Australian skier Dale Begg-Smith is one of his nation's best hopes for medaling in the 2014 Winter Olympics, and not just because he's one of a select few Aussies who could participate in the Winter Olympics. Six months before Sochi, he's hanging out in the Caribbean.
Anthony Sharwood of News Corp got Begg-Smith, who struck gold in 2006 and silver in 2010 in moguls and is believed to be living on Grand Cayman Island, on the phone. Here's how that went:
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hi, is that Dale?"
"Who's this?"
"Dale I hope this is an OK time to call. My name is Anthony, and I'm calling from Australia."
Silence…
"I'm a former Australian ski instructor and I'm also a reporter for Australia's largest media company News Corp."
Click.
Begg-Smith's absence is worrisome, but not exactly strange. His coach and Australian Olympic organizers essentially shrug at their star not being around, and have no concrete idea about whether he's even going to try to make it to Sochi. That he's even competing for Australia has a lot to do with him not wanting the restrictions of his native Canada's Olympic apparatus, as he reportedly made the switch from maple leaves to digeridoos because Canadian officials didn't appreciate him splitting time between training and a lucrative spyware business.
If he comes back and competes, great. If not, at least Sharwood had the stroke of genius to produce this:
h/t to Nick
Photos: AP; Anthony Sharwood/News Corp