Gold medallist Torah Bright's stamp

Now that she has won a gold medal you can expect to see Torah pretty much everywhere, like even on a letter you may receive in the mail. These are sure to be hot sellers around Cooma...

Australia Post to release Torah Bright Gold Medallist stamp

To celebrate Australia’s first gold medal of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Australia Post will release an Olympic Winter Gold Medallist stamp this Thursday 25 February featuring an image of Torah Bright taken at the medal presentation ceremony on the weekend.

Bright won her gold medal in the Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe event on Thursday 18 February (Vancouver time).

After falling in her first run in the finals, Torah scored an unbeatable 45.0 in her second run, putting pressure on the girls coming after her to match it.

This is the fourth Australian Olympic Winter Gold Medallist stamp. Australia Post has been producing Olympic Games Gold Medallist stamps since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

“Torah has become our fourth ever Olympic Winter gold medallist and we are proud to honour her through the production of this stamp,” said Australia Post’s Group Manager of Philatelic, Mr Noel Leahy.

“The release of this stamp highlights Australia Post’s support of the Australian Olympic Winter Team. To be featured on a stamp is a great privilege and our Olympic gold medallists have earned this through their commitment and dedication to their sport and representing their nation with such distinction on an international stage”, said Mr Leahy. 

The stamp features Torah at the medal presentation ceremony in Vancouver, holding her gold medal proudly, her name and the event she competed in, the Australian Olympic Team logo and a graphic representation of the Canadian Alps in the background.

“We are confident the Australian public will join us in celebrating Torah victory in Vancouver and we expect to see strong demand for the stamps”, Mr Leahy added.

Torah Bright Gold Medallist stamps can be purchased in an attractive sheetlet of 10 x 55c from participating Australia Post retail outlets, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last.

Australian Olympic Snowboard Team to Return to Otsego’s O Park in Gaylord (Will Torah Bright Come Too?)

Torah Bright, Australian Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, may be among the Olympians planning to run their snowboard tricks at the Olympic-size half pipe at Gaylord's Otsego Club after the Vancouver games.

Bright was one of a slew of Olympians from around the globe that trained for more than two weeks in the O-Park at Gaylord's Otsego Club— the only 22-foot half-pipe east of the Rockies—before heading to Canada to compete in the 2010 Winter Games. “We were pretty excited to see how well she did, knowing that she was here when she was training for that run,” said Otsego Club manager Kris Klay.

“When the Olympians arrived to train here, I think the first thing they experienced was complete surprise. They all wanted to know where the hill was,” Klay said with a laugh. “When they saw the facility tucked behind the main lodge, however, it was another story.  They loved the pipe, the chair to service them that was right there too, and the fact that they would be able to get a lot of training in to step up their routines before the big games. Obviously, that worked out pretty well.”

So well that the Australian national team has already committed to returning to the Otsego Club from March 1-March 14 to train for the U.S. Open at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. “We aren’t sure which team members are coming, but we know there will be a lot of athletes here training for that event, including parts of the U.S. team as well (although not Shaun White, who has a private training facility).  It is a great experience to watch athletes of this calibur,” Klay said.

For more information on the O Park, visit otsegoclub.com.