Show Tristan Gale Slides To A Gold Medal student Tristan Gale wins a gold goldmedal goldmedal goldmedal medal in skeleton for forthe forthe forthe the US women By Julie Slama Contributing Writer Jumping up and down with red white and blue hair flying at the end of her second Olympic skeleton race yelling half-yelling half- half crying I love the USA is a familiar picture many Americans have of the pound Tristan Gale Or perhaps another memory of year old Gale is when she leaned her head on the shoulder of her teammate silver Lee Ann Parsley after having the gold medal placed on her neck saying over and over I cant can't believe this is mine This self proclaimed I adrenaline junkie that won the hearts of many Americans when she captured the gold medal gold medal in inthe inthe inthe the women's first-ever first skeleton races at the Olympics has been a familiar face as a Salt Lake Community College student I really enjoyed my English teacher he was very goo good and I 1 hated English so that speaks highly of him Gale said I 1 like biology so I looked forward to going to that class The College fit my needs and everything was comfortable comfortable comfort comfort- abl able said Gale I never want to grow up but since 1 I know its it's inevitable I plan to study horti horti- culture 1 l work now in the lawn and garden department at Home Depot because I like plants Five days before her race she was having a blast at the Olympic Village where many of the athletes stayed during during during dur dur- ing the 18 days of the Olympics Gale was proving already to be well-liked well making friends from different countries and even making Mardi Gras masks for the Irish bobsledders for a masquerade ball This is my first time making a Mardi Gras mask I saw it on the schedule and it looked like fun she said Right now Im I'm making ones forthe for forthe forthe the bobsled team from Ireland They're real fun guys The night before she and speed skater Derrick Parra who earned the gold medal in inthe inthe inthe the 1500 meter and the silver in inthe inthe inthe the meter had celebrated with the chief operating officer of Home Depot As part of Home Depots Depot's Olympic sponsorship Olympic athletes receive full- full time pay and benefits while working a flexible hour 20 work workweek workweek workweek week that accommodates demanding training and competition competition compe compe- competition schedules Both Gale and Parra have been featured on Home Depot commercials I 1 took two classes in biology and English and I worked at Home Depot I took night classes so I could train during the day and try somehow to keep up with school work I dont don't think they knew I was a world class athlete It helped to keep the racing pressure to a minimal but I had a big balancing act like all students do she said For Gale it also meant competing worldwide in herSee herSee her herSee See GOLD on page 2 Student Wins Medal inaugural World Cup se season son Heading into the Olympics with witha a no 10 ranking Gale previously previous previous- ly had earned silver at the 2000 North American Championships and Americas America's Cup races and finished sixth in the 2000 World Championships She acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged edged the tough competition in inthe inthe inthe the Olympic race TI Th I e competition is 1 pretty good Theres There's Maya of Switzerland Alex Coomber of Great Britain eventually eventually eventually even even- the Olympic bronze and Michele Kelly of Canada Im I'm not going to throw out anybody because the level of girls here is very good There are more names than medals Gale said In the skeleton racers combine the total time of two heats to declare the fastest Racers push the sled at the top of the track before jumping on and heading down the track face first Gale averaged 77 miles per ner Der hour and won the race with n n n L' L a combined time of 1 tenth one-tenth of one second faster than the silver Gale who ski raced four years while at Brighton High School in Sa Salt t Lake City decided to try skeleton at a local J r tryout Its fun great I started by accidentally falling into it and do it you do it forever At th the time I was a ski racer and I had to choose one sport or another At the time I had no idea that they would make skeleton an Olympic sport but they did and here I am Its It's like being tied to an airplane airplane airplane air air- plane wing You take off and the sled starts rattling and you have nothing to do but drive it and hang on I t. t t Im I'm an adrenaline junkie and racing gives me nothing but thrills she said A y b w b Tristan Gale in a party mood Photo courtesy of Julie Slama |