Casey Wright Interview
Updated: 4 days ago
It's been a while since we've spoken to someone from the great sport of cross-country skiing and today we finally break the drought by speaking with Australian Olympian Casey Wright ahead of her second Olympics in Beijing! We find out from Casey just how she got into the sport and what other sports we could've seen her represent Australia in through her various sports she grew up playing. We also find out the insane training that goes into the sport of cross-country skiing and just what the differences are between the different styles. Added to this we find out why we need to keep a closer eye on the Norwegians during the Olympics as well as the possibilities of Casey representing another country at a future Olympics. It's an informative chat that will get you closer into the mood for the Olympics so get to listening!
Check out Casey's drawing mentioned in the interview below!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.
BEN WATERWORTH: It is Off The Podium, An Olympics Podcast, coming to you today for another athlete interview, as we are just days and days and days away from Beijing 2022. An athlete today who will be competing in Beijing once again, Casey Wright, Australian cross-country skier, competed in Pyeongchang, about to head to her second Olympic Games. And a great chat here with Casey, our first cross-country skier that we have had on, can you believe it, since before Pyeongchang with Callum Watson, all the way back before the 2018 Games. And a great chat here with Casey going over her history in the sport, how she got involved, the insane training that goes into the sport, and why it's a lot more complicated than it actually seems. And some fun information coming into this about Norway, why they're so damn good at cross-country skiing, and why we need to really just maybe make a sneaky deal with them or two, or keep a close eye on them. And also, a country that potentially could win some medals in cross-country skiing these Olympics, which you wouldn't think is a country that should be winning cross-country skiing medals, and one that I don't know how I'm sitting with, but we'll find out in this interview. It's a fun chat, you'll learn a lot, and you're going to love this chat. And here is our chat with Australian Olympic cross-country skier, Casey Wright.
BEN WATERWORTH: We are so close right now to the Beijing Olympics. You can smell the snow. We've been saying that all week with all of our guests because it is so close to being here. And we are so thrilled to be able to welcome another guest on the show today who will be competing in Beijing at her second Olympics. And this is the first time we've actually had somebody from cross-country skiing on since before Pyeongchang when we spoke to Callum Watson all those years ago. So I'm excited to be able to get back to this sport. Competed in Pyeongchang, as I said, competed in multiple world championships, Asian Games, bronze medallist, five-time Australian national champion. And we're looking forward to seeing her hit the snow once again to put on the green and gold in Beijing in only a matter of days time. It's a pleasure to welcome to the show Casey Wright. Casey, first of all, pleasure to have you here on Off The Podium. Welcome to the show.
CASEY WRIGHT: Thanks. Thanks for having me.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's exciting. I mean, it's exciting for me as an Olympic fan sitting in, you know, a dingy bedroom recording a podcast. What about for yourself? You're at the moment speaking to me from Switzerland, but in a matter of days, you're going to be on a plane going to Beijing, second Olympics. I mean, how are you feeling right now?
CASEY WRIGHT: I'm starting to get pretty excited. We're coming to the end of our kind of pre-training camp for the games. And so we've got some really good vibes going throughout the team at the moment. Everyone's starting to get pretty amped. And I think we're all just really excited to get there and, yeah, check it out what's in store for us.
BEN WATERWORTH: Because this is an equal biggest cross-country skiing team for Australia, six of you going to Beijing, similar to what it was in Pyeongchang. And to put that into context for people who maybe don't realise what size that is, it's the third biggest team Australia has at Beijing, only behind the snowboarding team and the freestyle skiing team. So it's obviously quite a big chunk. And we're kind of in the golden age of cross-country skiing in Australia right now with so many representatives going to an Olympics.
CASEY WRIGHT: I guess so. I don't know. I think we've also just got really lucky with our quota spots and kind of like in Pyeongchang where we just got lucky with the count back. And for myself, I ended up being the last athlete of all the countries to get a spot to go. And that kind of happened a bit again this year with Hugo as a late addition onto our team. So I think, yeah, we're obviously skiing quite well at the moment. I think also we've just had luck on our side as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: I always love hearing from, particularly our Australian winter athletes, how they get involved in their sports. Skiing obviously is unique in the fact that there's multiple disciplines. You've got cross country, you've got alpine, you've got freestyle, biathlon, you know, multiple disciplines. How do you fall into cross country skiing out of all the numerous disciplines that are available to you?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, so both my parents were outdoor ed teachers. So growing up, we did everything from going rock climbing in the Grampians or Arapalese to canoeing down the Yarra River. And then weekends, we just spent cross country skiing at Lake Mountain. So for me, it was actually just a normal activity that we just did on the weekends, especially during winter. It wasn't until I got until I think about middle of primary school, when we started going on ski trips, that I actually realised there was another type of skiing apart from cross country skiing. I thought cross country skiing was it. And then, yeah, anyway, I got introduced to alpine skiing, but still loved cross country. And yeah, I was really lucky to have supportive parents. And I got heaps of opportunities to ski and just kind of worked my way into it from there or something I loved. And it's kind of easy just to follow your passion when it's something you want to do.
BEN WATERWORTH: And outside of skiing, were you active in other sports? Was it something that you were constantly doing, just playing a variety of sports like a lot of kids obviously do?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, absolutely. I honestly played any sport I could get my hands on. Yeah, from a young age and particularly through high school, I was on swim teams, running teams, soccer teams, touch rugby, skiing, go to surf camp, like honestly, anything I could do, I wouldn't. It was probably when I was around 16, 17, I think dad sat me down and just kind of said, look, I love that you love sport, but I can't keep doing like 20 different sports each week. So you're going to have to pick a few and we're going to focus on those. So yeah, so it ended up being I think swimming might have got the boot around that time, but I kept up with running soccer and skiing and then I kind of just ended up following the skiing pathway.
BEN WATERWORTH: And was the Olympics always sort of something that you were striving towards with some of these sports or, you know, like top level competition, like playing for the Matildas, things like that with the soccer?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I think, yeah, the Olympics was always a goal. It's like something you watch on TV as a kid, like, oh, that's pretty cool. And, yeah, I guess I didn't really know what kind of pathway I was going to go down when I was that age. But, yeah, I guess towards the end, I was pretty competitive in soccer and also skiing, and was hoping to make it, you know, to the top level in either of those. But somehow I've ended up at skiing, and I'm really grateful that this is the pathway I've chosen. It's been like a pretty amazing journey. I've got to go to some pretty awesome places, and now I'm going to my second games. So, yeah, I think I picked the right one all those years ago.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love reading in an interview you did about your admiration for Alyssa Campland and remember seeing her. I believe you were eight in 2002 when she won the gold. I mean, do you sort of remember what it was about seeing her win that gold and kind of, you know, does that help you when you're skiing, thinking about something like an Olympics a little bit more once you've seen an Aussie top the podium?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I don't know if I actually ever watched the event, but I remember just seeing her like on a lot of ads in TV. I think there was like a chewing gum ad that she was on.
BEN WATERWORTH: That's right. I remember that.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah. Yeah. And then I think for Christmas that year, I might have been giving her like autobiography by my mum. And so I remember just reading that and was like, oh, like, she's just like me. You know, like, you know, we can we can do winter sports and, you know, and we can do well in winter sports. It's not it's not such a, I don't know, comical thing that an Australian likes snow. So, yeah, I think definitely having her, she was kind of our part of our team support in Pyeongchang. And that was just like, yeah, having my one of my idols in that sort of role and my first games was just an absolute dream. It was amazing to get to know her and just to be able to have her as, you know, to give guidance and support, especially like navigating your way through your first Olympic experience was, yeah, really like hard to describe what it meant to me. But yeah, it was really special.
BEN WATERWORTH: And she's back in Beijing, isn't she? She's a deputy chef de mission. So I mean, kind of, do you go to her still maybe for some, I guess, advice? You know, she obviously went to two Olympics. So now your second Olympics, maybe there's some extra advice she might be able to help you with it at second Olympics versus the first Olympics.
