Switching gears

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Story Content

• Not excelling enough
• Eliminated in semifinal heat
• Family has BMX pedigree
• Sam follows brothers' footsteps

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With the sport of BMX making its Olympic debut in Beijing this summer, Canadian rider Sam Cools wasn't about to take any chances with her medal aspirations.

Cools, a racing prodigy since the age of three, had been competing for two years in the women's elite level under the tutelage of national team coach Tanya Dubnicoff. The results failed to meet Cools' lofty expectations, particularly with her confidence soaring after dominating the junior circuit by winning five world titles.

The 22-year-old Airdrie, Alta., native remains one of the top North American BMX racers, but has never reached the top five in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) point standings during the 2006 or 2007 seasons. The disappointment prompted the frustrated Albertan to dump Dubnicoff in favour of a more experienced coach.

Not excelling enough

"I wasn't feeling like I was excelling enough and I wasn't where I wanted to be," Cools told CBCSports.ca. "I wasn't happy at all and it reflected in everything I was doing. My training and racing suffered and I needed to make the change, not only to go to the Olympics but for myself."

While Cools is careful not to directly criticize Dubnicoff a three-time Canadian Olympian in track cycling CBC analyst Kevin O'Brien is more definitive on why the coaching switch was necessary.

"Tanya's coaching style hasn't worked well with the [national] team yet and Cools was never confident that Tanya fully understood the technical side of the sport," he explains.

O'Brien also views Dubnicoff's approach as too structured and rigid, which has created an awkward environment for some on the Canadian team.

This uncomfortable situation, combined with the start of the Olympic year, motivated Cools to travel to Aigle, Switzerland, in October and join Herv Krebs, the coach of the UCI's development centre.

The task for the former Swiss BMX champion was difficult as Krebs' focus centred on how to mend his newest protg's shattered psyche following three heartbreaking world championships.

Misfortune and mechanical failure ruined Cools' world title hopes in her first two years of intense competition. At the 2005 world championships in Paris, Cools was running second when a rider landed on top of her following a jump. A year later in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a bike mechanic incorrectly placed a pin in her chain, allowing one pedal to pop off.

With the best BMX riders converging on Victoria, B.C., for the worlds in 2007, Cools expected to overcome her setbacks. However, the constant media attention prior to the major event proved too unsettling.

Eliminated in semifinal heat

Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the stage, Cools hit the first gate during her semifinal heat and was eliminated from medal contention again.

"I had a lot of pressure on me being in Canada and everyone expected me to win," said Cools, who suffered a pinched nerve in her back in early May but still managed to finish fifthduringthis past weekend'sworld championships in Taiyuan, China.

"It was just a lot of pressure and I think it just got to me a little too much and that's why I lost," Cools said. "I guess I didn't believe in myself enough to handle that."

In the aftermath of worlds in Victoria, Krebs convinced Cools to concentrate solely on her riding and disregard all other distractions.

Cools' performance this season suggests Krebs has succeeded in preparing her for Beijing. To this point, Cools has already won a couple of North American UCI races and recently placed third at the UCI Supercross in Australia.

"Herv knows a lot about the sport," she said. "The Olympics are an opportunity of a lifetime and Herv keeps telling me that you can be one of two athletes. You can be the one who goes to the Olympics simply to compete, or you can be the other athlete who wants to stand on the podium. I want to be the athlete standing on the podium."

Family has BMX pedigree

The transition from junior to elite competition was expected to be seamless for Cools, especially since she was born into a family already enjoying a BMX pedigree. Her older brother Ken began his impressive riding career in 1985, prompting her father John to get involved in the sport.

John Cools quickly realized that his son had chosen to pursue an extreme sport, consisting of a short, pedal-powered sprint around a dirt track where riders endure a number of challenging jumps and corners.

Airdrie is 20 kilometres north of Calgary, with a population of 31,500, and a primitive and basic BMX track on city park land. So the patriarch began traveling to several world championship events with his son to see how world-class tracks are constructed. Inspired by what he saw, John, a plant manager, decided gradually to turn the Airdrie BMX track into a world-class course.

From the 30-foot flag polls, to the sand and hills, he built everything in his garage using standard wheel barrels and shovels. After 10 years with help from volunteers, a BMX club that houses more than 200 members and the best coaching in Canada, the small, primitive track in Airdrie was transformed into one of the best BMX facilities in the world.

"I did this for my kids," John said. "At that time, nobody went out and got international competition. But my kids and I went to the world championships and every time I came back, I learned what the downfalls were and what we needed to do. So I built that at home and I made it more and more challenging every year."

Sam follows brothers' footsteps

It was only natural for Sam Cools to follow in the footsteps of her brothers Ken and Gregory, both champion BMX riders. By training on an elite track against top-notch competition, Sam quickly developed, winning 13 Canadian champions and several other North American titles.

The accolades have slowed considerably since that time. Cools has been surpassed by European racers such as two-time and defending British world champion Shanaze Reade, Frenchwoman Laetitia Le Corguille and UCI points leader Sarah Walker of New Zealand, who happens to be coached by Samantha's brother Ken.

Regardless of the competition, Cools faces heavy pressure to bring home a medal for Canada in Beijing. But the hope for the young Canadian is that a coaching change and new mental approach can help her avoid further heartbreak.

And although Cools admits the pressure got to her in 2007, she expects better things as the Olympics approach.

"It's exciting to think that people are picking you to be on the top of the podium and other competitors are afraid of you."