One of the reporters mentioned the gap between first and second, and then another gap between second and third, so now, because of that, I know that there is a gap," Moyse said. "But if start thinking there is a cushion, then we are screwed..."
It is about the process. And the process of putting Canadians on top of the podium in the mountains has been a difficult one. The skiers have flopped. The sledders, beyond skeleton king Jon Montgomery, have floundered. Now there is a chance of having two teams hit the medals, and possibly even strike gold. Just do not mention that to Moyes.
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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