CASEY WRIGHT: Sure, yeah, hopefully, her schedule is not too busy, and she's getting caught up in meetings and all of those things that I guess those are, you know, higher support people get to do. But yeah, like honestly, like any advice she has to give, I'm always there, ready to soak it up.
BEN WATERWORTH: In terms of cross country itself, you know, obviously with all the different disciplines of skiing that has got their unique challenges, but with cross country, it's kind of the marathon of the winter Olympics and things like that. But it's a lot more than endurance. I mean, there's obviously high speeds involved. There's racing, the strategic elements, there's so many things about it. I mean, what are some of the challenging aspects of it that maybe some people don't understand when it comes to cross country skiing, particularly, say, Australians, who were only witness to watching this sport every four years when the Olympics does roll around?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, like, yeah, there is a lot more than just like our cardiovascular fitness. You know, particularly now, skiing has become a lot more of a power sport. So, you know, we are in the gym twice a week, like working on muscular strength and making sure we have the strength to be able to produce that power. There's a huge technical side of it. You know, we have two techniques. So we have classic, which is, you know, where the skis are staying straight and you're kind of going like this. Then we have skate where we're in that in that V shape. So basically got two different techniques within the one sport, and we race both just interchangeably. So we can't really we can have preferences, but you got to be able to do both. And then on top of that, we also ski downhills. So we have all the uphill and then we've got to come down and we can reach speeds of, you know, 70 kilometres an hour, navigating, challenging, technical downhills on, you know, our heel isn't locked in. Our heel is free and we're on a lot skinnier ski than a typical outpine ski and no metal edges. So definitely that's a challenging aspect that I think a lot of people might not realise until they put a pair of cross-country skis on and try to walk around. Yeah, some, yeah, definitely adds extra elements to it, just apart from that, you know, aerobic fitness that we need to have.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which when you go to sport where a sprint is what, like 10 kilometres? I mean, that's generally not what a lot of people would consider a sprint, right?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, so I prefer the sprint events. They're typically around one and a half kilometres, so they take maybe around two and a half to three minutes. But then again, in a sprint day, we do our time trial at the start. And then the top 30 skiers from that move on to heats. And each time between the heats get shorter and shorter. So you might have an hour between the qualification and the first quarterfinal. But then between your semifinal and your final, it could be around 10 minutes. So if you're having a good day, you're going to end up racing that course four times and it can end up. You know, sometimes I'm skiing upwards of 30 kilometres on those days if I'm making my way through heats. So yeah, it's a sprint, but not a typical like the 100 metre sprint from the summer games, which a lot of people are used to. Yeah, it's quite a lot longer.
BEN WATERWORTH: Is there a momentum side to that then too, obviously, if you're saying sort of as you're going through those sort of gaps, like as you're saying, if you're having a really good day, can you build on that momentum and that kind of spurs you on as you go further and deeper into the rounds?
CASEY WRIGHT: Absolutely. Yeah, like the head to head rounds, especially, like, you know, once we get through the time trial, that's on interval starts, and then we're in head to head rounds. And, you know, kind of, you know, you might not have the best sprint, the best qualification in that time trial, but then you kind of get into head to head rounds and all of a sudden, you got this like new burst of energy. And, I don't know, just skiing around people can just, you know, give you that extra 10, 20%. And, you know, being out of, be around and chase people down and just kind of adds that extra element as well. So, yeah, and again, it's getting into that flow as well. And that's why we do lots of races, you know, throughout our season so that we get used to that kind of momentum of working our way through rounds, if that's where we're getting to. Because, yeah, it is a big day, and so you got to work out how you fuel, how you're, you know, eating and drinking and, you know, managing all of that because you don't really want to get to the end and then just be absolutely cooked and that's the end of it. So, yeah, a lot of, we try to train a lot for that, but, yeah, it's always, and then again, you just see what happens on the day.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I can then imagine your gym routine must be all over the place every single week. I mean, there's so many elements that you're saying there that I can imagine you've got to focus on when it comes to that physical aspect. I mean, what's a general gym week like for you?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, so I guess my gym sessions usually go for about an hour and a half each. So I tend not to do anything too crazy. I'm one of those, have one of those body types that just looks at some weight plates and just puts muscle bulk on. I don't actually have to touch it. So I tend to err on the side of caution and do more like kind of functional strength and do a lot of plyometrics to keep that explosiveness, which is like kind of key for sprinting. But then again, there's athletes who, you know, kind of go on the other end, I guess, most of it's just working out what your body needs and finding something that works around that. So I'm really lucky to have a coach who, you know, I've worked with for quite a number of years now who understands how my body responds to training and reacts especially to the gym. And we've been able to make like a pretty solid program that means I'm not putting on extra muscle mass because ultimately I'm just going to have to carry that up all the heels when I'm racing. So yeah, so I think at the moment, it's been working really well.
BEN WATERWORTH: I can also imagine that, I mean, you mentioned nutritionally, I mean, sort of what is a diet like for a cross-country skier? And I'm guessing it differs right now coming into an Olympics, as it would say when you may be not quite in certain seasons. I mean, lots of carbs, lots of things that kind of we're not thinking of when it comes to nutrition. Is it different for a cross-country skier versus some other sports out there that maybe people do connect as being similar?
CASEY WRIGHT: I don't know. If you come and eat dinner with us and the boys on our team, you'd probably be amazed at the amount of food they can consume in a day. Like me and Jess, the other female here, we're constantly amazed about how much they eat. But yeah, we tend to make sure we have plenty of carbs. So whether that's like rice or pasta or couscous or something like that, protein, in whatever form, we decide that night. And then typically, if we're doing longer sessions out skiing, it's really important that we're fuelling when we're out skiing. So some people like bars. My kind of go-to is to always have a stash of gummy bears in my drink belt when I'm out training, and particularly on race day. They're kind of my go-to snack. So yeah, we make sure that we're fuelling right. And it's fine to eat some chocolate or chips or something like that. Every now and again, moderation is key. But yeah, I don't think it would differ too much to what other athletes eat. I guess it just depends on how hungry you are at night.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm just liking this gummy bear aspect of the sport, that you can just kind of have this. It's a perfect excuse really to just sneak them in and have a perfect snack while you're out there.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, it's great. They don't freeze, they don't get too hard, and then they're not too soft, so they don't fall apart in your drink belt. So yeah, it's like my perfect race day snack, to be honest.
BEN WATERWORTH: And do you have potential then for sponsorship? We're thinking here, you know, get enough exposure out there during Beijing that there could be some gummy bear companies listening right now that you could be like Alyssa Campland. She was for chewing gum. Here you are for, I don't know, Hasbro gummy bears or something like that.
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I would love it. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Send them my way.
BEN WATERWORTH: Done. There you go. We're getting these sponsorships loaded up for you. You, I believe, went to, of all places, Alaska for college, which, I mean, that must have been an experience. Alaska is a great place, but I can imagine for college, that must have been very fun to be able to go there. And the Seawolves, I believe, is who you were with. So tell us about that experience.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, so, yeah, I just kind of spent a season in America in 2014-15 season. I was skiing with a professional team in Sun Valley, Idaho. And while I was there and racing on the American circuit, my coach was like, oh, you're doing quite well. Maybe you should look at doing college racing. And to be honest, I had no idea what that meant at all. And at US Nationals that year, he kind of lined up for me to meet a few coaches. And one of them was Andrew Kasting, who was my coach at UAA. And I met with him. And anyway, I finished off that season, came back to Australia, and didn't get a whole lot of positive responses just because I was this Australian. I wasn't really known for skiing, and not many. There had only been one Australian cross-country skier before me who had been through the college circuit from like coming from Australia. So it wasn't much exposure. And anyway, I didn't really think much was going to happen with that, but then got through the end of the Australian season in 2015 and ended up getting this message out of the blue from Andrew again saying, hey, what are you doing in a month's time? Do you want to come to Alaska? And I was like, oh, sure. So I just got everything in order and just jumped on the plane and headed up north. And I didn't really know what I was getting into, but just knew I wanted to ski. And at that point, I was studying at Victoria University. So I wanted to continue with my studies and was like, well, this seems like a perfect opportunity for me to be a part of a team that's going to push me to develop as an athlete. And I can also get a university degree on the side. And I wasn't really sure what I was getting into, so I was like, okay, well, I'll do a year. And if I'm not liking it, I'll just come home. And I ended up doing four years and loved every single bit of it.
