From North Bay to Vancouver - Part 4

North Bay residents and avid Baytoday readers, Jason Pichette and his wife Marissa are in Vancouver this week to attend the Olympic Winter Games. With tickets to both the preliminary and final for Aerials, they will be cheering on local product Steve Omischl all the way to Gold. All the while they will be providing readers with a glimpse of their experiences at the games.

When I offered to write about our trip for Bay Today my mind had already written this piece. Part three alluded to a story book finish that has now become a lesson that will sting when put to paper. Thursday marked the peak of our Olympic journey as we travelled a familiar path from Richmond to Cypress Mountain. Knowing the venue we quickly took our spot 3 hours before the event would start so we would have the best vantage point of each jump and each athlete’s reaction.

We found ourselves quickly engrossed in a sea of fans from all over the world baring colors of their home country even though only 5 nations were represented at the finals. As rain started to fall and the damp air chilled our bones I can speak for both my wife and I when I say we could not think of another place in the world we would rather be. With overlapping events at the games most venues have large screens that allow us to keep up and not depend on digital recordings for when we arrived home. Today also marked the Women’s Hockey final between USA and Canada. We were lucky enough to take in the game from the 20 foot screen on the mountainside and hear the Cypress crowd erupt with each piece of action from the game. The 3 hours of standing before the Men’s Aerial Finals seemed to pass far too quickly as such momentous started to unfold. Within a few seconds of the game finishing and the announcement of Canadian gold the entire crowd joined in sing our national anthem.

Finally the event was starting and all of the training jumps look fantastic. Every single qualifier in the Men’s Aerials had the skill to podium which made the upcoming 24 jumps crucial. North Bay was represented very well in the crowd with the following over 20 attending which included, The Holden Family, Dittman Family, Jim & Adelaide Forsyth, Luc Champagne just to name a few. You will recognize some of North Bay from the television coverage and their signs rooting on Steve. Widdifield High School was also here with a large banner illustrating “Wildcats Roar, Go Steve Go!” I apologize if I missed you or spelled your name incorrectly - rookie reporter didn’t interview all 12,000 people!

Most readers know the outcome of the event and I wish I had a magic keyboard that could change the result. Once the event had concluded a deafening silence filled the air over a group now gathering close to the fenced in area containing the athletes. Steve obviously disappointed in the outcome stood to face reporters and friends. Watching such a high caliber athlete display such sadness was a heart wrenching experience. I did not have an opportunity to speak to Steve first hand but wish I could have the opportunity to share this message. Today you can not own regret or disappointment because it owns a home with those who do not fight for excellence. The Olympic stage is for the greatest athletes to compete and Steve Omischl is defined by that greatness.

Being there first hand and seeing North Bay’s Steve Omischl on the world stage perform with class and grace is something I was not prepared for. Preparation for such a moment requires an emotional investment that followed the successful career of Steve and included a more detail understanding of the 15 years he invested in the sport. We all look to embrace a hometown hero and historically North Bay has done that for people like Kate Pace and the “Kate Pace Way”. The story behind Steve’s journey is something that only a close few know but needs to be shared. I believe Steve’s story only starts here and needs to be illustrated with a monument for the community of North Bay.

An emotional roller coaster vacation that has been tattooed in our heart and mind now comes to a conclusion. The journey would have been impossible without the generosity of Marissa’s family. Thank you Gina, Bil, Suzi and Don for getting us here. A very special thank you to Derek and Diane Blackstock who treated us with the kindness and care of parents, tolerated our long days and accepted a messy guest room that could only be matched by a teenager.

Steve Omischl North Bay’s home town hero, you have made us proud and represented us on the global scale like no other.

Thank you for reading.


Jason & Marissa Pichette