SYLVAN LAKE — Mellisa Hollingsworth may not have won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics but she did win the hearts of Sylvan Lake residents who heard her Saturday discuss her sliding experiences.
Recounting her triumphs and tribulations on the long skeleton World Cup circuit and three Olympics the Eckville area native’s talk left many in the crowd of more than 200 at a free community breakfast wiping away a tear or two.
A bronze medallist at the 2006 Turin, Italy Olympics Hollingsworth was the odds on favourite to win gold or at least earn a medal in Vancouver.
However, her touching story is well documented but her moments of despair and in her words “letting Canada down” followed by joy in the realization that she will be a stronger person for the experience because of a loving family and friends, brought her to tears near the end of her talk.
Hesitating when she recounted the moment her father Darcy came to see her shortly after her fifth-place Vancouver finish and said “you’re still my hero” Mellisa grappled with her emotions while the crowd broke into a loud ovation.
Hollingsworth, 29, said she has experienced the highs of winning World Cup races and the lows of just missing out going to the 2002 Salt Lake City games followed by the bronze in Italy a high again becoming World Cup champion for the 2009-10 season and the lowest with the fifth in Vancouver.
Despite her loss Hollingsworth captured a large part of what became Canada’s glorious 10 days of Olympic bliss.
Seconds after her last slide when she realized she missed out on any medal Hollingsworth said she still wanted to grab a Canadian flag and wave it proudly.
“I feel as though I’ve let my entire country down,” she said moments after the race on TV.
But what she really did was capture the hearts of the nation for days to come.
“I learned a valuable lesson that the Olympic Games aren’t necessarily about the medals . . . you watch our country, the passion and the pride we had over those 17 days and what it’s going to do for us going forward.
“That’s the power of sport and what brought us all together,” she added.
Hollingsworth said since the Olympics she has received an astounding 10,000 e-mails and letters from people.
She recounted two of them including one from a five-year-old girl who sent her a letter and a gold medal she had made.
Holding it up proudly to the crowd Hollingsworth said it’s a memento she will long cherish.
The girl’s mother said Hollingsworth got her daughter’s attention in Turin at 18 months old.
When the girl now goes to any slide she has to do it head first . . . just like they do it in skeleton racing.
Hollingsworth said after 15 years of skeleton racing she still has a passion for the sport.
She announced she will make a run at securing a Canadian spot on the skeleton team for Sochi, Russia.
“I’ve got some unfinished business to take of,” she said to a standing ovation.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com