Humphries' dad sees daughter's dream come true

Ray Simundson remembers the day his seven-year-old daughter said she would one day win an Olympic gold medal.

On Wednesday, that lifelong dream came to fruition as Kaillie Humphries bested the rest of the world, claiming that Olympic gold medal as she piloted the Canada 1 women's bobsled team.

For Simundson, over the moon doesn't even begin to describe how he felt watching his daughter win the biggest sports competition of her life.

"I was just really relieved, because my heart must have been beating about 450 beats a minute," he said after his daughter won gold.

When reached by the Herald, Simundson said he and his wife Cheryl still hadn't spoken to their daughter, who was quickly whisked away for interviews after her win.

"She did what she always does and she flashed her mom and I the big heart sign, blew us a kiss, so she did see us," he said.

That gold medal goal set at the age of seven was first pursued through skiing. Humphries eventually crossed over to bobsled, her father said.

Even though the bobsled reaches high speeds, he's never been worried for his daughter's safety.

"To tell you the truth, I feel a lot better that she's in a bobsled under a little bit of cover, versus on two . . . skis," he said.

Simundson said his daughter has dedicated herself to training six days a week. She doesn't drink and training has always taken precedence over heading out to party.

She has faced challenges during her career, Simundson said.

Her move from brakeman to pilot came after the Turin Games, when she was an alternate.

"It was on the flight home from Torino that she made the announcement that she was going to go in and be a pilot," Simundson said.

Source: The Calgary Herald

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