Unlike every other mum though, Carla Zijlstra-Evans will go home and pack her bags to join fellow winter Olympians Stephen Bradbury and Alicia Camplin and the rest of the Channel Nine and FOXTEL commentating crew at the winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Carla has called Jindabyne home since 2005 after she married three time Australian winter Olympian cross country skier Anthony Evans in 2001.

Carla, a long track speed skater, became a member of the Dutch national team in 1991 and attended three winter Olympics for her home country. She raced at Albertville in 1992 - with two impressive fourth place finishes after the almost unbeatable German team. She then went on to compete at Lillehammer in 1994 and Nagano in 1998.

Throughout her career she raced European and World Cups with her strongest finishes being in the 3000m and 5000m and the 1996 world single distance championships. She then went on to win two silver medals in 1997.

After meeting Anthony at the World Student Games in 1991 in Sapporo in Japan, the two married and settled in Australia 10 years later. These days Carla balances her sporting and fitness life with her physiotherapy business in Jindabyne and teaching of Pilates in both Thredbo and Jindabyne.

Daughters Zanna and four-year-old Abbey have already had both ice skates and skis on and are frequently seen enjoying the mountain sports that brought their mum and dad together.

Australian Sophie Muir has already qualified to compete in Vancouver and is the first Australian woman skater ever to do so. Three of our male skaters are waiting to find out if they also will take the ice in the Australian uniform.

Carla will start her commentating on February 12 with the first of the speed skating events and will continue through until the closing ceremony on February 28.