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(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
WHISTLER -- Tom Kirkland followed three native Utahns from to Whistler village to watch their Olympic stories unfold. One has earned a medal already; the other two are making their Olympic debuts.
Things got bumpy for Park City's Ted Ligety in the Super G, but he's still looking forward to competing in other events.
"Yeah, for sure. I'm pretty psyched. I'm psyched that I was actually as fast as I was with the mistakes, and obviously, giant slalom, is my best event, coming up in a couple days. And I feel like I have a good chance there," Ligety says.
He says he's hoping to have a "big pile" of medals to show by the end of the week.
From Whistler Creekside Tom went over the mountain to the Whistler sliding venue to follow the stories of two Utahns in the men's and women's skeleton finals.
It was incredible drama for the come-back girl from Eagle Mountain. Noelle Pikus-Pace was denied her rightful spot on the 2006 Olympic team after a freak broken leg. She finished fourth. She missed the bronze medal Friday night by 1/10th of a second.
"That last run I just said, ‘All right, just let it fly.' And so I was trying t let me sled take a little bit more control. And I missed the medals by a tenth of second, and you know, that's like the blink of an eye. That's what this sport is, though, and I'm really pleased with my results. I'm really happy with how I did on the ice, and I really, I know I'll be happy for the rest of my life," she said.
Her family was there to cheer her on.
"It's incredible. This has really been our dream. Coming together for all of us to be here, this is an amazing experience. I mean, to have all the fans here, to have Utah cheering me on, it's just been so perfect," she said.
Pikus-Pace's good friend, Salt Lake City's Zach Lund, a Judge Memorial graduate, is finally an Olympian this year. He was kicked out of Torino on a technicality that no longer applies. He didn't medal, but he showed the heart of an Olympian.
His fiancé, brandy, said, "Oh, this is just so exciting, so very exciting. We are so very happy to be here in this moment. I don't even know if I can completely grasp it."
Lund finished fifth in his first Olympic event.
He hopes to compete in 2014. Pikus-Pace though, says this will be it for her. She says it's been a great ride, but now she wants to be a full-time mom.
