Matt's Home Away from Home

[yyzcanuck]

From the link HERE:

Boarder right at home in billet

For the Nagel clan, Olympic medal hopeful Matt Morison is `an extension of the family'

February 13, 2009

Randy Starkman

SPORTS REPORTER

WEST VANCOUVER, B.C.–Matt Morison's the 'boarder who's really a boarder – and it's a combo he hopes to ride to an Olympic podium. The personable 21-year-old snowboarder from Burketon, Ont., near Oshawa, has some kind of sweet setup for the 2010 Winter Games.

Morison has been living with the Nagel family in West Vancouver whenever he's come here to train the past two years. Their lovely home is just a hop, skip and a gnarly turn away from the Olympic snowboarding site at Cypress Mountain.

You get an idea of how close Morison has grown to the Nagel clan when 10-year-old Lauren asks her mother Sharon if she can dig into her early Valentine's Day candy haul and as Mom wavers on her way out the door, Morison chimes in.

"Don't worry, you can eat it when she leaves," he says.

Some Olympic role model, eh? It's easy to understand why the Nagels like having Morison around – heck, he arrived yesterday for this week's World Cup event to a big bouquet of welcome-home balloons. The clean-cut, hard-working kid certainly sets a good example. He even went to a one-year Olympic countdown event at the West Vancouver Community Centre yesterday to hear Lauren sing in the choir – and they didn't have to drag him. The guy's giving snowboarders a bad name.

Morison is so comfortable in his home away from home he's told the Canadian Snowboard Federation that this is where he wants to be next year before he races in the parallel giant slalom at the Olympics.

"They're going out of their way to set up good accommodation for us," says Morison, sitting at the Nagels' dining room table, picturesque English Bay in the distance. "They're saying, `We're going to do this and bring in all these chefs. It's just going to be unreal.' And I'm like, `I don't really want that. I don't want an unreal experience going into the Olympics.' I just want it to be natural, the way it's been for the last few years. I think this is where I need to be for that."

It makes sense. When you consider all the hype, an athlete who's found a place where he can feel at home will be better insulated. Morison has spent about six months here in the past two years.

Morison is establishing himself as a solid Olympic medal threat, having won seven World Cup medals in the past two seasons and just recently claiming a bronze behind teammate Jasey Jay Anderson's gold at the world championships.

He's currently third in the World Cup parallel giant slalom standings and desperately wants to be the overall champion at season's end to earn his first Crystal Globe, skiing's version of hockey's Art Ross Trophy.

Morison beats his chest several times to indicate the nerves that accompany his strong desire.

"It's kind of like my heart's just going all the time," he says. "I'm more nervous for that right now than when I think about the Olympics."

He's trying not to worry and just focus on the process.

"It's easy when you want that so bad to kind of let that get in the way," says Morison. "I've just got to get that out of my mind. It's good that I'm here right now and I can get that out of my mind and some time to think about that myself and be away from the tour and get my head right."

He's in the right place to chill. Got his own room in the basement, not far from the ping-pong table and foosball game. There are three kids to keep him busy – two girls, Lauren and Emma, 12, and a boy, Mackinnon, 8, who's always keen to play video games. Morison sometimes plays pickup basketball with their father Geoff and his pals.

Sharon Nagel says having Morison around has made the Olympics very personal for her kids.

"They get to see what it takes, how hard an athlete has to work," she says. "He's such an amazing person. We couldn't ask for a better role model. We all feel like he's an extension of the family. No matter what happens at the Olympics, he's always going to be in our lives, I hope."

Toronto Star

[Zone]

You beat me too it!

I usually don't even read the sport section of the Star as they are usually clueless about winter sports (other than hockey). I guess they got a clue from a letter to the editor yesterday about supporting Olympic athletes.

Nice article.