HELENA — As the rest of the nation sleeps, Helena residents set their alarm for 4:30 a.m. to cheer on hometown favorite Konnor Ralph as he competes in the Olympics.
“I think it's very important because he deserves the support,” said 11-year-old Owen Crawford.
WATCH: 5,000 miles away from Italy, Montanans woke up early to cheer on Konnor Ralph
Great Divide organized a watch party at the Rocky Mountain Emergency Training Center for the people of Helena to gather and show their support from back home.
Italy’s 8-hour time difference wasn’t enough to slow these fans down.
“Oh, we got up at three in the morning,” said Helena resident Kim Brewer. “He’s from Helena! It’s so exciting to have somebody come from Helena be in the Olympics.”
“It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a hometown Olympian and go watch, hang out with the local crowd, and have a great time,” said Helena resident 16-year-old Talus Pike.
It was a packed house, with nearly 100 people coming out to the point they ran out of chairs. The crowd included die-hard skiers, people who had never even been skiing, and those who knew Ralph best during his time in Helena.
“We lived right next door to them, and we became friends with his family,” said Mary Rutherford, Ralph's old next-door neighbor. “He used to jump on the trampoline with my grandson, and he’s just a great guy, really great guy.”
There was even a monitor set up so that Ralph could see the hometown support from all the way in Milano Cortina.
“To show him everyone who's here was so special,” said Rose Crawford, one of the owners of Great Divide, who helped organize the watch party. “It's just the heart of the Helena community coming out, even at 4:30 in the morning.”
Ralph is already leaving his mark on the skiing world and inspiring the next generation.
“Skiing where an Olympian skied, and just seeing the owners here and just the family feeling of that local hill, nothing can replace it,” Pike said.
Ralph finished 9th in the final slopestyle competition, scoring a 66 in his best of three runs, but his work isn’t done yet, as he competes in the big air qualifier Sunday, February 15 at 11:30 a.m.
Fans look forward to seeing his next competition, Men's Big Air, which will have its qualifying round on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time.
Fans and friends at Tuesday's event in Helena say they are already marking their calendars for the next Winter Olympic Games.
“If you dream it, you can be it, and we're just so incredibly proud of the work and the effort that you've put in to become a world-class athlete,” Rose said.
“He's gonna get a gold medal, I know he's gonna get a gold medal!” Brewer said.
“Dude, let's see it in the next four years, let's go win that gold!” Pike said.
In truth, Ralph’s hometown is proud no matter the outcome. Through the ups and the downs, they’ve always cheered him on and knew he could soar.
