The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 25 ,2 02 1 | 12 Sara Villani was a nine- year-old gymnast at the Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre when a coach ex- plained the Olympics to her. The Olympics are held every four years and bring together the best athletes in the world, the coach told her. Athletes spend years preparing, then compete in front of thousands of peo- ple and millions more on TV. "In my little kid brain, I thought, 'That sounds scary. That's not for me.'" Fifteen years later, Vil- lani has had a change of heart. She is now hoping to earn a spot on the Canadi- an Olympic team, not as gymnast, but by hurtling down a twisting, frozen track at 150 km/hour. And yet, that doesn't seem so scary. Last month, Villani wrapped up her first World Cup bobsleigh season as a brakeman where she teamed up with a pair of pi- lots to record three top-five finishes. In her World Cup debut with Christine de Bruin, the Canadian duo finished fifth, beating two-time Olympic champ Kaillie Humphries and missing a podium finish by 4/100ths of a second. "Christine is very expe- rienced. I just didn't want to show how much of a rookie I am," the Norval na- tive said. "I'd like to think I did a good job hiding it, but if she could tell how ner- vous I was, she never let it affect her." Two weeks later in Ger- many, they turned in a sea- son-best fourth-place fin- ish. Not bad considering it had been just 25 months since Villani first climbed into a bobsled. Villani never grew up dreaming about the Olym- pics. It wasn't until 2015 when she won the junior national heptathlon title that she considered the possibility of reaching the highest levels of her sport. She followed that with gold in the pentathlon at the Ontario university championships, but an an- kle injury limited her abil- ity to compete the follow- ing year. Then in 2018, she attend- ed the RBC Training Ground, where partici- pants perform tests to iden- tify athletic strengths. Vil- lani dominated, posting the top scores in four of the six tests and setting a strength record. She was recruited by numerous national teams, but was intrigued by bob- sleigh. She had watched it during the Olympics and had seen the movie "Cool Runnings" -- still most people's point of reference when she tells them what she does. That December, she went to Calgary and, after learning the brakeman's role, it was time to get in a sled. Part way down the course, even the first timer sensed something wasn't right. Within moments, the sled was on its side sliding down the course. "Not much can prepare you for that," she said. The crash did not deter Villani. The following year she was competing on the North American Cup cir- cuit, where she and Melis- sa Lotholz earned three medals in seven races, thanks in part to consis- tently having among the best push (start) times. Villani was looking for- ward to building on her rookie season, but CO- VID-19 threw training plans for a loop. The team didn't get permission to train together in Calgary until September, and with cases rising, Canada opted out of the first half of the World Cup season. Protocols were put in place for training and Vil- lani said athletes were very careful to follow them. "We want to be able to train and compete," the 24- year-old said. "If we're not taking it seriously, we're basically losing our jobs." With the Winter Olym- pics in Beijing about 10 months away, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on plans. Competition schedules and qualifying processes for the Olympic team are still uncertain, but Villani said all athletes can do is prepare and be ready. She is continuing to train and raise funds to help cover the costs of trav- el and other expenses. "I just want to gain expe- rience and confidence and push my best every time I step on the block." NEWS NEW SPORT MEANS NEW OLYMPIC HOPE FOR VILLANI HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Former gymnast and track and field athlete Sara Villani is now finding success on the international bobsled scene. Dave Holland photo "I just want to gain experience and confidence and push my best every time I step on the block." - Sara Villani NICE TO MEET YOU -- ADVERTORIAL -- Committed to excellence in hearing services Since the inception of the category 11 years ago, The GeorgetownHearing Clinic has been the recipient of The Independent & Free Press Readers' Choice awards. Last year, the clinic won Best Hearing Services and Best Audiologist. Although many hearing clinics carry hearing aids and provide testing, it's the individual customer care that sets The Georgetown Hearing Clinic apart from the competition. Cory Soal opened the doors to The Georgetown Hearing Clinic in 1992. Today, it remains a local, family-operated business. "We consider our clients as part of our extended family," he says. At The Georgetown Hearing Clinic, patients can expect to receive only the best care. Some services include complimentary consultations, advanced hearing aid technology for every lifestyle and budget, regular check-ups, hearing tests, hearing aid fitting, repairs and more. As for hearing aids, the team only recommends the latest, most advanced technology. Custom earmolds are available for swim earplugs, noise cancellation, sleep earplugs, assistive listening devices, hearing aid batteries, and accessories. "Theopportunity to helpmycommunity is such aprivilege," says Soal. With more than 28 years of experience, choosing this field was kismet for him. "Audiology was interesting to me. Hearing health care was rapidly developing at the time with cutting edge technology, and still is, " Soal explains. "I had a great practicum in Hamilton and I wanted to open my own clinic in Georgetown - the town I was born and raised in." The Georgetown Hearing Clinic team encourages anyone who may think they need a hearing test to make an appointment. Soal says, "If you've noticed that your hearing isn't quite what it once was, it's a good idea to have an audiological assessment, and find out if our family can help you hear better." 99 Sinclair Ave., Georgetown 905-873-6642 www.georgetownhearingclinic.ca Cory Soal owner