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An Olympic sendoff, Wildcat style

'He was five years old when he told me that he was going to live in the mountains, and that was before snowboarding'
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Rosemary Nicholson speaks to students at Widdifield today. Photo by Chris Dawson.

Olympic fever is already starting to build at Widdifield Senior Secondary.

The North Bay high school in cooperation with Laurentian Ski Hill, held a send-off for his parents Rosemary and Mike who attended the school for the Monday morning event. 

Their son Tyler, a Wildcat alum, was named to Canada’s Slopestyle Olympic Snowboard team back in January.   

See related story: Nicholson heading to the Olympics 

“It has been an exciting time, to say the least,” said Rosemary about the Olympics where Tyler will compete in Slopestyle early on and then Big Air in the later stages of the games.  

“It is something he has been working towards for 15 years and he is only 22. So since he was seven year’s old he has always had it in his mind he wanted to be the best he can be and go as far as he could in snowboarding.

“He was five years old when he told me that he was going to live in the mountains, and that was before snowboarding, I thought 'what are we talking about here,’ sure enough, it was like he was born to do this.” 

Tyler Nicholson sent a video message to the Wildcats students from Hawaii, where he was taking some off time before heading to South Korea.    

Afterwards, students signed a giant banner to show support for their alum, who is not the only Wildcat alum at the Olympics this year, as former Olympian Steve Omischl will be at the games helping Canada’s Freestyle Aerials team.  

“This is an exciting time for us, it does not happen that often we get alumni actually going to the Olympics so this is really great news, not just for the school but the city as well,” said Lisa O’Kane, Widdifield’s Principal. 

“They are characters, they both have the same spirit, and Steve definitely has that driving force. Tyler always had that driving force,” added O’Kane talking about Omischl and Nicholson.   

“He (Tyler) knew exactly what the wanted to do. The determination that Rosemary spoke about, that was Tyler, and that was Steve.” 

Rosemary and her husband are flying out tomorrow for a long 14-hour flight to Seoul. She says due to the slopestyle team’s early start, chances are Nicholson will not be able to take part in the opening ceremonies. 

“Dedication to the sport superceed’s one of the biggest things we would have loved to have seen and have him walk in with the team but that is just the way it is,” said Rosemary about Tyler. 

Mayor Al McDonald, a Wildcat alum too, also presented the family with a North Bay flag that the family will give to Tyler when they arrive. 


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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