BEN WATERWORTH: And then do you get used to the whole situation there where you're having, in the winter, obviously, barely any sunlight, and then in the summer, barely any day... Well, the other way around, I should say, barely any daylight in the winter. And that because, I mean, it's a unique thing that if you're not prepared for it, that it's kind of very strange, isn't it?
CASEY WRIGHT: Absolutely, yeah. Like, literally, the sun doesn't come up until 10.30, and it sets about 3.30. I guess the lucky thing for us is that we were out training every day, morning and afternoon. So, unlike most people who literally just get up, go to work, come home, who actually don't see the sun at all for the whole day, we actually got outside, got to see a little bit. I think the hardest time wasn't necessarily in the middle of winter, it was kind of in that fall, like late autumn period, where we were still waiting for snow to come. But it was really dark, there wasn't any snow on the ground, and then as soon as it snows, it starts reflecting a lot of light, and all of a sudden it feels like it's ten times brighter than it was the day before. During that period, we're losing about five minutes of daylight a day, which ends up being just over 30 minutes a week. So, you kind of go one week, you're training at, say, eight o'clock, it's like, oh, this is fine. And then, you know, the next week, same time, you're like, oh, it's pitch black. Oh, this isn't ideal.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. I remember I was there in the summer and I remember being out at a bar and basically having somebody come to you and say, oh, we're closing. And you're like, well, it's brightest day. Like, it must only be like seven, eight o'clock at night. It was midnight. Better go then.
CASEY WRIGHT: It's strange. Just go through the day at night and then go, oh, I'm kind of hungry. I should probably make dinner. And it's like ten o'clock.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, it's very, very strange. But is that sort of a route that a lot of people, like you mentioned, you're only sort of the second Australian in that system. But is it kind of a choice between, say, going to North America to do something like that or going to Europe? Or, I mean, kind of as an Australian cross-country skier, is there kind of more of a connection, say, with one over the other?
CASEY WRIGHT: I guess, you know, before I did go to Alaska, I did two seasons in Europe, and that's, you know, they were my first trips, some of my first trips overseas. And then I decided to mix it up a bit and then do that season in Idaho, and then went to college. For me, I was kind of, once I had exited the junior kind of ranks and was moving into U23 slash senior racing, a lot of the teammates who I had had on the junior team, they all kind of moved away from skiing. So I was finding that I didn't really have a big team around me. And so for me, that was like one of the key things I was looking for. Even though we are an individual sport, it is having that team aspect is super valuable. And also I think, I knew I had these goals of where I wanted to get to in my career. And at that point, I wasn't really eyeing off the 2018 games. I was eyeing off these ones. And so I was like, OK, this is where I want to be in 2022. What do I need to do to get there? And for me, that was kind of the perfect opportunity where I could develop as an athlete and then now like skiing in the senior ranks on the World Cup and stuff like that. So I guess it depends like on the athlete and what they're looking for. I guess each way is fine. It just, you know, really depends on what's going to be best for you.
BEN WATERWORTH: One event you did before Pyeongchang, the Asian Games in 2017. Now, I mentioned bronze medallist in the women's sprint. Now, technically though, you don't get a bronze medal though, do you? Because Australia is invited and we're not allowed to win medals. Like, how is this fair? Like, do you have to argue? Casey is like, I should get a bronze medal here. This isn't fair.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, that was definitely an interesting experience, like crossing the line and being super stoked to get the bronze. And at that point, we didn't know that we weren't allowed to receive medals. So anyway, I finished and I'm putting my clothes back on, and then I get promptly notified I have to go to doping control. I was like, okay, well, you know, I've got like ceremonies first. And they're like, no, no, no. I was like, I think I do. I just got third. And they're like, no, no, you got to come. Like, oh, hang on. And then we go down. It's like, no, no, you just get to pee in a cup and that's it for you.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow. Which like it must just be such a I mean, obviously you finished third. They can't take that away from you. But again, you don't get a medal. I mean, and it's not like you just finished third. You finished third by quite a significant distance, right? So it's kind of like, well, where's my medal? It's kind of, you know, I feel like there should be some sort of thing there where if they're inviting us to compete in the Asian Games, like if we're not eligible for medals, we should get something, right? I mean, do you get anything for finishing third?
CASEY WRIGHT: I think, I think like the kind of support staff were feeling really bad about the situation. So I think I ended up getting like one of the mascots as like the team got given like a couple of the mascots as a toy. And so I actually came home and on my hotel, like in the hotel, my door was just covered with like bronze medallist Casey Wright lives here. So it was like really awesome to come back to see that. And then they're like, oh, here you go. Here's a soft toy. And I was like, sweet. Yeah, I guess like, you know, medals are one thing, but, you know, on the inside, you know, that's what was more important for me. And to be able just to have that result and to feel the way I did on that day, you know, it was kind of one of those days where everything just falls in the place. And I think, you know, that was definitely more valuable than, you know, a medal, a medal when you think back on that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which, I mean, it's also, I can imagine that opportunity because unlike a lot of summer sports, there's not really a lot of multi-sport events for winter athletes. You know, there's not a winter Commonwealth Games, for example, and particularly for Australia, we don't really have a multi-sport. So to get invited to an event like that to, I guess, almost experience what it's like to be in a multi-sport environment. I mean, did that help you when it came to competing in Pyeongchang a year later to kind of understand what that environment's like, if it's different to competing, say, in a World Cup or a World Championship?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, for sure. You know, just, you know, just, you know, obviously, there's a multi-sport aspect. But with any kind of like Olympic or AOC run sponsored team event, there's a lot of other stuff that goes on in the background that you often don't see. And just, you know, getting exposed to that, you know, from an early point. And, you know, at, you know, it was obviously an important event, but not, you know, kind of an Olympic game standard. Just to have that experience was like super valuable. And also got to meet a lot of the support staff who were once again in Korea. And then I think a lot of them will be again in Beijing. So just to kind of start making connections, get to know faces, and just made my experience when I got to Korea like a little bit more familiar.
BEN WATERWORTH: When it came to the Olympics, we always love hearing about the experiences outside of competing. You mentioned obviously your goal was Beijing. You kind of get a bonus Olympics going there. But do you remember sort of those initial moments landing in Korea? Like, I mean, was there a moment when it kind of hit you that you're an Olympian? This is real?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I don't think so much landing because I travelled from America, whereas the rest of the team was travelling from Europe. So I kind of got to the airport and didn't know where I was going. There was not really anyone there. I think they were running late at that point. So I just kind of stood around the airport for a bit, just looking like a lost puppy, I think. Then I found my way. Yeah, honestly, I think it all really started to sink in after that first event, after that sprint event. And, you know, unfortunately, I didn't quite have the results I wanted at those games. But I kind of looked at it as an opportunity to get that experience, especially something, you know, experience I can take into these games. But I think the most special moment that was like actually after the race, because my parents and my brother were there and was able to jump up in the stands after the race and go up and see them. And I think that that was like the really special moment for me. And looking back, like, you know, that's when I was like, oh, OK, like, this is real. And I got to share this with, you know, with my family as well. So that was like a suit. Yeah, that was a really awesome moment.
BEN WATERWORTH: Kind of a bonus moment, knowing that unfortunately, they're not going to be able to be with you in Beijing. So it's sort of you've been able to experience that. I mean, outside of competing, I'll talk about those in a moment. But I mean, village life. I mean, did you get to do any of the ceremonies? Did you get involved in things like pin collecting, bump into like, there's Chloe Kim and Sean White, like you kind of, you know, going around doing things like that to really soak up the Olympic experience?
