Murray Wood: Who's hot and who's not
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Mark McMorris’ motivation at the Beijing Winter Olympics isn’t just winning medals — although he wouldn’t mind adding a couple to his collection.
The 28-year-old Regina product also wants to help build on the impact he believes his sport already has had on the Games.
“For a snowboarder, the Olympics are important because snowboarding helps make the Olympics cool,” McMorris told the Green Zone’s Drew Remenda before heading for China.
“All those other sports (in the Games) I feel like are slowing down a little bit. I don’t know a lot of people that go out on the weekend and bobsled. That’s a part of it.
“It’s good for the youth to see that stuff, like snowboarding and skateboarding and surfing. It’s also really good for us to be competing on such a massive stage.”
MADE IT
pic.twitter.com/zzN41bSFSm
— Mark McMorris (@markmcmorris) February 1, 2022
McMorris has done so before, winning bronze in slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and matching that feat at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
He also has 21 X Games medals, nine World Cup medals, four U.S. Open titles and many other accomplishments to his name. But even with all of that success, McMorris keeps pushing himself — because he’s having fun.
“I like the feeling it brings,” said McMorris, who’s to compete in slopestyle and big air in Beijing. “I still feel like I’m progressing, so that keeps me coming back. I’m having fun, I’m pushing myself, I feel like I’m probably riding better than I ever have and at a higher level than I ever have, so I am really enjoying it.
“It can be stressful at times because if you hold yourself (to a high standard), you put pressure on yourself because you know what you’re capable of. Obviously Olympic years can be really stress-filled, but it’s all good.
“I need to just keep reminding myself it’s what I love to do. Just go have fun with it and usually when you’re having fun, you’re riding your best.”
McMorris has reached the top of the snowboarding mountain despite starting out in the country’s most flat locale.
He got his feet wet at Mission Ridge Winter Park near Fort Qu’Appelle before heading to Alberta on weekends to ride in the Rockies.
McMorris and his older brother Craig pushed each other during those early years, which Mark says helped get him to the place he is now.
“Having each other to go back and forth with and one-up for our whole childhood definitely helped in a major way,” McMorris said. “On a competitive level, that’s how it is too. You see one guy do it and then you realize it’s possible and then the rest will follow.
“That’s the way life goes. If you don’t want to progress, you’re going to be left in the dust because everything progresses at the end of the day.”
Craig, who is to work as an analyst on TV broadcasts from Beijing, says Canada is sending its strongest snowboarding team ever to the Olympics. His brother is to be joined on the slopes by the likes of Max Parrot, Darcy Sharpe and Sebastien Toutant.
The Canadian entourage, like those of every country, could face a different type of challenge in China in the era of COVID-19.
McMorris said he isn’t worried about the surroundings or the political environment.
“The only thing I’m really concerned about is continually testing negative,” he said. “That’s what you need to do if you want to go. Obviously (COVID) is pretty out there right now and catchable.
“But as far as going to the Games, it’s all good. I’ve been to China a million times and I don’t feel any fear in that sense … I think it’ll be just fine and I’ll have a really good time.”
