The Whistler Podcast

Episode 10: All the colours of the Games (with Lindsay Debou)

February 26, 2020 Mayor Jack Crompton with special guest Lindsay Debou Season 1 Episode 10
The Whistler Podcast
Episode 10: All the colours of the Games (with Lindsay Debou)
Show Notes Transcript

Lindsay DeBou is our third athlete to be interviewed on The Whistler Podcast as part of the 10-year anniversary series featuring 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games athletes, organizers and volunteers. Lindsay started skiing when she was three years old and later became a member of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, racing competitively in the 1990s. In 2008, Lindsay joined the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team as a guide and was paired with Para-Alpine athlete Vivian Forest. The Debou- Forest team competed in Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super G and won an impressive five medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Narrarator:   0:02
The Whistler Podcast. Candid conversations about everything Whistler. With host, Mayor Jack Crompton.

Mayor Crompton:   0:09
Hello everyone, I'm Jack Crompton. Welcome to the Whistler Podcast. As always, we acknowledge that we live, we work, we play on the traditional territory of the Lil'wat Nation and the Squamish Nation. I want to thank Mountain FM for having us in studio. Today, in our series of interviews about the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are visited today by Paralympian Lindsay Debou. Thank you for joining us, Lindsay.

Lindsay Debou:   0:40
Thank you for having me. It's a true honor.

Mayor Crompton:   0:42
Alright, I'm going to tell our guest a little bit about you. You work currently with the Resort Municipality of Whistler.  

Lindsay Debou:   0:49
That's correct.  

Mayor Crompton:   0:49
Um, but you were born in North Vancouver. You began skiing in Whistler when you were three years old, and later you became a member of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. You started Alpine racing in the early 1990's and in 2001 decided to pursue other interests and you traveled the world. When you returned, you got a degree in Psychology at the University of Victoria. Um, and in 2009, you joined the Canadian Para-Alpine ski team as a guide for an athlete with a visual impairment and immediately fell in love with that role. So later today, we're going to talk about your 2010 experience. We're going to hear about the medals that you won and get a sense for what that was like. But before we do, we want to talk a little bit about your work here in Whistler. Um, I wanted to start...before you moved into Bylaw Services, you were at the library for a long time. Um, and a lot of the celebrations that we're going to be doing over the next little while are at the library. Tell us about the library and tell us why there's...tell us about the special connection to the games and your experience.

Lindsay Debou:   2:02
Yes, well, my experience is the conversation about having the library really started concurrently with the Games. It was a need in our community to have an amazing space like the library. So I feel that the Olympic and Paralympic Games was a reason why we got that amazing space. It was special to me because I was there as a participant, as well as I got a job at the Library, and that's pretty cool to live in Whistler and then get a job in a place that you...was so special. And it's so special to me right now, as it's an amazing space for people to see the programs.

Mayor Crompton:   2:34
Yeah, yeah, we talked in earlier podcast about an article that Brandon Barrett had written about the Library, he wrote a love letter to the Library and how it is really a living room for people in our community who may not have a living room in the space that they live in and has become, I think, probably one of the major legacies of the Olympics is that facility of being the best used, built public building.  

Mayor Crompton:   3:00
Absolutely, and there's up to 1000 people per day that are coming to our own living room in the community. What other place can say that? It's pretty cool.

Mayor Crompton:   3:10
And it was Canada House during the games. Obviously, you were competing, so weren't working at the library at the time. But did you visit Canada House at all during the games?

Lindsay Debou:   3:20
Yes, so one of the special things that we got to do during the games–if you won a medal–you were celebrated. You felt like a rock star coming into the Library. It was so special. You would also see all your friends and family, because we were in our hometown. It was on layer on layer of special things that happened in that building.

Mayor Crompton:   3:41
So, a lot of the sort of events that we're going to do to celebrate the 2010 Olympic Paralympic Games are actually at the Library. So we have Olympic-themed story time, which is February 14 , 21 and 28. We have a Breakfast of Champions pancake breakfast. We have Olympic-themed crafts we have the Meet Sumi,the Olympic (mascot)–do you remember Sumi from the Games?