CASEY WRIGHT: So I only ended up racing two events, but I opted to stay for the entire period. And, you know, I'm really looking back, I'm really glad I did that, especially with kind of the COVID aspect of these games. But yeah, I made sure I went to the opening ceremony, closing ceremony. They were definitely highlights. I guess I didn't interact as much with like internationals. For me, it was just awesome to be a part of like the Australian contingent and get to know all of those guys. And we had just really good vibes in the village amongst us. And, you know, we have the dining hall where all our food is, but we also had this like other lounge that the Australian team had set up. And, you know, whenever you wanted something to do, you just kind of walk in there, and there was always someone up for a chat or to hang out. And so that was a really cool experience. I guess I got a few pins, but wasn't super into that. I didn't come prepared with extra pins. So if you don't have like your stock, then it's pretty hard to get like super into it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Are you rethinking that for Beijing, or is it again, just not really, you know?
CASEY WRIGHT: No, like I just I didn't have any weight when I came over to Europe for extra stuff. I was like, yeah, my jacket, which I was carrying like on the plane, weighed about like 10 kilos of like all the other stuff that couldn't fit in my bag. Really, that wasn't unlike the high list of priorities of stuff to fit in my bag. But, you know, I think these games is going to be a lot different, especially with just, you know, because we won't be like we're not in Beijing. We're kind of out about, you know, four hours out. So I think just getting to ceremonies is going to be a little bit more challenging. I will be doing more events this year. So, you know, I'm probably not going to have as much freedom as I had last game. So, you know, I think that's just really good to have been to a games previously and have kind of ticked off a lot of those boxes. And now it's like, OK, I've done that. Like, you know, you're all good. You can just focus on the racing this time and not have that FOMO of missing everything else.
BEN WATERWORTH: Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. We heard a lot of that from, say, the Tokyo athletes who experienced Rio, and they were told that Rio was going to be a weird game. They look back on it now going, well, OK, it was kind of normal compared to what we then experienced in Tokyo. I mean, just on what you're saying about the team, obviously Australia, you know, we've got 44 athletes going to Beijing. I think we had 45 in Pyeongchang, if I remember. So I mean, it's obviously a very small team where you can kind of, I guess, connect with these athletes. And again, back to my point where, you know, you don't really go to multi-sport events. So I can't imagine your tours and that you're interacting much with the snowboard team or, you know, the freestyle skiing, the figure skaters, people like that. So it's an opportunity to, I guess, connect, hang out and share stories, because as Australians, we're obviously always in winter sports getting questioned. What the hell are you doing here? You're Australia, you have no snow. And I love that on your Instagram profile, although I had to mention that. So, I mean, it's obviously a great opportunity to kind of just meet these people and hang out and just, yeah, all come together.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, absolutely. And I think for me, because I had been living, you know, in America for basically two and a half years at that point, it was just really good to get reacquainted with Australians and spend time there. So, yeah, I honestly like that. That was like, you know, definitely a fond aspect that I look back on, you know, yeah, like kind of everyone we got, we got the opportunity to interact with that. Yeah, love that bit.
BEN WATERWORTH: Was there anyone in particular that maybe surprised you? Was there like, you know, like, does Scotty James like tell you a secret or something like that? Or, you know, you've got like Clarnie Crane, like giving you figure skating tips or things like that, you know, that you kind of just had to have to share today?
CASEY WRIGHT: I don't think I got any like insider secrets. Definitely had a lot of fun with the Bobsled Boys. With the four-man crew that was there, they were good value. And then it was also awesome just like, because we had additional, like, you know, there's six cross-country events, and although I wasn't competing, teammates were. So we were able to get big crews of like other Australians who had finished competing, and we would go and watch all the events. And so we had David Morris, Danielle Scott, Laura Peele, I don't know, everyone.
BEN WATERWORTH: I can imagine David Morris coming to an event. That makes it extra fun having David there, come on.
CASEY WRIGHT: And I was just like, great. And you know, especially taking them to a cross-country event. They're like, this is not what we expected. It's like, you guys are insane. It's like, yeah, yeah, we know.
BEN WATERWORTH: And did you then on the flip side, given you only the two, did you go and check out, say, did you go watch the aerials? Did you go check out some other sports that maybe you don't get a chance to see much?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, for sure. That's something that I was like making sure, you know, I was still training at that point. So I'd go and train in the morning, and then my afternoon was reserved for going and watching events. So I think we watched the aerials final, moguls. And then we ended up going to Gangnam where all the ice events were. I don't think we had Australians competing there, but, you know, got to see the North Korean cheer squad at the short track and long track and ice hockey. So, yeah, just getting like the opportunity to interact in all those different events was really cool. Because, yeah, as you said, yeah, cross-country World Cup is just cross-country. We don't really cross over with other sports. So, you know, this is really the only opportunity where we get to connect with, you know, all these other winter athletes from Australia.
BEN WATERWORTH: And we're still just saying, you mentioned aerials finals. We're still not over David Morris getting robbed in Pyeongchang.
CASEY WRIGHT: It was very exciting to be there to watch it. But like, yeah, sad that we couldn't quite, wasn't able to cross that boundary.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's still bullshit. It's just bullshit. We're just still not over it. It's four years later. We're still not over it. Okay. Just saying that. You got 63rd in the sprint and 81st in the 10K. Now, you mentioned wasn't necessarily what you were hoping to achieve. Do you set yourself a goal? Like, do you kind of go into these events and you give yourself a minimum placing that you want to achieve? Is there a time that you kind of do, or is there like a mixture of both?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, time's not so much, just because our conditions can be so variable. And depending on, like, you know, on the course, on the profile, like how much climbing and descent we have, and then also the snow conditions, you know, we could do a 10K race. And, you know, I did a 10K earlier this season, which took 22 minutes. I've also done 10Ks that have taken almost 40 minutes to finish, you know, in poorer weather conditions. So we don't usually focus on the time aspect. You know, as I said, for me, I prefer the sprinting events. And so the goal of any sprint is to make that top 30 cut, which means you get to progress in the finals. So, you know, whether that's achievable or not, I'm, you know, not quite sure. But, you know, that's the mindset I take into every race. And that's what I hope to achieve. And if not, then, you know, I take stock of what I've done and focus on some positives and work out what I need to do to be faster next time.
BEN WATERWORTH: But I can imagine going back to where you're saying that it was never the goal for 2018. It was always 2022. So you've kind of got this bonus Olympics in your back pocket now. So you can go into your, what is now, second Olympics, which you maybe thought might have been your first Olympics. With that experience, you know what it's like. And now with additional events that you were doing this time around, do you go now into Beijing feeling better prepared, know what to expect, and what then sort of goals do you set yourself when it comes to the events you are taking place in?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, Jess and I were actually talking about this the other day when we were skiing and just like how much more comfortable we were feeling now going into our second Games than we felt four years ago. Yeah, I like thinking back then, I was just like shitting my pants anytime I started thinking about like, oh, you're going to the Olympics. And I remember on the day of my first event, because we were racing late at night, I was just kind of sitting in my room just going, like my head just like going a million miles an hour. I remember Alyssa Campland walked in like, how are you doing? I'm like, not good. You know, and just to be on that stage where like, everyone is watching and you know, Australia doesn't usually pay much attention to us on on our usual races, and all of a sudden, everyone's watching. So it's like, oh, hi, I'm here. But I guess, yeah, definitely like going in now. I think, you know, as well as having that experience from from Pyeongchang and, you know, over four years, I feel like I'm a much more mature athlete than I was back then. So, you know, I kind of feel like a lot more I'm able to take in my stride. And I definitely think that once we get there and I'm on race day, the nerves will start coming back again. But hopefully I have a bit more of the experience now to be able to not let them get as much to me as they may have had in the past. Yeah, so, yeah, I guess, yeah, that's kind of. Yeah, it's invaluable, the experience that we had, you know, from from one games. And, you know, a really close family friend said to me the other day that, you know, he always thinks that athletes do better like their second world championships or world junior championships was like, All right, well, you're at your second Olympics now. So there's no excuses. You just got to go for it. Yeah, thanks, Keves, for that one. Just got to be better.
