WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Sarah Schleper’s biggest fan slept through her second slalom run Friday afternoon.
While her 2-year-old son Lasse napped in a VIP tent, Schleper finished 16th in the final women’s alpine event of the Vancouver Games. He did manage to see his mom finished ninth in the first run Friday morning.
“His Achilles heel is the second run,” said Schleper’s husband, Federico Glaxiola de la Lama, who travels with his wife and child on the World Cup so she can race. “Sometimes I manage to keep him awake, but sometimes it’s just too much. There’s been a lot of emotion and energy. You can really feel the Olympic vibe going. He’s been feeling it, too, so he’s exhausted.”
Schleper, a product of Ski Club Vail, had an outside shot at a medal in the second run but fell out of contention when she hit a rut and momentarily lost her balance.
“I would have liked to see how my time held up without a mistake,” said Schleper, 31. “I felt like I’m skiing fast, I’m skiing with these girls. My start number wasn’t great (26), but I moved up from the 50s earlier in the year, so I’ve been making small jumps. I felt like I had a shot in the slalom, so I was really bummed out after that mistake.”
Also in the crowd was Schleper’s father, Buzz, who came to Vail from Minnesota before Sarah was born to be a ski bum. Sarah used to take naps under the tuning bench at a ski shop while Buzz worked on skis. Buzz was pleased with the way his daughter attacked Friday, completing her fourth Olympics.
“Sarah was going for the medal,” Buzz said. “She held her time at the first split. If she could have done it all the way down, she’d be right about third place right now, but we’re proud of her.
“She didn’t back off, she went for it. That’s what you have to do at any race, but especially at the Olympics. There’s no glory in fourth place or beyond.”