Lindsay Debou:   4:11
Yeah, Sumi is the Paralympic (mascot), and his favorite thing is hot chocolate. My favorite thing is hot chocolate–we have a lot in common– so I'll definitely be checking out Sumi.

Mayor Crompton:   4:18
Okay, good. And so, just a reminder to our community to get out and to celebrate those things and get to the library over the next a couple months to celebrate 10 years–10 years from the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It's gone by so fast.

Lindsay Debou:   4:34
It really has.

Mayor Crompton:   4:35
Okay, and then we also wanted to talk today about November 15. Vivian Forest was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame, and we'll hear more about Vivian later. But she was your partner in the games, and you worked with her very closely.  

Lindsay Debou:   4:57
Yes.  

Mayor Crompton:   4:57
Tell us about that induction event. Tell us about Vivian becoming part of the Paralympic Hall of Fame.

Lindsay Debou:   5:04
Yeah, it was really special because it was off course, Vivian got inducted–but many other athletes did–and it was a time to celebrate their career as a whole. And it really showcased all of the hard work, the dedication, the sweat–everything that goes into being an athlete–is showcased at that night. And it was a really special time for us to also reconnect. We hadn't seen each other in a few years. It was a really happy night for us to share.

Mayor Crompton:   5:31
And so where was it?

Lindsay Debou:   5:32
It was held in Vancouver. So pretty close to here.

Mayor Crompton:   5:37
Yeah. And how many people were inducted?

Lindsay Debou:   5:39
There was seven.

Mayor Crompton:   5:40
Seven inductees. And do they induct people into the Paralympic Hall of Fame every year?

Lindsay Debou:   5:44
Every second year people are inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame.  

Mayor Crompton:   5:48
Okay.

Lindsay Debou:   5:49
So there'll be another event in two years.

Mayor Crompton:   5:51
So what was the experience of that evenin like?

Lindsay Debou:   5:54
The best part was there was a video that captured the highlight reel of all of our skiing, as well special stories from her friends and her family. It was really emotional to be there at that event, because it brings you back to all the experiences and all the emotions that we had as being athletes and bringing ourselves to that moment in time where we were here at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mayor Crompton:   6:18
Very cool. Well, congratulations to her. Congratulations to you.

Lindsay Debou:   6:23
Thank you.  

Narrarator:   6:24
You were listening to The Whistler Podcast. Candid conversations on current events, local government and everything Whistler.

Mayor Crompton:   6:30
So, we asked you to come in and talk to us today because of your participation in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Tell us about that experience. How did you get to that point in your life? How did you end up in Whistler? Um, tell us about approaching the Games 10 years ago.

Lindsay Debou:   6:52
Yeah, well, it probably started in the sixties with my grandpa.  

Mayor Crompton:   6:55
Okay.  

Lindsay Debou:   6:55
My grandpa had the foresight to know that Whistler was going to be the place to be. So he bought land in the sixties and then taught my dad to ski, and my dad taught me to ski. So skiing has been in our family since the beginning of time for us. And that's what started my passion. I started here when I was three years old on the hill.

Mayor Crompton:   7:17
And where was the land that they bought in the sixties?

Lindsay Debou:   7:20
In Emerald.

Mayor Crompton:   7:21
In Emerald?  

Lindsay Debou:   7:21
Yes.  

Mayor Crompton:   7:22
My dad, when he was 35 bought five pieces of land in Emerald for, like, no money and then sold them three years later for, like, triple the value. And patted himself on the back for the rest of... well, not the rest his life. Because, in retrospect, had he held onto that land–oh, my goodness.

Lindsay Debou:   7:45
I know.

Mayor Crompton:   7:46
Unbelievable. So, you were skiing as a child up here. Tell me about getting involved in the Paralympic movement. You're a ski racer at the time. You've taken some time away. And how do you find yourself on snow again, talking to people about Paralympics?