BEN WATERWORTH: You mentioned that sort of the individual aspect of the sport. Obviously, there is the team sprint. How enjoyable is that? I'm guessing you're doing that with Jess. So, I mean, is it sort of a unique opportunity where you can add a team aspect to it? And is it something that you I don't want to say enjoy more than the individual side of things, but I mean, enjoy, I guess, in a different way that you can have that experience with Jess, given that you're teammates and you can be in one event together.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, team sprint is definitely an interesting event. So basically, we do our sprint course, but we tag off in between. So we each race at three times. So six times total so that you tag off. So you only get about three or however long it takes your partner to ski the course's recovery. Enjoyable is an interesting term because it's probably one of the hardest races you ever do. Jess and I did our first team sprint together back in 2015 at the World Championships. And I remember us both thinking at the end of that like, Oh my God, I thought I was going to die by the time I got to my last lap. But it is great to have that team aspect and to be out there suffering with someone else who's feeling the same way. It always helps lessen the pain. But yeah, it is a really fun event to do. It's just like a different aspect of skiing. And yeah, we don't have a lot of team events. We have the team sprint and the relay. And unfortunately, we don't have four women, so we can't start a relay. But team sprint is kind of the next best thing. So yeah, that's definitely going to be an event that I'm really looking forward to for these games. And you're going to embrace that kind of pain and tight true fun, I guess you could say.
BEN WATERWORTH: Embrace the pain. There's a T-shirt you can sell. Get it out there to kind of get some fundraising there. One of the events I love when it comes to cross-country, just the name itself, the skiathlon. I mean, that itself just sells it in itself. Explain to us the skiathlon. I mean, is it as awesome as it sounds just with that name? And is that an event that we really should be keeping a close eye on?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, well, I personally won't be competing in the skiathlon because that's going to be before the sprint. So I've decided to focus on the sprint, but Jess will definitely be competing. And I think Phil might be competing for the men. So definitely keep an eye out on that one. But yeah, so before I mentioned that there's like two different techniques in cross-country skiing. So there's the classic and the skate. And usually we either race one or the other. So in Korea, we had a classic sprint, whereas this year in Beijing, we're going to have a skate sprint. So they usually like alternate what events we do. Except for the skiathlon where they decide, oh, let's just do both events together in the one race. So you start off classic skiing, and for the women, they do seven and a half kilometre legs. So seven and a half K classic and then a seven and a half K skate. But the men do 15 kilometre classic and then a 15 kilometre skate. And then everyone starts at the same time. So it's a mass start event. So they could be up to, I'm guessing, there may be around 70 men racing in this event. So 70 people all go off at the same time. We are lined up, so it's not just a free-for-all carnage. And then, yeah, so you start off on the classic leg, and you finish that, like whatever distance you need to do. And then you go into our special exchange zone, and before that, you have your skis in the box. So you have your skis and poles there. So you ski in, you take your classic skis off, put your skis on, change your poles, and you keep going. So yeah, it's not one of my preferred events. I will admit, my skiathlon experiences have not been the most pleasant experiences of my life. So I'm not super sad to be missing this one, but it definitely does add that extra excitement element, I guess, especially if you're watching and there's a really strong classic skier who's doing well in the classic leg, and then the skaters get to shine in the second leg. So in terms of a spectator, it's definitely one of those sports that's good to watch.
BEN WATERWORTH: I get the Athlon now. It's triathlon, you know, kind of. I was going to ask, is it one of these events where you can start off on the skate and finish on the classical, but you've obviously got to do it in order. So you can't sort of alternate and just turn it up a little bit halfway through the event.
CASEY WRIGHT: No, no. So yeah, it's all set. And then, usually we ski in either a skate boot or a classic boot, but we can't really just use a skate boot while classic skiing or a classic boot while skate skiing. So they make lovely skiathlon boots, which are not the best for classic and not the best for skate. They're somewhere in the middle, so you just kind of have to make do with it. So yeah, it's very interesting sport. And then the changeover, there's all different rules with that, whereas nothing can leave your box, but you're also, unless they put carpet down, you're standing on a slippery surface, you can take your skis off without them sliding away and all this stuff. Yeah, changeover time is definitely an entertaining bit as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: Sounds like it. Definitely keep an eye on that. I mean, just in terms of, I guess, going in there with goals, sort of as you were talking about, Barbara got 33rd in the 10K back in Pyeongchang, which I believe is the best result ever by an Australian female, at an Olympics. Is that something that you look at and think in any event that it would be great to top 33rd, to create an Australian sort of record at an Olympics, or is that something that comes secondary versus, say, setting yourself other goals? And if that happens, that's obviously a bonus.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I don't think I go out to kind of set groundbreaking achievements for Australia. I'm there. I'm so proud to be representing my country, but then also wanting to be able to have the achievements that I'm proud of. So obviously, it would be great to be able to have the highest result for an Australian skier. But if I've had a good race as well, that's not going to be the determining factor of how I kind of feel about that race.
BEN WATERWORTH: I would love to know what it is about the Norwegians and this sport, Casey, because seriously, every time the Olympics roll around us, where all their 50 gold medals they win are all in cross-country and biathlon. I mean, is there something that you feel is in the water in Norway? And are they very open? Like, can you go to the Norwegian team and just be like, hey, from Australia, we're not Norway when it comes to cross-country. If you help me out in cross-country, like we'll reciprocate, we'll help you in swimming, like, you know, come to Summer Olympics or something like that. Can we make a deal with the Norwegians when it comes to cross-country skiing to help us out a bit?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I don't know. I have to have to say, I've had like some interactions with them, not a huge amount. You know, on World Cup, we kind of just get put into accommodation and not always like in the same hotels as them. The times I have stayed with them, I've typically been the solo Australian, and they kind of just accept me as this like kind of like lonely, lonely person. So that's generally my interactions with them. But yeah, I think, you know, there's just the culture around that in Norway. And, you know, you talk to most Australians and say you're a cross-country skier, and they're like, I don't know what you're talking about. Whereas you go there and every man and their dog is out cross-country skiing every day after work. So it's just a very different cultural aspect. And yeah, potentially there's something in the water. Who knows?
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I just just Norway's starting to scare me a bit because we just saw in Tokyo that they're doing well in summer sports now, too. They're winning triathlons, they're winning, you know, athletics events. And I know as Australians, we win winter events, but not to the extent that Norway are doing it. Like, it's just, I don't know, I feel like there needs to be some sort of balance going on here that Norway can't become the new USA and Russia and Germany and dominate both. Like, Norway has the Winter Olympics. They can't have both, Casey. That's what I'm trying to say.
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I totally agree. But I think we did pretty well for ourselves in Tokyo.
BEN WATERWORTH: Oh, absolutely.
CASEY WRIGHT: I think we've definitely given ourselves a bit of a buffer at the moment. Yeah, hopefully you can hold us off to maybe the next summer games.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, good point. Good point when it comes to that. I'd love to know. I remember when we spoke to Calum a little bit, I was talking to him about Nordic Combined. I'm a big Nordic Combined fanboy, and we have had one competitor back in 1960, the great Hanna Dal, a Norwegian who came to Australia, of course, competed for Australia. Is there ever a temptation that you could pick up a bit of ski jumping on the side and then bring back the great Nordic Combined sport for Australia come Milan? Any potential there for that, Casey?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I don't know if I'd be able to go off those jumps. They're insane. I also think I'm probably a bit too heavy to be a good jumper. Yeah, I don't think I'd be making it very fast. So probably not the best person to be asking to do that. But, you know, we have had some other athletes. We have Ben Sim and Jackson Bursall probably about eight years ago, maybe, who were doing a bit of Nordic Combined. So, you know, we have had some who have tried to jump, but, you know, it's kind of hard when we don't have access to ski jumps in Australia. So it's not really something we can kind of get the juniors, you know, really pumped up about when they physically can't do it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, yeah, we had a couple of...
