Former Standard residents recall Olympic competition

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

When two former residents from Standard boarded planes bound for Japan in 1972, they carried more than sleds and racing suits. 

They carried the pride of a small prairie village and a dream that had taken shape thousands of miles from home at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo.

In 1965, Poul Nielsen went to the University of Montana. He recalls a buddy at the university remarked to him, “ ‘You’re from Canada. I’ll bet you’re good on toboggans and sleds.’ He told me to join the luge club. For some strange reason, Missoula had the only luge track in North America at that time,” said Nielsen. 

What started as a casual suggestion soon turned into something much bigger. After competing in North American championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., Nielsen was invited to the Canadian championships and eventually to Europe for training.

“It soon became evident that if we really wanted to be competitive, we had to go to Europe,” he said.

Back home in Standard, he approached his friend Doug Hansen with the idea of having him come along to train. 

“He asked me if I wasn’t doing anything, would I come along,” Hansen said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Oh sure, why not?’”

Their first experience on a European track was a bit of a shock. 

“I scared myself so bad I wanted to quit.” Hansen said, “I have lots of bruises to show for it.”

The tracks in Germany were among the fastest and most technical in the world. Runs regularly hit speeds between 130-140 km/hr.

“Those first runs were so fast,” Nielsen said. “It was just overwhelming.”

At the time, Canada’s luge program lagged far behind European powerhouses such as Germany, Austria and Italy. 

“We were pretty much in awe at the capabilities they had compared to what we had developed,” said Hansen. “In 1972 we were still wearing cloth racing suits. Cloth is very slow compared to plastic racing suits.” 

Despite the gap in resources, the Canadian team adapted quickly.

“The Germans were amazed at how fast we were adapting to it,” Nielsen said. “We’d all grown up on ice. I had a feeling for ice just like Doug did too.”

They even managed to bring a little innovation of their own to the sport. In doubles competition, the pair developed a new way of launching from the start house.

“We rigged up a start method where I, on the back of the sled, was helping Murray to launch the sled out of the start hack,” Hansen explained. “The Italian coach saw us doing it. The next race, the Italians had the same method. And the next race after that all the nations had it.”

When the call finally came that all four Canadian luge athletes had qualified for Japan, the moment hardly felt real. 

Arriving at the Olympics was overwhelming to say the least.

“It’s amazing at first because the spectacle is amazing,” Hansen said. “Being part of the opening ceremonies is such an honour.”

Once competition began, however, the focus narrowed quickly.

“During the luge event, you don’t have much on your mind other than the luge itself.” Hansen said staying focused is imperative. After the luge event was over however, the two got to experience all the Olympics had to offer including interacting with other athletes.

“The great thing about the Olympics to me is that people do their best and whoever wins you salute them and you shake their hand and it’s so much better than the way things are being solved right now,” said Nielsen with pride. Both men said the Olympics is a very classy event.

Wearing the maple leaf remains one of the defining moments of their lives.

“It’s a very great honour to represent your country like Canada,” Hansen said. “There’s a real sense of personal pride and satisfaction. We’re there not just for ourselves but for our country.” 

When Hansen watches the sport in present day, he notes the differences from when they competed.

Both athletes say the experience shaped their lives in ways they couldn’t have imagined at the time. Hansen said for himself it was important for him to, “focus on the personal accomplishment during the Olympics rather than getting caught up in the spectacle of the Olympics, and of course national pride.”

“It gives you a sense of inner confidence – it doesn’t matter if anyone really knows what you did but you know that you achieved that,” said Nielsen. “You think, ‘If I could do that, heck, I could do anything.’” 

While both now live in Medicine Hat, neither will forget their Standard roots and their Olympic dream.