Dale Begg-Smith crashes out but leaves behind a trail of contenders

AUSTRALIA’S greatest skier generated enormous influence.

FOR most of his career, Dale Begg-Smith has been judged on what he wasn’t. He wasn’t Australian enough, he wasn’t demonstrative enough when he won, he wasn’t open enough about his internet business.

Now that he’s retiring, perhaps it’s time he is judged on what he was. He was the greatest skier to represent Australia, he was utterly loyal to the people who brought him over from Canada as a 15-year-old kid and supported him throughout his career, he was elusive but never boorish, he was an inspiration to a new generation of Australian moguls skiers, he was their mentor as they made their way into international ranks and he was committed to creating a legacy for his adopted country.

As he draws his career to a close, it is the legacy that should concern us now for it has been on full display in Sochi this week as teenagers Britt Cox (fifth) and Matt Graham (seventh) fell just short of the medals.

In the moments after 29-year-old Begg-Smith fell on his face in his last ski race, in a cruel end to an illustrious skiing career, he had no time for self-pity. His energy was immediately directed towards his young teammates Graham, 19, and Brodie Summers, 20, who had qualified for the finals in the top 10.

“I gave them all my energy there,” Begg-Smith said.

“I gave them a few words and I hope they can hone that in and I think we can get a medal out of them.”

It was not to be last night. There was cruelty, too, for both Graham, who missed qualifying for the six-man finale by the slimmest of margins, 0.01sec, and Summers, who missed the top-12 cut by one place after landing back on his skis off his second jump, the only blemish in an otherwise excellent run.

When Begg-Smith was asked if he was passing the baton to Graham and Summers at his third and last Olympics he responded “that’s what I’m hoping for”.

There’s no question that that has happened.

What Begg-Smith appears to have given his proteges, above all, is belief that they can mix it with the world’s best skiers.

Before he arrived, Australia had never had a moguls skier finish in the top 10 at the Olympics. He became Australia’s most decorated Olympian, winning gold in 2006 and silver in 2010 and now it would be surprising if Australia did not have multiple medal contenders in the sport over the next decade.

In head moguls coach Steve Desovich, Australia has the world’s best technical coach, while Begg-Smith’s influence has been about attitude.

“I’ve tried to give them a few tips but really their coaches are Steve Desovich and Jerry Grossi and I just try to give them a few mental things,” he said.

Olympic Winter Institute chief Geoff Lipshut, the man who facilitated Begg-Smith’s migration to Australia at 15, does not doubt Begg-Smith’s legacy.

“He’s shown our moguls skiers how to have self-belief. That’s the biggest thing,” Lipshut said.

“And not only the moguls skiers, the larger Australian team. Dale in his prime had this confidence and aura.

“When he set himself to do something he put his heart and soul into it. It’s that self-belief that you can win. He’s shown our guys how to do things in a professional way, to be smart and strategic and that showed when Matt and Brodie skied last night.”

Graham, from Gosford on the NSW central coast, first crossed paths with Begg-Smith when he was 14 and his Olympic ambitions were crystalised immediately.

He showed great composure in his Olympic debut, turning around a shaky start to perform at his peak when it counted.

“I came out this morning a little bit dicey with my skiing,” he said.

“I was a little bit off, but going into the finals I fixed a few things up in training and the final runs I was pretty happy with and I still have room to improve for the future.

“This morning I was pretty heavy and clanky and getting bounced around and making lots of mistakes, so I just tried to soften up with the absorption and keep it smooth and clean.

“I just backed off a little bit on the last run because I knew a lot of people would be pushing it. So me and the coaches thought we would take it back a notch and stick to focusing on the execution of the jumps and turns and see where that put me.”

It was very nearly enough to ski for a medal. He joked that he should have stuck his foot out at the finish line and that may have made the difference.

He admitted that the close result was “heartbreaking” but said he would not dwell on it.

That is another Begg-Smith trait, to meet triumph and disaster just the same, then get on with it.

In his heart, Begg-Smith knew he hadn’t done the work to add to his Olympic gold and silver medal in Sochi, so he had no complaints about the outcome.

“It was kind of a desperate move coming back this year. My body wasn’t there,” he said.

“If you don’t ski for three years, you are hoping for a miraculous performance.”

And Begg-Smith doesn’t deal in miracles. He deals in proper preparation, in composure and calculation. And now so do his successors.

That, too, will be his legacy.