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Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2015.5.2 |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Gerry Sorensen Interview |
Interview Summary / Résumé d'entrevue |
Gerry Sorensen, Order of Sport recipient, inducted in 1989, born in Kimberley, British Columbia, talks about her skiing career and the challenges and pressures she faced as an athlete. Gerry describes growing up in Kimberley, surrounded by friends and family who were active in sports. She talks about how it, therefore, felt natural to grow up playing a variety of sports. Gerry describes the difficulties she faced in becoming a competitive alpine skier later in life (joining the Canadian National Ski Team at age 21, she was considered old in her field). She explains that she constantly desired to do better and make it to the next level and had a supportive coach. Gerry recalls the 1981 World Cup race, winning the race, and describes the technical challenges of the course in Haus, Austria. Gerry explains how the media pressure made balancing training with attending public events difficult. She also talks about representing Canadian women while the Crazy Canucks were at their height and how it was a struggle to get the same exposure. She points out that the women's National Ski Team continued to be successful for many years. In messages to youth, Gerry says, "you need to get out there and work hard…be responsible for yourself and prove yourself." Entrevue avec Gerry Sorensen, 17 juin 2015. MP4 d'origine numérique, deux vidéos d'une durée totale de visionnement de : 00:22:59. Gerry Sorensen, récipiendaire de l'Ordre du sport, a été intronisée en 1989 et est née à Kimberley, en Colombie-Britannique. Elle parle de sa carrière de ski ainsi que des défis et de la pression qu'elle a vécus en tant qu'athlète. Gerry raconte son enfance à Kimberley, qu'elle a passée entourée d'amis et de membres de sa famille qui faisaient beaucoup de sport. Elle conclut donc qu'il était très naturel pour elle de grandir en pratiquant une variété de sports. Gerry décrit les difficultés qu'elle a rencontrées lorsqu'elle a commencé à faire de la compétition de ski alpin plus tard que la normale (elle s'est jointe à l'équipe nationale canadienne de ski à l'âge de 21 ans, ce qui était considéré " vieux " dans cette discipline). Elle explique son désir constant de s'améliorer et de passer au prochain niveau et parle de l'appui de son entraîneur. Gerry se souvient de la course de la Coupe du monde de 1981, qu'elle a gagnée, et décrit les défis techniques du parcours de Haus, en Autriche. Gerry explique comment la pression des médias lui a compliqué la tâche d'équilibrer l'entraînement avec la participation à des événements publics. Elle parle également de son expérience en tant qu'athlète représentant les femmes canadiennes à une époque où les " Crazy Canucks " étaient à leur apogée, et de la difficulté à obtenir la même visibilité. Elle remarque que l'équipe nationale féminine de ski a continué à connaître du succès pendant plusieurs années. Dans son message à l'intention des jeunes, Gerry dit: " Allez-y, travaillez fort… prenez votre situation entre vos mains, soyez responsables de vous-mêmes et faites vos preuves. " |
Scope & Content |
Gerry Sorensen interview, 17 June 2015. Born digital MP4, two videos with a total viewing time of 00:22:59. 00:00:30Gerry Sorensen - what got her into sports and her inspirations: where she grew up in Kimberley, BC, everybody did all sports; she was in her school's basketball team , volleyball team, field hockey team, and more; her cousins were skiers and that is what got her in the skiing field; skiing was a family affair and that made it easy for her to get into the program 00:01:37She joined the Canadian National Ski Team in 1979; at age 21, she was considered old in her field; she had to prove herself to everyone; she went as a BC provincial athlete to the national championships, and she ended up winning and beating the other national team members 00:02:44As a provincial athlete, her ultimate goal was to become a national champion; her goal is what drove her to her success; she strived for that next level; she had great coach who believed in her 00:03:34Her biggest challenges in her career as an athlete: having started in the national team at an older age was a challenge for her; the national team gave her goals that she had to reach in a specific period of time and she had to advance in her placing as she progressed 00:04:42Winning several World Cups in downhill skiing is what she considers her greatest accomplishment; having that world ranking and being a world champion was her ultimate goal in her career; even though she started on the 30th position during the 1981 World Cup Downhill event in Haus, Austria, she still managed to win first place, beating Irene Epple by 0.8 seconds 00:06:28Prior to the 1981 World Cup, she never really thought that she could win the race; she just strived to do her best in every race and have a good run 00:08:22Dealing with the pressure from the media was one of the hardest things she had to overcome; the pressure made it difficult for her in balancing her training and all the events that she had to attend 00:09:07What she is most proud of in her skiing career: she is very proud of her accomplishments because she had to climb a lot of "hurdles" to achieve them; in her four years of competing in the World Cup tours, she managed to attain a lot of her goals that many people take a long time achieving nowadays 00:10:09At the 1982 World Cup, she won back-to-back championships and she managed to beat her own record on the second day of the race 00:12:49On what she focused on when going down the hill: she did not think about anything else other than going down as fast as she could and paying very close attention to her lines; she did not think too far ahead and tried to stay as compact as possible 00:13:32Values that were most important in her journey: she learned a lot about herself and living with other people; "growing up, being a good person, representing yourself, representing your sport, and representing Canada" 00:14:05On representing Canada on the international stage: hearing the Canadian national anthem after winning the world championship was the "best feeling in the world" 00:14:24On representing Canadian women during the time when the Crazy Canucks were on the spotlight: the women in the national team were doing just as well as the men at the time, it was however difficult to get the same exposure because they were overshadowed by the Crazy Canucks 00:15:39Lessons or message that could help youth in their life today: "youth today, they are spoiled by technology"; youth today need to get out and earn what they are doing; "it is not easy, it is a hard road, it is a hard journey, (and) they need to work for it"; "it is sad to see…because they just expect it now"; "you need to get out there and work hard…be responsible for yourself and prove yourself" 00:16:49On children about being active in sports today: children are very limited now compared to when she was growing up; she had a lot of time to play sports back then; it is difficult for children to be exposed to a variety of sports these days 00:18:00What it means to her to be an Honoured Member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame: "It is wonderful to be a part of the Sport's Hall of Fame"; "It is great that I am recognized for the achievement I have done, and to be part of such an elite group of athletes and people that have built that for Canada, it really is amazing. It is a real honour" 00:00:13 (Video 2 of 2)On sport preparing you for life: sports helps you to work with other people, to grow up, to learn rules and it helps you know that there are rules; "sport is very fun and a lot of kids miss out on it unfortunately" |
Date |
2016/07/05 |
Year Range from |
1979 |
Year Range to |
1984 |
People |
Sorenson, Gerry Epple, Irene |
Search Terms |
Gerry Sorenson World Cup Interview Alpine Skiing Women in sport Bobbie Rosenfeld Trophy 1981 World Cup 1982 World Cup 1982 World Alpine Downhill Championship 1984 World Cup |