Supremacy. Domination. Complete command. These are words which may be used to describe Canada's overall performance across four days of North American Cup (NAC) racing in Whistler—especially on the women's side.
Bianca Ribi and Niamh Haughey needed one minute and 47.24 seconds to nail both runs and win their second gold medal in as many days. Erica Voss hit the podium in all four races she entered, clinching another silver with Eden Wilson (+0.42). That left bronze around the necks of Kristen Bujnowski and Charlotte Ross (+0.54).
What does that all add up to? 12 out of 12 ladies' medals going to the Maple Leaf.
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) coach and four-time Olympian Justin Kripps is understandably over the moon about it.
"It's awesome to see that our women's team is really deep right now, with a lot of the younger drivers coming up strong," Kripps said. "They really showed out at these races."
Don't forget about Taylor Austin, who leaves the Sea to Sky with four home-ice victories to his name. Once again it was Shane Ohrt, Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson and Mark Zanette propelling him to triumph (1:43.83).
Edson Luques Bindilatti, Rafael Souza Da Silva, Erick Jeronimo and Edson Ricardo Martins gave Brazil reason to cheer in second place (+0.83), with Canucks Jay Dearborn, Kenny M'Pindou, Brandon Loewen and Tobi Ade finishing third (+1.34). In fact, two out of three teams on every men's podium this week have been Canadian.
"This is a difficult track," remarked Kripps. "[The boys] handled it well for the most part. Really good progress…and I'm excited to see what else they can do."
Committed to the cause
BCS hasn't just been filling up the ladies' top three as of late. National two-woman queen Mackenzie Stewart slid to consecutive fourth-place results: initially with Leah Walkeden on Monday and then with Morgan Ramsay 24 hours later. Team Canada has great depth, but that wouldn't exist without dedication from its members.
Ribi, for instance, flew to Calgary Tuesday night so she could report for duty as a firefighter on Wednesday at 7 a.m. Mountain Time. It's a schedule that would make most folks balk, but not her.
"Bobsledding allows me to do my lifelong passion, which is to compete," explained Ribi, a former Dartmouth College soccer star. "There's nothing better than getting to wear the Maple Leaf at the start line with [my friend] Niamh. It's a really special privilege to represent my country, and then on the firefighting side to represent my city. I'm very fortunate and wouldn't have it any other way."
Likewise, Bujnowski has paid her dues. The London, Ont. native joined BCS seven years ago and pushed Christine de Bruin to fifth place at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before transitioning into a pilot's role. Bujnowski's driving skills haven't always matched her power off the start line, but her trajectory is pointed upward with two bronze medals in Whistler.
"I'm really excited, especially after these last few days because…I showed I can drive similarly well to these other girls who are doing really well," she remarked. "Looking forward to the next race series."
Ross isn't even done with her psychology degree or rugby career at Carleton University, but allowed her interest in niche sports to pull her into bobsledding. She does not regret her decision.
Perhaps Haughey summed it up best when she said: "You come into the sport of bobsled wanting to achieve your goals. It's a lot of fun."
'It's all about raising the floor'
Several Canadians like Zanette, Eskrick-Parkinson, Loewen and Ade got their first taste of international competition this week. Their pilots thus had the opportunity and challenge of mentoring them on the fly.
"Anytime we can win a race in Whistler, it's a good day," said Austin. "The boys came out, competed well and we progressed through the week. We've learned a lot being here and we're going to try and refine it a little bit in Park City [during our next race]."
From his perspective, Dearborn added: "We focused on being really technical, getting that load sequence down and getting the push technique right. I'd say it was a pretty successful two days for us as a team."
Experienced leadership was particularly important on Tuesday, with multiple crashes and mechanical issues resulting in delays on track.
Loewen probably spoke for all of his fellow rookies when he discussed looking to BCS veterans for guidance on how to manage stress, maintain composure and react to the unexpected. Ade followed up by describing Dearborn as "a great leader" who confidently introduces bobsled to newcomers.
Of course, leaders don't succeed alone and credit should be given to the roster's unsung heroes.
Take Chris Ashley, who was forced to bow out of the week's events due to an undisclosed injury. Regardless, Austin praised the stricken brakeman for "carrying literally the whole team."
Kripps agrees. "It takes a village in this sport," he said. "Morgan and Chris especially, they've been absolutely crucial in keeping the attitude positive. Chris has been making sure everybody's sleds get to the line. Such good teammates, both of them. I love to see Morgan get her shot racing and I'm sure Chris is going to get a shot soon.
"Everybody's learning how to perform when they're not feeling their best. Our athletes start to get to a high level and their ceilings become quite high, but it's all about raising the floor. Their bad days are still pretty good. Resilience is what separates the people who stand on the podium from the people who don't."
Full results from the bobsled component of the 2024 Whistler NAC can be viewed at https://www.ibsf.org/en/races-and-results.
Be sure to revisit the Whistler Sliding Centre on Nov. 28 and 29 as the skeleton racers get their turn to engage.
