Found a great shot in the Olympic archives. One of my personal favs.  Everybody was so happy to take this photo. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

This award means a lot to me, it is an honor to be recognized as one of the top athletes in BC. When you hear your name announced it is definitely a cool feeling and it’s an added bonus to everything else. It also tells you that you must be doing something right and that you are going in the right direction in your career.

Manny has teamed up with Callaway golf as the newest ambassador of the Diablo Brand, formally announced earlier in March.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Callaway’s Diablo brand. The no-holds-barred attitude Diablo embodies is a perfect fit with the way I approach not just a ski race, but all parts of my life,” said Manny.

In his first role as Diablo ambassador, Manny will travel to Europe this summer to host the Canadian winner of the Diablo Edge contest, which officially opens today. The winner will receive a seven-day once-in-a-lifetime golf experience, including a VIP Callaway Hospitality Experience at the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews, in addition to rounds at some of Ireland’s best courses. The winner will also take home a bevy of Diablo Edge gear including a full set of golf clubs, a golf bag, golf balls and more. Full contest entry details are available here:www.mycallaway.ca/diabloedge/contest/

What an exciting year! The World Cup season has come to a close,  Manny is back on home turf at the Canadian National Championships at Nakiska.  And just to put that finishing touch on the season Manny won today’s Canadian Men’s Downhill Title. A special congrats goes out to Kelby Halbert in 2nd and Erik Guay 3rd.

Manny travels back to Europe next week for a few days to lend support to his sponsors that have contributed so much to skiing and to Manny’s Career.

The 3rd annual Cowboy’s Camp with Mike Janyk will kick off April 28th in Whistler, BC. Interested in attending, helping out or sponsoring the event? Send a quick note to manny@manuelracing.com.

Time is counting down for your chance to apply for Cowboy’s Camp. We are accepting all applications until March 20th!

We’re looking for 10 racers from BC who are starting their first or second year in FIS. Requirements for entry are enthusiasm, determination, commitment and love for skiing. Our camp is offered to those who find that financing ski racing to be a challenge. We look after the cost of the four day camp. The only thing the racer will need to provide is transportation to and from Whistler and equipment, ready to train.

Get those applications in fast!

Every wonder what Manuel Osborne-Paradis does before a race? Catch the Downhill and Super G events tomorrow and Thrusday from Garmish Germany.

The time has come to send in your application for our third annual Cowboys Camp happening this spring in Whistler. The dates for our camp are April 28th and May 1st.

We’re looking for 10 racers from BC who are starting their  first or second year in FIS.  We’re looking for enthusiasm, determination, commitment and love for skiing. Our camp is offered to those who find that financing ski racing to be a challenge. We look after the cost of the four day camp. The only thing the racer will need to provide  is transportation to and from Whistler and equipment, ready to train.

We’d like a short letter, maximum 400 words from each applicant explaining why they should be choosen for our camp, accompanied with a letter of support from their coach. If possible please attach your coache’s letter with your application. All the best and good luck.

Please send all applications to cowboyscamp@live.com

If you would like more information on the camp, please check out the Cowboy’s Camp page.

All applications need to be in by March 20th.

All the best,

Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Mike Janyk

Manny survived the Olympics! Certainly disappointed with his results in the DH and SG, his cup remains half full.

“I was pleased with the top section of my DH run, matching the time of Didier Defago who went on to win gold” said Manuel. Coaches corner proved tricky and set him back into 17th place. Charging the SG another mistake brought him a DNF. “I haven’t had time to analyze the video of my SG run, but I certainly will to see what really went wrong and learn by it.”

Manny spent some time in Vancouver taking in the Olympic activities. He said that the Olympics proved to be much larger than he had originally imagined. After his previous experience in Turin four years ago, he thought it would be much the same, but there the team stayed 1hr out of town and were not involved in opening or closing ceremonies, he couldn’t imagine the home town pressure.

“It was great to hear the crowd and feel all the support for us. It was a really fun to race in front of the home town crowd, and even though my results were not what I had hoped for, I was excited that everyone remained pumped.”

Manny and the Cowboys move on to Kvitjell Norway next week for another DH and SG on March 4th -7th, following that they head to Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany for World Cup Finals racing a DH on March 10th and a SG on March 11th.

Sometimes you go for it and it pays off.

Sometimes you go for it and it doesn’t.

Such is life and such is ski racing.

Today I went hard but made a few mistakes and it cost me. I won’t lie, I’m bummed, but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll be ready to rip for Super-G and whatever else lies ahead – hey the season goes beyond the Olympics and there’s still lots of racing to do.

Kudos to Erik for a good run. Big ups to Aksel – glad to see you with some silver brah!

Robbie keep your chin up bud – your day will come – and it’ll be sooner rather than later I’m sure.

To the Canadian mens downhill ski team……. we watched today’s race with great pride, admiration and respect.

Over the past number of years we have had the opportunity to see Manny and the Men’s Ski Team in Portillo, Chile. What a GREAT privilege. What a great sport, what a great way of life and Manny is such a great ambassador for Canada and alpine skiing.

We remain proud of our Canadian Men’s Alpine Ski Team and all the Canadian Olympic athletes!

GO CANADA GO!

OH CANADA!

Marion, Kevin, Sean, Meagan, Brandon, Paul, Lynn, Ben, Susan, Rick, Meghan, Rob, Matt and Chris.