The image of Malle Ricker clearing the last jump on her snowboard at Cypress Mountain with no other athlete in sight to win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics is burned into the memories of Canadians.
And that memory never fails to stir feelings of pride that she's one of us.
Having overcome eight knee operations and a concussion that knocked her off the medal podium at the 2006 Olympic trail in Turin, the pride of North Vancouver rose to the top in 2010 to became the first Canadian woman ever to claim Olympic gold in her home country.
On Friday, May 6, Ricker will be in Prince George to relive her finest hour as an athlete and recall some of the many highlights of her career as a 13-year national snowboard cross team member when she is introduced as the key note speaker in the Fan the Flame celebration dinner at the Coast Inn of the North.
Sponsored by PacificSport, the dinner will honour 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.
Tickets for the event are $55 each and are available through the PacificSport website, www.pacificsport.com/nbc or by calling 250-960-5348. Tickets must be purchased by May 3.
PacificSport is seeking corporate sponsors to help defray the cost of bringing in Ricker to speak at the dinner. For more information, call PacificSport Northern B.C. general manager Kristen Harrott at 960-5348.
