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2018 WINTER OLYMPIC WRAP UP
Bend’ s four Olympic athletes had stellar performances against the world’ s best this February. All four placed top 20 in their respective disciplines. From February 9th to 25th the world was focused on Pyeongchang, but here in Bend our focus was Tommy, Laurenne, Ben and Kent. For Tommy, Laurenne and Kent it was their second Olympics, but it was Ben’ s first.
Bend also has a small contingency of people working at the Olympics. Dave Cieslowski, who is a DPT at Focus Physical Therapy, was there working with the US Nordic Combined team( see Dave’ s article below). Bend journalist Jason Albert was there covering all the Nordic events for FasterSkier. com. Tate & Aimee Metcalf, owners of Sisters Athletic Club, went to spectate the games. The Metcalfs are no strangers to the Olympics and international competition. Tate, a former track coach, worked with and mentored Ashton Eaton while at Mountain View. The Metcalf’ s continued to follow him through his college career and right up to his retirement after Ashton won his final World Championship. The Metcalfs have been to two summer Olympic games in Beijing and London, as well as two Track and Field World Championships.
Tommy, Laurenne, Ben and Kent all had their immediate and extended families in attendance to support them. Qualifying and competing in the Olympic Games is really a family affair. Years and years of family backing, financially, emotionally dealing with the extreme highs and lows. This is what makes the Olympics so special for a family of an athlete that even qualifies to get into the Olympics.
For Laurenne Ross, just making the 2018 Olympic team was an incredible accomplishment. Just last March, at the US Nationals, she suffered the worst injury of her career. Laurenne crashed and destroyed her right knee. She went through reconstruction, rest, and rehab, then in just eleven months she was in the gate in Pyeongchang.
CONGRATULATION TO OUR BEND ATHLETES AT THE 2018 PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS!
Tommy Ford Giant Slalom 20th- Team USA Laurenne Ross- Super G 15th-Team USA Ben Ferguson- Halfpipe 4th- Team USA Kent Callister- Halfpipe 10th- Team Australia
Recently, I was given the opportunity to participate in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. I am the Physical Therapist for the US Nordic Combined team and have been travelling with them at World Cups and World Championships in Europe for the past four years, but this would be my first Olympic games. I was excited and honored to be able to help my athletes compete on the Olympic stage!
Highlights from the games were many. In a lot of ways, these events are very similar to the World Cup. Our lives revolve around the apartments, dining halls, and competition venues. Of course, when you stop and look around, you realize that you are at the Olympics,