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Archive Record
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Metadata
Object ID |
2013.55.139 B |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Steve Podborski Interview |
Scope & Content |
Steve Podborski interview, 13 December 2006. Digitized MP4 from FUJIFILM M321SP Betacam SP. Three videos with a total viewing time of 00:57:49. 1 of 3; 00:21Likes to try new things to see what is possible, to do other things and do them well 01:20Introduction to Hall 02:32Childhood: nobody in Canada had broken through before the Crazy Canucks came along on the men's side; it was considered preposterous in the first place that a Canadian would stand on top of the podium; he started to ski on a hill with a 510 vertical drop 03:24Other sports as a child: baseball, his ski career was cemented by the time he was in his teens; at 12-13 went to Whistler for training camp, made the national team at 16, started racing in North America and then Europe for the next 10 years, just a lifestyle that is all encompassing and takes the teenage years and turns them into a whole sporting life 04:16Idols: Nancy Greene was the central part of skiing in Canada and for him, started in 1968 in the Nancy Greene Little League, talks of participating in the parade for her won she won Olympic Gold, realized then he wanted to be like Nancy 05:54On being an early starter in skiing: at 16 reached the selection camp and made the team, reason did so well was because coach gave him a chance, great team like the Crazy Canucks made it possible to do the impossible things 06:51When did you become convinced in your own mind: being a downhill racer was a process as opposed to being one thing that happened, also was the Canadian slalom champion, raced all events until specialized in the World Cup because it was important to be a good ski racer, not just a good downhiller; having all those skills made it better and easier to be the best in the world 07:49Turning point that made all the difference: at 18 just been named to the 1976 Olympic team; blew out his knee at Kitzbuhel, had 2 choices - quit and go back to school or stay and be a ski racer, chose the latter, was never going to go at it unprepared, was going to be the fittest, meanest, leanest Canadian guy, rededicated his life and transformed him into the racer he became 09:10On coming back after an accident: important to have had something really hard come along because it forces you to reassess your commitment to the sport; so many levels of commitment, it's the ones that work the hardest that actually turn themselves into the geniuses you see; have to work hard and that's dedication and commitment 10:20Did you know you had it: learning to be the number 1 skier in the world and an Olympic medallist was part process and part event; the process was the coaches and people who had a vote of confidence, talks about being at Whistler and having a moment of doubt but being told by the coach he was okay; this occurred other times; transformation just before the Games in 1980, talks about a race in Switzerland when he had the realization all he had to do was do his best and could win, unbelievable so simple, before he tried to win by going beyond what he was when if fact what he was doing was quite good enough 2 of 2; 00:06On being the kid on the team: a great team, they were getting top 30 in the first year on the World Cup, on idea how talented they were or how hard it would be to succeed, notion of the Crazy Canucks becoming the best in the world and the notion of him becoming the best - attitude let`s see if we could win; each showed their own special way what it took to be a champion 01:14On ego management within the team: very little, have to be very strong in terms of being against top skiers, takes tremendous ego to say you are going to beat them; at the same time realized they depended on each other for success; without Ken and Dave and Dave he would not have achieved what he did, they were peers, equals and made it work, but not perfect 02:32On being popular in Europe: stems from a host of things, they were able to communicate in various languages, German in particular, they made the effort to be accessible; didn`t come with baggage of being the power team, were fresh and new and able to create own persona of the Crazy Canucks, allowed them to reach the public in a brand new way in a sport that was really quite traditional 03:32Who coined the term: he had the notion it was a reporter, Serge Lange, who in talking about the race Dave won said ``Those Canadians are crazy`` 04:56On speed and control: to be part of the Crazy Canucks had to have the ability to ski fast; essentially what you are doing is not thinking, everything is preprogrammed, the guy who wins the race is the one who can deal with the variations, the one who can understand how to make the course work and go faster than anybody else; the Crazy Canucks were artists, take a sport that is 90% science and turn it back into an art form where worked together to get a faster way down the hill; it takes what you learn in slalom and giant slalom and super G which is the ability to turn, go fast and put it all together with the last ingredient which is bravery or lack of fear; it`s a leap of faith when rocking on the edge; when you fall you get backup and went faster which is a testament to the team, the coaches and each other 06:58On the 1981-82 season: year before just missed the world cup title by a few points; they were close as a team and a group; went back that season to win the world title, season went well, put it together, it is hard work to keep the energy together and to succeed while everyone else in the world is trying to beat you; amazing satisfying 08:10On Peter Muller: a tremendous foe; a tough guy to get along with 10:28On the discipline of downhill: the thing about downhill ski racing is that all the courses average 110kph or 70mph, talks about the force against the body, turning, jumps; very visceral, if you are going really fast have to do it right, pay attention because you can really get hurt 12:02Training tools: the biggest tool was mental rehearsal, was skiing before there was sport psychology; if you can rehearse the event in your head then you can do it; have to have a vivid imagination and know how to ski well; good racers are the ones that let that happen, don`t second guess, just imagine it and it can happen 13:22On coaching: had great coaches, talks about them, Scott Henderson got them into shape and John Ritchie helped them establish their own world; that was their contribution to keep them going the right way and keep away the bad stuff because success can often lead to failure, things can get in the way and you need someone to make the choice of what`s important 14:45On the pressure: talks about what different parts of ski racing really meant, a tough lifestyle but great 16:02Harder than ever thought it would be , to be a ski racer is a difficult job but to be the best vest one is even tougher by a couple of factors 16:40Highlights: just hammering down the hill; Kitzbuhel was legendary, to do well there hard, the crown jewel of the downhill and the Canadians won it 4 years in a row 18:40Winning the World Cup title was superb, a dream that never came true before and hadn`t happened for a North American since, extremely satisfying; ability to work with the whole team to put it together; the one is the Olympic Bronze in 1980, lot of pressure on Ken, talks about the race, realized Ken was not going to medal and he had to, things had not been going well for the team, had a sense of closure; tells story of nearly missing the medal presentation 22:33You feel good about yourself: had a great skiing career, loved what he did; had 3 operations which was a testament to his ability to come back but also a testament to his family and friends; when he finished racing it was the beginning of a new career, chance to work with new people and find limits; life is a series of challenges, recommends people get out there and play a sport and enjoy it 24:00Right to Play: talks about the organization and going to Uganda, a wonderful experience, talks about the difference it makes for the kids 25:54Was it scary or fun being a Crazy Canuck: large part of being called crazy because the Europeans couldn`t believe Canadians could be better than them, had to do something offside to get on the podium, the term became one of real affection 26:38Never scared in the gate, convinced he was going to finish, knew every microsecond of the course, cold feel the texture of the snow, when skin racing was ultimately confident that he would do everything he had planned 27:14Strong belief: was aware of the dangers, have to go up there and believe 29:05On his longevity and consistency: being fast in ski racing is often thought to be because of a host of factors; he was fast every day because he thought ``I will be fast. I will find a way to succeed``; mentally and intellectually just have that strength and power that helps you succeed when others can`t 3 of 3; 01:20Talks about Franz Klammer and how he uses him as a role model 01:44Tells story about prepping their skis and how Dave Irwin won having done everything he could to prepare, lesson was that we could compete with each other and go out and do it, very powerful, they were committed, tough and competitive; the last 5% is you can do it and you own it 04:00Life lesson: Rule One: team work, cannot be better on a team on your own, Crazy Canucks worked as a team and best the best in the world with fewer tools and less money; the sum of its parts is greater than the whole, teamwork wins; Rule Two: be committed, do the last 5%, be prepared to have no stone unturned, when there is no reason left to fail that is when you succeed; work smart, not just hard, spend quality time thinking about what you are doing and what the next step will be 05:39Kids in sport: question of scale, scope or degree, have as much fun as you can, do it to the best of your ability, you can get better if you try by working hard, not a failure if you play just to have fun, sport is to have the best time and have fun 09:05Funny story: talks about travelling and have a good relationship with the team, had a great time 10:53Talks about the suits, talks about the track being watered down and like being on a skating rink, today technology has changed, talks about friction burns inside the suit and how friction can burn the skis 14:10On cultural diversity: sport takes you to so many places and crosses so many cultural barriers; get to do many different things. |
Date |
2006/12/13 |
People |
Podborski, Steve Read, Ken Irwin, Dave Greene, Nancy Murray, Dave |
Search Terms |
Interview Steve Podborski alpine skiing skiing Crazy Canuks 1980 Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid Downhill World Cup Title |