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Medal in Reach: Shannon Bahrke bumps her way to a bronze medal at Cypress Mountain on Feb. 13. Jamie Squire/Getty Images |
CommentsBahrke Brings Home the Bronze
Tahoe City native medals in women's moguls
By Olivia Dwyer* Web Exclusive *
Published: February 22, 2010
Shannon Bahrke, a native of Tahoe City, claimed a bronze medal in the women’s moguls at Cypress Mountain on Feb. 13 in her third and final Olympics. Moonshine Ink caught up with Bahrke to find out what happened on the snow and what comes next for the freestyle skier.Published: February 22, 2010
Moonshine Ink: What was going through your mind before you started your run?
Shannon Bahrke: I had such a good feeling in the start gate. I had talked to my fiancé and my coach in between the first and second run and talked about what I needed to do. I qualified in sixth place and I was so mad at myself—I did not work these last four years to get sixth place, so I just pushed out [of the start] like I wanted it.
MI: Did you know how good your run was right away?
SB: I went big off the top air, and I thought I made a big mistake and I was really upset at that point but I knew I skied the middle section like I’d been training and just let it rip. I went really big off the bottom air and finished great. I thought I’d made a significant mistake on the first air, but it turned out you couldn’t see it from the bottom. I got to the bottom and looked at the coaches and they were going insane.
MI: The top three have to sit in the finish area until they’re bumped off. What were you thinking while you were on the hot seat?
SB: It’s awful. It’s the worst feeling in the world. I love to watch our sport — it’s really fun to see what people can do. But you feel like such a bad person. I want the girls to do well, but not well enough to beat me. It’s kind of a bittersweet moment.
MI: Your teammate Heather McPhie came down after you and fell on course. What do you say to a teammate in that situation?
SB: I have so much respect for Heather. She was going for it, she was going for gold. When you’re going that hard you’re on the edge and she slipped over the edge. When I gave her a hug I told her I was so proud of everything she’d accomplished this year. It’s just the beginning of her career.
MI: What did you say to teammate Hannah Kearney when she finished? Could you tell right away she’d laid down a gold-medal run?
SB: I whispered — well, probably not whispered but yelled — you just won the Olympics! I didn’t know what the judges were going to do. I said if they didn’t reward her for it, it was ridiculous.
MI: What does it mean to you to win a medal in your last Olympics?
SB: Every athlete dreams of going out on their own terms. Everyone on our team works so hard, and for me to be able to win a medal in my last Olympics and go out on my own terms really means a lot.
MI: Will you be back in Tahoe for a victory lap anytime soon?
SB: I don’t think I’m going to get back soon because we still have the rest of our season. Nationals are there at the end of March and there’s definitely going to be a huge party.
MI: The Bridgetender in Tahoe City has banners up with your name on them. What’s the connection?
SB: I pretty much grew up in the Bridgetender. My parents used to play softball back in the day and we’d go to the BT and have a Criss Cross Pie and everyone would celebrate [after a game]. My dad pretty much has his own barstool.
MI: What are your plans for the future and retired life?
SB: I feel like there’s so many opportunities and hopefully I can capitalize on them. We have our coffee company [Silver Bean Coffee] and I want that to succeed because I’ve always wanted to be a business owner. I’d really love to do commentary. And I’m getting married soon, so I definitely want to start a family.
Watch Bahrke’s medal-winning run here.
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