CASEY WRIGHT: Cross-country and then, yeah, if they decide to defect over there, then, you know, they can go.
BEN WATERWORTH: It works. Yeah, we had a couple of US and Canadian ski jumpers on recently. And ski jumping is now that we've got Tali and Dean in curling, ski jumping is the only winter sport that Australia has never had an athlete in. So I'm thinking that if we get maybe some of you guys across to the Nordic combined, get practising on the ski jumping, one Olympics in Nordic combined, and then go, OK, come 2030, we can create the history and I'll be Australia's first ever ski jumping athlete. So, you know, whether that's yourself, whether you can get Jess on board or any of the other guys, like I'm just trying to think of these history making avenues that could potentially be for somebody out there from Australia.
CASEY WRIGHT: Like, that's great. I think you just got to just find that special person just loves pointing their skis straight, going really fast and then launching into the air. Good luck with that endeavour.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, thank you. And also the other endeavour too, as a proud Tasmanian, we are the only state or territory never to have had a Winter Olympian. So again, I mean, maybe again, I'll put my hand up. I'll be the ski jumping athlete from Tasmania, tick off two boxes all at once, you know?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I'll teach you how to cross-country ski, so then you can get the nodic combined. There we go.
BEN WATERWORTH: Exactly. Perfect. I mean, again, I never liked to share my skiing story, which I lasted like 10 seconds and whipped out when I did go skiing one time. But hey, look, I can practise that. I can see how it goes. Before we wrap up with some get to know you style questions, one thing that I like learning about you is that you're into crochet, and you like to make headbands. How does this come about? Do you have an Etsy store where people can check out your headbands, or are you making them for your teammates? What goes on with that?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I think we're in Sweden quite a few years ago, and just kind of bored. So we went down to the supermarket and found some wool and a crochet hook, and just loaded YouTube and just taught ourselves how to crochet. And it's definitely something I just kind of do during my recovery time, just to keep myself busy. I haven't really sold many, but I also don't want to talk up my skills. I can literally only do straight lines. So I'm not that talented as a lot of other people are who can do fancy patterns and make hats. Yeah, definitely not that good. And apparently I've taught myself how to do it left-handed, I guess, because I'm just viewing YouTube. So yeah, not the person to ask to teach you either. Yeah, I'm very, very robust in my skills in that I can make a headband, and that's about it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I think do a Tom Daly. Sit in the stands when you're not competing and just crochet. You know, he got a lot of attention knitting in the stands. So you could be doing that. You could be the crocheting cross-country skier.
CASEY WRIGHT: He was knitting a patch for his medal. That looked a bit more intricate than anything I'll ever be able to do.
BEN WATERWORTH: You can knit a headband for your medal, Casey. I mean, come on. We know all the Norwegians are going to have an off game now that we're putting the mickey on them. Yeah, sure. Exactly. They'll all catch COVID. No Norwegians will be there at the Olympics. And then boom, Australia's in with a chance. We can do it.
CASEY WRIGHT: Sounds like a few of them might have actually just tested positive. So you just need to see what happens.
BEN WATERWORTH: All right. We definitely have a chance. Come on. All right. This is what you get, Norway. Don't be good at the summer. You jinx yourself in your actual events. Another thing, actually, too, we often have a question when it comes into our final questions. But I saw you're a bit of a Richmond supporter, Casey. Now, I just bring this up. I'm not a Richmond supporter, but I've always have a soft spot for the Tigers just because generally, they're the team that you kind of feel sorry for because they never won. But now that you've won so much, it's weird that there's cocky Richmond supporters. Like, I don't know. Is that a thing that you notice now as a Richmond supporter that people aren't as friendly to you as they maybe were like five years ago when they maybe felt sorry for you back then?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I don't know. Maybe. I guess like I spend like a lot of that time where like, you know, Richmond was winning in Alaska and trying to convince my teammates that AFL was a real sport. And that they should be barracking for the Tigers. And majority of like, Oh, watching rugby. I'm like, No, no, very different. Not the same sport. It's like rugby. It is. I'm like, ah, give up. Like maybe we don't get quite as much sympathy votes. But, you know, I wouldn't say I'm like a diehard AFL follower. Like I definitely like watching a game and, you know, do support the Tigers. But yeah, I don't know. Maybe they're just so jealous.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, well, that's it. I mean, look, I'm a Carlton supporter. And growing up, you know, we did well. Now we don't. So I feel people feel sorry for us now. And that's weird. It's like, oh, we're generally pretty good. Don't feel sorry for us. So yeah, we'll get there eventually. Now, Casey said we'd like to wrap up a series of Get To Know Yourself questions. As always, these are based on a questionnaire that was given to team Canadian athletes ahead of Pyeongchang and also Rio. They didn't have any cross-country skiing athletes for me to use their questionnaire. So I've gone with Erin Malinsky. I'm probably butchering her name completely, an alpine skier. So kind of this close get. As I was always saying these, if you feel up to it, there is a drawing element. You don't have to.
CASEY WRIGHT: I don't think I have any drawing implements with me.
BEN WATERWORTH: Look, it can be homework. You can do it this afternoon and send it in to us. Yeah, with a couple of the bobsled girls did it. So, you know, just if you're keen.
CASEY WRIGHT: You see my artistic skills come shine.
BEN WATERWORTH: There you go. Exactly. I like this. All right. I'll tell you what they are in a moment, but we'll start off with the first question. Your favourite ever Olympic moment is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I think it's going to have to be Alyssa Kaplan's gold medal in the aerials in Salt Lake.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great answer. I like it. Is it something that when you first meet her, going back to what you're saying, like do you fangirl out a little bit? Do you have to ask her a million or one questions about it? And just does she reciprocate? Does she answer everything that you got to ask her?
CASEY WRIGHT: I guess like my fangirling is like kind of like deer in the headlights situation. It's like, you're there, I'm here, like we're near each other. So that's kind of how I respond. But she obviously just has like so much experience, and is just so happy to be that mentor for you. We'll pick up on like your mildly freaking slash fangirling out, and it's like, it's okay, calm down. Like, let's meet. Yeah, just a great human to be around for sure.
BEN WATERWORTH: Fantastic. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
CASEY WRIGHT: I'd definitely be flying. Yeah. Just yeah. Yeah. Flying hands down.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'd always like to know, like, if you could fly, like, do you just, yeah, I'm bored. It's, you know, eight o'clock on a Wednesday. I'm just going to bugger off to Prague or something like that. Or is that one of these things that you strategically use? Right. Like, I don't know.
CASEY WRIGHT: How fast you can fly.
BEN WATERWORTH: True. That's very true.
CASEY WRIGHT: Coming off to Prague might be more than just like at eight o'clock on a Wednesday night.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. Like if you're Superman speed, sure. But if you're like flying, you know, like six occasion out.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. And then it's also a case of, is it acceptable? Like are people staring going, oh my God, there's a woman flying? Or is it just kind of like, oh, that's just Casey. There she is just having a fly. You know, all the questions that are around that. Your favourite sports movie is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, I think it's probably the Art of Flight, which is like a snowboarding documentary, which was my favourite growing up and would always love to watch it. And then a lot of us actually filmed in Alaska, which I never kind of queued in on until I like was moving to Alaska. And I watched it again. I was like, oh, I'm going there. That's amazing. That kind of like made me really want to go there even more. So, yeah, definitely the Art of Flight.
BEN WATERWORTH: I always like to compare, you know, think about other, you know, athletes we're talking to if they've got movies based on their sport. And if I can't think of one off the top of my head, I always just go to James Bond and think, has James Bond done it? I mean, James Bond's done Biathlon, which is half cross-country, and he's skied a lot. So it kind of counts, right? Like, we can take it.
CASEY WRIGHT: Sure, yeah, there's a winter aspect.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, exactly. You know, that's how it works. I mean, is that Biathlon versus cross-country? Is there like a real strong rivalry between them? I know we've had some Biathletes on recently, and we kind of asked the other way around, but what do cross-country skiers think of Biathletes?
