When Canadians watched freestyle halfpipe skier Cassie Sharpe soar to a gold medal victory during the Olympics, they were also witnessing a 麻豆社国产win.
Because for every great athlete, there鈥檚 a great coach behind the scenes.
In Sharpe鈥檚 case, that great coach was local resident Trennon Paynter, a former elite athlete who鈥檚 now helping others get on the podium.
鈥淚t is so big; it鈥檚 so rewarding 鈥� we could just not be more stoked on it,鈥� said Paynter, who started working with Sharpe after the 2014 Olympics. 鈥淲e are fired up, and I鈥檓 at a little loss for words still, to be honest.鈥�
The head coach of Canada鈥檚 national halfpipe ski team said he was very confident that Sharpe had what it took, but he was still nervous about the competition, given his past experience with competition at this level.
鈥淣o matter how capable of winning a medal your team is; your athletes are; you start to realize how easy it would be to not get one,鈥� said Paynter, who lives in the Garibaldi Highlands.
Just a little slip, or a slightly 鈥榦ff鈥� day could spell the end for athletes who鈥檝e spent countless hours honing their abilities.
Paynter also said that in fact, he鈥檚 sometimes more anxious as a coach than he was as an athlete.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all powerless at that point to do anything but watch and cheer them on,鈥� he reflected. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e that invested in something and you don鈥檛 actually control it yourself, it鈥檚 a whole different kind of nerves.鈥�
鈥淲hen I was an athlete dropping in, I鈥檇 get nervous too,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut at least everything鈥檚 in your control.鈥�
Given how much could go wrong, Paynter said he鈥檚 overjoyed that it all went right.
But even though Sharpe made everything look easy, the road to gold was filled with painstaking attention to detail.
When Paynter first started working with Sharpe, he saw raw talent 鈥斅燼 鈥漟earless鈥� athlete.
It was this courage on the slopes that allowed her to improve so quickly. Sharpe would tackle moves at a startling pace by skipping several steps in between.
This was an ability that Paynter admired, but also something that could be a stumbling block if not treated carefully.
The problem with such an approach, he said, was that some athletes who take this route may have shaky fundamentals.
As a result, Paynter banned many flashy moves from Sharpe鈥檚 repertoire and made her focus on minute details such as where exactly to land.
Sharpe鈥檚 willingness to go along with such a program showed her maturity, he said.
Indeed, it would be like asking a basketball player who can slam dunk to just focus on dribbling the ball.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of boring and almost tedious, but... she committed to it,鈥� he said.
But once Sharpe mastered those details, Paynter allowed her to go back to her incendiary style.
鈥淚t was kind of a really exciting day when we finally got to the point where, 鈥楢ll right, you鈥檝e done it 鈥� that foundation is so much stronger now; now you鈥檙e good to just turn it loose,鈥欌�� he said, recalling what he told Sharpe.
鈥淟et鈥檚 re-unleash your inner wild child now.鈥�
That was an approach that became quite evident during Sharpe鈥檚 gold medal performance in PyeongChang.
Just before the her first run, those listening closely to the TV broadcast can hear Paynter roaring encouragement from the sidelines.
Moments after, Sharpe dives down the slopes, up the halfpipe and kicks up in the air.
鈥淵ou can hear her coach Trennon Paynter at the top, firing her up as she drops in,鈥� exclaims the announcer.
鈥淔irst hit 鈥� Cassie Sharpe with a tweaked-out mute grab.鈥�
