For doubles luge competitors Tristan Walker and Justin Snith it was all about laying down two good runs at the Olympic Games.

It started as a dream, became a goal, and ultimately turned into reality as they placed 15th Feb. 17 at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

“Our two starts definitely weren’t what we were hoping for,” Snith recalled of the Olympic runs a few days after the competition.

“We need to work on the starts and conditioning and strength. Flexibility is a really big part of it . . . if we can combine those things along with the experience we have gained I think we can excel on the World Cup circuit and at the next Games as well.”

Walker, a Bearspaw native, and Snith, who has family connections to Springbank and the Cochrane area, had already surprised everyone by qualifying for the Games. After all, the two are less than one year out of high school and rookies on the World Cup circuit.

In the weeks leading up to the Games, Snith said he and Walker were “flying by the seat of our pants” as the community turned out in droves at local events to support the young Olympians.

And the drama didn’t end for the sliding duo, who had been paired together just two years prior, when they arrived in Vancouver. More »

Of the roughly 200 Canadian athletes competing in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics perhaps none were under more pressure than Jennifer Heil.

The defending Olympic champion in women’s moguls, Heil was widely pegged by the media as most likely to win Canada’s first-ever gold medal on home soil. More »

Written for Cochrane Eagle

Local lugers Tristan Walker and Justin Snith serve as perfect examples of how age is just a number. At 18 years old, the two will compete together in the Vancouver Olympics before thousands of Canadian fans. Regardless of what happens on the world’s biggest athletic stage, Feb. 17 will be a day the two will never forget

Tristan Walker and Justin Snith were fearless daredevils growing up.

There was simply no tree too high, no jump too steep and, needless to say, there were a number of scrapes, bruises and broken bones along t he way.

So it’s no surprise to their parents that the two 18-year-olds will now compete in the Olympics in luge, where athletes fly down an ice track at speeds in excess of 140 kilometres. More »

Written for  Cochrane Eagle

The signs of a gifted young hockey player are all there.

A team-first mentality, the ability to compete against more experienced players and a knack for putting the puck in the net. And the best part of all is that she’s just 14 years of age. More »

Written for Cochrane Eagle

It was the greatest night of Mason Raymond’s young life, and the best part of all was that his family and friends were on hand to witness the whole thing.

The 24-year-old emerging NHL star, who grew up on a ranch just outside of Cochrane, scored three goals in succession in the first two periods Dec. 27 as his Vancouver Canucks thumped the host Calgary Flames 5-1 in front of a packed house at the Saddledome.

It was the first career hat trick for the speedy left-winger and earned him the game’s first star recognition.

“Obviously it was great,” said a reserved Raymond in the locker room after the game. “I grew up watching the Flames and was a big fan . . . this area has been good to me over the years.

“Obviously the Calgary-area is very passionate about their hockey and Cochrane was a great place for me to grow up. Some good players have come out of there, I still consider it home and a place I come back to all the time and enjoy.” More »