Lindsay Debou:   8:10
Well, I was in a transition point in my life. I find a lot of people are in their twenties. They're trying to figure out what they want to do. And a friend of mine that I was working with at a local golf course here in Whistler was on the team and said, "Hey, I think you've got the right personality for this. Why don't you just come to the first camp, try out and see if it works? If it doesn't, it doesn't matter." And I was in love the first minute I said, "this is where I want to be. This is my two year plan, my road to the next phase of my life."

Mayor Crompton:   8:40
And had you been skiing or had you taken a break completely from skiing?

Lindsay Debou:   8:44
I had taken quite a bit of a break. It's kind of common for some people. You're on the hill 200 or 300 days a year. It becomes something that you sometimes need to take a bit of a rest. And then I was ready to get back on my skis again. I'd been through some injuries, recovered. I felt strong. I felt that that was where I was supposed to be again.

Mayor Crompton:   9:01
And was the first camp here?

Lindsay Debou:   9:03
Uh, no. Our first camp was in this unique training location called Farnham. It was created specifically for all the Alpine skiers in Canada to train. There's no lifts there. It's on an isolated glacier. You need a helicopter or a snowcat to do each of your runs. And we're the only ones on the hill.

Mayor Crompton:   9:23
Only Paralympians?

Lindsay Debou:   9:25
And Alpine Olympians as well.  

Lindsay Debou:   9:27
Where is this? It's in Alberta. Uh, it's a very obscure location you've probably never heard of.

Mayor Crompton:   9:34
Area 51.  It sounds like its in the middle of nowhere, no one's allowed to go there, and Lindsay Debou has spent time in this secret location.

Lindsay Debou:   9:43
Yes. You're camping there. Basically, you're in tents. Um, it's a very unique experience. You're going all-in at this point. You are with the team you're gonna be spending your next two years with. Either you're gonna love it or not.

Mayor Crompton:   9:58
Wow, okay. Fascinating. That's the first time I've ever heard about Farnham. And is Farnham still...

Lindsay Debou:   10:04
No, it doesn't exist anymore. It's very a expensive location. And I don't even know if there's access there anymore.

Mayor Crompton:   10:09
So do you know if it was specific to the 2010 Games?

Lindsay Debou:   10:13
It was in the early days, that's why it was created. Because what happens is when we're training in Europe or even in for training on the glaciers here, we're fighting for space. So basically you've got a very small window of training space. There, we had the whole glacier to ourselves. I mean, imagine having the Dave Murray downhill to yourself.  

Mayor Crompton:   10:34
That's incredible.  

Lindsay Debou:   10:34
That's what it was like.

Mayor Crompton:   10:36
Um, and the Canadian Government at that point was putting all resources into preparing our Olympic and Paralympic teams for the 2010 Games. And so it may be made more sense at that time than it does now.

Lindsay Debou:   10:47
That's right, and we had a tremendous amount of resources for our team. It was an exceptional time for us.

Mayor Crompton:   10:54
So you've decided this is something you want to do. Tell us about meeting Vivian.

Lindsay Debou:   11:00
Yeah. So originally we weren't paired together. We were paired with...each had another pair. And it was later seen that we were a perfect match. He shared the same passion for the sport. We also had a very similar work ethic, and we like to take a few risks. And when you're skiing as a visually impaired person and you only have 4 per cent of your vision, every day is the worst, foggiest day you could imagine. You got to trust the person in front of you and the whole team part of it is really what makes or breaks the relationship.

Mayor Crompton:   11:33
All of us are getting ready for the Games. It's January. Your mind is focused. Your partnership is probably at its highest. What are you doing at that point in preparation for the Paralympics?

Lindsay Debou:   11:44
Yeah, at that point, we are starting to wind down on our actual training on the skill set. But we're training now on making sure we're fully rested, getting our mental game. That's what we're thinking. About being positive and relaxed and also enjoying the experience. Sometimes you forget that.

Mayor Crompton:   12:03
And were you in Whistler while the Olympics were taking place?

Lindsay Debou:   12:07
For most of it, we were in another training camp, preparing our process. I did get to see a few of the events live, but most of them we were watching from TV and we were cheering on our fellow Canadians.

Mayor Crompton:   12:19
While training?  