CASEY WRIGHT: I don't think there's a huge rivalry between us. Like, we're pretty similar, just that they like to shoot in the middle of their races, but we just like ski. Yeah, like, I don't know, I got to go on a biathlon range a few years ago, and I hadn't actually been on one or shot a rifle and had to go at shooting, and I couldn't believe how small the targets were. I was like, how do you guys do this in the middle of a race? So definitely, yeah, mad respect to them to be able to do that. It kind of was very eye-opening.
BEN WATERWORTH: I always think the Nordic Combine needs to get rid of cross-country and make a biathlon to add even more difficult, right? Like just three sports in one, you know, the winter version of the modern pentathlon. Yeah, well, exactly, exactly right. Just saying, ISE, if you're listening, you can have that idea. Now, the first picture element, draw a picture of yourself. So there you go. It can be in any form here. I can see Erin's drawing a picture of her on a stand-up paddleboard. Remember that one, remember that one. Your funniest childhood memory is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Not as a drawing element, as a talking.
BEN WATERWORTH: No, this is just, go for it now. I mean, you can draw it if you want to afterwards.
CASEY WRIGHT: I was like, I don't know, I'm going to draw this. Yeah, so as I said, my parents are out to read teachers, and so me and my brother, we grew up on school camps. So, yeah, we grew up in the Yarra Valley. I'm living on Melbourne High School's school camp where my dad was running. And I think one day we're playing on the flying fox, so dad set it up and we're having fun going up and down. And yeah, our dog at the time, Abby, she was like just a typical camp dog, which is like roamed the grounds and just loved life. She was a black lab, and we hadn't seen her for a bit. That wasn't uncommon anyway. Still hadn't seen her for a little bit longer, so we're starting to get a bit worried. So we were calling out, trying to find her, and we just heard these muffled barks, and we're just like, what is this? And worked out it was coming from underneath our feet, and we're just like, what is happening? She'd actually like gone in a wombat burrow and just made her whole way in until she had found the wombat. And was just barking at it underground. So then ended up being a bit of the rescue mission of dad trying to get into the wombat burrow to pull the dog out.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow, that's crazy.
CASEY WRIGHT: A little bit stressful at the time, because we were just going to have to dig from the top to get her out, but it ended up all good in the end.
BEN WATERWORTH: Good news. All right, wow, geez. That's a very Australian story too, just burrowing wombats. Yeah, I like that. Your favourite pump up song is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Ooh, I've got a pretty good playlist, but I guess at the moment, honestly, Client Liaison is kind of my favourite. So I think the real thing at the moment has been played on repeat quite a bit before any interval sessions. So yeah, that's at the top of my playlist of my pump up tunes heading into Beijing.
BEN WATERWORTH: And is that so you've got the AirPods in beforehand, just kind of getting yourself in the zone, or is it more of a you do that before you get out on to the course?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, like definitely like, you know, when you're getting changed and you're putting your race suit on like before we before we leave, like that's definitely a good opportunity to have some good tunes playing. And then and then the drive there, I usually don't ski with headphones in just, you know, there's too much going on. I don't want to get like, are you allowed to buy a Norwegian or anything like that?
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, yeah, well, you know what the Norwegians are like, right? Right. Is it much sledging involved, be it on the course or like in the in the lead up? And if so, like, is it the Norwegians or the Norwegians, the ones who are doing? I'm just I'm just shitting on all the Norwegians today, apparently. But, you know.
CASEY WRIGHT: Not so much sledging, I guess. You know, I think there's always banter. Like, I think the Brit, the Brits like to have a few digs at us, and that's always bad.
BEN WATERWORTH: Really?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, yeah, they're good in that.
BEN WATERWORTH: What is it about the Brits that make them want to like, do they just, is it just that British-Australian rivalry? I mean, I can't imagine the Brits are that great at cross country skiing. They're only good on ice sports in the Winter Olympics.
CASEY WRIGHT: No, like they're actually quite strong across country and definitely potentially could be medal potentials in this.
BEN WATERWORTH: Really?
CASEY WRIGHT: They've got three guys and they're very strong. So don't be surprised if there's some Brits up near that podium.
BEN WATERWORTH: I don't know if I can accept that. I'm sorry. Like it's all well and good for me to say about the Norwegian Summer Sports, but Britain winning medals in cross country skiing. Like, I mean, what is the world coming to? Come on.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, but I guess like, you know, out on the course as well, like especially in the mass start events, you know, you're skiing quite close to everyone. And if you're skiing on someone's poles or hitting their skis or anything like that, the skier in front of you will be more than comfortable to turn around and tell you to like F off or whatever in whatever language they have. So, you know, like you kind of do, you just got to like, you know, put up the brave face and not want to cry when someone's yelling at you for doing the wrong thing. But yeah, so, yeah, usually the on course mics don't pick up on that. But yeah, yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Lip read. We need to lip read basically.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, lip read. You can see it sometimes. If someone's being a pain to the skier in front of them, they will turn around and let you know about it.
BEN WATERWORTH: I bet you learned some great swear words in different languages.
CASEY WRIGHT: It's a good place to learn for sure.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, wow. The Scandinavian word for fuck is probably, you know, very much on the tip of the tongue. The most recent TV show that you binge watched is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Ooh, I'm kind of like, I like to stick to the classics, and for me, that's The Office, and I pretty much just have that on repeat all the time. That's my comfort zone, and especially, you know, the last few weeks where it's been a little bit stressful with selection, and now, you know, leading, you know, final training preparations and just trying to avoid COVID in every possible way. Just kind of find comfort in The Office.
BEN WATERWORTH: Now, is this US or UK or a bit of both?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, US, yeah, yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: US?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, US all the way.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which, when we had Tali and Dean on, they're big Friends fans, and we're trying to get them to go viral by being the curlers who drop Friends quotes. You could be the cross-country skier who drops Office quotes. So, just saying, you know, that's what she said as you're bumping into someone. I don't know. Like, you could just drop some of these things along the way. Go viral.
CASEY WRIGHT: I would definitely try.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, exactly. Fit it in wherever you can. Your least favourite foods are?
CASEY WRIGHT: Probably have to be tomatoes.
BEN WATERWORTH: Ah, yes.
CASEY WRIGHT: Don't mind them in things, but just can't deal with them anywhere else.
BEN WATERWORTH: No, I'm with you there.
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, and sultanas.
BEN WATERWORTH: Interesting. The thing that's bothering about tomato is when, say, if you order a burger or a sandwich, and it's got all the ingredients right, but there are some places that think tomato is obviously a staple, so they don't need to list it as an ingredient. So then you get it.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, they have to pull it out.
BEN WATERWORTH: And you're like, dude, like, this wasn't on your ingredients list. I would have asked for it without tomato if I knew it was in it.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because it gets everywhere.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's all the juices and just, yeah, no, I'm completely with you there. If you weren't, yeah, just absolutely. If you weren't an athlete, what would you be?
CASEY WRIGHT: I'd probably just be a beach bum, I reckon.
BEN WATERWORTH: Too much snow in your life.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, honestly, I'm just getting to the point now. It's like, oh, I'm sick of being cold. I just want some summer. I've got three weeks left of winter, and then I'm going and just sitting on the beach and surfing every day. Yeah, I think it's kind of hard. I think I would be an athlete anyway, like some kind of sport, because that's pretty much all I do apart from working or study or whatever. That's where you find me if I'm not at home.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, you get into the surfing enough. Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028. You could be a dual winter-summer Olympian. Join the select group of people who have done that for Australia. Options. Your favourite vacation spot is?
CASEY WRIGHT: Wouldn't say I've been on a huge amount of holidays recently. But probably the last holiday I went on was to Queenstown in New Zealand. I'm a dual citizen with Australia and New Zealand. My mum's a Kiwi. That holds a special place in my heart. So I think that's probably where I'm going to head to when borders open and I can finally go on holiday. But then again, I think anywhere where there's a beach as well, I don't want to be too picky.
BEN WATERWORTH: If you ever run for politics, make sure you disclose that you're a dual citizen. We don't want that.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I will.
