It’s not often residents of a city the size of Kamloops get a chance to watch their own aim for a medal on the biggest sporting stage in the world.
In the next two weeks, however, Kamloopsians will get just that opportunity as speed skater Jessica Hewitt and alpine skier Elli Terwiel take to the ice and slopes in Sochi, Russia, as part of our respective national teams.
Kamloops is Canada’s Tournament Capital, a monicker firmly rooted in this city’s sports heritage.
What better representation of that slogan, that lifestyle, than the two young women whose hard work and untold sacrifice has vaulted them to the pinnacle of their competitive careers?
Hewitt and her Canadian speed-skating teammates have started the Olympic Winter Games impressively.
Hewitt finished second in her opening 500-metre heat and will skate in the quarter-finals on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 2 a.m. (set those alarm clocks as the race is on CBC).
Five days after that race, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Hewitt and her teammates will skate for gold in the always-exciting short-track 3,000-metre relay (again, set your alarm clocks for that 2:45 a.m. start on CBC).
Terwiel will ski for glory on Friday, Feb. 21, with two runs broadcast on Sportsnet — at 4:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.
Do yourself a favour and try to rise and watch these hometown heroes as they embody all that is right with youth and demonstrate to all Kamloops athletes that dreams never die — regardless of how distant they may seem.
