By Joel Bernbaum
Jeff Bean is back from Salt Lake City, missing a medal by 22/100s of a point.
The 25-year-old Gilmour Street resident represented Canada in Olympic men’s aerial freestyle skiing with a fourth-place finish in Salt Lake City.
Although he was considered a medal favourite, Bean is not at all ashamed of his recent Olympic performance.
“It means a lot to me. Whether it was fourth or eighth, I came through and did the best two jumps I have ever done in my life, in the Olympics, with the pressure on,” insists Bean.
“I spent four years of my life for those six seconds.”
Salt Lake City was Bean’s second Olympics, after representing Canada at the 1998 games in Nagano.
Two highlights stand out for Bean when he looks back on his latest Olympic experience.
“After the fourth goal of the men’s hockey gold medal game,” says Bean, reflecting on his time as an Olympic spectator.
“Everyone stood up and started to sing ‘O Canada.’ “
However, the highlight closer to his own sport was the moment after he landed his second jump.
“Everything felt perfect,” remembers Bean, describing his thoughts before the scores went up. When the scores were announced, Bean says he knew right away that they should have been higher.
“It was tough standing at the bottom and watching the other three guys go after me. I was still kind of holding on to hope and they all went past me,” saysBean.
“The other guys made mistakes and I didn’t.”
Even though Bean did not stand on the podium, he says many people have congratulated him on his “silver medal” performance, and that he did not need to win a medal to positively influence his sport.
“If I just look at the reception I got at the airport and what the media have been doing over the past three weeks, it’s doing wonders for our sport,” says Bean.
“Its really what part of the Olympics is about, getting exposure so we can get more kids into it,” he adds.
Most local ski clubs do not have freestyle skiing programs, but that doesn’t mean that Bean’s performance won’t spark interest.
“Its clearly fabulous exposure to the sport that we put athletes of Jeff’s calibre on the stage,” says David Murchison, co-chair of the Ottawa Ski Club.
“In turn, people come out to places like Camp Fortune and strap on skis and snowboards and try things,” says Murchison.
Although there are no freestyle skiers in the Ottawa Ski Club right now, Murchison has seen Canadian Olympic success generate interest in alternative amateur sports before.
The popularity of snowboarding skyrocketed after Ross Rebagliati won gold at the Nagano Games.
“Olympic exposure and Olympic success go hand in hand,” says John Pomeroy, a former coach of Bean’s who is now sport development manager at the Canadian Freestyle Association.
“Any exposure and results in a positive lights let us say ‘come on sponsors, give us a hand’,” Pomeroy says, adding that he is very proud of Jeff’s performance and that he thinks it deserved a medal.