BEN WATERWORTH: Does New Zealand try and steal you away if they try to get you to come compete for them at an Olympics?
CASEY WRIGHT: No, well, yeah, like, you know, Australia, skiing in Australia is quite small, and then skiing in New Zealand is even smaller. So, yeah, so not yet. But, you know, who knows, maybe next game, I'll wear a silver fern.
BEN WATERWORTH: You know, like as long as you've worn the green and gold first, and it's not Britain. It's not Britain. Or Norway, like, you know, we're working that one out. What's something that people usually describe you as?
CASEY WRIGHT: Ooh, I guess it depends who you're asking, but I think like a majority of my friends just think I'm like just slightly insane for like the training and every kind of punishment I put my body through. Yeah, I think they've kind of accepted that that's me, and they're just like, oh, don't worry, that's just Casey doing her thing. Just, you know, let her go. She'll be back at some point. So, yeah, I think, yeah, I like to, you know, like think of myself as just kind of like that, you know, easygoing, like, you know, enjoying what I do and enjoying doing it with people too.
BEN WATERWORTH: Slightly insane as well.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, slightly insane.
BEN WATERWORTH: I enjoy that. The next drawing for you to mark down is draw a place from your hometown, or they say province being Canada, but obviously that would be state. So draw a place from your hometown or home state. Yeah. That's actually the first time I've seen that one as an option. And I'll tell you one thing, Aaron's done a pretty good job of this. It's like a lake with leaves and trees and done very good job here.
CASEY WRIGHT: So I think one of my teammates has, he got given a painting, like a $1 painting kit that you give to kids for Christmas from our Secret Santa. So maybe I have to borrow his paints and paint in the future.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's bound to come in handy someday. Exactly. Wow, this is perfect. We kind of touched on this in some way. If you could be an Olympian in any other sport besides your own, what would it be?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I think I'm just going to have to go back to surfing.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah.
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, I think an opportunity just to live on the beach and surf every day is pretty awesome.
BEN WATERWORTH: Tahiti for Paris, of course. I mean, not a bad spot to go. Not bad at all. I don't know what they're going to be doing in LA, but I can't imagine they're going to be struggling to find a beach in California somewhere to do some surfing.
CASEY WRIGHT: I think they'll be fine.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. And then Brisbane, I mean, again, similar issue. Which beach do they choose, basically? Yeah, exactly. Pick any of them there. Now, the last word of question, there's one more drawing element, but your guilty pleasure. Like, this isn't just food. This is anything. What is your guilty pleasure? Ooh.
CASEY WRIGHT: I think I'm going to have to just resort back to food, and that's definitely chocolate. Yeah, I'm a person who can, like, survive when I don't, like, if I don't have it, but if I get it, then I'll just eat the whole block at once.
BEN WATERWORTH: What's your guilty... What's your favourite sort of block that you go to?
CASEY WRIGHT: Oh, top deck. Cadbury's top deck.
BEN WATERWORTH: Ooh, yes. Good answer. I always ask these questions when I get hungry. It's my own fault, really, for doing it. The last picture element, the drawing, is draw a picture of your favourite animal. And Erin's drawn an elephant. Again, another great picture. She's done a very good job on this elephant. You know, so... All right. You got it locked? All right. I'm looking forward to seeing this. Casey, before we let you go, people want to follow you during Beijing and beyond, social media, websites, anything along those lines, where people can sort of stay up to date with your progress and everything else?
CASEY WRIGHT: Yeah, probably. Instagram is the best go-to. So it's Casey.right. And yeah, you can follow along there. I try to put up a bit of what we do as cross-country skiers and then kind of all the other fun adventures I like to have along the way.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great. I saw some of the videos recently from just the squad in general. I mean, it looks like all of you are having a blast being named to the team. So I think this is something that as Australians watching Beijing, we need to keep a close eye on all six of you because you look like you guys are the life of the party. I mean, snowboarders and freestyle skiers, oh, look at them doing fancy tricks. Get on board team cross-country skiing.
CASEY WRIGHT: That's what I say. The boys recently released a little music video. We have been known in the past to release some. A few years ago, there was a Katy Perry, I Kissed A Girl parody. So if you do want to have a good laugh, jump on YouTube. And yes, all under Oz XC, or Australian Cross-Country Ski Team. They recently put out a new one, so they're hoping for it to go viral. So this is my plug for them.
BEN WATERWORTH: We'll help it out. We'll put it up on our socials, just so it can go out there a little bit as well. So absolutely get on board with it. Casey, in all seriousness, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you, obviously, so close to the Games. We really do appreciate giving us your time in a moment where, obviously, things are getting very hectic for you and about to go into competition zone. But best of luck for everything into these Olympics. We're really looking forward to seeing you and the entire Australian Cross-Country Team and the entire Australian Olympic Team, of course, Pete, and we'll get you back on and we'll talk about beating all the damn Norwegians. Let's just say it that way.
CASEY WRIGHT: Sounds good. Thank you so much.
BEN WATERWORTH: And a massive thanks there to Casey for her time. Obviously, so close to Beijing, we definitely appreciate her sitting down to chat. And yeah, I don't know how I feel about Britain potentially winning cross-country skiing medals. This is just, this is just strange. I just don't know. I don't know how I feel about it. But I guess, who knows, eventually, we have to accept some of these things, and potentially we could be seeing some history being made when it comes for cross-country skiing. They've never, ever won a cross-country skiing medal. So we'll see how that plays out. I say Australia does it first. Come on, Casey. Come on, Team Australia. Win those cross-country skiing medals. Come Beijing. We've got so much still to come for you, of course. The Beijing Games is days away. Of course, our big Beijing preview episode will be dropping the day before the opening ceremony, as will our Athletes To Watch episode, in which we basically play all the clips of all the athletes that we've had on before Beijing. And of course, I will reiterate that it's just between Pyeongchang and Beijing. So athletes that we had on before Pyeongchang, who we haven't had on since, but who are returning to the Olympics, we won't be including clips from them. But just kind of an idea of who have had on and their mindset talking about the Olympics and where they're feeling at, of course, in various stages of getting closer to the Games. So that will be a fun one. And then as we've been having daily episodes anyway for the last couple of weeks, daily episodes, of course, every day we'll be doing a review, as we always do during the Olympic Games, and right through to the closing ceremony, then we'll do a rap episode. And it's just, it's going to be incredibly busy, but we love every single second of it. We're going to bring you in-depth coverage. We've got some new things coming for these Olympics as well. So very, very excited for everything that is coming through your speakers. And a big interview, of course, that we are dropping, the last athlete interview that we will have before our preview on athletes to watch episode, the legendary Apollo Ono short track speed skater from the US. Of course, everybody may remember him from that famous 1000 metre race back in Salt Lake. He was a guy from his second to Stephen Bradbury. He was one of the ones that fell over. Everyone, of course, fell over, and Bradbury won the gold. But an esteemed, one of the greatest speed skaters, short track speed skaters of all time, the most decorated US. Winter Olympian of all time, and a great chat with Apollo Ono that we will drop this week as well. So stay tuned for that. Social media, Off The Podium, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube. If you want a video version of this interview, of course, hit us up on YouTube. And while you're online, go to all the good podcast channels, search Off The Podium, subscribe, leave us some feedback. We'd love to hear what you think of the show. Rate us as well. It does help us get out there a little bit more. And remember, vote for us in the Sports Podcast Awards. You hear the plug before and after this episode. sportspodcastawards.com. We're up for best Olympic and Paralympic podcasts. All you have to do is register. You jump online, click vote now, click best Olympic and Paralympic category, click on Off The Podium. Boom, that's done. You have voted for us, and we very much would appreciate the support out there. So please get on board, get us up the podium, on the podium rather than off the podium. That's what I said at the beginning, isn't it? So we would very much appreciate that out there. Big thanks again to Casey. Big thanks to everybody for listening. My name is Ben. This is Off The Podium. As always, shout out to Jason Momoa. And remember, go left.
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