By Vincent Man Daily Press, Timmins

Former Olympian Laurie Kreiner will be present at the upcoming Olympics. On top of being a fan, she will also be part of the slip crew at Whistler's alpine courses and an athlete ambassador for her country. With the Own the Podium program and the Winter Games on home soil, Kreiner said the Canadians face a lot of pressure. (VINCENT MAN The Daily Press)

It's been years since she competed at the Olympics, but the competitive juices still flow through Laurie Kreiner's body.

When she watches today's crop of alpine skiers blaze their way down mountains, a switch for her athletic spirit automatically flicks on.

"I get a real sense of adrenaline," Kreiner said. "You still feel like you're a competitor when you're standing there with the athletes, but I know I'm in trouble when I start dreaming about it at night and thinking I should be competing. So hopefully I won't be dreaming.

"You have a heightened awareness of your surroundings and you're on a fine line thinking you can go down these wicked slopes and ski fast, confident that you're not going to have a yard sale and crash and burn."

At 55, however, Kreiner said a comeback isn't in the works.

"I'm realistic here."

Kreiner competed at the Winter Olympics in 1972 and 1976. In her first go-around, she travelled to Sapporo, Japan, where she placed fourth in the giant slalom. She was just 17.

Four years later, her top result was 14th in the slalom. During those Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, Kreiner's sister Kathy won gold in the giant slalom.

While Kreiner ended her competitive skiing days quite some time ago, she will still be present in Vancouver for the upcoming Olympics. On top of being a fan, she will also be part of the "slip crew" at Whistler's alpine courses and an athlete ambassador for her country.

"Now that it's upon us, I'm very excited," said Kreiner, who still resides in Timmins.

As a member of the slip crew, Kreiner's role is to prepare the courses for the competitors. A long list of former world-class skiers have been enlisted to ensure the safety of the athletes.

"The race hills are so wicked because they're water injected," she said. "It's like being on an ice rink.

"They don't want to second guess anybody who comes to do this job."

The duties of an athlete ambassador are to attend a variety of functions. Since the athletes will be busy in preparing for their events, former Olympians will stand in their place, representing the nation.

Kreiner said she is more than happy to do so because of all the distractions the Canadians face this time around. Not only do they have to worry about being successful, they have the added pressure of contributing to the medal count on home soil.

Throughout this winter season, some athletes have had trouble focusing because of what is around the corner, she said. Having felt some of the same pressure, Kreiner has lent her advice.

"You go in with your game plan and you do what you can on the day it happens," she said. "Regardless of what people think, you're still you at the end of the day. A lot of these people are hard on themselves and they can't focus on regular competitions when they're being bombarded all the time by expectations.

"There's more that goes on other than just competing."

In 2005, the Own the Podium initiative was launched to prepare Canada to become the top nation at the 2010 Olympics. At the 2006 Winer Games, the Canucks earned seven golds, 10 silvers and seven bronze medals for a total of 24 medals, which ranked third. The seven gold medals had Canada in a tie for fifth.

With increased funding and the added pressure that naturally comes along with that, a lot is riding on the next few weeks.

"There are always expectations for our team, but when I see my sport, alpine skiing, any European country can have someone on the podium, so to think you're going to own it, whether it's presumptuous, I don't know," Kreiner said. "But it's a good slogan and it's certainly something to shoot for.

"It's going to be great to win medals, but we have to realize these athletes have dedicated their lives, and whether a medal comes or not, they're still putting in the effort. They're going to do the best they can."

Kreiner, who had nine top-10 World Cup finishes in her skiing career, grew up idolizing Nancy Greene and Anne Heggtveit. When she was a child, those top athletes were like goddesses.

These days, Canada's queens of the slopes include Sault Ste. Marie's Brigitte Acton and North Vancouver's Britt Janyk. Kreiner said she's excited to see them in action.

Next to alpine skiing, Kreiner said she's looking forward to watching the bobsleigh, an event in which Canadian Pierre Lueders will shoot for his third Olympic medal.

It will be interesting to see how the Canadians fare, Kreiner said, but chances are they will do just fine.

"Overall, some of our teams are really strong such as our speed skaters and skier-cross," she said. "The alpine skiers, the guys, have had some success this year. Also, our cross-country team has been doing well, so we'll see what happens.

"It's a good strong team. We won't be (shut) out of the gold medals like in '88 and in Montreal."

The 21st Olympic Winter Games will be held from Feb. 12-28. Speed skater Clara Hughes will be Canada's flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.

On Feb. 11, Kathy Kreiner will carry the Olympic Torch in Vancouver, where she now lives.