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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesV.I. Olympian 'Shockingly Calm' as She Waits to Compete

V.I. Olympian 'Shockingly Calm' as She Waits to Compete

Jasmine Campbell sits in the Olympic rings in Sochi, Russia. (Photo provided by the V.I. Olympic Committee)Jasmine Campbell, the lone representative of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Winter Olympics, said she is "shockingly calm" as she waits for her chance to compete, filling the hours with training, exploring and making new friends.

Campbell was born on St. John in 1991. Her family moved from the islands to Idaho when she was around 9 years old. There, her father – an avid skier and a former Virgin Islands Olympian – introduced her to skiing in the state’s Sawtooth Range. She trained in Alpine skiing there and in South America.

She will compete in in slalom and giant slalom on Tuesday and Friday.

In an interview with the V.I. Olympic Committee, said she’s looking forward to competing against international figures who have been her idols.

Asked by the VIOC how she is feeling, she replied, "Shockingly calm."

"I know that I’ve put in the sweat equity and I’ve done all I can under the circumstances I’ve been afforded so I’m just going to keep trying and hopefully I’ll put my best ski boot forward," she said. "Sometimes I do feel some nervous jitters when I think of the competition. The idea that I’ll be in the same race as the girls I’ve been idolizing for years blows me away."

In the meantime, she said she is spending as much time as she can training.

"I generally wake up and go to the gym to spin (ride the stationary exercise bikes) and do some strength conditioning," she said. "Then I head to the mountain to train for two hours, perhaps more if there is an event to watch. And then it’s back to the gym to spin again and to wind down."

The course will pose challenges caused by the need for artificial snow, brought on by warmer than usual temperatures, Campbell said.

"There are a lot of rolls in the hill from what seems to be excessive snow from the snow guns. Having rolls is fun but also challenging as driving your body forward becomes more crucial. The more challenging a course, the less of a margin for error you have. I think this course will be fun, but it will definitely keep me on my toes," Campbell said.

She said she’s also enjoying her time in the Olympic Village, mingling with the other athletes from around the world.

"There is definitely a palpable sense of camaraderie amongst the athletes," she said. "Everyone just kind of sits down wherever there’s room and I actually look forward to eating and doing things alone because then I know that I’m about to meet someone new. Due to the eclectic spread of athletes, my geography skills have improved markedly since I’ve been here."

Sochi itself is "unsurprisingly very new," she said. "All of the facilities, equipment, transportation, all of it are very new and clean. It is unbelievable to me that the Russian Olympic Committee and its diligent workers have constructed all of this in a year."

International competition is not new to Campbell. By the age of 13 she had won a bronze medal in giant slalom at the U.S. National Junior Championship. A back injury in high school cooled her enthusiasm for the sport, but only temporarily, according to the VIOC. After recovering from the injury she made her way back to ski racing.

Last year she set her sights on the Olympics, taking her senior year of college off to train and focus on Olympic qualification. She trained at ski camps in California, Oregon, Colorado, and internationally in Argentina, competing in the states, Argentina, Chili and China.

On Jan. 20 the International Ski Federation confirmed Campbell had met qualification requirements to participate in the games. She arrived in Sochi Feb. 6, and carried the U.S. Virgin Islands flag in the opening ceremony.

She added that she is grateful for the support and encouragement she receives, saying she has received “a staggering amount of positive feedback from friends, family, friends of friends, and sometimes straight up strangers”.

Those interested can follow Campbell and her Olympic journey on the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/VirginIslandsOlympics.

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