By Anne Duggan
In a sport where athletes routinely hit speeds of 100 km an hour, slow and steady progress may just be the successful course to the Sochi Olympics for Ottawa alpine skier Dustin Cook. Cook, who’s headed to this season’s first World Cup in Soelden, Austria on Oct. 27, admits that he’s needed time to warm up to alpine skiing’s highest level of competition.
“It has taken me a couple of years to get comfortable on the World Cup,” highlights the 24-year-old Mont Ste. Marie athlete who’s entering his third season on the World Cup circuit. Of course, it’s an Olympic season, and Cook would love to be there and achieve a long-standing goal of his.
“There’s a chance, but I won’t jinx myself and say it’s a good chance,” reasons Cook, who finished last season ranked 59th in the world in the super-G event, reaching as high as #45. His strategy is to focus on the giant slalom, although he feels he’s got a shot at his favoured Super-G discipline, as well. “In the past, Canada has had a weak giant slalom program so that is where I have the most chance” of earning a trip to Sochi, Cook explains.
Cook’s imminent return to Soelden at the end of the month will be a happy one, since that’s the site of his biggest athletic accomplishment to date, which came at last season’s World Cup when he placed 22nd in the GS. “I came across the finish line and found myself in the top-30, securing a place in the second round,” recounts the 2010 Nor-Am developmental circuit’s overall champion. “‘Wow,’ I thought. I am finally where I should be.”
In technical terms, the course at Soelden is nonetheless not the best for Cook, who prefers the runs in Colorado and Kitzbuehel, Austria. Cook attributes his success to hard work on technique and a new attitude to racing. “I have a different approach on the hill because I am working with a sports psychologist,” notes the Nepean High School grad who’s working on his reactions to all sorts of things, including failure. “It is much less stressful.”
Along with working on the physical and mental tasks required to getting to the Olympics, Cook is raising money to finance his efforts. “I am flattered by the support,” says the Tommy & Lefebvre-sponsored skier who’s received $7,000 of his $9,000 goal from local supporters and businesses. “It’s impressive to see how many people have helped me.”
Cook, who has been skiing since he could walk, pauses when asked what was the most unexpected aspect of racing in the world’s biggest competitions. When his response comes, it is a humble one. “The most surprising thing to me is that just this tiny kid from Quebec is now racing on the World Cup,” reflects the Olympic hopeful. “That is what is so surprising to me.”