If only I had a fancy camera with a zoom lens! That little yellow spec speeding through the finish line is Play It Cool's Britt Janyk. Whistler would surely fight me for saying that because really she's this mountain's speed queen. Britt and her brother Mike, who's racing the men's slalom next weekend, grew up in Whistler and Britt's comfort on these slopes shone today.

Surrounded by Americans, Alpine Canada staff and throngs of loud Canadians I actually had tears in my eyes when the first racer came into view. I can't even remember who she was but it suddenly hit me that I was actually standing at the bottom of an Olympic downhill course. I also spent my winters on the slopes from the tender age of three, raced at a purely fun level on dinky Ontario hills, and idolized my cousin who raced for the Ontario Alpine Team before a career-killing crash. I was primed from a young age to ski until my legs felt like wet noodles and watch world cup races on TV from the edge of my seat. However, before today I had never experienced a world class downhill race in the flesh. 

It was incredible: the sun was shining, the cowbells were ringing, my feet felt like ice blocks but I standing in the thick of it cheering 'my girls' on. Britt had a solid race and held her 6th position in the face of stiff competition and stellar runs from Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso, who took gold and silver. Play It Cool member Shona Rubens unfortunately faced a significant mental setback of eleven DNFs before her and a bad crash that stalled the race for ages immediately preceding her run. She still managed to improve her position from the 2006 Turin Games and finished 21st.

Nice work in an incredibly tough field, Britt and Shona. I'd freeze my feet anytime to cheer you on from the hill again - but next time with my own cowbell!