The world got to watch Malle Ricker as she became the first Canadian woman to earn a gold medal at home during the Olympics.
Ricker, who is from North Vancouver, took top spot on the podium in snowboard cross and was the first Canadian to take gold during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
On Friday, Ricker turned the tables to watch for future Olympians while at the Northern Sport Centre.
Ricker was in town as part of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame's Live Your Dream 2015 program aimed at young athletes who want to compete in the Canada Winter Games.
She shared her 2010 Olympic experience and passed around her medal to a group at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame's Hero In You presentation.
The group consisted of about a dozen children aged 12 to 17 who were selected for PacificSport's Ignite athlete development program, based on their ages, their accomplishments in sport, and the likelihood they will be provincial team members who advance to national and international competitions.
Maryeta O'Dine, who has snowboarded for three years and competed in snowboard cross for two, is one of those athletes and she was really excited to meet Ricker.
"When I meet her I'm going to ask her a couple of question about being a full-time athlete and get some tips on how to get faster," said O'Dine who is an accomplished snowboard cross competitor. "When I compete I get a rush of exhilaration and it's lots of fun."
In turn, Ricker said she can't wait to see how local youth develop their skills, especially now that Powder King is building a permanent snowboard-cross track for people to use.
There is also a snowboard-cross track closer to home at Tabor Mountain, which was built in preparation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
"Whether it's a competition to see who buys the hot chocolate or whether it's a big race, the track will allow a lot of people to try the sport first hand," said Ricker, 32 and two-time X-Games champion in snowboard cross.
Ricker also competed in the snowboard halfpipe in the '88 Olympics.
She also recalled growing up with people telling her how much she was like her father in that they shared a stubborn streak. Ricker said some people might think being stubborn is a bad thing but she believes it helped develop her determination to excel at a sport and bring home the gold.
Ricker was the keynote speaker in the Fan the Flame celebration dinner at the Coast Inn Friday night. Sponsored by PacificSport, the dinner honoured the athletes, coaches and team managers from Northern B.C. who represented their home province in the 2011 Canada Winter Games in February in Halifax.
The event will also serve as reminder of the role Prince George will have as host city of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