Mayor Crompton:   12:20
Yeah.  

Mayor Crompton:   12:21
So we kind of skipped over it, but tell me about Vivian. Tell me about her as a person and as an athlete.

Lindsay Debou:   12:27
Yeah, well, Vivian, if you meet her, you will never forget her.  She is albino. So she's got striking blonde hair. She lights up any room and she is so disciplined. She is such a hard worker. She is so passionate. And she also helps everybody around her. She's always looking out for the people around her. That's what makes her a very good person.

Mayor Crompton:   12:51
Yeah. And how long did she compete as a Paralympian for, as a para-athlete?

Lindsay Debou:   12:57
In Alpine, over a decade. And then she was also in another sport called Goalball for visually impaired in the summer Games. So she is an Olympian, Paralympian for the summer and winter.

Mayor Crompton:   13:09
And what's Goalball?

Lindsay Debou:   13:11
Goalball is a game for visually impaired. It's a team sport as well. They have a ball with a little bell in it that they try to cross to make a goal.

Mayor Crompton:   13:21
Okay.

Lindsay Debou:   13:22
That's Goalball.

Mayor Crompton:   13:22
Okay. So the Olympics have finished. We chatted with Ken Melamed and he said that for him, the Paralympics were sort of the best surprise of the whole experience. You hear about the Olympic and Paralympic Games. You kind of know what to expect around the Olympics. But the Paralympics surprises you and it's one of the most, sort of, the best memories that he has of the event. So Olympics are done. I imagine, are you moving into the Athletes Village at that point?

Lindsay Debou:   13:57
Yeah, well, we actually weren't in the Village because our coaches wanted us to be very close to the hill. So we were actually staying at Legends, so we could just literally put our skis on and we were right there, on the hill, ready to go, which is easier for us to access for our team.

Mayor Crompton:   14:16
And do you have access to the course, you know, for the full week leading up to the event?

Lindsay Debou:   14:22
Um, well, for the downhill, you do get a training run and inspections, but it's run similarly to the Olympics, where you only have access during periods of time.

Mayor Crompton:   14:31
But you're saying earlier if you're going to be a Paralympian, you have to do all five events or you're not allowed to compete. 

Lindsay Debou:   14:38
That's right. So you're doing Slalom, GS, Super combined, Downhill and Super G

Mayor Crompton:   14:44
Over five days?

Lindsay Debou:   14:45
It isn't over five days. They're not that... they're not trying to torture us, but over the course of a week, yes, it's back to back to back to back.

Mayor Crompton:   14:53
Wow. You must have been exhausted.

Lindsay Debou:   14:55
Yeah, it is exhausting because you have to be on. You want to be on that morning. You want to peak. This is the time that you need to peek in your life. If it's gonna be any time in your life you need to peak in this period of time.

Mayor Crompton:   15:07
Okay, so the Downhill. What's happening on the day of the downhill? Walk me through it.

Lindsay Debou:   15:14
Yeah, the downhill we had perfect conditions. It was amazing because it was sunny outside, Iremember. I remember being on the hill. I remember feeling calm, I remember feeling ready and remember just knowing this was our our moment and we were ready to just let go. We weren't working on anything. We were just working on having fun and flying down the mountain. Literally, I had the best time–two minutes–the best of my life. I remember being in the start gate and we were just ready to go.

Mayor Crompton:   15:41
Yeah. And, um so gold medal in the downhill.

Lindsay Debou:   15:46
The downhill, correct.

Mayor Crompton:   15:47
The downhill. And then what were the results in the rest of the events?

Lindsay Debou:   15:50
We got three silvers and a bronze. So we got to have all the colors of the Games.

Mayor Crompton:   15:55
All the colors of the Games.

Lindsay Debou:   15:56
Which is pretty exciting to me. We'd like to have all the gold ones, but...

Mayor Crompton:   16:00
A guide is a Paralympian. Tell me about that.

Lindsay Debou:   16:05
Yeah, if you imagine it, we both need each other to make it down the hill. Yeah, we're like a bobsled team. You need all the people in the bobsled team. We ski at 120 kilometres an hour, we're only four meters apart. So it's a very close connection, and we're both of us are in it to win.

