WHISTLER — After missing the opening ceremony at her first Olympics in 1998, Vail’s Sarah Schleper swore she’d never miss another.
She made a special trip to Vancouver for the extravaganza marking her fourth Olympics, went to Jackson Hole for a training camp and came back last weekend. But she felt a little strange at the ceremony because she went with two teammates experiencing their first Olympics.
“That’s the first time I’ve really felt my age, the first time in the two years I’ve been with these girls that I’ve felt really old,” said Schleper, who turned 31 last week. “But it was fun, it was a cool experience.”
Schleper has a 2-year-old son who travels with her and her husband on the World Cup circuit. She missed two seasons — because of a knee injury and her pregnancy — before returning last season with the goal of making another Olympics.
In a quiet moment earlier this week, she conceded she wasn’t a medal favorite but was hoping to do something special.
“I know my odds aren’t very good, with my start number, and I haven’t been on the podium this year,” Schleper said. “I have been fifth. I know that anything is possible here, and with the momentum of the team, I’m just hoping something miraculous can happen.”
Schleper finished 14th in giant slalom Thursday and races slalom today.
“Of course I’m shooting for the podium, it’s the only reason that we race in the Olympics,” Schleper said after the GS. “It’s all or nothing, fourth place doesn’t matter, so I’m going to go as hard as I can and ski as hard as I can and see what happens.”
Four years ago, Schleper went into the Olympics with inadequate offseason training because of two back surgeries.
“Just to race in Torino for me was a big step,” Schleper said. “To go to Torino and get 10th, my best Olympic result, was pretty cool.”
In the first World Cup race after Turin she blew out a knee, which put her on a path that led to meeting her future husband and becoming a mother.
“Like they say, you can’t say what’s good luck or bad luck,” Schleper said, “because bad luck could be good luck in a disguise.”
After the Olympics she will decide whether to come back for another season. Right now she says she’s 50-50.
“I love skiing so much, and my body has been OK this winter,” Schleper said. “I don’t want to get hurt again, but I’m really hesitant to give up the lifestyle. My husband is stoked to ski another year, everyone is encouraging me to do it, but I want to do it for myself and I don’t want to be pushed in any way.
“My dad says I should become the Brett Favre of skiing, but I think I have to fully retire and then come back.”
