Matt Morison - News Nov.21.2010

[yyzcanuck]

From the article posted HERE:

Burketon snowboard ace Matt Morison takes flight again

BURKETON, Ontario

Pursuit of pilot's licence helps Canuck rediscover Olympic spirit thought to be lost in Vancouver

Nov 21, 2010

Randy Starkman

Matt Morison had only experienced fear like it once before in his life - before his snowboard race at the Vancouver Olympics.

This time, though, the stakes were much higher.

His mind was telling his body to relax, that he knew what he was doing. But adrenaline was winning the battle.

It was time for fight or flight.

Fortunately for Morison, it turned out to be flight. He completed his first solo flight as a helicopter pilot in Vancouver recently and could have his pilot's licence by the time he returns to the World Cup snowboard circuit in December.

"I remember thinking, 'I think I need a courage pill right now,'" laughed Morison during a telephone interview. "And for me, I'm usually not scared of anything. Apparently, I had some nerves going out there and doing that for the first time."

It's been quite an off-season for Morison after the crushing disappointment of finishing 11th in the men's parallel giant slalom race at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

It was Morison's first Olympics, but the 23-year-old was convinced he would win. After all, he reached the podium several times at the World Cup, in parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom, and had won bronze at the world championship, in parallel giant slalom. He was devastated when that win didn't happen. He went to the stands to thank his friends for their support and then hugged his father Paul.

"With the success, you just come to expect it," said Morison. "There's so much buildup for it, there's so much put into it, so much emphasis put on it by everybody, so much hard work. ... You almost expect to see the payoff. When it doesn't happen, it's a bit of a blow."

And to this day, a mistake he made on the first run during elimination rounds haunts him still.

It was a heelside turn, essentially a right-hand turn, just before the final pitch. He had the speed and the lead on his opponent, but he wound up going too aggressively on a straight line and it cost him time. He took the maximum penalty into the second round; it was too much to make up.

"There was nothing holding me back on that day," said Morison, the fastest qualifier. "Everything felt fast enough. You have those days when you feel like you can win. I knew I was feeling like that that day.

"There was just one turn. That's what keeps waking me up at night. I keep thinking about that one turn. It's amazing how everything comes down to one turn on one day. It's a crazy thing to keep thinking about that still. How many months ago was that?"

Morison had focused solely on snowboarding since finishing high school in Burketon, Ont., a tiny hamlet near Oshawa. When it came time to prepare for a career after sport, he did some homework and signed up for the course at Premier Helicopter Training outside Vancouver. He didn't tell anyone there he was an Olympic athlete.

"He's extremely humble," said Rob Wood, chief flight instructor at the school. "He doesn't run around flashing that at all. It was almost like pulling teeth. We don't discuss it a lot around here because I don't think he wants to be treated differently because of it."

Now that Wood knows his background, he throws the odd snowboard reference to Morison during training.

"I remember Rob saying the first few times we were out there, 'This isn't racing and those trees aren't gates, so you don't need to be going so fast and flying so close to them,'" said Morison.

Since those big-time jitters before his first solo flight, Morison has been making out just fine and has impressed Wood with his demeanour.

"It's very obvious he's been in very high-stress situations where he's had to perform at the top level," said Wood. "I see that in him every day. He never takes time off while he's in the helicopter. His focus is always 100 per cent. ... I don't know an awful lot about what goes into making an Olympian, but the sports psychology side of it is something I'm finding very interesting."

Indeed, the focus Morison has honed as an elite athlete has served him well and soon that focus will return to what he does best on snow.

"I think this has really helped me get things back together in my mind and really enjoying things," said Morison. "Now when I think about snowboarding and going back to it, I can't wait. I definitely got that appreciation back for snowboarding again. I start thinking about it and it's, 'Four more years (until the Sochi Olympics).' I can do it again."

[lowrider]

His grandmother is looking forward to it also and she's 90. Go Matt GO !

[yyzcanuck]

Wow... she's getting her pilot's license too!!???

[lowrider]

Adrenalin level can never be too high when you are 90+. Biggest problem it trying to slow her down (thats what i hear).