Written by: Kristine Pratt
kristine.pratt@abc4.com
It certainly doesn't seem like eight years ago that Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games. And with the 2010 games in Vancouver just around the corner, Nikki Stone, former Olympic Gold Medalist and now Park City resident, went On the Record to talk about just what it takes.
"I always get nerves when I go to watch the Olympic games," Stone says. "It always brings back the memories of me being on top myself."
Stone won gold in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan in Aeriel skiing. Video of her jump can be seen by visiting her
website.
Stone is now a motivational speaker and has been invited to Vancouver this year to help athletes know what is coming and prepare them mentally. She says it is a one-in-four year chance to make the difference, make that perfect jump, and fulfill your dreams.
She is training these athletes to be prepared for anything: conditions, media, expectations, and the pressure associated with the Olympic games.
"I can't say the nerves weren't there. The games are so different than any other competition they've ever done. Rather than treating the Olympics like an everyday event, "I tried to make the Olympics everyday."
Athletes always talk about fulfilling their dreams, and winning gold to make those dreams a reality. Nikki says that when she was five-years-old, she told her parents she was going to win the Olympics.
"I kept shaking my head because I didn't believe it was a reality." I hit my husband for weeks after saying, "I just won at the Olympics!"
