In Their Words: Kristi Richards
Feb 13, 2008
In her seven years on the Canadian Freestyle ski team, mogul specialist Kristi Richards of Summerland, British Columbia has stood on many World Cup podiums. She soared to the top of her game at the 2007 Freestyle Skiing World Championships in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, when she won the gold medal in moguls.
Richards took seventh place in moguls in her Olympic Games debut at the Torino Winter Games in 2006. To give back to amateur sport, Richards founded the Supporting the Dream Legacy Fund in the fall of 2007 to help financially support promising athletes in the Okanagan.
Lined up at the Gate by Kristi Richards
I will never forget the moment when I was standing in the gate at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. It was the moment of truth — a 30-second chance of a lifetime and the moment that took a decade of preparations.
I was randomly selected as the first woman to push out of the start gate. My event, the women’s moguls, was on the first day of the 2006 Winter Games. It felt like I was opening the Games. As I slid past the starters and took my position in the starting area, my whole skiing career flashed before me.
I remembered all of the days in the gym, all of the days in physiotherapy, all of the time spent mentally preparing for this moment. I remembered all of the injuries and the struggles to recover from those. I remembered all of the successes along the way — going to Canada Games, winning Canadian Nationals, the NorAm wins and my first World Cup.
Most of all, I remembered every person and every soul that touched my life and helped me get to the Olympic Games. I knew that they were all cheering me on back home, watching it live on television at 5:00 am. I could feel them with me there in Torino. I knew, at that moment, how important their support was and that I wasn’t standing up there in the gate alone.
I had the support of my community, my country, my sponsors, my friends, my coaches and support staff, my teammates, and most of all, my family.
I was not only representing myself, but I was representing all of those that had been there for me. I was also representing all Canadians and all of the people with dreams and aspirations like mine. Representing Canada at the Olympic Winter Games was a dream come true for me.
I lined myself up in the gate, and then looked over at my coach, Rob Kober. I simply said, “thanks coach.” He nodded in affirmation and quickly got me refocused on the mogul course before me. It was 30 seconds before my run. I looked up into the horizon and the Italian mountains.
It was then that I realized I had already done the work and the only job left to do was to ski. A strange calm came over me. I looked down into the crowd and could see my family cheering. Nothing could go wrong. It was happening. I just had to trust my training and trust my technique.
I heard the starter announce my name and say, “Olympian ready, 3... 2…1…go!”
As I crossed the finish line, I spun around and took another look at the course that I had just skied. It happened. That was what I was preparing for all of those years. I will never forget those few minutes of my life. They are so crystal clear, yet still so surreal.
I will forever be a Canadian Olympian.
In Their Words Series
In Their Words is a celebration of the two-year countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This 17-part series is comprised of personal stories written by Olympians and leaders with a passion for the Games. Visit vancouver2010.com every day from February 12 to 28 for a fresh story of inspiration, triumph and hope.
In TheirWords: Kristi Richards
InTheir Words:François-Louis Tremblay
InTheir Words:Dominique Maltais
InTheir Words:Johann Olav Koss
Vancouver 2010 News
