Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “, brought to you by Hal Wright Chevrolet-Cadillac-GMC-Buick on the Sunset Strip in Owen Sound.
Faced with a decision and a dilemma, Owen Sound skier Larisa Yurkiw refused to simply accept the scenario and now departs for the World Cup season which commences at the end of this month.
In a nutshell, Yurkiw’s performance last year was sub-par in the eyes of Alpine Canada who didn’t project improved results for this season and thus, essentially, cut Yurkiw’s discipline from the program and dropped her.
Rather than pack it in or call it a day, Yurkiw set off on her own, created a budget, found sponsors and financing, hired a coach and intersected with other National Ski programs, in particular the Norwegian & Swedish teams, all in the name of keeping her quest to compete at the Olympics alive.
I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that the tough part is behind her, but it is correct to say that all remains between Larisa Yurkiw and the Sochi Olympics are terrific results on the World Cup circuit.
To get to the Winter Olympics, Yurkiw must score a Top 5 finish or a couple of Top 12’s or enough Top 20’s to be considered worthy for an Olympic berth.
Not easy. But far from finished as might have been the case 6 months ago.
Larisa Yurkiw might get to the Sochi Games after all. Then again, she might come up short. But if she doesn’t qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics, it won’t be from a lack of effort.
I’m Fred Wallace