Mayor Crompton:   16:25
So you have these medals yourself. Have you worn them all at the same time?

Lindsay Debou:   16:29
That's a good question, everyone asks that.

Mayor Crompton:   16:31
The Mark Spitz photos of all the medals at the same time?

Lindsay Debou:   16:35
Yes, yes, you gotta do it at least once, right?

Mayor Crompton:   16:36
Okay, so you have that photo of all the medals?

Lindsay Debou:   16:39
Yes, we both do. Unfortunately they do scratch very easily. You know, when you get a new car and it scratches, you're upset about it, so you don't do it too often.

Mayor Crompton:   16:48
Huh? Okay, so tell me aboutyour favorite memories of the Games. Uh, tell me about those things that you enjoy sharing and telling stories about.

Lindsay Debou:   17:01
Yeah, you know, my favorite memory–it's unique. And maybe, actually, I think you'll appreciate this. Everyone was so happy. It was the happiest time people were in Whistler. It was a euphoric moment. I think if everyone this week can bring themselves back to that moment of that excitement and everything was so pristine. Transportation was perfect. Literally, you would walk on the street, and if you needed the bus, it was like a shuttle system. You weren't waiting very long. It was like our resort was on steroids. Yeah, I mean, we still are. We're still magic because of the Games. But my favorite thing is how happy everyone was.

Mayor Crompton:   17:43
Yeah, it was an amazing time, it really was. Ken Melamed talked about the fact that we don't often put 50,000 people all in the resort at the same time. And we did that for two months. We had 50,000 people here and the Village just did its job and it was a terrific experience for everyone. Yeah, I agree. It was a happy, happy time.

Lindsay Debou:   18:04
It was flawless. Nobody was complaining. Everyone was on the same team. Yeah, we had our hometown advantage. Everybody wanted the Canadians to do well. And we were all cheering together, which was a unique time. And I think if we bring ourselves back to that moment, we can understand what a special place this is and understand all the planning that started very early days. This is what we made the resort to be. We made the resort a four season place. And we got to host a tremendous event that the world's watching.

Mayor Crompton:   18:41
What is your favorite Paralympic memory? What will stick in your head forever and ever and ever?

Lindsay Debou:   18:46
Well, crossing the finish line and looking at the scoreboard with Vivian, you were...

Mayor Crompton:   18:52
So she can't see the scoreboard. So you're telling...

Lindsay Debou:   18:55
I'm her eyes at all times. And so I wasn't gonna play any tricks on her way.  

Mayor Crompton:   19:01
We lost...  

Lindsay Debou:   19:02
So I'm giving her play by play on what's happening. We still had to wait for the other racers to come down. So we were number one when we came down, but you never know what can happen. So we were biting our fingernails as other racers were coming down. And the moment that we found out that we had one, we were ecstatic. It was such a special moment for both of us and all the hard work and dedication paid off and relax a bit.

Mayor Crompton:   19:27
And did you continue skiing together after the games, or was that your last?

Lindsay Debou:   19:30
That was my last race with Vivian.  

Mayor Crompton:   19:34
Wow.  

Lindsay Debou:   19:34
Um, and she retired shortly. Later.  So I knew in my mind going into it that I was gonna retire at that point in time. I wanted to, I guess, end on top. And then...

Mayor Crompton:   19:47
And you did!

Lindsay Debou:   19:47
Yeah. Now I'm here with my friends and my family living in the Resort.

Mayor Crompton:   19:51
Yeah, Lindsay. Thank you. That was a lot of fun.

Lindsay Debou:   19:54
Thanks for being a great host.

Mayor Crompton:   19:56
A big thank you to Mountain FM for having us here in the Whistler studio. Thanks for listening. I am Jack Crompton. See you next time.

Narrarator:   20:04
You've been listening to The Whistler Podcast. Candid conversations about everything Whistler.  To find out more about The Whistler Podcast, visit whistler.ca/WhistlerPodcast.